simplifying-- one step at a time.

I am in the middle of reading an inspiring "self-help" book. I thought I would wait until I finished to give a report, but I feel like sharing a bit today. It's called Simplicity Parenting and if that title alone doesn't make you interested, the caption under the title will: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids.

There is so much I could say about the beauty of this book, but I wanted to share the list given at the end of the first chapter, titled "Why Simplify". It reads:

Imagine your home...

• as a place where time moves a little slower.
• becoming less cluttered and more visually relaxing.
• with space, and time, for childhood-- and with time for one another everyday.
• having more ease as you begin to limit the distractions and to say no to the stress of too much, too fast, too soon.
• as a sense of calm and security to take hold.
• becoming a place where those we love know it, by virtue of our attention, protection and appreciation.
  

In a society that embraces speed, we must find ways to remove stresses, distractions and choices for our kids-- which are all forms of clutter. In the introduction chapter, it reads: This book is not about hidden dangers, quick fixes, or limited-time opportunities; it is about the long haul. The big picture: a reverence for childhood. That last passage "a reverence for childhood" has been in my mind for weeks now.

One way we've tried to simply our home is getting rid of the TV. It's been almost two months now that we've lived without cable & DVR. At first, I thought I was going to die. No Oprah to keep me company while I make dinner... no cartoons for the kids on Saturday mornings... no ESPN. We do have little rabbit ears that will pull in a few local channels and we can watch movies when we really want to veg, but our house is so much quieter and calmer. We have more time to read, play games, and just be together. The biggest change has come in our sleeping routine. We are in bed early and it feels so great! I know getting rid of television entirely is a bit drastic for most families, but we've slowly cut it out little by little until it seemed silly to be paying a cable bill. Obviously, this isn't a cure-all. But it's really helped our house become more of a home.

I have a lot I need to work on, and over the next few weeks, I will try my best to share some of my recent revelations. Reading this book has opened my eyes to little things I can do everyday to simplify our routine and bring more peace to our lives. Isn't that what everyone is looking for?

Eat Pray Love

My sister and I went to a late showing of Eat Pray Love last night. We left my husband with 8 kids (3 of whom were screaming) and drove to the theater. It was liberating leaving the children and dishes behind, but we also felt guilty and a bit selfish for indulging ourselves rather than attending to our motherly duties. But it feels so good to forget your worries and do what you want!!

After the movie, we stayed up late discussing the inner-conflicts we face between the lives we are expected to lead and living on the edge-- being authentic to who we really are and doing what we desire. Part of me was inspired and liberated. I want to discover more, dream bigger, connect with the inner-me! On the other hand, I was disappointed in the main character/author who seems to give up on a life that she once committed to. Some would consider her a self-absorbed narcissist who leaves everything behind just because she feels like it... Should she be praised or condemned?

I have much to say on this subject, but feel it might be better to "discuss" in the comments below. I know there are still a few out there who live under rocks and haven't read the book or seen the movie and I would hate to spoil it, if they still want to experience it for themselves. At the same time, many of you are staying away on purpose and I respect your decision. I am not recommending it as a MUST read/see because it can be dangerous if taken too literally.

For those of you who have read it, what did you think? Did it stir you like it stirred millions of women around the world? Are you being suffocated by the mundane routine? How can we "escape" without leaving the country and completely abandoning everything we're committed to? Don't we all need to connect deeper to our authentic selves? How can we EAT without worrying about the size of our jeans? PRAY & meditate on a deeper level? Learn to LOVE ourselves so that we can freely share that love with everyone around us?

birthday weekend

The sun was coming up on one side of the mountain...
And the moon was going down on the other...
While up on top, the girls and I were talking about Vegas. I feel such a fond love the place I call home. It has it's own beauty and wonder & it's FILLED with fantastic people. Where else can you take a lovely hike in the morning and then go see a Broadway show in the evening?? I truly love this city.

Phantom was inspiring and beautiful. We had incredible seats at an unbelievable price. (Thank you, Leavitts!) We only snapped one picture before the show started... Jeff wasn't looking because he was terrified of the lady who was about to confiscate our camera. "No pictures inside the theater!!" (Aaron looks a little scared, too!)
We were SO lucky to have backstage passes. We literally got the VIP tour of the behind scenes of the show-- the stage, the dressing rooms, the crew. It was awesome! This is the Tony Award winning Anthony Crivello who was THE Phantom and Tina Walsh who was Madame Giry. Tina played the leading role in Mama Mia! in Vegas a couple of years ago and I still remember how incredible she was!
It was such a treat to go backstage. We shook hands and met these UNBELIEVABLY talented cast members. It's amazing that they are everyday kind of people who happen to "work" on stage. They open their mouths and magic comes out. What would that be like?
I didn't take the picture above (after we got scolded once, we put the camera away :) but I wanted to document Raoul's unbuttoned shirt. During the standing ovations at the end, Raoul came out with this shirt and I yelled (only for my husband to hear) "yeah baby! Take off your shirt!" Seconds later, Kristine came out to take a bow in her beautiful dress and Aaron copied my comment and yelled, "Yeah baby! Take off your shirt!" and then turned to me and said, "You started it." (Neither of us asked them to take off their shirts when we met them in person.)

Saturday I spent the morning reading my birthday blog. THANK YOU all for contributing. I will treasure it for always! Deb and I headed up north for my cousins baby shower who is having twin girls in a few weeks. (I wish we would have taken a picture with Kara and her cute belly.) And the highlight of the weekend was the Relief Society Broadcast. My sister and I left 8 crazy kiddos with my husband and enjoyed a QUIET broadcast and a yummy dinner. It was a fantastic weekend... filled with all of the best things!

