Oh What Do You Do (with teenagers) In the Summer Time?

Summer officially started for our family on Tuesday (May 30) when the Memorial Day holiday was over and Brian went back to work.  I have been trying to make better use of our time this summer by making a schedule at the beginning of the week.  I have a list of fun things to do to refer to while I plan.  Every night I review the schedule with the kids.  This helps prepare them to do the things that they may not want to do.  I also make sure that Brian is around for back-up when I present the plan.  What?  Why would I need back up?  What kid in their right mind would resist doing the fun things I have planned for them?   Mine.  All of them.   Every time so far.

 Tuesday, despite complaints on Monday when I announced it, Katrina and Thomas and I went bike riding.  Yesterday, despite grumblings the night before, Miriam and Katrina went to Summer seminary and Thomas accompanied me to the grocery store.  Now today, despite all opposition, we (Miriam, Katrina, Thomas, and I) will be walking to the grocery store, buying Popsicles, and eating them on the way home.  The complaints for this one were many and varied.  “It will wear me out before work” and “It’s not enough exercise,  I need to do REAL exercise.”  Those two were from the same kid.  Hmmm.  Then there was “I’ll get a sunburn” and “I’ll get a bad tan line.”  I remembered to do what the experts say—I acknowledged their pain and then restated the plan.   If that hadn’t done the trick, I could have always said something like, “family comes before anything else.”  This is called a threat and translated it means “If you ever want to see your friends or video games again, you are doing this first, and you will have fun doing it.”  

Things I have learned about Summer so far


·         Kids need to have a wake up time.  Enough of this laying in bed all morning.  They grumbled about it on Monday but already most if not all of them are up and at-em before the allotted time.  It’s done wonders for the week so far.
·         Kids need to be dressed and fed with their rooms clean by a certain time every day.
·         Kids need a reason to walk or bike somewhere—usually involving food.  Bring a picnic or snack to eat when you arrive at your destination or plan to buy a treat.  This is called bribery.  It’s not enough to make them jump for joy at the prospect of going, but it eases the pain.
·         Things work better when I start small instead of  turning things on their heads all at once.  I’m trying to do it bit by bit.
·         And if I’ve learned anything  in the decade I’ve been raising teenagers, I know that I should never never get discouraged by grumbling.  Most teenagers grumble out of principle.  I’ve found that  If I cheerfully keep dogging away that they will eventually accept the changes as part of who we are and what we do.  One of these days, one of them will come up and say, “Mom, where are we walking tomorrow?”  without any tacked-on complaints.  At that point, I'll know we’re in business.

Matt's Graduation

Matt graduated this week.  We are so proud of him!  Now half of our kids are out of high school.  Brian pointed out to me that in 2 years we will have no more children in junior high.  That blew me away.  It was very hard to have no more kids in elementary school.  When I go to substitute at the local school, none of my kids are there to say “hi.”  It’s kind of lonely in a way.  And soon they won't be at the junior high either.  Makes me feel old.

Anyway, back to Matt.  He graduated with honors and looked very auspicious in his cap, gown and honors cord.  My sister and her two little girls went to see Matt’s graduation which was very kind of her.   I know it’s not easy to go anywhere with little kids.

We took Matthew out to eat at his choice of restaurants.  He could have chosen to eat at any expensive place he wanted but chose instead a little Mexican restaurant that is one of our favorites and it was delicious.  That night he went to an all night party at the school and seems to have had lots of fun although he was exhausted when he got home, of course.  He also graduated from LDS seminary.  Yay!  And since he is no longer in seminary now, he will be attending summer institute instead.  Because he was on the seminary council, he also gets to be on institute council through August.  That’s pretty cool.  He also works a lot at the water park next week which will keep him busy.  Way to go, Matt.  We are very proud of you.

More Claims to Fame

Brian asked me if my claims to fame stopped when I got married, so I figured I'b better add more recent claims to fame which are very few.

The Friend, an LDS Children's magazine, published a story I'd written.
Family Fun Magazine featured 2 of my ideas.

Well, that's about it.  I've been a bit too busy just surviving to seek much fame, ha ha.

My Claims to fame

Today I'm posting a bit of personal history as I look back at my claims to fame.  They are very few and modest, but here goes:
Let's see, in Kindergarten I was in the green reading group and it didn't take long to figure out that the green reading group was the highest reading group in the class.

In first grade I drew a little girl bunny and a little boy bunny with cute bunny clothes on.  Mrs. Howell liked them so much that she made huge versions of them and I got to choose a couple of friends to help me color them.  Then they hung them up in the library.

