I apologize

I need to start with some apologies.

First, sorry that I have been absent for a bit. My internet connection has been nearly impossible. DigitalBridge took over the company we were using and things have rapidly gone from "not great" to "really bad." There are some days I can't even log on until the afternoon and then it's hit and miss. I usually can't load more than 5 pages at a time before it's down again. Today, we've not had any trouble. We'll see how it goes.

Second, sorry that there are going to be an unfair amount of pictures. I've been saving some things up and due to actually having a life and/or no internet service, I haven't been able to share them. Now you get a bunch at once. But a picture is worth a thousand words, so this should classify as an epic tale.

Third, sorry about the comments that my brother-in-law-in-law (Chad's sister's husband) leaves for all of you to enjoy. He likes to be colorful and shocking, though he CAN be pleasant company. He was obviously on his best behavior when he was dating Chad's sister. He once taught the boys how to flip peas with a spoon at a wedding reception. It took several years for us to recover from that!

Now to get down to business. I've been handicapped, so typing is neither fun nor easy. I've had a little semi-squishy, movable bump on my left pinky at the middle knuckle for some time. I had it checked out yesterday and the doctor put in a big needle to drain it. It was a tiny lump of partially calcified blood. It may have been caused by a burn I got there many, many weeks ago. So now my pinky is throbbing and useless. And I keep bumping it on things since I can't bend it. Yes, please feel sorry for me; it may speed up the healing process.

We've recently adopted 3 cats. It was supposed to be 2, but one disappeared so we went looking for another and then the other suspiciously reappeared. So now we have 3, but only 2 are working cats. We got the first two,

Fair - 6 years and

Tabby - 2 years on Monday last week. Fair had some bad luck a couple of years ago and lost a leg. We adopted her out of kindness since she came with Tabby who is a very good mouser. Both cats are very sweet, but still getting used to being in our busy house.

We just got Trouble - 7 months, on Monday this week (because we thought Tabby had escaped and wasn't coming back). He is the odd man out as the two other cats are slow to accept a boy cat into their lives. Trouble is a very unique cat and makes very strange cat calls. Last night we thought he was saying "hello" because it sounded just like it. I'm not sure why he doesn't just meow like a normal kitty. We'll see if he does once he settles in a bit more.

Joseph turned 5 months earlier this month and we decided to try him out on the rice cereal. Here he is with his first taste of semi-solid food (if you don't count the banana he licked or the tiny drop of melted ice cream we poked his pacifier into). He didn't have any problems eating it. I'm not too sure he actually liked it.

And here is a picture of Joseph a little over a month ago. He was so cute in his seat. It will be an adorable scrapbook page some day. This shot makes me think of a gopher peeking up out of his hole.

This is shot I captured one Sunday afternoon. I walked into the room, saw this and walked back out for the camera.

Here is a promising picture. Joseph can already multi-task! Now if only I could figure out how to sleep and do something else at the same time. The world truly would be a better place.


Here is what happens when the kids get a turn with the digital camera. I've been very selective with the pictures I'm sharing. No one needs to see me from the rear - especially an upward view.

I finally finished that little quilt I was working on. Here it is with the binding. Sorry for the dark picture.

The girls recently became ladybugs, due mostly to the costume craft I got from Oriental Trading Company. I've been wondering how Leah knows to tilt her head for a picture.

And here is a little preview of my dining room curtains. (Another reason why I haven't been on the computer as much.) The actual fabric is a bit brighter than the picture shows. I'm going for a patchwork feel, if you can't tell. :)

And while I could continue to ramble on, I really need to go make lunch before the natives eat me alive!

Girls in Curls

Monday evening I was telling Leah about the times my mom would put sponge curlers in my hair after Saturday night baths so my hair would be curly for church. She was quite excited by the idea and wanted curlers in her hair right away! Unfortunately for her, we didn't have any.


I found some the next day at Family Dollar and that evening I rolled the girls' hair. Leah got pink curlers which were a pretty big size and Rebekah got blue ones which were fairly skinny. (The curlers came in variety packs.)


Here is what they looked like before bed.








And...WHOA!...here is what they looked like when the curlers came out!

Rebekah didn't need anything to keep her hair out of her face the whole day! All I could think when I saw her was "Brillo Pad." This morning, the sides of her hair were straight again, but the curls on top and down the middle back were still tight and bouncy. It was a curly mohawk! That is some crazy bed head.



And because Spring is so reluctant to come to our part of the world, this is what we were greeted with yesterday morning. It has all melted again, but you'll notice there are still no signs of life on the trees/shrubs. *sigh* I'll be wishing for some of this in August. That just proves that I'm never satisfied!

I bet this has never happened to you!

I knew I would blog tonight after what happened at the church.

Our stake has something called Choirsides. I'd never heard of one before we moved here so I'll explain it for those of you who are unfamiliar. Each ward in the stake sings two numbers, with narration between each ward. Tonight's choirside focused on Christ. We were in the chapel, and the sister missionaries had set up a display at the back of the gym. There were cookies, too.

The program started at 6 PM. There are 8 wards/branches in the stake and our ward was 6th to sing. I think it was about the time the third ward was singing that Leah climbed up into my lap and fell asleep. As the 4th ward finished, I realized that Leah was drooling on my dark blue shirt, very conspicuously placed. LOVELY! So I started blowing, blowing, blowing to dry up the 3" x 1" spot before I had to go up. Rebekah jumped in and started blowing with me. About the time the fifth ward finished its first song, it was dry. Whew! That would have been a little embarrassing! (You thought that was my big story, didn't you!?)

A few moments after I've dried up the slobbery mark, Rebekah starts to say that she needs to go potty. It really gets old to hear her say that she needs to go potty every time we go somewhere. I told her that she needed to wait because it was going to be my turn to go sing. It wasn't too much longer before she gets a bad look on her face and starts to whimper. I looked down on at her feet and watch a puddle forming right before my eyes! (I never realized how water-repellent the church carpets are.)