My 31th Birthday

Today I am 31.
It seems to be just the perfect age for me.
We started the celebrations last night with a GNO. I arrived home a little past 2 am. I fell asleep around 3 am. My alarm went off at 5:30 am and I jumped out of bed to meet a few friends for a little hike. We enjoyed orange juice and danishes while watching the sunrise. It was just the way I like to start out a new year.. sleep or no sleep!
I came home to anxious kids. Homemade presents were waiting on the breakfast table. Ben's philosophy is "if a present worked last year, give it again... and again." Which means that I got another pair of homemade earrings and 31 handwritten things of why he loves me (compared to the 30 he wrote last year). Daddy, Zack and Luke wrote a few too, but they didn't number theirs like Ben did. I loved them all.
I've spent the day at the park with my kids, visiting with friends, answering phone calls, reading wonderful love messages on a birthday blog made by my sister, playing a few games with the kids, watching Calamity Jane, writing in my old-fashion hand-written journal, making a few goals, having a dance party & taking a long- much needed- nap. Now it is time for me to shower and get ready for a date with my husband. He is taking me to dinner and the Phantom.
If all THAT isn't enough, my wonderful sister and her darling four girls are driving down to Vegas to see us! This is a gift that will keep giving for an entire week. I have felt overwhelmed and a bit undeserving (which is so unlike me) of the love and attention I've received. Thank you all. I am surrounded by kind, generous, fabulous people who choose to overlook my many faults and see the best in me. I love you all dearly.

I will try to update with pictures soon, but with visitors in town, I can't make any guarantees! Thanks again. Thirty-one is my best year yet!

the belly dancer

At the beginning of the school year, I added a few goals to our morning routine:

1. A hot breakfast with the whole family.
2. Scripture study- (which is really just a few verses per child).
3. A Dance Party in our living room.

The hot breakfasts aren't going well.

The scripture studying is so-so.

The dance parties are ROCKIN!

I am putting together a DANCE MUSIC VIDEO of the best highlights. I'm trying to learn a new video editing program and it's taking me much longer than I anticipated, but it's a lot of fun. The most talented dancer in the family is [hands-down!] the baby. He's got some crazy moves and most of them are in his round belly! We all sit around and laugh while he rocks out!

My time is limited on the computer these days. I always have a baby at my feet begging to pound on the keyboard. The other day, while going through our highlights (and listening to Adam Lambert) I captured an 8 second video of Simon and his belly dancing. He was frustrated that I was on the computer and was merely obliging. (You can tell his heart isn't in it. When his heart is in it, he will rock so hard that he falls over!) This little ditty is a foreshadowing of good things to come:

our first scorpion!!

Yesterday we read everything we could about praying mantises. Today we learned about scorpions. After we looked at a gazillion pictures of scorpions and read all kinds of (useless) facts, I got the heebie-jeebies and told the kids how grateful I was that we've never seen one in real life.

After four years of living in Vegas, a big old scorpion decided to join us in our kitchen, just hours after we finished studying about them. It was a mere 6 inches away from my bare feet when Zack said excitedly, "Hey! It's a real life scorpion!" and then I screamed like a girl. Daddy grabbed a pair of scissors and cut off it's tail.... which made it scamper across the floor! The boys were all yelling, "Dad! Don't just cut off it's tail, it can grow back!" And then they spouted off all kinds of information we learned earlier, "It's babies might be riding on it's back!" and "they have two venom glands!" I took a picture of it when it was alive (and had a tail) but I wanted nothing to do with it after that. It was killed and examined and thrown in the garbage. Wanna see it?


A few weeks ago, someone found 3 scorpions in our church building... they just so happened to be in the TOY BINS in the nursery. Doesn't that make you want to come and visit us? Soon?

Favorite Children's Books

So.. it's Tuesday and I thought we'd try to link our web pages with a common topic. I think I might come up with a catchy name for this (any suggestions?) but I am not ready to commit to a weekly thing just yet.

Picking a favorite book would be harder than picking a favorite child. But I can tell you some of our favorites today. I have ALL boys and these books are some they want read over and over and over..

At the top of the list would be ANYTHING by Shel Silverstein or Eric Carle.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley. It's not as scary as it sounds.. and it's great for early readers, both boys and girls. The number of times I've read this to my kids is in the thousands. I love silly, quick reads... especially when bedtime is later than you planned!

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. A familiar story with a major twist. I wish I would have come up with this plot. so clever!

How Do Dinsaurs Say Goodnight (and the entire series) by Jane Yolen. These are entertaining AND teach manners at the same time. Your dinosaur lovers will eat up this series.

The Gas we Pass! The Story of Farts by Shinta Cho. This is a science book... and my boys LOVE it. But what boys don't love a good Fart story?

I think I'll stop now.. Honestly, I could do one of these entries every single week. And maybe I will. But it's your turn now. Write up a quick post about the book/s you love most and maybe a sentence or two about why you love them. Post your link back here and refer your readers (http://www.fairlyhappy.com/2010/09/favorite-childrens-books.html) who might want to share!

**if you don't want to write it on your blog, leave a comment with the name of your favorite children's book. (Although having it on your own blog is best because your kids and grandkids and the long list of posterity who will eventually read your blog will want to know!) But feel free to comment anonymously...

Happy Reading!

PS. I linked Amazon for most of my books, but I never BUY them unless I know we'll get our money's worth. The online LIBRARY system is the best!

Question #1

If Janet could be your mom for 24 hours, what would you want to spend your time doing or what could you learn from her?

Question #2

If Janet wasn't a wife and a mother what profession would she pursue?

Question #3

What is Janet's best quality or your favorite memory with her?

For Cindy...

Dearest Aunt Thinny,

It's been a month since you left us. It seems like a year ago. Zack draws you pictures everyday and talks about you all the time: "Remember when Cindy lived with us and we played Sorry Sliders?" He always asks how long it will take to drive to Provo.

