Baby steps to blogging
Deep breaths, just keep taking deep breaths.
I can do this. I can blog.
I'm coming out of my internet shell. Oh, it's not that I don't spend enough time on the internet--heaven knows that will never be the problem! I've just been in a bit of a funk as to having things to say. So in a rare, unprecedented move, I'm flooding the internets with my words. Facebook--oh yeah, status updates and even comments on other peoples pages. Message boards that I've lurked on for years? Commenting right and left. And even blogging.
I know, wonders never cease. But it had to happen eventually. I think part of the problem is that I have no idea what to make this old blog space. Food blog? I love to cook and I'm dang good at it, but the web is chock jam packed full of food blogs. Ditto with craft blogs, and I'm not creative enough for that. As a homeschool blog I fail completely, because our days are so completely haphazard. And mommy blogs are just boring.
So tell you what. I'll post smatterings of all of the above, and hopefully some of it will be interesting. At the very least, it will get me motivated to actually take some pictures of my children for posterity's sake. (I want that SLR so much I can taste it. I just know that when I have a beautiful camera,
then I'll be a great blogger!!) ((same with a serger. I know the lack of one is the only thing keeping me from true sewing proficiency.))
What do you know? This is kind of fun! Spilling all my random thoughts out is actually kind of therapeutic. I just might have to keep this up!
Labels: random
Only in Utah...
For anyone who's LDS, this picture will need no introduction, and the irony will be immediately apparent once you realize that this is a LUXURY home neighborhood. Right.
If you're not LDS, let me do some quick explaining. In the Book of Mormon, there is a prophet/king named King Benjamin. He taught, quite strongly I might add, on caring for the poor, service, and especially giving freely of what God has blessed you with to those less fortunate. Now I'm sure the lovely homes are peopled with philanthropists and do-gooders a plenty, but the irony of naming your LUXURY home community after a PROPHET who preached selfless giving is just priceless to me. Only only ONLY in UTAH!!!
Labels: random
Google irony
The dear person who just stumbled onto my blog by googling "
we put our things away neatly activity for children" must have been sorely disappointed. Especially since this is what I found after the little darlings were down in the basement "playing." I'd better go google the exact same thing, and hope I'm not the only source out there!
Labels: random
Smatterings
I'm sitting here at the computer, but not exactly sure what I want to post. So I think I'll just ramble and see where we end up.
The last two days we've spent nearly every moment outside. This whole weeding thing is going to be the death of me, but I'm not going to let it get out of control like I did last summer. I figure if I weed one bed a day, taking Sunday off, then they shouldn't take too long if i'm just maintaining. Right? Of course, the vegetable garden isn't scheduled in there, so I'll have to squeeze that one in, too. Provided I can ever get neighbor boy-who-has-the-rototiller over and I can actually plant said vegetable garden.
We went miniature golfing last night for family night. Steve's home now for the summer (HOORAY!!) so we're spending tons of family time, just soaking it in. Calvin in particular is so attached to him. I think he's afraid if he lets Steve out of his sight, he'll go on another plane. But anyway. Mini golf. So fun!! A lot chaotic, and definitely no scorecards for anyone. I would hit the ball with Calvin, then he'd chase after it and go drop it in the whole, then clap proudly for himself. Hazel worked doggedly at it, and could get the ball in herself after 20 or so shots. Chloe golfed with Steve's help, and danced and sang and daydreamed as she's want to do. Altogether as fun a night as you could imagine.
We read Barbara McClintock's version of The Little Princess about 3 times today. Also the book Dahlia, by her, that my girls adored. So fun! We've been doing Gulliver's Travels (an abridged version, but still very rich in language and detail) for a read aloud. It has sparked some fabulous conversations and imaginations.
It's amazing just how quickly the whole house can go from spotless to umm, not. One day of gardening, not cleaning, plus an afternoon of playdough and a large Calvin spill from dinner. Oy vey. Lots of work this evening.
Oh, speaking of Calvin. I was transferring laundry yesterday. Pulled out of the washing machine 2 markers, thankfully with the lids on, 7 foam stamp things, and 1 tube of Strawberry Shortcake toothpaste, also miraculously still closed. Oy vey indeed!!
