Projects stuff and more stuff

I do like a good project. This past week it has been Quiet Books. I am hoping it quiets my not so quiet children so I can go to church and not break a sweat for at least until they have remove all the felt pieced that I spent hours tacking down with fabric glue. Sentence run and be free I say!!

I am still in school and trying to finish. I am taking three Online courses this semester and hopefully finishing my degree sometime in the next 2 years. That will full conclude my 7th year as a college senior. At this point I have been really wondering if I want to finish or just keep going. There are so many fun things to learn. College is now apart of my hobbies as well as a life long goal.

I am looking into the field of Physical Therapy, Studio Art, and Literature. I figure if I just keep going there will be time for all three.

The three classes I have now are :
Ed Psych 6930 - Forgiveness and anger reduction.
Fam. Consumer Studies- Financial Planning.
Physical Therapy 1010- Intro to PT.

I can't imagine the world without learning new things all the time. I want to be like the founding fathers and have 5 vocational skills. The aspirations of my heart is to help my children with any type of home work they are trying to manage. My math skills could use some brushing up.

Of all the aspirations I have the one that is the most taxing and most challenging is the title of mother. I came to some really big AHHHHHAAAAA moments recently when my kids started mimicking. Using baby signs I have abated most of the terrible tantrums of the twos, until lately. Last week as we were waiting in the waiting room to be seen by the pediatrician (who is spectacular) my wee little Thing 1 has a melt down. In the mist of this one he starts hopping on his knees and clapping very hard. His face is red from the high pitched scream that is now filling the waiting room. And the guy next to us says.

"That's kinda funny. He looks like one of those Toy monkeys."

Now I am in my head trying to stay calm and at the same time giving the signal of cease and desist. This signal is not being read. With in 15 long seconds the nurse comes and calls our name. Saved.

Well it got me thinking where did he pick that one up?? The clapping mad monkey dance? Then I got mad and it all played out like this. ...

When Thing 1 first started pushing limits things I tried diaper spanking. He laughed. Only making my frustration worse. Then we tried a new tactic take the toy away. Much more effective and behavior stops almost immediately with big time crying. AHHH. Well evidently I still have some work to do when Thing 2's cereal (gerber powder stuff) is completely blanketing the kitchen floor. Instead of spanking my child I start socking the inside of my palm. I guess from that freshman year of softball in High school. Then it hits me he is just doing the things I do. His mad clappin monkey dance was mine.

That got me thinking about a conversation that I had recently with a good friend. She mentioned that one day I would eventually get out of diapers, and beable to instruct my children on the finer points of laundering their clothing. But she mentioned an interesting point that she wished she would have learned or thought of as she was my age. She said to parent with an end goal in mind.

When you teach your children, teach them with goals in mind. Goals of their character and who you want them to be. Yeah, they ultimately decide if they want to follow your goals or their own, but you have the opportunity to implant those seeds early. Now I needed to chew on that one for awhile.

For me and my family I think it is a matter of example. I believe the qualities you want your children to have are ultimately the ones that you model for them. That means if I want to build a well rounded being I need to show how a well rounded being behaves, thinks and acts. (I can't tell you how much trouble my children are in) So I decided to start with some trigger words.

Trust
Love
Respect
Honor

I will practice those for now. It starts with quiet book in church and ends with quiet books for my great- grand-babies.

This Year is DIFFERENT !!!!

I have to admitt I am not one to be glued to every tear jerking moment of the Olympics. I already have to struggle with "drama-queenism" and getting all wrapped up in the individual stories requires an emotional recovery every time they only get silver.

I was living happily in SLC during the Olympics of 2002 and didn't attend one event. My husband is still rolling his eyes ( in a kind gentle fashion of course). I decided this year was going to be different. I am going to watch and invest!! I am going to really love the skaters, looooshers, and curlers. Winter Olympics here I come.

I am amazed at what happens when you start watching it is like you put yourself in the place of these awesome athletes. I am really thinking this is great I found an Olympian that I look like. You tell me if you see the resemblence.