Simon is getting so big! He says Uh-OH!, All Done and Bye-Bye (which sounds more like bob-bob). Oh, and he has a blister on his pointer finger. Instead of grabbing my curling iron, he touched it first. I thought you would like to know that, since you always loved the way he pointed at everything. After realizing it hurt to touch, he stayed away for good. We will work on teaching him how to say HOT next.

Luke is learning so many songs on the keyboard. You would be proud... I am a little proud and a little annoyed. He plays ALL day long. It usually bothers me when I am making dinner. "Can't I get a LITTLE peace and quiet around here?!" is what I say everyday at 5 pm. I will upload a video for you soon so you can listen to his medley of theme songs from popular movies. Get prepared to be annoyed... and amazed.

Ben is exactly the same, except with longer hair. Remember when they had mohawks the first day you came? And then they were buzz heads all summer? Well, we're growing their hair out for the fall and it's nice and shaggy. Ben said this morning that 15% of him feels like we haven't seen you in a long time. ? Your guess is as good as mine.

I am doing okay. I can finally go into your room without missing you. I have been late to church 3/4 weeks since you've been gone. Having you around to help was SO nice... but now I feel like I can't do anything on my own! You handicapped-ed me! But it was worth it, for sure. We will never have THAT kind of a summer again. Which brings me to the reason why I am writing this letter in the first place.

We all want to send you a BIG HUGE congratulations on your engagement! Can I announce it on my blog before you've changed your facebook status?? We are all so excited for you and Matt!!! I loved living with you during this time in your life and miss the daily (juicy) updates! But I understand if you're busy. You have lots of planning do to before December. It will be a perfect time for a wedding... and the BEST time for the family to be together!!!!!!!

Love you, Cinderella! You are going to make a gorgeous bride!

Sincerely,

Your family in Vegas

Fat Nasty

Aaron used to call Ben the "fat nasty" baby. Simon is now the new proud owner of the nickname. Minutes after you bathe him and dress him, he's nasty again. But we love that dirty little double chin!

Wacky Zacky- part 2

Yesterday I made a comment to another homeschooling mother about my Wacky Zacky. I said that I would love to have my older two boys home for as long as possible and send little Zack off to boarding school. (You know, the kind where the live someplace else?) I was joking, of course, and I am sure she knew that. But sometimes when you blog, you can only write bits and pieces of your life, and it's difficult to paint the full picture. Zack is wild & crazy and he sure knows how to make BIG messes, but 98% of the thoughts I have about this kid are positive & happy. I often feel grateful that he lives in our home and is a part of our family. It's unfortunate that I choose to document the 2% of our day when Zack is driving me up the wall. I guess I turn to the blog when I have no where else to run.

There are so many good things to say about Zack.. He has more creativity in his pinky finger than my other kids combined. Unfortunately, his CREATIVITY leads him to "experiment" with other mediums, such as paint, glue, bug spray, sunscreen, and anything else that can make a mess quickly. He is imaginative and is always thinking outside the box. I love him for that and often compliment him on his unique way of expressing himself. His artistic abilities truly amaze me (and have since he was a baby). Last week, he sat down to color at our favorite library. Zack loves this particular library because they keep new markers out for the kids to color anytime they want. Zack usually goes through 5-6 sheets each time we visit. He will sit down, whip up a masterpiece and bring it to me before Luke can undo his buckle and get out of the car. The other day, he handed me the following picture and I said, "Wow, Zack! What did you color?" He looked at me and said, "Duh! It's a giraffe with his tail on fire!" Disturbing? Yes, but I am so impressed with his tri-colored flame that I can only feel proud to have such a creative little son..
Zack is ENTHUSIASTIC about anything and everything he does. Problem is, when he doesn't want to do something, he won't do it. But when he's on board, you know there is a party waiting to happen. I've said many times before that it's not what Zack says, but how he says it. He is energetic and spastic and just so lovable. I just can't stay mad at him for very long... because when he opens his mouth to talk, I end up smiling. He knows it, too, and uses his personality to manipulate all of us. I find myself telling the older boys, "No matter what Zack says, do NOT laugh because he's in trouble." We have to stay strong as a team and Zack knows that if he can get one of us to crack, he's won the battle. Since Simon's birth, we've lost our edge because Zack has recruited Simon to his team. The baby just adores his older brother and will laugh at anything he says or does (because with Zack it's all about the presentation). And once Simon is down for the count, the rest of us follow suit and end up laughing too. He's a puppet master, that one. And, most of the time, we're fortunate to be his audience.

I admire Zack because he is DETERMINED. If he puts his mind to something, he's going to do it. He doesn't want or need help from anyone--- unless he's cleaning his room. Zack has always been independent, but the older he gets, the more I realize how determined he is. This past summer we went to a water park with my family. Zack and all his older cousins wanted to ride the big waterslides, but they would only let you ride if you were a certain height. Zack was really disappointed knowing that his older brothers got to ride, but he couldn't. There were no lifeguards at the bottom of the slides and floating devices were prohibited.. so I told Zack that he would have fun with Simon in the kiddie pool. But this would not do... not for my new little swimmer. The older kids found out that anyone who could swim an adult lap would get a special pass to ride the big slides. As soon as Zack heard the rule, he was in that adult pool swimming as fast as he could. I didn't think he could do it (because the laps were LONG) but sure enough, he swam the lap and got his ticket to ride. I told him how proud I was after he finished swimming and he looked at me and said, "I told you I would!" One of the slides was particularly scary, so I decided to ride it first. It was a dark tunnel with a big drop at the beginning. While sliding down, I was so stressed that Zack was coming after me. He was so little and I was sure he was going to kill himself. I waited patiently for him to come down and when he did, I couldn't see which end was his feet and which was his head. He came out in a tight ball and literally skidded across the water. I swam to him and asked him if he was okay. He took a deep breath and said, "I don't think I'm gonna ride that one again." A line which still has me laughing today.