Meanwhile, the ward before us is just about finished with their last song. I'm frozen in shock. The puddle starts running away, so I grab Joseph's receiving blanket to soak it up, strip off her tights and underwear, put them into a little bag I have (for all those unpleasant moments), whip out a spare diaper and put it on her while she stands there. I was done with moments to spare. I THINK we got away without anyone even having a clue, except for the young man sitting next to Daniel who saw me adjusting the diaper. Only the most observant person would notice that she came in with pink tights on and left without any at all.

So has that ever happened to you? If you have a similar story, please share it and help me feel better!

Up to no good

I've been trying to keep out of trouble lately. Here's a little of the past week or so.

A small quilt top


We made strawberry syrup and strawberry jam from a flat of strawberries. Chad is using the Squeezo. I love that thing! It gets out the juice and separates it from the pulp and seeds. Not so fun to wash it though.
A whole flat of strawberries and this is all we get??




I made a batch of bread yesterday. This time, it did not cave in and make itself into a bread bowl loaf. However, I am having a problem with the tops of my loaves sinking a bit and leaving me with a wrinkled crust. Anyone have any suggestions? Share them in the comments!

I mopped the floor tonight. I realize that some of you will not think this is anything worth mentioning. If that is the case for you, let me introduce myself. Hi. I'm Arlyn. I don't often mop my floor. When you come for a visit, please don't take your shoes off.

I also cleaned up the laundry room which had been terrorized by muddy boots all winter. It was an all day effort, but it looks so much nicer!

I bought 12 yards of fabric this afternoon to make dining room curtains. It cost me just under $50. That is my motivation to actually make the curtains! When you come for a visit, please mention how cute they are! (But give me a couple of weeks to make them.)

Nathan and Joseph got shots yesterday. Nathan got his last chicken pox shot and Joseph just about got everything. Poor kid. He woke up with a little fever this morning, but slept for a good chunk of the night! Rebekah and Joseph are on the down side of ear infections.

Daniel signed up for pee wee baseball tonight. It's more like a clinic, I think. It's only about a month long. Perfect!!! He still gets a T-shirt out of it, so he'll have something to brag about until he outgrows it (in two years at the rate he's growing). Anyway, he's quite excited about it. I said I'd only sign him up if he would quit complaining about going to TaVaci for the rest of the season. He starts to get TaVaci burn out near the end of each semester. I'm not a pushy mom, though! I don't make him sign up...I just make him finish. He gets a trophy when they graduate the kids in 6th grade. Part of him wants the trophy...part of him doesn't (the vocal part).

And for those who would like to and are able to, the Spring TaVaci concert is May 10th. That's a Saturday. It would be over about 7 pm, I'm guessing. It's free and you can watch Daniel and Leah on stage. You can also watch Nathan in the seats. He gets restless about 3/4 the way through and starts asking when it's over.

I have been doing a lot of laundry lately as Rebekah is timing her bathroom trips poorly. The boys just chose to wet their pants. Leah never did. But it seems like Rebekah is creating more laundry than any of the others ever did. It's been interesting. The little spot of linoleum by the toilet gets cleaned almost daily. And you should know that goes against my cleaning nature!

Other than that, I haven't been doing much. And my house shows it. On a happier note, I have been more patient and slower to anger with the kids. We're having nicer days all around. (I still want them to leave me alone while I eat my breakfast!)

Tiny Masters

Recently, Leah has been in awe of herself. She just can't understand how she can snap her fingers and Nathan can't, even though he is older. It simply amazes her. And she likes to point it out to Nathan often.

Today (or was it yesterday?), Leah got a little sliver of humble pie. You see, Rebekah has figured out how to zip up her own jackets. In case you need a reminder, Rebekah is 2 1/2. Leah hasn't mastered the zipper yet and asked me HOW Rebekah could zip her jacket and Leah can't but Leah is older? I think she was even a bit offended. I reminded her about the finger snapping thing.

Her response: "Oh."

But hey world, my 4 year old can snap and my 2 year old can zip!

New Header

My new blogger friend, Autumn, made me a blog header. What do you think?

My page has some pizazz now. Thanks, Autumn!

I survived Conference - April 2008

I'm thinking of getting a shirt made that says this.

I hope my May Ensign doesn't get lost in the mail. I'm really going to need to read the Conference talks since I didn't get to hear many of them. I spent all of yesterday torn between wanting my kids to be at least NEAR the TV (so maybe they'd accidentally learn something), to wanting to send them downstairs - FAR AWAY from the TV (so I could accidentally learn something).

Then I had a grand idea to force some reverence on the kids by going to the church for one of today's sessions. The lazy part of me was screaming, "ARE YOU DELUSIONAL?" The CTR part of me was bursting with pride (which may not be "CTR" in itself) over such a reverent goal. So we got dressed and drove to the Stake Center this morning.

Apparently, we were a little too lofty in our attempts. Our building was only broadcasting in Spanish. We would have had trouble as soon as they finished with "Hola." So, while the opening song was being performed, we drove to our old Stake to catch the broadcast there. We arrived during the opening prayer and discovered that they'd gone all out and set up a TV in the Relief Society room. There were 4 missionaries and 3 other small groups of people there. I couldn't help but think, we could watch it on a TV at home!

But the kids were MUCH more reverent than they were at home. They suffered and endured to the end, as did their parents. We at least got Sunday to feel a little more LIKE Sunday and I heard a few more words during that session. We watched the last session from our couch, surrounded by the remains of our 72 hr kits (which we eat once a year during conference to help rotate the contents). By the time the prayer was given, most of the kids were downstairs playing and I didn't even feel guilty.

I console myself with the belief that any experience with General Conference is good and that we will sit better and longer in about...10 years.