In 3 or 4 grade (I'm not sure which because I was in the same double classroom for both 3rd and 4th grade), I got to be Clara in our class's version of the nutcracker.

When I was ten or so, my family went on a trip to San Diego and one of the attractions we visited was the San Diego zoo.  Somehow I ended up watching a show about snakes.  The lady doing the show asked for a volunteer to hold the boa constrictor and I was chosen.  I help the snake while she talked about it.  I remember it squeezing my arm tighter and tighter.  When she finally stopped talking and tried to unwrap the snake, it was VERY hard to do.  I guess the snake was trying to strangle my arm to death.  It hurt for hours.  I also remember having a hard time finding my family after the snake show.

In 8th grade, I got to be Alma Pumpernickle, the heroine of the melodrama that our drama class produced.

Some time in junior high I went to a fashion thingy that I think was put on by JCPenny.  Anyway, they asked for volunteers and I got chosen to model one of the outfits.  As I recall, I wore dark green corduroy pants and they put my hair in a french braid around my head.
At youth conference in Utah, we went to a workshop on make up and grooming which I believe was done by Barbara Barrington Jones.  Anyway, she singled me out to show the girls how make up should be done.

In high school I was the Baush and Lomb medalist.  I still have the medal.

I also graduated seventh in my graduation class of 600.
That's it.  Those are my claims to fame.

Possible/Impossible

For us, Monday night is family night whatever we do on Monday nights, we do together.  Sometimes we have a lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ, sometimes we do a fun activity, and sometimes we work together.  Last night for family night we had a picnic and played a game outside.

 At 5:00 I wasn't so sure we were even going to be able to have family night because three out of the four kids had big school projects to work on.  It's hard to have so many kids working on projects when we only have 2 computers.  Also, the dishwasher isn't working so we had a mountain of undone dishes, and we had no food for a picnic because I wasn't able to go grocery shopping during the day like I usually do.  I couldn't go to the store at that point because I was helping kids with projects.  Then Brian whose second job is repairman for a laundry 20 minutes away, called from the laundry to tell me he had his car all "pulled apart" to work on it but was missing a tool he needed to change the faulty part in order to put it all back together again.  Also, it was getting kind of chilly outside to be picnicking and playing anything AND we couldn't find the frisbee, a very important piece of equipment in playing possible/impossible which is the game we wanted to play.  Anyway, things were absolutely crazy.

Thomas's Madlibs Birthday

George Washington turned 13 years old this eternity.  He is the last thief in the family to become a garbageman.  What was the first thing he did on his sporkday?  Get a spinachbook page, of course.  Also on his birth-eon he got to go to Disneyland .  He and Wilbur Ironbottom and Mr. Peabody hung out and went on the stubborn muzzle together.  He came home grasshopperburned and worn out.  Also for his birthday, bishop Thomas went to the Tea Party gym in Provo.  His birthday guests were Orchid Peony, Mother Teresa,  O Sama Binladin, Sad Sack, and Donald Trump .  They had a blast stumbling on boogers and into sprinkle pits.  Elizabeth Bennett came towards the end to bring the boys bath water and impale the facility.  Thomas's friend, Dumbledore hurt his toenail but is okay and ended up feeling well enough to go to sewage treatment plant later.  We had fungus pie and hard tack with raisins back at the house afterward and some of the friends stayed to squirm for a Thomas minute or so.  Also, although it’s not exactly a spatula-day present, Thomas made defense attorney counsel for next year which is pretty stretchy.  Now today we are having his Martin Luther King Day celebration after dinner.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the middles cut out and petunia cream will be served and the tuba will be played.  Thomas is a scrumdiddlyumptious and energetic oompalompa who is also Disney-hating and dingy.  We are so twitterpated to have him in our band of gypsies.

Thomas's Birthday

Thomas turned 13 years old this week.  He is the last person in the family to become a teenager.  What was the first thing he did on his birthday?  Get a Facebook page, of course.  Also on his birthday he got to go to an amusement park with his school.  He and Jaydon and Alex hung out and went on the scary rides together.  He came home sunburned and worn out.  Also for his birthday Thomas went to a tumbling gym.  His birthday guests were Jayden, Jaydon, Hayden, Dalton, and Matthew.  They had a blast jumping on tramps and into foam pits.  Brian came towards the end to bring the boys Gatorade and check out the facility.  Thoma's friend Matthew hurt his foot but is okay and he ended up feeling well enough to go to the amusement park 2 days later.  We had cake and ice cream back at the house afterward and some of the friends stayed to play for an hour or so.  Although it’s not exactly a birthday present Thomas also made student counsel for next year which is pretty exciting.  Now today we are having his birthday celebration after dinner.  Cake and ice cream will be served and Madlibs will be played.  Thomas is a fun and energetic guy who is also kind and conscientious.  We are so happy to have him in our family.