Zack is reading up a storm and is constantly taping little notes and signs for us around the house. I've saved a number of them and need to scan them in the computer. He'll make a big mess and leave it with a note saying, "I'm SORY". He will plug the sink in the bathroom and let the water run for a while. Instead of cleaning up his mess, he will get a crayon and a piece of paper and write "WET FLOR" with an arrows pointing to all the water. It can be frustrating finding little notes like this, but most of the time it makes me smile. He is who he is and I wouldn't change him for the world. But I do wish his face would stay clean for more than 2 minutes at a time...


PS. Sunscreen comes off mirrors easily. Spray it with degreaser from the kitchen. Get a bucket of warm, soapy water and wipe it down several times. Top it off with glass cleaner and it's as good as new.

Animal Man and Mr. Weirdo

Last September, I had my boys draw self-portraits. I thought it would be fun to do this at the beginning of each school year and see how they think they've changed-- or if their artistic skills have improved over the year.

Soon after the assignment was given, I had to clean up a big mess upstairs (Zack had sprayed liquid sunscreen on the boys closet mirrors...) By the time I came back downstairs, my older boys were giggling hysterically over their self-portraits. Let me introduce you to Animal Man and Mr. Weirdo:

Animal Man has Ben's eyes,elephant ears, a pig nose, a duck beak, one reindeer antler, rhinoceros horns, a giraffe neck, monkey arms, a porcupine body, a skunk tail, flamingo legs, and a dog collar with his name on it.

Mr. Weirdo has a round head and brown eyes like Luke... but he is growing grass for hair and has an entire city on his noggin... (complete with a ferris wheel and park). He has lightning ears, a smile that circles back to his nose and a rainbow mustache. If that isn't weird, I don't know what is.

After showing me his picture, Luke wanted to know why WEIRD doesn't follow the "I before E except after C" rule. I told him I don't know.. the English language itself is just plain weird.

I smiled at their "self-portraits" and then swatted their hands with a wooden ruler for not following directions. Psych! Instead, I gave them an even worse-er punishment. I made them draw pictures of their future wives. Oh, yes I did. And they groaned the entire time. I told them that if they made them ugly or crazy, they would end up marrying someone ugly or crazy. Here are the finished portraits:

Ben wants a brunette with kissable lips. He also likes freckles, pimples and/or measles. After handing it in and getting an A++ (the best grade you can get in our school) he decided he would like her with longer hair. These extensions are rather obvious.
Luke likes pale blondes with pointy noses. Oh, and he would prefer her to wear lots of mascara and lipstick.
Zack's wife does have a chin, but it was too light for the scanner to pick up. His wife has a baby face and exactly three eyelashes on each eye. He specifically stated that he wants a girl with blue eyes on the outside and lots of yellow in the middle. I like a man who knows what he wants!

After they finished coloring (and I finished loading the dishes and mopping the kitchen floor) we sat around the table and ate lunch. Zack was ever so thoughtful when he said, "But what if we meet our wife and she doesn't look anything like our picture of her?" I told them they will all be very LUCKY if they didn't turn out the way their pictures did. This discussion lead to our writing assignment after lunch. I asked them to turn their pictures over and make a list of qualities they would like their wives to have.. because we all know looks aren't everything. I just LOVED what they came up with....

Luke's list:

Ben's list:

Zack didn't make a list, but he did say that he would really like it if his wife jumps on the trampoline with him. I told him I bet she will.

Homeschooling can be exhausting, stressful and emotionally draining. But there are so many benefits... so many paydays. Reading "not spending money" on my son's list of qualities that he wants in a woman was a BIG one today. We called Daddy and read the lists over the phone. Daddy said, "Ben, you are wise beyond your years." These pictures will definitely go in the archives next to the letters to their future wife. Here's to hoping they find the women of their dreams!

PS. Anyone know how to get sunscreen off of a mirror?

BOOK IT! (for homeschoolers)

The past couple of years, I've enrolled my kids in the BOOK IT! program at Pizza Hut. As their teacher, you determine your students reading goals for each month. When they accomplish this goal, they get their own personal pizza at Pizza Hut. I believe Pizza Hut sends 9 coupons per child per year. It's super easy to sign up, just follow this link:

http://www.bookitprogram.com/enrollment/homeschool.asp

Happy homeschooling!

janet

ps.. feel free to forward this link onto other homeschoolers. Registration was supposed to happen before June 30th, but they will send them out as long has they have supplies.

baby steps

i realize that asking you to make a list of ten things you love about yourself is too demanding. and I hate when I sound demanding (even if I am just pretending). i figured if i can give such an assignment to my 7 and 9 year old sons, then many of you could do it too. but not everyone loves their freckles or their own butt like my boys do.

So, I am going to downsize the assignment and ask you to think of ONE thing you like about yourself. what is your favorite thing about yourself today? You can comment about it or email me about it or write about it on your blog. But you don't even have to do that. Just think about it. and I will take the Mr. Linky down until next Tuesday when I will ask you about the children's book you read most often. Don't you want to know about other's favorite children's books? I do. Anyway, that will be my assignment next week.

Don't have a cow. (why did that phrase ever go out of style? I am determined to bring it back in.)

Ten things I like about myself.

Yesterday I posted Luke's list of things he likes about himself and Ben wanted to know why his list wasn't scanned in as well... I told him it was boring because it didn't mention his butt. (But then I promptly scanned it in and added it to the blog post below.)