I'm planting a bush

As you may already know, Rebekah is finally potty trained. Now what she once thought was cruel is suddenly cool. She goes potty... A LOT. Still, that doesn't keep her from wetting her pants because she procrastinates her trips sometimes and ends up peeing on the floor instead of in the toilet. So I have a lot more wet, stinky underwear and pants, size 2, sitting in the corner of the bathroom. I have learned to groan and make my way to the bathroom when I hear, "Mommy, I'm peeing!" That's where I find Rebekah standing in a puddle a mere foot from the toilet.

Another (dryer) side effect of one more person using the toilet is the increased consumption of toilet paper. We're now up to one whole roll a day. And while I have a propensity to exaggerate the facts, I assure you this is truth. It's also expensive. And my bathroom is covered in little bits of toilet paper.

So I was thinking about this new phase in our lives and realized it would only get worse during the summer when all the kids are home all day. That's when I came up with the decision to plant a bush for the kids. We need a large, low, quick growing bush with wide, smooth leaves. We'll plant it at the back of the yard, far enough away from the house to keep things from being unpleasant, but not so far that night time trips are hazardous. And, of course, we don't want the bush ANYWHERE near the garden spot.

Maybe we'll get 2 bushes. His and Hers.

Homework Woes

I kind of expected my troubles with homework to be done when I graduated from BYU (10 years ago this August?!?!?). Alas, this was not to be since I eagerly began having children eight years ago and then sent them off to school.

You may remember this post about Daniel and his reading homework. Chad and I were reminded of Daniel's reading wiggles when Nathan was reading a little book last week and ended up with his feet touching the floor and his head down where his little behind originally sat.

*insert narration* Since sitting here to type this post, 3 kids have come to me with "serious problems." Where can I find a potion to make me invisible for just 15 minutes? I'll sell an organ to pay for it if necessary.

And then yesterday, while I was preparing fake french fries, Nathan was reading his little homework book to me...while spinning in place. I'm amazed he could make out the words. So now I know it's a (mutated?) gene we possess in our family. I'll have to wait another 2 years to find out if affects the girls, too.

Daniel is currently at the kitchen table doing his math homework. That's part of the reason why I'm in the computer room. I was in there cleaning up and had to keep reminding him to work on homework.

Me: "Daniel, Focus!"
Daniel: "Focus! FOCUS! Focus on cheetahs and zebras."

I did mention that he was doing MATH homework, right?

Then I began a repeated, circular path from the kitchen counters to the table. I first gathered a ripped up spelling test and threw it away. Next I rescued the letter opener. My next trip was for one tiny scrap of paper that I missed the first time, but was found by Daniel. I returned again for a spare pencil. Still, he found ways to play.

I want to say that I was NOT yelling, and he was not complaining. He was happy in his little distracted world.

*insert more narration* Since typing that last period, I did end up yelling and taking care of two different offenders over two different squabbles. I'm amazed that Joseph continues to sleep. I love that swing.

Just before I left the homework scene to save my sanity, I told Daniel that he had started out on his homework so well and then things just kind of fell apart. That's when he semi-seriously began searching his homework page for the exact moment that happened. He found it (about a third of the way down) and said something like, "Oh. Here it is." I rolled my eyes...either mentally or physically - I can't remember...and retreated to the computer.

*last inserted narration* Since starting this post, Daniel has finished his math homework, picked out a coloring book, gotten into a fight with Nathan, made up and gone outside in 46 degree weather with only gloves to ward off the chill. (Nathan was smarter and wore gloves, plus a coat - skipped the zip.) I have listened to countless whining, broken up 3 or 4 fights, "sternly" spoken to 3 little people, tied 4 shoes, put on 2 gloves, zipped Rebekah's coat and rubbed my forehead repeatedly. I think it took 20 minutes to write this.

April Fools!

We started off the day with yellow milk. It looked a lot like egg nog. I didn't have any though, so I don't know if my eyes would have tricked my tongue on that one. Chad said the kids stared at it for a bit.

Daniel wore his shirt backwards to school, but then I found out later that he turned it back around once he got there. I guess the pressure was too much for him. He's like his mom in that he loves to be the center of attention, but only intentionally. I think he was afraid of being laughed AT.

Chad took the girls to work with him yesterday morning so I could go shopping with just Joseph . I think he played an April Fool's joke on himself and the receptionist with that move. However, I was grateful for his sacrifice. It really did give me a wonderful break. Thank you, Chad!

I was shopping specifically for milk, TaxCut, and ingredients for my April Fool's Day dinner. I spent over $215. Obviously, I didn't shop strictly from my list!!

I went to FamilyFun.com because I remembered they had some good recipes for April Fool's Day a year or so ago. All my recipes for dinner came from their site. I only wish I was so creative!

For dinner, we had green beans, meatloaf, french fries w/ketchup, mini corn dogs and purple milk. The mini corn dogs were not tampered with and were added to the meal to have something somewhat healthy. That tells you a little something of the dinner!














Green Beans












Softened Jolly Rancher Chews expertly shaped into a bean resemblance. I'm sure Chad knew something was up with those right away since I detest green beans and never buy them.

Meatloaf













Essentially, it's chocolate rice crispy treats with bits of dried pineapple and red and green fruit roll ups. By the time I got a chance to put it out, it had cooled considerably and was extremely difficult to slice.

French Fries with ketchup













These are bread sticks cut into 1/4" strips and rolled in sugar before baking. The ketchup is seedless strawberry jam stirred until smooth. I could have used less sugar on these. Daniel decided he preferred real fries to these sugary ones and didn't finish his. I should always expect surprises.

The purple milk was just tainted with food coloring. I have to say, it plays quite a trick on your mind to drink colored milk. I kept expecting to taste a "mixed berry" flavor and Chad even thinks he did! We are weak-minded people! I'm glad cows just make white milk.

Here are some pictures of Rebekah eating the fake food and Leah was showing off her corn dog...another food that should be put into the Fake category.









Here's Joseph thinking he's been pranked, too because everyone else is at least tasting something and all he gets is a germy pacifier!