Now it is the Sabbath

May is half over.  There are only 8 and a half days of school left.  We have been to lots of concerts and performances this week.  Yesterday was Saturday and we spent a lot of time taking the kids to choir practice and going to and watching their performance last night.  The performance was an old historic meeting hall.  The acoustics and the organ and the singers all together were so beautiful.   The children’s choir chooses such beautiful music to sing—all of it praises to the Savior. 

We also got some yard work done yesterday and planted our tomatoes.

Now it is the Sabbath and as I always when Sunday rolls around, I find I need the day of rest.  I’m worn out physically and emotionally too.  How nice to know that in less than 10 minutes I will be in church worshiping my Savior and partaking of the sacrament.

Um...No Title Here

Hi, it's Thursday and I thought I'd just write a quick note to let me know I'm alive.  It's been a busy week, but it's  been good.  Jonathan just got a job yesterday working at a scout camp for seven weeks.  Our neighbor is a big- time scouter and when Jonathan called him for some information, he offered him a job.  Yay!  Now all 3 of my kids at home over 16 have a job!  I'm regretting not having Katrina apply at the water park, too.  She's totally broke and I'm concerned that this summer she'll also be totally bored.

I substituted for kindergarten yesterday and loved it!  Kids that age are so cute.  I got home just in time to take Thomas and his friends to the gym to jump on the tramps and play in the foam pits.  It was his birthday party and they had a fun time.  Back at home they ate cake and ice cream and goofed around.  Thomas finds out today if he made student council for next year.  30 kids are running and only four will be chosen, so we'll see.  He's one of the last on the voting list, too.

Katrina made the Shakespeare team and is really excited.  I'm excited, too; she gets to go to Shakespeare competition in the fall and she can't wait!  This summer she also gets to go to EFY with some friends, so she has some fun things to look forward to.  She and Miriam are also going on tour with the children's choir and will be able to see my parents while on tour.  In fact, I think they get to stay with my parents which will be really fun.  They also have a big concert on Saturday that we are all looking forward to.  Poor Miriam doesn't have her driver's permit yet.  Since Matt gets the car till he leaves, she hasn't been in much of a hurry, but we've really got to get that done.

We went to Matt's social dance parent's night last night.  His group did the cha cha and the samba.  It was a blast to watch.  My boy can really move!  He also took the AP test for statistics yesterday.  He hopes he did well and of course, I do to!  He and Brian have been working on getting us wired internet instead of wireless.  They figured out a way to do it so that there are no wires showing.  I love it!

Brian is at a conference today.  It's his favorite conference and the only on he attends yearly.  He took the van which was a problem when I had to take Katrina and her friends to school this morning and all there was was the tiny pick up.  We were late and the girls would never make it walking so poor Katrina had to ride in the back and the other two squished in the cap with me.  They were all good sports about it and we didn't get pulled over.  Brian has the van again tomorrow and I think the girls will have to walk.

Speaking of walking, it's almost time to go walking with my good friend, Emily so I've got to go.  That's my life and I love it!

It's May Day and Sunday!

Today is May Day.  I think.  Is that a real holiday?  When I was little I read a story in the LDS church children's magazine, "The Friend" about a little girl who would leave flowers on people’s doorsteps on May Day.  I thought that was the most wonderful thing and so when my Dad would plant sweet pea flowers, I would pick them, make bouquets, and leave them at my neighbor’s doorsteps.  I wish I had flowers now so that I could still do that.  I guess I’d have lilacs right now if it wasn’t still snowy and cold.  It snowed yesterday, in fact.   It is the first Sunday of the month, which is fast Sunday.  That means we didn’t eat breakfast or lunch and that we are praying for the special needs of our family and those around us.  When the young men who hold the priesthood office of deacon came by, we paid our fast offering to help those who are in need.  In Sacrament Meeting we heard church members bare testimony of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ; in Sunday School Brian taught the thirteen year olds about the prophet Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of the church, and in Relief Society we had a wonderful lesson about friendship.  We all napped for awhile after church and are now beginning to prepare dinner. 