Labels: Books, Calvin, random
Hardly ever happens
My family takes an inordinate amount of pleasure from sequential patterns, like on the odometer. I've seen my mother nearly weep for joy when her mileage hits something like 101010, or 77977. In fact, the moment of passing from 99,999 to 100,000 is usually celebrated with honks and veeerrry slow driving to savor the moment.
And so, today we'll be having quite the party, in honor of the date and time.
Happy 12:34, 05/06/07.
Labels: random
Aaah, I've had my fix
If you listen carefully, you can hear my long sighs of relief to be typing this. The internet,
THE INTERNET, PEOPLE, has been (gasp) down for 24 hours. My lifeline. My window to the adult world. Not THAT adult world. The mommy one. The one where I can connect with real people who make me feel like the wiping noses and singing goofy songs bit is actually very worthwhile.
So, I'm back online now, albeit crippledly so. The internet fixy guy who was here was saying things like, "router stuff stuff configure stuff stuff modem stuffety stuff." So the wireless is out until Steve the magnificent comes home to do the stuffety stuff stuff to it. Poor me, suffering with a
desktop and no beloved laptop!
Internet woes aside, I have been feeling rotten lately. No energy. No motivation. Blah!! I let us get down to the very last diaper in the whole house, and was saved from a messy situation by wonderful
Sarah. Thank you!! I did manage to get to the grocery store and redeem myself as a parent. During this whole no energy streak, I've let the whole meal thing fall very much to the wayside. Unfortunately, with Steve gone, I don't have much of a reason to really cook. My little people, while appreciative of good food, also are just as happy with Top Ramen or scrambled eggs. Why fight that?
So I ordered pizza for them the other night, and was greeted with a flurry of tears from Chloe who sobbed, "But I wanted bloccoli soup so much!" Way to heap on the guilt there, kiddo. (And no, that's not a typo. She is convinced the word is bloccoli.)
Much more to say, but I haven't done the dishes for way too many meals and I need to go use what little remaining energy I have to deal with that.
Labels: random
LIttle of this and that
I really had the best of intentions to get a great picture of my three in their Easter finery. That didn't happen so much. Maybe next week? We had a lovely Easter, despite the fact that Steve flew out mid-morning. At least we had him home for part of the weekend.
For the past few years, we've celebrated "Bunny Day" the day before Easter. We do the baskets, egg hunts, basically all the fun stuff attached to the holiday. That way, Sunday is able to be just about the Resurrection and the Savior, without Him having to compete with a rabbit. Also, we don't have to rush to fit in baskets before heading to church, and they aren't on a sugar high all day. It's worked wonderfully for us.
I've been working hard in my garden the past couple of days. I planted raspberries, a peach tree, blackberries, rhubarb, asparagus, lettuce, arugula, beets and two kinds of blueberries. I'm putting strawberries in a planter on my deck, because the mice eat every single berry in the garden. There are flats of darling little seedlings with heirloom tomatoes, peppers, basil, dill, lemon balm, and cilantro. I'm itching to get them in the ground, but spring is so fickle in the Rockies. Better to wait another couple of weeks.
The kids spend literally hours digging in the garden. It's wreaking havoc with some of the summer bulbs, but I think it's worth it to see them staring in wonder at the bugs and smelling the daffodils. Charlotte Mason would be so proud!
And that, my friends, is some of the random mish-mash that makes up our lives over here. Oh, and one more thing. What post would be complete without the random Calvin event of the day?
I went to make the girls peanut butter toast for breakfast. The peanut butter was up in the cupboard. So far, everything is completely normal, right?. I opened the jar, and was greeted with three colored hardboiled eggs, nestled in the peanut butter. How does the boy do it????? He's 19 months, and not very tall. Manual dexterity is not so great. So how on earth is he able to get three hardboiled Easter eggs into a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard? I don't know how he does it, but that kid is GOOD!
Labels: random
Just five words
Every now and then, the kindness of strangers makes such a difference.
I had to get my van safety and emissions inspected and registered. I know, I'm a couple days late. Oops!!
So I got a chance to leave around 3 this afternoon. The girls were both so very sleepy--they both fell asleep in the car a few minutes before we got to the place and I had to wake them up to take them inside. So they were all tired and I was unprepared--no snacks or toys anywhere.