Easter 2008

Easter seemed so early to me this year. I figure that has a little something to do with the fact that it came less than a week after St. Patrick's Day. It's really asking a lot to expect me to switch gears so quickly.

Fortunately, I am so organized and have all my Easter stuff in a bin. Unfortunately, it was in the garage, trapped beneath two of the very heavy Christmas bins. I was able to free it (3 days before Easter) with minimal grunts and groans and only one lost slipper. What joy the kids expressed when the lid came off and the colors came out! I was surprised to find my "misplaced" Valentine's Day decorations in there. I do seem to remember storing those two holidays together once upon a time. (I was even more surprised to find Chad's shoe shine stuff in the Easter box. Of all the unrelated places! I made him guess where they were and now he owes me a dinner.)

We tried something a little different (for us) this year. We had "fun" Easter on Saturday and "real" Easter on Sunday. I liked it better that way...less stress before and after church. Anyway, I've digressed. We decorated 2 1/2 dozen minus one eggs on Thursday night. (I ate one that erupted during boiling.) It was a good math problem for Daniel.

We really like to decorate eggs. I usually endure a high level of stress as eggs are dropped, plopped and slopped. I'm just waiting for a nasty lime green dye to get spilled and stain my floor and walls. Rebekah was especially good at making me gasp throughout the event. She pre-cracked them for us. Nathan had fun decorating, but reminded us that he wouldn't eat any. He's sworn off hard boiled eggs since last year's never ending supply of egg salad sandwiches. I like Leah's expression here and can't help but think that she's eyeing the competition
...which apparently was Daniel.


We went to a community Easter egg hunt at the high school on Saturday morning.
As it was 20 degrees, we looked more suited for cutting down a Christmas tree than gathering eggs, but what do you expect when Easter falls on March 23rd? They had the fields divided by ages and we were a little dismayed to find that we had 4 kids in four different categories. So Rebekah pretended she was 3 and Daniel pretended he was 6. Heck, I know there were true 6 year-olds bigger than him! I went with the girls and Chad with the boys. Joseph was in a cocoon in the stroller with me. All the eggs were labeled with local companies' names. They were waiting off to the side to give the kids even more sugary prizes if they presented the right eggs.

I thought we should have had hot chocolate once we got home...but that doesn't really seem fitting the holiday.

Later that day, we had our own Easter egg hunt. We hid our dyed eggs plus an additional 39 plastic ones.


Some eggs were harder to recover than others.









I bought some hoppy balls (you know...the kind you sit on and bounce all over the place?) for the kids that they had to find from clues in specially filled eggs. The smell of the rubber just about knocked me out. I still make a face when I go downstairs and step around them. I intend them to be outside toys, as soon as the weather cooperates.


The next day was Sunday and we were fortunate enough to be speaking in Sacrament Meeting. Chad's mom drove out to sit with Joseph and Rebekah while the rest of us sat on the stand. Leah, Nathan and Daniel gave a short talk, then we all stood up to sing "He Sent His Son" and Rebekah joined us for that. It would have been nice if she sang instead being so interested in the podium. Then I spoke, followed by a flute number and Chad finished up. The girls looked cute in their semi-matching dresses. The boys got new ties and Joseph got a new shirt. He then christened his new shirt (through his onesie) while grandma held him and endured to the end. I nearly put him in the women's bathroom sink after that, but used 20 baby wipes instead.

And that was our Easter 2008. Today I bought next year's Easter goods at 75% off. Long live Wal-Mart.




I'll try to post about April Fool's Day tomorrow. I've run out of time tonight. (It's no wonder since I blabbed on and on in this one!)

Sorry for the small pictures...I was economizing on space. Hopefully, Blogger will cooperate and allow you to click on them and make them bigger (huge, actually).

It's time

I think it's time for a girls' weekend or get-a-way or escape. If I don't take a voluntary break, I may be forcibly removed, then either incarcerated or committed.

I feel like I've been on the edge of a "Mommy Explosion" the entire day. It's a wonder I don't have "lock-jaw" from all the teeth clenching!

I am at a critical point where I need to make some serious decisions about my parenting. Something has got to be done with Leah's demanding yelling and screaming. She's learning bad coping skills from me...although it's been a little while since I actually screamed. That must be her special gift. I am extra sensitive to Rebekah's constant ramblings (and it's no wonder since she's always by my side). Daniel seems determined to test me at every turn. Nathan forgets that he doesn't make the decisions. Joseph won't sleep more than 2 hours at a time...around the clock. And to top off the insults, my house refuses to keep itself clean!!

Every time I try to steal a moment for myself, the moment gets stolen from me. I actually lasted 10 minutes in my sewing room while Joseph napped this morning. After the initial 10 minutes, the girls wandered in and started whispering about me as if I couldn't see or hear them. They were hiding in the closet and when I stepped over to the ironing board, Leah whispered, "She's gone." Then she stepped out of the closet, saw me and slipped back into the closet.

And then I sit back and take an objective look at my kids. I try to see them from a stranger's eyes. Suddenly I am awash in various emotions. First, I'm jealous that someone gets such cute kids (SO many people tell me how cute my kids are), then I feel a strange mixture of pride and love as I realize they are my kids, followed by shame that I don't appreciate them more and finally, frustration at the whole situation.

It's about then that I resolve to spend better time with them. Only that always gets foiled by an honest distraction which eventually leads to a less important reason to postpone the quality time I know they need. Adding to the stress is the frustration of sitting in a messy room. Did I mention that my house won't stay clean?

Plus I have to feel the pressure of inventing a decent meal from the groceries on hand which are limited because I either can't get out to shop or just can't talk myself into taking 3-5 kids to the store.

In the back of my mind, I'm wishing I could be sitting at the computer, reading a book or working in the sewing room. I wouldn't even mind doing a little spring cleaning if I thought I could use it as ME time.

And that is why I'm feeling like a bad mother, who doesn't do anything to cure the problem, but finds the time to whine about it publicly.

I should send out invitations to my pity-party.