In the Merry, Merry Month of May

Jonathan is now home from college for the summer.  He is resting up from finals and looking for a job.   Matt is graduating from high school this month.  He is currently studying for his AP exam and is planning to work at the water park this summer.  Miriam has also been hired to work at the water park again this summer and will also be getting her drivers permit soon.  Katrina recently got accepted into the National Honor Society and is also applying to be the historian of the drama club for next year. She and Thomas are looking forward to going to the amusement park with their school this month.  Thomas is running for next year’s student council and playing baseball.  This is going to be a very busy month! 

Day Camp!

Yesterday was activity day Day Camp.  Activity Days is a program for girls aged 8-11 and is centered on increasing the girls' faith in God.  Because I am stake activity day leader (a stake is a group of church congregations belonging to the LDS faith), I am in charge of Day Camp.  This was my first year and I loved it!  I’ve gone to day camp many times as a parent or a leader, but never as one of the planners.  We hoped to have camp at a boy's camp up the canyon like they’ve had in year’s past, but this year, because of the weather, we held it in a church building. Although I think everyone missed being out in nature, having Day Camp in a building worked out just fine.  In a way, it was nice to have every one so close to each other –each age group rotating in a different corner of the building.  The classes were also a little longer because rotating time was so short which was nice, I think.  And the classes!  They were absolutely wonderful!  Like I said before, I’ve been to day camps before, but this year it seems like the teachers were especially creative and committed to teaching these girls in a fun, hands-on way.   Each girl went home with memories and mementos of interesting and inspiring classes on gospel subjects taught by people who love the girls and Heavenly Father.

At dinnertime, I was impressed with the bishopric members who came to eat with the girls in each of their wards.  They truly looked happy to be there and I know that the girls felt loved because these men took time to be with them.  Many of the bishopric members, maybe even all, stayed to watched the skits after dinner.  The skits were so fun!  Each skit highlighted a different gospel story, Daniel in the Lion’s den, Nephi and the brass plates, the pioneers, the stripling warriors, Noah’s the ark, Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego.  One thing that I noticed is that many wards used music in their skits which was such a great idea.  Some wards used well-written skits; one ward used no words at all.  Every skit was unique and they each taught an inspiring and sometimes very funny lesson about faith.
 

Okay, yes.  I did have a part on the program.  Luckily for everyone, I was not alone.  The whole stake primary board danced.  Yep.  Pretty stupendous.  Especially considering that I have never really had to dance.  Ever.  In my entire life.  So there I was up there with the rest of them, wearing leg warmers over my jeans, waving pom poms, and being as silly as possible.  And It gets worse—we did it twice.  No kidding.  The first time we danced was at the beginning of the program, and I think our poor captive audience was in shock.  The second time, thankfully, they’d gotten used to the idea of strange old ladies making fools of themselves, and they cheered and sang along with us.  In the end, it was pretty  darn fun.  So that was Day Camp.  The theme was faith, the lesson was learned, and I, for one, absolutely loved it!

Easter Time!

Easter was good.  It was a week ago which is a bit too long ago for this brain of mine to remember very clearly.  Lets see…on Thursday, my good friend came over and we had a blast making Easter treats.  We made chocolate dipped peanut butter eggs, rice crispy treats, and pansy cookies.  Boy, was it fun!  She brought her kids and they played in the living room next to us while we worked.  They are such fun kids and are so cute together!  By the time we were done, we had tons of treats for our families for Easter.  We even had enough to give some away.

This year I planned to do “A Week of Easter” with my family highlighting events in the last week of Christ’s life.  It got off to a great start, with good discussions on Mary anointing Jesus’ feet, His triumphal entry, His time in the temple, and the Last Supper, but Friday we didn’t do what I had planned because of everything else going on that day.  For one thing, Thomas went camping.  Before he went, though, we did color Easter Eggs and make our traditional bread bunnies which was very fun.  Jonathan came home for the weekend, but not in time to color eggs with us.  He left to hang out with friends for the evening.  Those of us who were left, went to an Easter choir concert that the girl’s participated in as part of the children’s choir.  So we did celebrate Easter on Friday, just not in the way I planned.