Today's journal topic was "if I could change something about myself, what would it be?" Neither of my kids could come up with anything... They sat there with blank stares for ten minutes. Finally, they asked if they could give themselves a superhero power instead of changing something "regular". I love that they are comfortable in their own skin and are satisfied with exactly who they are.

For the past few weeks, they always ask me why I don't write in my journal. I tell them I do, it just happens to be on the computer. They said that doesn't count because it doesn't help me practice my handwriting-- which is exactly what I tell them when they want to type instead. I told them that my handwriting is wicked awesome and I don't need any practice :) The truth is, I am confident and know I have a lot of talents, but I am often critical of myself, even with silliest of things. I choose to focus on the things that I want to change about myself and not the qualities I love. So, today I am taking a lesson from my kids and writing ten things I love about myself. I challenge you do to the same!

Here's my list:

1. I can usually see the silver-lining on a cloudy day.
2. I am creative.
3. I am not afraid to tell it like it is.
4. I can get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time.
5. I am patient, especially with children.
6. I can always find something to laugh about.
7. I don't stress about the small stuff.
8. I know how to connect with others on a personal level.
9. I have a passion for learning new things and I am inspired easily.
10. I know how fly by the seat of my pants-- and find joy in the ride!

Now it's your turn. Take a minute to think about it and make your own list. When we outwardly show confidence in ourselves, we give permission for others to do the same. The person with the best list will get to babysit my kids for the weekend.

If you don't dare write it on your blog... take out that hand-written journal or stand in front of the mirror and smile while reciting this line: "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"

dear diary

Every day I make my kids write in their "journals" which is a cheap spiral notebook. At first I was letting them write about anything they wanted, but after 10 entries on the same thing (Lego Star Wars) I decided I needed to give them a topic for each day. Zack has to follow topic too, but instead of writing about the theme, he has to draw a picture. These are just a few things I've loved recently:

Luke on what scares him most:

Zack on what scares him most: can you tell what species he's afraid of?

Ben on why he likes being the oldest:

And Luke's list of ten things he likes about himself:

Uncle Tom

I've been absent lately. Not from life, but from the blog. Unfortunately, there is not enough time in the day for all of my "extra-curricular" activities. And that's a sad, sad realization. When am I going to have enough time for ME anyway? Not soon enough.

I have spent most of my extra time reading lately. After putting to my kids to bed on Wednesday, I saw a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin on their bookshelf. I didn't know we owned this book, but we do. Have you read it? I haven't met anyone who has. I picked it up and took it back to bed with me. I figured it would be the kind of book that would put me to sleep while the husband was out. I read the first chapter, and the second... and the tenth. And then I cried in my pillow. When Aaron got home he apologized it was so late. I was so happy and said, "It's okay! We're all free! and our kids are sleeping safely in their beds!"

The next night I picked it up again and read to chapter 29-- which kept me awake until 2 am. I had to leave my bedroom to cry this time because it was more of a sob. I finished it on Friday. (There's nothing like retiring to bed on Friday night at 7 so you can curl up with a good book! I love those kinds of weekends.) But I didn't love waking up on Saturday with puffy eyes. I read it in three nights and sobbed like a baby each night. I think I just *might* be emotionally unstable. Either that or I have a hormonal disorder.

The past few days, I've wondered what (if anything) I should say about it on my blog. If I had hours, I could tell you why I loved it. How it changed me. But there is a baby tugging at my ankle as I type now. What I can say is that it made me so appreciative of everything I have, not just the temporal things like my house, food on the table, clothes and shoes for my children--- but for things that money can't buy... acceptance, love, health, respect, and most importantly freedom. I was super emotional on 9/11 and couldn't keep the tears away as I thought about how BLESSED we are. I went on a long walk in a beautiful, shaded area while my husband and boys played soccer at a park. At one point, I literally had to stop and put my hands over my face and cry. The sun was shining through the leaves on the trees. The breeze was on my face and my baby was sleeping peacefully in his stroller. Life isn't easy, but we are FREE to play soccer, go on long walks whenever want, worship, laugh, and be together as a family, which is most important... a luxury that Uncle Tom and many other blacks in 1852 didn't have. So many young mothers were torn from their babies, sold to different owners, never to see or hear from one another again. I honestly believe I would rather have a child die in my arms than to watch them being taken away-- not ever knowing how they are being treated or who is caring for them.

One of the heroines in this book is a young mother, Eliza, who overhears her owners discussing the sale of her young son, Harry. It's a done deal and he will be taken in the morning. Without having a penny in her pocket or knowledge of where they will end up, she wakes her son in the middle of the night and runs. She carries him for hours without stopping. Harry was old enough to walk by her side, but she wouldn't put him down. He was as light as a feather that night as she ran. She knew that the farther she got, the safer he was. This passage in the book still has me thinking about my own babies and what I would do if they were in danger:

"If it were your Harry or your Willie, that were going to be torn from you by a brutal trader, to-morrow morning, ---if you had seen the man, and heard that the papers were signed and delivered, and you had only from twelve o'clock till morning to make good your escape, ---how fast could you walk? How many miles could you make in those few brief hours, with the darling at your bosom, ---the little sleepy head on your shoulder, ---the small, soft arms trustingly holding on to your neck?" (Uncle Tom's Cabin, page 48)

This book not only made me grateful, but it makes me want to fight.. To stand up for everything good and virtuous and moral. I have four little boys and I might not be able to carry them all night, but I can fight for them. And I can BE THERE for them... which means, I must go now. This is the best way to start off a Monday-- with boxing gloves on!

cheap entertainment

we just spent a couple of hours at the splash park with other families who homeschool. it's always so nice to talk to others who feel your pain (and the same satisfaction) when you are doing something hard. The kids have fun while the moms get therapy. win/win.