I bring you MY OLYMPIC MOMENT!!!










I think we have a little OMAR in all of us!!

Pushy paper products, no just pens for me Please....

It started with Bill Cosby and his silly doodle pen show when I was little. Ever since then I was in love with the Pen!! All sorts gel, ink, felt tip, and ball point. I have had the obsession for quite sometime. It is what has made journaling, homework, and calendars in my purse bearable.

I like Parker and Cross pens the best. The devastation is getting to be too great when I loose them in the car or my room, so I have slowed to a crawl on those purchases.

I go through these phases of crafts and creativity. 2002 brought the crochet phase, then that turned swiftly into the knitting phase. 2003-2004 was the scrapbooking phase. I am slowly coming down off that one. I have avoided the scrap stores and all night scrap parties for the past few months. Throughout all these phases there remains the pen and journaling phase.

I love paper goods!! I have a billion notebooks that are half full(forever the optimist). I could start my own half used notebook store. I promised myself I would start fillin in the other half of note books before I bought new ones. They are so cheap in most cases and I love the feel of a clean sheet followed by 149 clean ones.

Papermate still is the best ball point pen, blue or black. I am addicted and I love it!!

Yeah Friday Flip-up!!!

This week's Blogger is one that I have liked for a long time. She is funny and has an awesome design. Her honesty about life and herself, is what I really like. Tuesdays she is your host for one of the funniest games on the NET. Tuesday Guess it! I love this game.

She is supportive to other bloggers and has inspired me on many occasions to be a better mom, person, and wife. Her humility resounds through out her blog.

This week's winner is......

From Her Majesty's Throne

Thanks for sharing all of life's stuff and doing it with flare!!!

Thursday Thirteen!!

It has been MEME week for my blog this week.



13 quotes that have changed my worldview.

1. "People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world your best and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway."

--Mother Teresa


2. "The chain reaction of evil- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars-must be broken, or

we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation...Love is the only force capable of transforming and enemy into a friend... By its very nature, hate destroysand tears down; by its very nature love creates and builds up." ----Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

3. "Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grivances long past, to roll over your tounge the prospect to bitter confrontations still to come, to savorto the last toothsome morsel both pain you are given and the pain you are giving in many ways it is a feast fit for a king.

The chief drawback is what you are wolfing down is yourself.

The skeleton at the feast is you."

----Fredrick Buechner

4. "Were we to take as much pain to be what we 0ught, as we do to disguise what we are, we might appear like ourselves without being at the trouble of any disguise at all."
----La Rochefoucauld

5. "When we blame someone else for our suffering, when we believethat some one else is the cause of our pain, then we need something from from that other person in order to feel better."----Dr. Fred Luskin

6. "What if I gain the thing I seek?
A dream. a breath, a froth of fleeting joy:
Who buys a minutes mirth to wail as week?
Or sells eternity to get a toy?"

----William Shakespeare

7. "Ability:
However much conditions may improve,
good odd remain,
That I will easily adjust to them and still complain."

----Paul Armstrong

8. "Pain and love are the biggest motivators to change."
----Unknown

9. "Small goals don't light up the souls of men." ---Soto

10. "One is not born a woman. One becomes a woman." ----Simone de Beauvior

11. "There is little testing of our integrity when nothing is lost." ---Vaughn J. Featherstone

12. "As I stand aloof and look
there is to me something
profoundly affecting in large
Masses of men following
the lead of those who do
not believe in men."
------W. Whitman

13. "Forgivness means that your story changes so that you and not the grievances are in control."
----Dr. Fred Luskin

Double Digit Comments!!!

I am in shock so to celebrate I am going to throw out my OOOOPPPPS! List.

This week's opps starts with...

1. I started calling Gas passing "BOOPS" mostly cause I thought it was cute. Only now it sounds like the word B**bs when my 2year says it. He is comming along in the speach area nicely and can now say YEEEHAAA!!