On Saturday Thomas returned from camping said he had a fun time.  He got to do some climbing which is great for a kid with unlimited energy.  That Saturday was also prom for Miriam.  She wore an orange dress that was absolutely gorgeous.  Her date had an orange vest and tie and red hair, so they matched very well.  Her date’s mom came over to do her hair which was very nice of her.  Miriam looked beautiful.   Matt also had a date that evening.  They just watched a movie here at the house with Katrina and Thomas and ate pizza.   Anyway, with Jonny gone most of the day and Miriam gone to prom and everything, we did no Easter celebrating that day.  L

Sunday we ate bread bunnies and Easter eggs for breakfast before church.  At church we got to listen to an Easter program about Jesus Christ with beautiful music sung by the choir.  I could feel the Holy Ghost and I felt very close to the Savior.  After church, the we had the kids hunt for their Easter baskets and then we sat around the table eating Easter goodies and laughing and talking.  I realized later that we never did eat lunch—just Easter candy.  Pretty crazy, huh?  The boys, who got balsa wood airplanes and gliders in their baskets spent most of the day outside together flying them.  Not very Sunday-ish, I know.  That evening we combined the discussions we had planned for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday into a beautiful Easter lesson about Jesus Christ’s atonement.  It was nice to all be gathered around learning about the Savior.  I felt very close to Jesus Christ this Easter time, and I love him very much.  He is the literal Son of God and my loving Elder Brother, my Savior and Redeemer.

Later we drove Jon back to college which was a very fun way to visit as a family.  On the way home we saw a pasture of sheep and every ewe had at least one baby lamb.  We stopped and watched the lambs play for awhile.  It was so cute!  By the time we got home I was starving.  That’s when I realized I hadn’t eaten anything but candy for lunch.  Yuck.  Well, my sweet Brian came to the rescue and made a delicious meal of spam (yes, folks, spam.) and eggs and hash browns.  It was very yummy.  At this point you may be wondering if we ever eat anything healthy at our house.  The answer is yes.  Every meal we ever eat besides those I detail in my journal is perfectly balanced and chock full of vitamins.  I only write about the unhealthy ones.  Okay, I am kidding, but we do eat fairly healthy foods most of the time.  Really.  

Cassandra's Madlibs Birthday

Cassandra recently celebrated her birthday and since we couldn't be with her, we got together as a family and made birthday cards for her.  We also composed a write-up on her birthday and then did a Madlibs version of what we wrote.  Here is the Madlibs version, and the real version is in the post that follows this one.

Soon it will be Cassandra’s appleday and she will be 13.  It is a special era for Cassandra and her lackey, Herbert Hoover,  because they are expecting an ice cream cone in July.  Cassandra has kept herself superfluous, painting for bathtub markers and trying to lava sled her toenails without having a twig.  She still likes bouncy balls, in fact, she can’t get through  a tree house without  talking to it.  In honor of her animal-day, we have found some floppy palm tree quotes for her which are as follows:

“One of the very bleakest things about a picture frame is the way we must regularly Jimmer whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to excreting”—Wilbur the Pig

“You cannot truly say you kiss well unless you Google well.”—Brittany Spears

“You can tell you hyperboled  too much for National Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day (Sept 19) when you have to let your owl out.”—Rambo II

She should know that we agree with all of these gingerbread houses, and we are sure that she does, too.  

Cassandra’s dear ninja , Rand, is a very threatening man who screams hard to remember her sewer,  keep her golden hair trimmed and to keep her from sweating slinkily.   We are sure that he will be twitterpated when the super nova is over and they have a helpless silhouette in the dead flower so that he can get some manure.

We slither Cassandra very much and are grateful for all the elephants she births to us and for all the painted waxed fruit chunks that she twists.  Today, we will eat a plagerized work  in her honor

Cassandra's Real Birthday

Here is the real write-up of Cassandra's birthday.

Cassandra’s Birthday by her parents and siblings April 2011

 Soon it will be Cassandra’s birthday and she will be 23.  It is a special year for Cassandra and her husband, Emerson,  because they are expecting a baby in July.  Cassandra has kept herself busy shopping for baby things and trying to cut her toenails without having a tantrum.  She still likes food, in fact, she can’t get through church without eating it.  In honor of her birthday, we have found some food quotes for her which are as follows:

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating”—Luciano Pavarotti

“You cannot truly say you live well unless you eat well.”—Nigella Lawson (in the New York Times)

“You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out.”—Jay Leno

She should know that we agree with all of these quotes, and we are sure that she does, too.  

Cassandra’s dear husband, Emerson, is a very patient man who works hard to remember her snacks,  keep her toenails trimmed and to keep her from falling over randomly.   We are sure that he will be glad when the pregnancy is over and they have a helpless newborn in the house so that he can get some rest.

We love Cassandra very much and are grateful for all the calls she makes to us and for all the fun blog posts that she writes.  Today, we will eat a roast in her honor.

Spring Break!