While walking to the car, Ben decided he wanted to run through the water one more time... which wasn't such a great idea. As he tried to get in the car [dripping wet] I said, "I don't think so buddy. Run around the pavilion area ten times and then you can get in." He groaned, but he did it.

When he finished, he was hot and sweaty, but his swimsuit was almost dry. He sat down, took a big drink of water and said, "That was the worst thing you could have asked me to do."

I disagreed and said, "I could have asked you to take off your swimsuit and run around the park naked, so just be grateful, kid!"

He laughed and said, "I would never do that."

To which I replied, "Not for any amount of money?"

By this time we were halfway home and I said to all of my boys, "How much would I have to pay you to run around the park without any clothes on?"

Ben said $100.
Luke said $150.
Zack leaned forward and screamed loud enough for all to hear,

"I will just do it for FREE if you want me to!"

And that, my friends, is cheap entertainment.

And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street.

It's been a while since I've dedicated a post to someone who inspires me. The kids are finally asleep, the husband is out playing tennis and it's just me, my thoughts and the keyboard.

Tonight I read my kids a book titled The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. It wasn't particularly exciting or interesting. In fact, it was long and I kept searching to see how many pages I still had before the ending... 20 more. Sheesh! While reading, I had to hold back a smile while thinking about Zack who was struggling to eat his oatmeal this morning and said, "I keep on taking bites and more bites and it never gets any smaller." That's how I felt about this book. I wondered why it was published and if it was the author's first book. After doing a bit of research, I found out it was his second, which makes a lot of sense. He was just getting started.

In his early thirties, Ted Guisel was returning home from Europe with his wife when he found himself reciting a couplet that went like this:

And that is a story that no one can beat,
And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street.

After mumbling it over and over, the wife encouraged her cartoonist husband to bury his couplet in a children's book and lay it to rest. That is exactly what he did. Twenty-seven publishers rejected it, telling him the book would never improve the character or learning capacity of a child. But publisher #28 liked the book and decided to take a chance on Mulberry Street. It was printed in 1937 and became the first in a long line of classic.

For over 70 years, Dr. Suess, as Ted Guisel is known to most people, has entertained countless giggling children and grateful parents. He never had any children of his own and publicly stated, "You make 'em-- I amuse 'em." Over 200 million copies of his stories have found their way into hearts and homes around the world, including mine. He died in 1999 with over 60 books published, eleven television adaptations, three movies (with the Lorax coming out in 2012), two Academy awards, two Emmy awards, a Peabody award and the Pulitzer Prize.

I would really like to know what his wife was thinking when she encouraged him to write his first book. I wonder if he felt discouraged after being turned down for the 20th time. In his early thirties, I wonder if he knew the kind of impact he would make on the world. And out of everything I read tonight, I am most touched by the recognition Ted Guisel gives his mother. The author states that both his ability and desire to create the rhymes that made him famous must be credited to his mom. Henrietta Seuss Geisel often soothed her children to sleep by reciting silly rhymes from her youth. And that, my friends, is inspiring to me. What we do matters, especially if it influences the life of a child.

Some of the best Dr. Suess quotes:

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"

"You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut."

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not."

From my boys' all-time favorite Suess book: There's a Wocket in my Pocket
"All those Nupboards in the Cupboards they're good fun to have about.
But that Nooth gush on my tooth brush.....Him I could do without."

And my favorite line from MY all-time favorite book: Oh, The Places You'll Go!

"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!"

four fun

I am getting close to 1000 posts on my blog.. and decided to clean out my "draft" posts.. This has been sitting in there for a couple of years now and as I was about to delete it, I thought-- Why not?

Four shows I like to watch
1. 19 kids and counting
2. Survivor
3. The Office
4. The Bachelor/ette

Four things I'm passionate about
1. being a mom
2. reading
3. home schooling
4. documenting my life (and the lives of my little ones who aren't old enough to document it themselves.)

Four phrases I say a lot
1. I love you.
2. No way!
3. "Thanks for telling me that."
4. How was your day, sexy thang?

Four pet peeves
1. pessimists or people who are critical of others
2. drivers who just can't wait for anyone or anything
3. kids who expect to have everything handed to them
4. kids who make big messes!

Four things I have learned from the past
1. be yourself, no matter what
2. let others know you love them
3. be quick to say "I'm sorry"
4. give others the benefit of the doubt

Four places I want to GO.
1. the coroner's office (alive)
2. France
3. Australia
4. back to Hawaii

Four things I'm looking forward to
1. seeing Phantom
2. Halloween
3. Thanksgiving
4. Christmas

Four things I love about Winter
1. that it doesn't come to Vegas
2. drinking hot chocolate
3. listening to Christmas music
4. being with family

Four things on my wish list
1. a park across the street from my house
2. a swimming pool in my back yard
3. a maid
4. world peace

Four things I did yesterday
1. learned about volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes, among other things.
2. gave a blogging lesson at a friend's home
3. picked up taco bell for dinner because we already had mac and cheese for lunch and daddy wasn't around...
4. read until the wee hours of the morning

Four things I am going to do today
1. take my kids to the park. It's so beautiful outside!
2. do laundry-- sheets, towels, rugs... which are the easiest to fold and put away.
3. pick up taco bell for dinner (or quickly come up with another plan-- I am avoiding the grocery store!)
4. Call my husband's brother's wife (my sis-in-law) who is having a birthday today.

ten months.

His eyes are FOR REAL! SyGuy is into everything. He bounces when you tell him to dance and he goes crazy when music is playing. He still eats anything in front of him, but he wants to do most of the feeding on his own. He pulls himself up and walks along the furniture. He stands until he realize he's standing and then quickly plops down. He says "Ben" which sounds more like "Bob" but Ben beams whenever he says it. He is such a happy baby and we feel so blessed to have him in our family.