2. I found this and now I am so excited I can get hard back books for less than a dollar.Opps!


3. I have allowed batteries to stay in a "Thomas the tank engine" toy for too long. I am listening right now to the annoying sound of train whistling "oh susanna". It is one of those record playing toys that my Mother thought was a great idea. No argument here, only it is much better when the batteries are not included, or I am in Idaho laughin' all day long as my daughter listens to the "Happy Birthday song" in high pitched train whistling. Batteries are being held in there by screws so it is no easy task to remove them.Opps!

4. Allowed an Xbox to enter my domecile. Bad move. Distracts the band from my blogging addiction! Good move. Still opps.



More are on the way just have to turn off the Whistling!!

The Joy and Pain!!!

I love it when my babies share with each other. I don't like when they share some major bacterial/viral/haven't-been-sick-in-a-long-time-so-it-is-my-turn "cold".

When I am well I love.......

1. Planning surprises for the Band.
2. Taking my kids to the park.
3. Reading a good book.(ok. when I'm sick too)
4. Vacumming( I know this is weird) right after changing out the bag. It is like using super vacume!!
5. Washing my sink out with Soft Scrub ORANGEY ORANGE flavor.
\\6. Geo Caching with the fam.
7. Shopping for things that are less than a dollar.
8. Using all the face cream I have so I can justify the purchase of another face cream.
9. Eating insane amounts of Ice cream. Mostly of the chocolate persssuasion.
10. Buying a new cleanser, fabric softener, toilette scrub tool, or cleaning organizers to get myself excited about a dreaded task.
11.Taking the kids on walks.
12. Painting my toes.
13. Yoga lots of Yoga!!


Me Feeling good.


Today.

Remedy.Drowning my sick bones in Shreeded beef chimichangas.
AHH much better.

Friday Flip-up Hurray!!

Since last week I have been so amped to do this again!!! I have so many bloggs to Spot Light ! So few Fridays in a week!! So.... what is Friday-Flipp Up??? I would call it small Kudos with a "muted thumb". For a whole week you are famous on my Blog!! And whether you like it or not you are going to get a nice little thumbs up award as seen to my left. Just a token of my appreciation for being in the blogger world.

Now this week's blogger has some funny stuff going on all the time! She just commenced a Friday ritual herself. Friday photo day! Last Friday's post will not disappoint!! She has great material-- Her Kids. Loves a good night in with "the bacholor". And man have I laughed. HARD. She was most recently nominated for a "Share the Love" award from mylast weeks winner's blog.

Ok Ok Here it is the blogger of the Week!!!

"Oh these envelopes are so hard to open!"

It's a Mad World

Congratulations! You have done a fine job!

Now if you have a blog that you secretly visit 20 times a day let me know about it!! I am always interested in a new read. Some of last week's suggestions are on the list for the Flipp-up award.

Snotty snot snot!

Thing 1 and Thing 2. Sick. Not polio sick just snotty. Thing 1 has a great immune system. Thing 2 the opposite is true.

So begrudgingly I bring out "Big Green" ( the snot sucker) and the saline drops. We only put them back about three weeks ago!

It's been a nice three weeks AHHH.

They are so cute when they are sick. All cuddly and sweet. I love sick days. Only if they were so cuddly on regular bounce off the walls days.

It made Wednesday Wash Day really nice.....

.. and then I locked my self out of the bathroom. The towel on the back of the door fell and locked the door. As I attempted to play locksmith a little voice calls out from behind me. My attention being 90% sucked into the trigger mechanism of the door I can barely make out what this little voice is saying.

Thing 1: (Knocking on aforementioned door) DAAAAAAD????
Thing 1 : (pausing to listen)
Thing 1: DaaaaaAAAAAAD????

He has made the mistake before. He usually looks in two places for his father :
1. Bedroom (this is normally Before 7am.), and
2. The toilette. (Sacred resting ground of the BAND. Love you honey!)

I giggled to myself as I opened the door. I told Thing 1 Dad would let him know if he was in there.
Oh to be a two and something again. 

Lions, Tigers and Chairs!!!