You know the feeling of being in an entirely silent waiting room, with only your kids making noise? Everyone else there is a grown up, and they all sit, watching. Talk about pressure! I was so proud of my little people. They played quietly, looking at baby magazines, and the baby sat on the chair and looked at trucks through the window.
I got the sticker and collected the kids. As we were leaving, one of the men who'd been watching us the whole time looked up at me and said, "Great kids. Good work, mom."
That was it. Just five words, but it was they hit me with such power. It was so validating of what I'm trying to do here, every day. Be a good mom, teach my kids right from wrong, and to love each other.
Now I'm not patting myself on the back here, honestly. That trip could have just as quickly been a complete catastrophe, heaven knows I'm in that position an awful lot!! But jsut for that one little moment, it felt so good to have the job that I pray so hard over, recognized. Such kind words that he didn't have to say, that he probably has no idea the kind of effect they had on me. Bless him.
Labels: random
Rapture and joy!!
Bliss! Joy! Radiant happiness and glorious day!!
The cause of this effusive happiness? Today, for the first time ever, I had someone come in to help me with the cleaning. My house--it sparkles. It shines. Under the fridge is clean. Under the washing machine is clean. The oven is clean. Incredible!
I reached the point of just not being able to handle it all. I've never been good at the deep cleaning, and with Steve gone, and these three babies, well--things were not looking so good!!
So I found this fabulous lady on my trusted
craigslist, and she came today. She did things to my kitchen I didn't even know were possible.
The whole time, I felt very naked. Exposed. All of my hidden dirt, all the corners that I keep out of view, everything was overturned. She saw all my dirt. Many metaphors here for the Savior and our souls.
And like repentance and the Atonement, it's all clean now. I'm so happy!!
Labels: random
When temptation comes knocking, literally
I've been really good this year and didn't order a single Girl Scout cookie. Let's face it, if they're in the house, I eat them!! So imagine my complete surprise to open the door this morning and see a sweet little girl with her hair in braids, holding Thin Mints and Samoas.
"Here are the cookies you ordered," she trilled merrily.
"But I didn't order any cookies," replies the befuddled me.
"Oh, your husband did."
Well, not being superhuman, I paid for them, then promptly sampled away. What's a girl to do when Thin Mints show up on your doorstep??
Labels: random
There's an awful lot to learn
Hazel asked me tonight how to keep the toothpaste from running down your chin when you spit.
It's funny what we take for granted.
Labels: Kids, random
Not really any point to this one
I've been thinking and thinking that surely I must have something interesting to write about. But...no. My days are a merry-go-round. We have ups, we have downs, they fly by in a whirlwind.
Some moments are wonderful. I want to do nothing more than be a mommy to these precious kids. But then, mere seconds and a few tantrums later, I'm second guessing everything. What made me think I could parent? Homeschool?? Who am I kidding? There are so many more things that I'm NOT doing than I am getting done. I feel plagued with doubts about this responsibility of mine.
I talk to other moms. I know this is normal, and that overall, yes, my kids will probably not suffer lasting psychological trauma from being raised in my home. But, oh, how to silence the voices of doubt!!
I had an experience yesterday that helped me realize that I am slightly on track. And I share this not in any way showing myself superior, or judging, or anything like that, but just that this opened my eyes that for MY family, with what I want to accomplish for my kids, I'm on the right track. I went to the library with my sweet neighbor for story time. I love her, she's dear, and we get along wonderfully. But she had never been to the completely fabulous library in our neighborhood. I asked her if she went to the other one, and she admitted that they actually never went to the library. Then her kids found several Dora, Blues Clues, and Mickey Mouse books and stacks of DVD's to check out. My kids had stacks and stacks of picture books and read aloud books and honestly great stuff picked out. No twaddle.
OK. I'm
really not trying to sound superior. But it was a realization that I AM doing ok at instilling a love of books and learning in my family. That is extremely important to me. I'm truly not trying to be all prideful, but I did feel better about my inadequacies. And to give her the credit she definitely deserves, her house is darling, very clean, very organized, and her kids rooms are oh, so decorated. All things that mine are NOT!!!
It's all a trade-off, I suppose. Since I can't do everything, I'll focus on the things that matter the most to me, and hope that in the end, these kids turn out ok.