Day of Labor

not exactly what we expected on our day of "vacation"

Labor Day 2010-- a timeline.

7:00 am. Aaron plays basketball. (what all good husbands should do on their day off, if they so choose.)

7:15 am. Simon wakes up screaming.. not the kind of scream that says 'I'm awake and want to get out of my crib.' I find him standing up with a bloody mouth. He woke up happy, bounced a little too hard and hit his lip on the side of the crib. I bathe him and kiss him better.

7:30 am. I tell Zack it makes me sad when he throws wads of wet toilet paper against the mirror while he's supposed to be brushing his teeth. He says, "I didn't know it makes you sad. It always makes me happy." Without admitting how cute he is, I make him clean it up.

7:45 am. Simon, who is now dressed in a cute outfit (plain tee and shorts, which is as cute as boy clothes can be) decides he would rather wear something else for the holiday. He has just pooped up his back and out both legs of the diaper. (carrots and potatoes from our Sunday stew, if you must know). I bathe him a second time and start a load of laundry.

8:15 am. While I dry Simon and dress him again, Zack mixes cleaning concentrate with an entire (brand new) $20 container of formula. He tries scooping this mixture into an old shampoo bottle in my bathroom.

8:30 am. I ask Ben and Luke (who are playing the computer) to occupy the babies while I clean up the formula disaster. I should make Zack help me, but I don't want to be near him. Ben and Luke get out the big box of blocks but don't exactly play with them. They have much more important things to do on the computer-- like research how to play the Ghostbusters theme song on the keyboard.

8:45 am. I finish cleaning the mess in my bathroom and start another load of laundry. I find Simon at the top of the stairs throwing blocks down to Zack who is at the bottom. The blocks are evenly spread on each of the stairs because Simon doesn't have a strong enough arm to throw them all the way down..

9:00 am. Daddy comes home and asks "What is going on here?" I tell him I'd rather not talk about it. He responds by saying that all I need is some good loving. We both laugh because that will never solve any of our problems. It's the very reason we have all these little problems.

9:30 am. Simon is finally down for a nap and the rest of us can have breakfast. Blueberry pancakes, it is. Zack doesn't want what we're having, so I tell him to make his own breakfast. We have no cold cereal so he decides to eat Triscuts and cheese (which he cuts himself). I roll my eyes as he happily eats his "meal".

10:00 am. Our internet goes out. Aaron spends time fixing it while I pack lunches for the afternoon.

11:00 am. Aaron loads the car and prints the map for our excursion.

11:30 am. Simon is awake and happy. We drive to Mt. Charleston.

1:00 pm. Mt Charleston is beautiful, but it's so packed with people. Everyone else wanted to visit on Labor Day too. We finally find a quiet place to picnic. It's breezy, shaded and gives our boys ample opportunity to do what they love most: climb, jump, throw rocks, and fight with stick-swords.

3:00 pm. Simon sucks on a few sticks before he eats his weight in green grapes. He won't even wait for us to feed him, he chows them off the vine. Luke takes a picture of Zack and me while threatening to shoot us with his stick-gun.

4:00 pm. We think about staying for dinner. We brought hot dogs to roast, but because it's so crowded and we are tired, we decide to drive down the mountain and have a BBQ at home. We take one last picture of the beautiful scenery.

4:30 pm. While playing twenty questions on the drive home, no one can guess what Zack is thinking of. He finally has to tell us: rock candy. Very tricky.

5:00 pm. Three miles away from our home, Luke announces that he is going to throw up. Usually he has something in the back for such occasions (long drives through the mountains) but we weren't prepared this time. Aaron pulls over, but not soon enough. Luke throws up all over the car, his clothes and Zack's head. As their parents, we try not to laugh... because it's NOT funny. But Zack's hair is sopping wet and he has a betrayed look on his face. I give into the urge and bust up... because the little twerp deserves more punishment than I am legally allowed to give him.

5:05 pm. We postpone our stop for ice cream cones because no one wants to be in the car a minute longer than absolutely necessary.

5:10 pm. We arrive home. Aaron bathes Luke and Zack. Ben and Simon play while I unload the car.

5:30 pm. We take the seats out of the van and assess the damage. Using the deep-cleaning carpet vacuum is the only option.

5:45 pm. I get started with the little amount of cleaner that we have and send Aaron to the store to pick up more.

6:30 pm. I scrub and scrub and scrub while the kids play inside. I decide that waiting 4+ years to deep-clean the carpets in our van is WAY too long to wait. I will show you the picture of the dirty water as long as you promise not to judge me. Promise?

6:45 pm. I empty ten or so containers of black water like the one pictured above and decide to clean the windows and doors while I am waiting for Aaron to come home with more carpet cleaner. Where is he, anyway?

7:00 pm. I call Aaron and ask "Where are you, anyway?" He's been looking for carpet solution for over an hour. Low and behold! He finally found it and he's coming home. It's about time, I say.

7:15 pm. Ben is getting tired of watching the fussy baby. I take Simon outside, but he's not happy cleaning the car with me. I ask Luke if he will take the baby for a walk in the stroller. Just around the corner.... because Daddy will be home any minute.

7:20 pm. Luke and Zack take Simon for a walk. They barely make it past our driveway before they bring Simon back bleeding. Luke said he went a little too fast and the stroller went flying. I have no idea what Simon hit because he's face isn't scraped up but he has a fat lip. The camera is next to the stroller and I just have to take a picture before I get him out. He's not screaming, just sadly moaning. The look on his face says it all, "How could you possibly leave me alone-- with them?"

7:25 pm. I bathe the baby for the third time in the kitchen sink. The stroller accident is long forgotten about. His lip is still fat and puffy, but he's happy. It's really amazing what a little water can do.