General Conference

If you're looking for some ideas to ease your kids through General Conference this weekend (and even if you hadn't really thought about it), here are some links of fun things for them!

http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1882&Itemid=406

http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1920&Itemid=405

And if you sign up for a FHE yahoo group, you can get lots of FHE ideas. I don't know the actual link, but this should prompt the right page. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fhe4children/files/Ancestors%20%26%20Journal%20Writing/

I'd share more personal info, but it's getting a little tense around here and I've learned that the more I try to ignore it, the higher my blood pressure goes. But I hope you take some time to check out those links!

Word Play

Nathan recently had these two conversations with Chad and me. I think they were only a day or two apart.

Nathan: "Mommy, is green a secondary color?"
Me: "Yep."
N: "I know what red, yellow and blue are called."
Me: "Primary colors?"
N: "No. Firstdary colors."

Nathan knew they were really called primary colors, but he was making his own little joke.

A day or so later, Chad was giving the kids a lunch of grapes, bread, cheese and milk. They were mentioning all the food groups that were present: fruit, grain and dairy. Then Nathan pipes up with, "Grapes are fruit, bread is grain and milk and cheese are secondairy!"

What a little character!

St. Patrick's Day

We had fun with St. Patrick's Day this year. Nathan explained to me why it was important that he wear green to school and had his clothes picked out the day before. Daniel also donned green to ward off the pinchers!

We had a green dinner - but not the Dr. Suess variety. We had green pancakes that I attempted to cook in the shape of shamrocks. Some turned out better than others (though ultimately, they all ended up in the same condition). We had green syrup which was almond flavored with green food coloring since the almond extract was colorless and the mapleine was not.
We also had green milk left over from lunch and enjoyed it in cups decorated with Shamrocks. Breakfast that morning was chocolate Lucky Charms with "double the shamrock marshmallows". Not real healthy, but a heck of a lot of fun!


For FHE, we answered questions about Easter, but the questions were on the backs of posterboard shamrocks. We used a 12-sided die and rolled to find out which question we got to answer. After we answered a question, we got a little green frog candy. It had nothing really to do with St. Patrick's Day OR Easter, but it was green.

Our FHE treat was a shamrock we made out of breadsticks, sprinkled with green sugar which we ate while we watched Shrek the Third (he's green).

I'm so far behind!

Because I was trying to find time to type my 300th post, I kept putting other posts off and now my head is backed up with things I've wanted to share.

We've been working on a few projects around the house. A big project was getting Joseph out of our bedroom where he slept in the bassinet, and into the girls' room to sleep in the crib. Unfortunately, the girls' room is pretty small so we resorted to stacking the girls. Chad made a loft bed for Leah and we put Rebekah underneath. It was a tight fit, but we got the crib and another dresser in there. I'm extra glad that we don't keep toys in the bedrooms. There wouldn't be any room for kids if there were toys!

I recently made bread. It was not a good day for bread...as you can see. I learned a little bit about ovens, temps and yeast that day. The next day, I tried a different recipe. I learned a little bit more about ovens and temps. I am willing to post my failures to keep myself from feeling too awesome. But I have to say...even though they look horrible, they tasted WONDERFUL! I just won't be submitting these to any baking competitions.

One of the things that made me sad to leave our old house was vinyl that I had up on the walls. We finally replaced one of the things I had to leave behind...our talent wall. And this time we were able to add Joseph's frame, although it will be some time before I expect him to contribute something. I love walking by this wall (which I do countless times a day) and seeing the kids' creativity. (For instance, Nathan's picture is a truck driving into a car wash.) The phrase above the pictures is from the parable of the talents in the New Testament.





And something that has been a work-on-it-when-I-get-a-chance project is the girls' Easter dresses. I finished them Thursday night (but took the picture before that). Leah's is the purple, Rebekah's the blue. Pay no mind to the quilt on the frame behind them. I've decided that it looks so good there, it's now decoration and not actually an unfinished project. And with that decision, I am free of so much unfair guilt.



I have other things to share next time...FHE/St. Patrick's Day and Easter activities (still frozen from the community egg hunt this morning...20 degrees!) Our family gets to be the Easter program in church tomorrow. How did we ever get so lucky? The kids' talks are written and we've been practicing "He Sent His Son" since last Sunday. I still have to form my thoughts into a decent message. We're trying something new this year and inviting the Easter bunny to stop by our house today instead of Sunday, so we can put more emphasis on the spiritual meaning of the holiday. I'll let you know how it works out for us. So far, E. Bunny has not shown up!


Chad and the kids are outside with the neighbor who just put 3 calves in our pasture. Everyone is excited to put one more foot into country living. And though he probably wouldn't admit it, Chad is likely the most excited of everyone.


So Happy Easter everyone! We'll play more catch-up a little later.



It only took me 3 hours to finish this post.

300!

I've been putting off blogging for the past week because I knew I was hitting my 300th post and I didn't want to celebrate with, "Rebekah is finally potty-trained!" Incidentally, that's true and I shouldn't gloss over such an important announcement!

Truthfully (because you wouldn't really expect me to lie, right?), I haven't had a ton of time to sit and reflect on the past two and a half years of blogging that have brought me to this momentous milestone. Even now I'm not sure I have a ton of time, but if I can just ignore everyone long enough, I should be able to squeeze in some typing.

As I have mentioned before, my first post was in the wee hours of an October morning while I held a tiny Rebekah - not even 6 weeks old. Now that tiny person has grown into a big girl who dresses herself (only on mornings when I don't need to take her out in public), doesn't have to wear diapers anymore and talks to the new tiny baby in a high, squealing voice. She likes to be involved in my decisions and often starts sentences with, "Maybe you should..."

I've really enjoyed my experience as a blogger. I've met a few new people this way and become closer to others. I get a lot of satisfaction from expressing myself and using my computer (to which I'm addicted) as a way to be creative. I've really appreciated the positive remarks so many people have shared with me about my writing. It's always been something I've enjoyed and maybe some day I'll do something more with it. Maybe I'll print up all my posts and present them to my children when they start having parenting struggles similar to the ones I've recorded. Then they will be so much more grateful that I didn't murder them in their sleep! ;) Look for my memoir on eBay in about 40 years. It will probably be an ebook!

