Farm Girl

We were listening to a kids' CD of music today while we rode in the car. One of the songs had some lyrics that went..."Scat like that. Have you ever seen a jazzy cat like that?" It's a catchy, jazzy tune and Leah had it stuck in her head. She just changed the wording a tiny bit.

"Scat like that. Have you ever seen a JERSEY cat like that?"

You can see that we don't have Holstein steers! :)

Joseph's crouched and waiting!

We sing a song before family prayer each night. It seems we sing "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" more than should be allowed. And of course, the kids like to jump up on each "beam" in the song. So Joseph has figured it out and likes to jump in (pun intended). Unfortunately, he can't tell any of the songs apart.

So he was crouched and ready to spring tonight. Too bad Daddy picked, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." Way cute.

A good online Outlet!

I already shared this with my sister and thought more of you might be interested.

Do you like getting fun stuff for your kids super cheap? I have a website you might enjoy. It's mostly educational tools and gadgets, but check it out to see if there is something you like. And I'm not even doing it justice. Just go look.

http://www.etacuisenaire.com/outlet_store.jsp

Go to the Over 50% OFF section and look for the beginner's microscope. Then get the slides and covers to use with it.

There is a butterfly garden in the 35-50% OFF section.

And the shipping is reasonable! Have fun. Let me know if you find anything exciting!

Question for the parents of school students

The boys went on a little field trip yesterday to the high school to watch a play. I guess the whole school went, possibly excepting the kindergarten. They had a fab time, of course. I first heard about the trip when Nathan mentioned it during his prayer before they left for school yesterday.

So my question is: Does your school take the kids off campus without first informing the parents?

I'm wondering if this is a new trend. I can remember having a permission slip for EVERY trip when I was in school.

ISO

In Search Of:

I googled myself today, using my maiden name. I got almost 6 pages of results and not a single one of them was actually me! It's like my past life has been erased. Anyone from pre-1999 will have a hard time finding me if they haven't kept contact with me or a family member. Just when you think you might have made an impact in the world!

On the other hand, I googled my current name and got 2 pages of results. They were all me! I think I'm really one of a kind! (No cracks, please.) There are even birth notices in the Las Vegas newspaper for the boys. That seems eons ago.

Before any of you leave a comment telling me about Facebook or any of it's cousins, I just say that I already know about these websites and have not joined on purpose. My blog is about as far out into the world of silent stalkers I'm ready to go right now. Well, and I also have a part in my mission web page, but those are silent stalkers I'm a little more comfortable with.

And if any of you are wondering how I have time to sit and mindlessly search for myself online, it's because I recently took a shower and am resting to regain some energy to take the kids to Wal-Mart. That's an adventure for a healthy person and a form of torture for a nauseated one!

Feeling Better ?

True. I have been feeling better. WHY, then, haven't I been blogging? Unfortunately, I haven't felt completely better.

The difference now is that I don't sleep from breakfast until lunch. I stay awake, reading and meandering from one room to the other. I don't move too much. I, therefore, don't clean. But the house is a little better than before because I'm awake to tell the kids to stay out of trouble (or put their trouble away when they're done with it).

The benefit from this is that Joseph is developing his large motor skills at a much faster rate in a messy house than he would in an orderly house. Just getting through the library is a test of agility. And yesterday when he fell off the chair, he got stuck and did his first head stand!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (This is Joseph's version of the accident.)

So, I've been wanting to get back to the blog, but I'm still having a hard time sitting at the computer very long. I'll try to do better, because there are so many things to share!

P.S. Does anyone have a rice cooker they don't use? Mine died.

GREEN!

I completely missed February and the hearts, etc. But I won't let you down for March!

My scrapbooking program was in total shock when I opened it up this morning.

First Word?

Joseph will be 16 months on Friday and we've yet to hear him utter his first word. It's not that he doesn't make himself understood, but it's not with anything you'd be able to find in the dictionary.

But I think we may have our first word! True, we need to lower our standards just a little but I think it's close enough. When Joseph goes to do something he's been told to do, he says the /k/ sound. I believe this is his version of OK. So, his first word is a positive and agreeable one! None of my kids have said, "No" before 18 months. They just save it up for later and then abuse it.

Joseph's First Haircut

I'm going to try to back-up and let you know of some of the things that have happened since I fell off the blogging chair.

Joseph got his first haircut on 3 Jan. It was getting a little shaggy, though some people may not have noticed. When you have thin, blond hair you just look bald.

Here are his before pictures. You can see that his face needs a little scrubbing. That just makes him seem more like a Collett. All the kids in this family take turns looking like that. They have really lazy parents.


Here is an aerial image. See? It really was long!

Here is the after photo. I used the 3/8" guard on the clippers and buzzed his head. Doesn't he look so cute? :)


And now that it's been 2 months, he's in need of another buzzing. (But remember, he has lazy parents.)

Hopeful

The past two days have been surprising; I've had good mornings!

Yesterday, I got through some of the piles in my room that have been growing and weighing on my mind. Today I cleaned up the library and girls' room. I even pulled out the vacuum. I know, it's a shocker.

Now, my hands are shaking and I'm having a hard time typing. But I'm alive and being productive.

One of the reasons I worked so hard this morning is that we've had a library book missing for a few weeks. I hate to lose things that aren't mine. I've looked everywhere for that dumb book, including behind 4 different dressers, in and under beds and in cupboards. I even went through our books one by one. I checked my checked-out books online this morning. Suddenly, the book isn't on my list anymore! It's even listed as checked in! ARGH!

This is not the first time I've been on the hook for a book I'd already returned. This time though it wasn't in the system. I'm wondering if someone else "checked it out" and recently returned it. I can't image it floating around the library for this long. Whatever the reason, I'm glad it's turned up.

It would have been nice to not have to search the nasty boys' room for it when I felt so nasty myself.

In case you're wondering, I'm 13 weeks now. I will start my second trimester on Saturday.