7:30 pm. Daddy comes home from the store and asks what happened while he was gone. I say I'd rather not talk about it.

8:00 pm. Simon goes to bed for the night. Daddy grills hot dogs for dinner. I want to throw up just thinking about eating a hot dog. I take the new bottle of cleaning solution and go back out to the car.

9:00 pm. I have a super bright shop light at one end of the van while I clean the other. Bugs love this light and get zapped as soon as they touch it. Add dead bugs to the list of things I am cleaning up today.

9:30 pm. Almost done with the car. It's not brand spanking new, but it smells clean. It's late, but I'm blasting the soundtrack I made for our Florida vacation, anyway. I hope I don't wake the neighbors. I smile as I think about the weekend Aaron and I drove over the Atlantic Ocean in a convertible. Right Said Fred's song, "I'm too Sexy" comes on and I belt it out, meaning every sing word I sing.

10:00 pm. I say goodnight to my boys who are cuddled up together watching Clash of the Titans. Is it appropriate for kids their ages? I don't know... I wasn't fortunate enough to watch it with them.
10:15 pm. I peek at my baby who's spooning Elmo in his crib. I want to kiss his fat lip, but I resist the temptation.
10:30 pm. I draw a hot bubble bath and relax. (what all good mothers should do on their day off, if they so choose.)

11:00 pm. I lay down in bed next to my husband. We talk about our day, laugh about Luke throwing up on Zack's head and remind each other how blessed we are. We pray for our neighbors who spent Labor Day in the hospital with their young son who had his appendix removed and is recovering from emergency surgery on his colon. Yes, we are definitely blessed.

team Katniss.

can't seem to find time to blog. I've been busy making hot breakfasts, changing diapers, keeping Zack alive, homeschooling two, having a few friends over, playing at the park, keeping up to date with family birthday questionnaires, having an emotional/mental/physical breakdown, making cookies, playing Rook, and OH!

staying up until 3 am finishing The Hunger Games series. Word on the street is that most people don't like Mockingjay and find it more disturbing than the first two. I prepared for the worst and found myself not disturbed at all when I finished. What I am trying to say is that I really liked it. Does that make me disturbed? Either way, I am going to try my best to get back to regular life. which might include an updated blog post in the near future...

Wacky Zacky

In the last three days, Zack has:

• painted his fingernails blue
  
• covered the bathroom sink and toilet with the same blue polish.
  
• thrown approximately 50 sopping wet cotton balls on the mirror while trying to clean up the finger nail polish mess... (I cleaned up 99% of it and left 1% for him... he didn't have the attention span for 1% of anything.) Did you know wet cotton balls stick to mirrors? Now you do.
• tried to light a match while hiding behind the dining room curtains. When I found him, he said, "I found this box of matches. And that means I can light them wherever I want." I don't think so, buddy.
• coated his entire head with hair gel. I thought it was shampoo because it was literally soapy with so much goop. He insisted it wasn't shampoo-- it was "JELLO", aka gel.
• sprayed the kitchen down with the sink sprayer.
• drawn several pictures with permanent markers, when he knows they are off limits. Luckily (this time) they were on paper.
• fed Simon a marble.
  
• flopped his body on the ground and announced, "I'm too tired" when it was time to unload the dishwasher, make his bed, clean up toys, brush his teeth, set the table...etc.
• tied three kitchen chairs together with a single piece of yarn.
  
• refused to eat several meals that he normally loves.
• cut up a hundred different pieces of paper and made "tickets" to enter his bedroom and "invitations" to his birthday party.
  
• dumped out a package of goldfish in our living room.
• sprayed his arms and legs with a bottle of cockroach killer.

After one of the above mentioned disasters, I found myself losing my cool and screamed, "ZACHARY!" His name is not Zachary, but I figured it was better to extend his name than call him a swear word. The little disaster came running toward me and cheerfully said, "Don't call me Zachary. Just call me Wacky Zacky."

Guess what, Wacky Zacky? I am about to ship you off to Iraqi.

peace, be still

I woke up at 5:15 this morning. I was out the door by 5:30. The sun was on it's way up and I had a lot on my mind. Breathing the fresh air and watching the sunrise is the best way for me to clear my head. I ran for about a mile and walked another 3 or so. I came home feeling much better. Determined, inspired, ready to take on the day. I made french toast for breakfast and heard little feet pitter-pattering down the stairs. Soon we were all in the family room dancing to "Gettin' Jiggy with It" which is not only Daddy's favorite song, but Simon's too. He's got moves like you've never seen on a ten month old. We ate breakfast, loaded the dishwasher, said family prayer, sent Daddy off to work, and started our school routine. Songs, scriptures, the Pledge of Allegiance, math, spelling, history... it's now 10 AM, which is reading time. I've decided to put off reading The Mockingjay and enjoy some peace and quiet. I can never get enough of that. The baby is only going to be asleep for an hour or so, and I need to be serious about what happens during the quiet moments of the day.

While watching the sunrise this morning, I thought back to a conversation we had with our friends over a fire in San Clemente. I admitted that even though I am trying my BEST to get everything done, I am really slacking when it comes to doing the essential things that bring peace and contentment in my life. And at the end of the day, when I am feeling empty and frustrated, I know it's because I am not still enough... I don't make the time for prayer & personal scripture study-- the only things that bring lasting peace and happiness. I've been feeling this way for some time now, but I have lots of excuses... at the top of the list is a new baby. Well, he's ten months old and it's time for me to stop using excuses and start getting to work. The most important kind of work I can do. Because when momma ain't happy (or feeling peaceful and calm) nobody is.

This video really hit home for me. You can find James E. Faust's extended version HERE.