It took just over one year for me to reach my 100th post. Nine months later I hit 200. Now, 8 more months have passed and I'm to 300. I have an unofficial goal (unofficial goals are handy so that if you don't accomplish your task, you don't actually fail) to record my 500th post within a year from now.

And as Joseph starts to call for me, I reach an end of my historical post. I can't help but think that I meant for this one to be a little more poetic and inspiring than it turned out. Unfortunately, I'm a little tired (not getting a whole lot of sleep lately) and to be honest - my fingernails need to be trimmed and are making it hard to type efficiently.

P.S. Spell check is down again. I hope everything was spelled correctly.

P.P.S. Why am I getting a Spanish language sign in page for Blogger? Did I sign something without reading the fine print?

Great YouTube videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0fC6NmsX-I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZNpeJ0L93Q&feature=related

Check out these neat videos. Makes you want to get up off the couch!

Smelly

I hate yucky smells. Luckily, I have a very senstitive sniffer so I can discover bad smells right away...before they fester and make a bigger smelly mess (which is when Chad starts to wrinkle his nose).

This morning I was in the laundry room changing the laundry. I can smell a yucky smell in there! But I'm a little confused since there aren't any dirty clothes waiting to be washed. The washer had just finished, so it shouldn't be that. We do keep the snow gear in there, but it didn't seem like a musty-yucky smell. Nothing looks like it has spilled. But even if it did, I would expect it to be a cleaning liquid and smell clean! So now I have a mystery on my hands. And I really don't feel like deep cleaning the laundry room right now.

What I'm afraid of is that something died nearby during the winter and now that things are warming up, so is the dead thing. Ew! Gross!

Meanwhile, there are yucky smells in both bathrooms, the boys' room and the kitchen. I'm pretty sure some honest housework would take care of those issues. Unfortunately, I don't feel like deep cleaning any of those rooms either. This family sure is lucky to have me! I can ferret out the odors, but don't do anything about them!

Easter Egg Hunt

Here is the weather report I just found for our area. Maybe we can skip the egg coloring this year and just hide white eggs!

Today
High: 42 Numerous snow showers and rain showers. Snow accumulation around 1 inch. Highs 35 to 42. Light and variable winds...becoming south 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Areal coverage of precipitation 70 percent.

Tonight
Low: 25 Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers. Little or no snow accumulation. Storm total snow accumulation around 1 inch. Lows 22 to 29. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Areal coverage of precipitation 50 percent.

Friday
High: 40 Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow showers. Highs 33 to 40. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

Friday Night
Low: 18 Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow showers. Colder. Lows 15 to 22. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

Saturday
High: 40 Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow showers. Highs 33 to 40. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Opinionated

I am, but I control it much better these days. Those who knew me as a teenager may remember a fiestier Arlyn. (Did I just make up a word again?) Anyhow, I rarely engage in debate and often flip the channel if the topic become too heated. I don't like the agitation I feel when people start arguing. As soon as my children start to fight, my blood pressure shoots up. I don't watch Judge Judy for that reason. She personifies agitation.

Anyway, I preface with that and then turn around and start sharing my opinion. I just can't hold it in this time. The following are my own opinions, not forced upon me by others and are not secretly the things that someone else wanted to say but were too chicken. Some people my think my opinions are naive. I wish the world was a little more naive. There's too much garbage out there that is making this world a harder place to live in.

First off - a topic from the Today show this morning. Geraldine Ferraro made a statement that Obama has gotten where he is because he's a black man. I don't think she's too far off the mark. I don't credit or discredit any of Sen. Obama's skills/promises/actions. I do think that he's getting many of his votes because the country is now at a place where they are willing to vote for a black man and are doing it. Some may be doing it to prove that they are not racist. Some may be doing it because they think that it's a way to show support to the black community. I realize that many are supporting him blindly - they don't see color, just the candidate. Either way, I don't really care. I think some grown ups are looking for something to fight about. When I look at Sen. Clinton, I see another minority. I think many people are supporting her because she's a woman. She's in a very similar situation to Obama. I wouldn't be surprised if an openly gay man or woman ran and got votes. It seems to be the time to prove that you're not biased and put a minority in the spotlight. On the other hand, I'm not surprised that Gov. Romney had to step aside for the time. The country isn't THAT ready to put aside biases! Ideally, I wouldn't like to see any of these candidates in office. I wish that this world could put it's arms around each other and take care of whatever needs arise. You have a skill, I have a different skill. Let's use them for good, not gain and get our payment in ways that don't necessarily pad our bank accounts. A naive goal? Maybe to some. I think the world just isn't ready to grow up and get along so nicely.

A second thing - also from the Today show. Twenty-five percent of America's teenage girls, ages 14-19 have an STD. One in four! Starting with age 14!! I saw a Dr. Phil show a week or so ago that was debating condoms in school/sex education/etc. One "expert" claimed that it was more successful in battling teen pregnancy to distribute condoms without the parents' knowledge! She says the numbers have already proved it. The teens do better with knowing their actions are kept confidential from their parents! HELLO! How badly are we failing our children if they feel more comfortable talking to a guidance counselor at school than a parent at home? How do we even consider letting the schools educate our children about sex? When did we just start offering our homes as beds and breakfasts instead as a place to bond, teach and rear our children? Sex isn't a rite of passage. It's a means of creating life, granted by God! We don't make it SAFE, we make it honorable and responsible. One girl on the show (Dr. Phil) complained that if condoms had been available at her school, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant at 13 years of age. So now she's not responsible for her actions...the grown ups are. And the term "grown up" should not be used lightly. I can't believe how things are falling apart with our young people and we just shake our heads in wonder and confusion and blame it on someone else.