Labels: random
Food coloring fun
A neighbor of mine had some complications with a C-section, so I've been watching her two little girls for a couple hours today.
I
thought it would be easy enough to watch the extra kids, make and decorate sugar cookies with them, and make dinner to take to the family. Easy as pie, right??? Yeah. Right.
The kids were fine. You know how it's sometimes easier when there are extras around because they all just play together? It was Calvin who was in rare and impressive form. I had out my cake decorating box because we were doing sugar cookies. It was up on the middle of the counter and Calvin was busy doing something. I ran into the other room, and when I came back...wow. He found the food coloring, opened it, dumped it all over himself and the floor, and played in it! In roughly 30 seconds!!!!
This was one mess that I didn't run for the camera first.
Normally I'm a really good cook. I love to cook. So I made chili and cornbread (pink, in honor of the day, of course) for the family. I soaked my beans overnight, and I thought I was being so clever by doing a mixture of black, pinto and kidney beans. Well, those horrid kidney beans
would not soften. The others were disintegrating, and they were rock solid. So, I sorted that gigantic pot
bean by bean and got rid of the kidneys. What else can you do when people are waiting for their dinner? Fortunately, it turned out great and the pink cornbread was beautiful.
Labels: random
Bu Xing!!
Steve left this morning and my sister graciously took him to the airport. Somehow, 3 kids in a compact car just doesn't leave much room for luggage. He forgot a very important doohickey, so we piled in to race it to him at the airport before his plane took off. No problem.
I so got pulled over for speeding. Dang it!! But as the officer was writing up my ticket, I couldn't help but think he looked awfully familiar. When he came back to my window, I asked him if he was Elder F., and didn't he serve a mission in Taiwan with me? Ok, so he didn't remember me. But apparently a little connection goes a long way. He changed the ticket to a warning, then instructed me sternly to slow down. In Chinese.
Yet another blessing for serving a mission!!
Labels: random
Joy cometh in the morning
Thank you all so much for the expressions of love and encouragement. THIS is why we blog, I think. To be part of a community that is so much bigger than our neighborhoods, where wonderful and supportive women can come together. It means so much to me to know that even when I feel isolated, there are people who are so quick to offer a word of advice and hope. Thank you all!!
Today is a much better day. I actually slept decently last night. The last couple of nights all three kids have been in bed with me, and that just doesn't lend itself to restful slumber. My dear neighbor showed my girls 'Goosebumps' videos...Chloe thinks the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is 'vewwy scawwy' because the letters fall out of the coconut tree. Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, all far too frightening for them. Basically anything with conflict is not ok. So Goosebumps??? Yeah, they've had nightmares for days.
In trying to help my poor paranoid little girls, I encouraged them to sing Primary songs, say a prayer, or think happy thoughts. I told them a long and involved story about the princess of the butterflies.
Do you ever wonder if certain phrases that come out of your mouth have ever been uttered before? How about "The Princess of the Butterflies put wings on Hazel and flew with her to Makeup Land." Or another, that we wondered about over Thanksgiving. "Does your plastic Bok Choy want to wear the lace trimmed jacket that is on my broccoli?" (We were dressing the play food in doll clothes).
I'm finding as a mother that I say some really weird things.
Steve is flying home tonight from New York. He went to his favorite pizza place, got
22 pizzas, and is bringing them home tonight for a party!! We invited around 45 people, and we have some kegs of rootbeer (yes, actual kegs), and it should be wildly fun.
So I'm taking a quick blogging break, then I'll return to my frantic cleaning of my out of control house. Mrs. Darling, you'd be so disappointed in the state of my pantry and closets!!! I need your wise tutelage on this one. But I'm trying, dang it!
Whew! This was a rambling post. Thank you all again!
Labels: random
Nine Lords a Leaping, Ten Toms a Peeping
My darling and wonderful sister
Mrs. Face posted the other day about people trying to sound clever, and not really succeeding so much. Her example? A post on a message board was trying to really emphasize the importance of her final point, so she called it the "piesta resistonce". Awesome.
Well, I was just poking around on one of my message boards and the topic was Holiday Traditions. One woman said they don't do gifts in their home, only stalkings.
Wouldn't you love to be a part of that Christmassy fun??
Labels: random