Three yearold birthday parties are funny!! Why because most of the parents think they can do all the fun games you would do at a 6 year old's party and the kids will catch on. Well some of them did, but Thing 1 left a party this weekend with a new found fear of Lions.

Scene set up.....
Party Theme: Jungle Animals
Party Game: smack the pinhata. (resembles a Lion)
Game Piece?: PVC pipe.(well innicially, then the mother switched for a woofle bat.)

My child is second in line. Takes a good health swing. Connects, rejoices in his hitting of the pinhata. Then upon seeing the "lion" swing back towards him, FLEES the scene, signing the sign for "scared" and saying RAAAAAAAW. Which translates into Lion. Adding additional flare......

Thing 1: "Totally not cool, Mom, that thing scared me!!"

We also attempted musical chairs. It turned out to be parents yelling like they just bet all their money on "Sea biscut". Only they yelled things like "SIT! SIT!SIT down". One child followed her chair out to the hall and sat in it.

I just wish I had my camera!!

Friday-Flip up day continues...

On Friday-flipup day I would like to spotlight a fellow blogger and say NICE JOB!! You get My official Flip Thumbs Up Award.
This Friday's Nice job goes to.....

http://onewomansworld.blogsome.com/

This blogger has some great pictures that goes with her post yesterday. She also is the creator of the "Share the Love awards"

If you haven't bloggrolled her you should. Her writing is crisp, funny, refreshing, and never boring. I am always looking for a good read and I definatley found one over at One woman's World.

Anybody have any new and exciting reads send them my way in the spotlight comments. Love to hear who you love to read.

What time do your kids go to bed??

I am a recovering nap-aholic. When my kids are buggin it must be naptime!! Last week I kept them awake gave each an afternoon nap. Then it was evening and they had been eating dinner yawning..... good sign. So I put them in the bath dressed them brushed teeth and sent them speedily to bed.

The sign of relief and the excitement of me time was just setting in as I glanced at the clock.

6:03pm


ummmmmmmm..... CRUD. Parenting skills 101 states 3:00 am is now your wakey time with two very well rested childeren.

I hoped, I hoped they would sleep through.

BOTH did. Oh that gave me hope. I could have my sweet things in bed by 7:00-7:30pm!!! They would sleep all though the night. Since then it has worked!! One major nap and all my dreams can come true my shift ends at 7:00pm.

My Band has not been getting home until 9:00pm on the bad days and 8:00pm on the good ones. So the stamina is definately being challenged. They only wake up at 7:30-8:00am and I think that is a good time for me.

So what time do your kids go to bed?? If you don't have kids what time do your pets go to bed?? No pets nor kids? What time do you go to bed??

I am officially in the MOOD!!!

Ok now is the time scrambling for ideas and fun surprises for my Band for the big V-day. In the law firm that my husband and I worked at before we got married there was a girl name Lindsey. She had a Sade CD that was all love songs. One of them I paticularly liked. She put the CD on as the hold music for the office. I would put people on hold and make sure the music was playing in my speaker phone.

This was during the "infatuation" stage of my Band and I's courtship. Oh how the songs bring back some fond memories. I really discovered what the meaning of "music therapy" meant. About four days ago I found one of the songs that I hadn't heard nearly often enough. Oh BABY! I can't wait until V-DAY.

The planning part is very exciting. My Band is clueless. Plots are being formed. Surprises are being arranged. Glorious things are all going to come together and there will be much rejoicing!!!

I cannot explain details. I cannot relate any stories of V-days of yester-year. I will however like to mention again much rejoicing.(that's right he sometimes reads and I don't know if he will today.)

ANY WHOO!! Kids are sleeping must work on homework.

Weekly schedules, Projects and Stuff

I just received a brochure in the mail today for a peaceful, quaint, happy, land called "Organized." When I visited I would only stay for short periods of time. So upon returning home I would daydream frequently about what it was like.

I have noticed that the brochure has many themes one that seems to be repeating itself is....

Weekly Schedule

I haven't had one for awhile. My first memory of a weekly schedule is in grade school. Where there certain days had certain activities take place. The one that is immediately coming to memory is Friday flip-up-day where 10 enthused first grade boys would chase down the girl (who forgot it was Friday flip up day and decided to wear a skirt). This is the rest of the schedule as I can recall.