I have another "bee in my bonnet" or two, but I'll spare you. These are my opinions. You don't have to agree. I expect many people don't. I don't want to start a debate here. If you have your own opinion, share it in your own blog. Now you don't have to wonder what I think about those two topics!

I feel better. :)

In Escrow

Yahoo! Who thinks owning multiple houses is a sign of wealth? NOT ME!

An announcement

Rebekah pooped in the potty!


She did it without any help and called me when she was done! We are celebrating in Idaho!

I vote for the library

This morning I was in the bathroom with the girls. I was cleaning off the high chair that has a year's worth of garage grime on it and the girls were playing with tub toys.

(For those of you who have never seen our bathroom, it's quite LARGE and carpeted, so it's not uncommon to find the kids playing in it.)

Soon, Leah had to go to the bathroom. While she was sitting there, she said, "Sometimes I read books when I'm in the bathroom."

That didn't seem like a crazy thing. I read in there, too. Volume of books are marketed just for those who linger. (I've gotten so desperate for things to read that I've pulled toothpaste tubes and shampoo bottles out. But maybe that's sharing too much.)

Then she finished her statement, "...to Rebekah." OK Now that's a little strange. Whoever heard of story time in the bathroom? What a place to "gather 'round!" And how is it that I didn't know that was happening? If I were to picture a story time setting, it would be in a grade school classroom or a back corner of the town library.

So if you chance to stop for a visit and need to use the bathroom, be sure to check the story time schedule first!

Postpartum Fallout

My hair is falling out in copious amounts. It happens every time I have a baby get close to 4 months old. That full, thick head of hair that pregnancy invited eventually decides its time to go.

Maybe I wouldn't notice it so much if it were short. Instead, I'm constantly trying to find the phantom hair that I can feel but not see. Seeing wasn't a problem at the dinner table last night; I found three on the table before I even took a bite!

I'm hopeful that in another month or so, things will be back to normal. Until then, I'll have to vacuum more than I think a lazy person should be required to.

Sorry if this is a yucky topic. Sometimes life is yucky.

No Answer

Dear "Unknown" and "Toll Free",

Yes, that short click is me picking up and then hanging up. I have caller ID. You are wasting your time.

Sincerely,
I Know It's a Sales Call When You Mispronounce My Name

Scrapped Babies

I put this page together while I tried to stay awake during nap time. It's a goal to get Rebekah to put the stinky in the potty today. She usually ends up stinky during nap time, so I was trying to stay ahead in the game. Instead, she fell asleep and I ended up extra tired!



I made this page because I get so many comments on how much the kids look alike. Here is a comparison. They are each one month old. The last frame is reserved so I don't have to remake the page later. But this is NOT an announcement. I am NOT pregnant!

Dear Mommy/Dear Joseph

Dear Mommy,

I will be 4 months old next week! Thank you for helping me through this momentous time. I admit that last week's cold was a bit rough on me, but you worked hard to keep my nose cleared out and comforted me when I coughed so hard. I don't have any words yet to tell you how I feel, but I think you know. Maybe my big smiles will convey just a part of my thanks.

You have been doing a great job at feeding me. I can feel more rolls on my arms and legs now. And don't you think my big cheeks and double chin are deadly weapons? I think I am getting quite handsome!

I don't know why I am so hungry at night. Maybe I am dreaming of food (and everyone knows about the power of suggestion)! It seems like I have to eat every 4 or 5 hours! You probably don't like to have to wake up so many times at night. I am sorry to cry so often, but when you don't pick me up right away it seems to get a little worse. I guess I am just immature that way.

At least you don't lose too much sleep while I'm nursing. I'm just glad you don't drop me out of bed when you fall asleep. (And Daddy doesn't lose too much sleep, either. Have you heard that loud humming sound he makes?)

I promise to start sleeping through the night soon. It shouldn't take me more than 7 or 8 more months. You'll probably be really thankful for that, since my big sisters still don't sleep through the night. Are they still getting hungry at night, too?

I am very happy here in this family. Everyone is so nice to me and gets close to talk to me. Rebekah's voice goes nice and high, just the way I like it. Leah is holding me a lot so I smile at her to say, "I love you". Nathan talks to me when you can't help me right away and Daniel is so careful when he picks me up. You and Daddy hold me up high where I get such a good view of everything.

I love my family.

Love, Joseph


Dear Joseph,

You are going to be 4 months old next week! I can't believe how fast you've grown! How do you like life so far? That cold all the kids got last week was pretty bad and I felt so sorry that I couldn't give you any cough medicine. I used to hear you coughing and choking at night and wondered if you could breathe at all. But now you just cough a little every now and then. I'm glad you made it through OK! When you give me big smiles despite feeling so yucky, I think you must be a very special little boy.

And being sick didn't slow you down too much. You have become much chubbier lately. Your cheeks are filling out just like your brothers' and sisters' did. You are definitely one of us! You are going to have all the babysitting-aged girls at church swooning all over you before too long!

If I could ask for one favor from you, it would be to sleep longer at night. I wish you could go longer than 2-3 hours between feedings. I try to ignore you, but then you just cry louder and harder. It's so hard to feel rested when I have to interrupt my sleep so often. Luckily, I have a nursing pillow to help keep you in my lap. Otherwise, I'm not sure you wouldn't have fallen to the floor during the times I fall asleep sitting up! Your tummy is supposed to make it all through the night at six months old. That's only 2 months away. Are we going to make it?

Between you and and yours sisters, Daddy and I are a bit sleep deprived. That will be our excuse for all the parenting mistakes we make.

I have enjoyed watching everyone in the family as they interact with you. You are a very special person in this family! Rebekah now thinks every cute baby she sees is named Joseph. Leah only wants to hold you all day. Nathan has been put under your spell and engages you in conversation daily. Daniel is so tender when he picks you up. (It's nice to see that side of a hyper 7 year old!) Daddy is your best bud and holds you all through dinner and whenever I need a break. He changes LOTS of your diapers!