Monday- Mix up day (pants on backwards were ok this day)
Tuesday- Tickle day (this obviously was pre-sexual harrassment legislation era)
Wednesday-Wild day (anything goes day)
Thursday- ( this one I can't remember)
Friday -Flip-up day

My schedule all growed up is lookin like this:

Monday-Mania Day
Tuesday- got it together Day
Wednesday-Wash Day
Thurs- Think Day
Friday- Fun with Band Day. (not Band-aid)
Saturday- Saucy day
Sunday- Sit quiet day.


I am still missing a couple of days that are part of my week. There is sit- in -the- bath- for- hours-day, Sell my children on e-bay day, Band forgot to takeout the trash day(He is allowed "get out of jail free card" cause his Seahawks lost last night. He is a wee bit emotionally distraught.) , and feed- the -ducks- at- the -gross- local- man -made -pond -while -watching- drug- deals -go -down- day.

In my attemps to revisit the land of organized I have used some technology. My camera....Taking picture of areas in my house that need make-overs or straight up DO-OVERS. Then after I have fixed it I take another picture. JD's version of "Extreme-Zen- Clothes-folding -drawer- make- overs. It keeps me entertained.
My children are still young enough not to know that it is unnatural for Mommies to take picutures of their closets, drawers, and night stands, every couple of months. They do know that the bathroom and the kitchen don't need their picture taken. They are pretty 90 percent fo the time.

One day I plan to retire just on the outskirts of this "land of organized" I don't think we could live directly in the land because grandchildren would probably visit.

Experienced, I need the experienced.

Ok this is a pretty good attempt. I repeat we have one piggy. I haven't figured out how the dual piggy is accomplished. This was my biggest fear in having a girl. The HAIR.

The experience that I acquired growing up doing my own hair left me dazed and confused in most cases. I spent full 40 minute sessions trying to French braid my sister's hair when she was all of 6 years old. I would insist that it wasn't tight enough, straight enough, high enough, low enough loose enough, thin enough, fat enough and good enough. These sessions would abruptly end when I was caught chasing after her with a spray bottle and pick, trying to persuade her to let me try once more. I am pretty sure she could have serious couch time in a psychiatrists office over that one. Saving my daughter from this same fate is a win-win for me. She will have plenty of couch time over other things I will do.

My Band and I used to joke we have a psych fund for our children growing for them under the unassuming name of a "Education Fund".

My concerns are:

- rubberband application & removal pain. ( so I have just used small clippies)
- parting hair comb pain

which could directly cause the following:

- bath aversion.
- mother (with comb in hand) aversion.
- hair cutting place aversion.
- and eventually Prom aversion.

Does anyone have any advice or strategies that could apply? I am considering investing in hats. Many, many hats. I would prefer someone with experience but all applications will be reviewed closely.

Thank you for your prompt response.

Step into the Confessional Please

My name is J.D. I am 28 years old. (I can only state that number for two more weeks) And I frequently watch ..........
..............
..............

SPOUNGEBOB SQUARE PANTS. I tried to deny this secret love until two days ago I was laughing out loud at the episode when he holds his pinki up. I know that there are some who will take me off their blog roll, and I am ok with that.

It all started when Blue's Clues came on at 8:00am and we programmed it into the TV to change to that channel. WELL.... programming schedules and sleep schedules changed. My baby boy has been up bright and early at 7:30 am and the TV is still programmed for the channel at 8:00am. Thing 1 has no intrest and I am still listening and watching as I prep breakfast and do dishes.

I have yet to change the weekday 8am PST setting to Nic.

Am I alone in this??? Are there others that have confessions, such as these?? I have dedicated Wednesdays to confess all my querky stuff.

I am finding there may be hope in the 12 step program.
Because the guy who lied about his "Million Little Pieces" was anti 12 step program I overwhelmingly support the 12 step program.

Sympathy confessions welcome.