I hope you will someday understand how much we love you!

Love, Mommy

House For Sale in Idaho

July 2005

December 2007

It's a nice house!

*Five bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, open living area, main floor laundry, large family room, finished basement, food storage, fenced backyard, inside a safe cul-de-sac/quiet subdivision.

*Buy this house and get a free neighborhood.

*We're tired of 2 mortgages. We want YOU to make this payment instead!

*P.S. I didn't say the cul-de-sac was quiet. That darn neighbor put his dog house right by the fence and she BARKS!

4 AM

That's about what time I was putting the carpet cleaner vacuum away. Shortly before that, Leah emptied the contents of her stomach on our bedroom floor. I knew she was up to something!

Since the spot on the floor wasn't big enough to spend the whole tank of water on it, I moved to the living room where I went over a spot where some "washable" glue had been dumped a week or so ago and then cleaned the spots in front of the couches and the front door.

Anyone passing by might have thought I was a bit obsessed. I am, but it doesn't cover cleaning the carpets that early in the morning!

I finally downloaded some brushes and new fonts for scrapbooking yesterday. I've only been scrapbooking digitally for 6 months now...you'd think I would have done it already. Anyway, I used some of my new downloads to create this page this afternoon. The pictures are 4 years old...so there is no Rebekah or Joseph.

Small Town Service

We live in the country. But the closest town to us only has about 400 ish people (as of the last census). The next closest town has about 4,000. That's a city compared to where we are. One of the ladies that delivers our mail is also the Relief Society President at church. When she has a package to deliver and no one answers her knock, she pops her head in the door with a "yoo hoo" and sets the mail inside.

Yesterday, I wasn't home when she stopped by with a package. She called me that afternoon and explained that she had forgotten to leave a slip in the mailbox. She could deliver it in the morning or we could pick it up at the Post Office. (The PO is about the size of large storage shed.) I told her it's fine to just leave it on the porch. She said she wasn't sure if that was ok because sometimes the weather can be bad.

Anyway, I knew she was coming sometime between 9 and 10 this morning. That was the same time I finally got a chance for a shower. So, OF COURSE, that's when she showed up. I was drying off and heard her calling from the front door. The package needed to be signed for. When I told her that I was in the shower, she offered to sign for me! What service!

Who broke my baby?

Joseph had a rocky night. There's something bothering him, rendering him unable to sleep. I lost track of how many times I nursed him. Even now, I'm typing one-handed. He doesn't want to be put down. I usually try to find a time to exercise in the morning. Today I will just be trying to find a time to shower!

He's still coughing a bit and sneezing. I hope everyone is feeling super-charged and ailment-free soon. Rebekah didn't eat dinner last night and made that same whimpering sound that usually accompanies throwing up. Thankfully, THAT didn't happen!

I'm trying to ignore the slightly sore throat I have. Maybe it will go away if I pretend it's not there.

**A special Thank You to Chad who spent more time with Joseph than with his pillow last night. I was feeling guilty, but not enough to stay awake for very long!

Miniature High Priests

Daniel and Nathan looked like miniature High Priests today as they dozed in Sacrament Meeting.

First Daniel started agreeing with everything the speaker was saying. I thought that was so awesome that he was paying attention with such reverence! Then I noticed that his eyes were opening and shutting in slow motion. Uh oh...that looks like sleepy. I teased him about it and he perked up for a bit.

Next, I noticed Nathan was sitting up, but with his head resting on his shoulder and his eyes not even trying to stay open. What skill! He's got the High Priests beat with that maneuver! Of course, all the H.P.s I know are taller than the back of the bench, so their heads roll around much easier.

The next time I glanced at Daniel, he'd made a buttress with his leg and had his elbow propped up on his knee with his hand holding up his head. You can tell his Daddy is a structural engineer! Yes, he was sleeping.

I'd given all 4 kids prescription cough medicine so the people at church wouldn't cringe every time one them hacked. Who knows if they cringed or not. At least the boys were reverent/comatose. It was actually kind of amusing until Daniel just plain gave up the fight and put his head right down on the bench. A High Priest would never do that, short of a medical emergency. So I made him sit next to me and I held him up. I hope they got enough sleep to make it through Primary!

No one has had a fever since Thursday. Leah and Joseph never had one. The coughing is still bad, but the runny noses are better. Joseph no longer sounds like he's choking to death during the night...just gagging occasionally. He's very good at blowing bubbles out of his nose. (We're trying to break him of that habit.)

Mommy and Daddy avoided this one. We look forward to the next challenge.

Cranky Sunday Morning

Do you have those at your house? I can't really single out Sunday, because we're just mostly cranky...any day of the week.

This morning:

Nathan is mad at me because I won't tie his shoes. I am willing to help, but wouldn't it be better if he put them on FIRST? I don't think his foot will slide in otherwise. But Nathan is the one to tell you something is black when it's obviously white, so convincing him that it's best to be wearing the shoe when it's tied is a bit of a challenge. I think I will steer him towards a career in Criminal Law.

At the same time, Leah wanted me to pull up her tights for her. Since when can't a 4 year-old reach down to her knees and give a good yank? Instead, she lies down on the floor and sticks her legs up in the air. THAT'S easier? Good Golly!

AND, at the same time, Rebekah was standing next to me requesting a tissue. We're in the bathroom, very near a roll of toilet paper. Why can't she get one herself? Maybe I shouldn't complain. When she gets her own tissue from the roll, she ends up with 4 feet of it.

If you think that's bad, you should see what Joseph demands of me. What a baby!

Conversation with Nathan later in the morning:

ME: Nathan, go talk to Joseph please.
NATHAN: You're closer.
M: Hey!
N: What?
M: You're closer to your room.

And I could say it ended there with a contrite young man obeying his mother, but he had one parting shot.

N: No, you are.

And then he walked out of the room and did what I asked. So, he was sassy, but I got what I wanted from him. Two winners? Two losers?