I always consider spring break as a mini summer run-through.  Last year spring break was a disaster—by it’s end, the house was in shambles, the budget was blown, and the mom was a nervous wreak. Last year’s summer proved to be the same, only more so—the worst summer on family record.  Thankfully, if this year’s spring break was any indication, our summer will be wonderful.

Thomas's New Groove Part II

Before reading, you may want to refer to  Thomas's New Groove Part I.

Written with more than a bit of help from Thomas, himself.

Well, I guess Thomas wasn’t the only one who thought he had a sexy groove because he not only made it into the Junior High Idol finals, but he also won the entire competition.  When it was announced that Thomas was the winner over the school intercom, the entire student body erupted in a cheer that could be heard throughout the whole school.  Thomas stood up on his chair in class and did what he called his either his “sexy dance” or his “wolf dance” (don’t ask.)  The following days he was surrounded by adoring fans and was starred in his school news with an exclusive interview.  Girls in older grades call him “little sexy man” and he won twenty five dollars.  I eat my words; yes, my 12 year old son, still under five feet and only 80 pounds, apparently is sexy and has a heck of a groove

Conference Weekend

This is conference weekend--the time where latter-day saints gather in their homes to listen to God's prophet and apostles speak. Yesterday was a wonderful conference Saturday.    It began at 8:30 am when we went to a stake center nearby to hear Miriam and Katrina sing in a choir  at a pre-conference morningside.    The songs they sang were so beautiful!  They sang “My Shepherd will Supply My Need,” “Shall the Youth of Zion Falter,” “Carried by Love,” and other beautiful hymns.   After eating muffins, we went home to listen to conference.  Outside it was 75 degrees and ridiculously windy;  Inside we gathered and listened to prophets of God.   The messages of service is especially stirred my soul.

     My interest is particulary timely since it is the 75^th anniversary of the church’s welfare program this year.  No wonder there were so many talks on service at Conference.  I am resolved to do a better job at mourning with those who mourn and comforting with those who stand in need of comfort.

Yesterday after the second session, we cleaned the house up for Sunday and also got the boys something to eat.  At 6:00 they and Brian went t to the stake center to watch the Priesthood session of general conference.  The girls and I bought ourselves a fun meal and enjoyed eating it and watching “Anastasia.”  When the guys got home, we all had sherbet floats.   It was a nice day.

Today, we woke up to snow.  No kidding!  They say it always rains or snows on conference Sunday.  Maybe that’s Heavenly Father’s way of encouraging us to stay home and watch conference!  Even if it had been sunny, home for conference is where we’d want to be.  The girls made muffins for breakfast which we enjoyed eating together as we began conference.  For me, I especially liked Elder Eyring and Elder Burton’s talks on service.  Brian found Richard G. Scott’s message on marriage and family to be the most memorable,  and my kids enjoyed the talk on repentance by C. Scott Grow.   We all loved President Uchtdorf  and President Monson’s talks on the Savior.  Thus ended 8 hours of a wonderful general conference--4 hours on Saturday and 4 hours today, plus 2 more hours for the men.

On Friday I got to substitute teach seminary.  The teacher asked me to give a lesson on preparing for General Conference.  I took my lesson from Elder Holland’s talk, “And there were Prophets in the Land Again.”  I love that title!  In the talk, he highlights three things that general conference declares to the world.   These three things are 1)  That there are prophets on the earth today, 2) That we are called to action, and most importantly, 3)  that Jesus is the Christ.  We talked about these three things in class.  The students were wonderful, and teaching about conference, along with praying for the Holy Ghost to be with me and my family during conference, helped prepare me for conference.

Also on Friday, Brian and I went out, on a date, of course.  We ate at a barbecue place and walked from the laundry to down town and back.  It was so nice.  We got home and to bed early so that we could be bright eyed and bushy-tailed for conference.

Three Temple Trips

Last week was definitely temple week for our family.  Wednesday, after our little over nighter, Brian and I went to the temple together.  It was wonderful to be with my husband in the House of the Lord.  Then that night, we found out that our nephew and his wife were going through the temple to recieve their endowments on Friday and then going again on Saturday to be sealed.  We we excited to be able to attend  both times.  Miriam, Katrina and Thomas watched my nephew's kids while we were at the temple.  I'm glad they got a chance to serve in this way.  Going to the temple three times in a week is a wonderful way to spend the time.

Its All About the Food

It is Monday again already.  I think we had a nice week last week.  On Tuesday after the kids got out of school and Brian got off work, he and I went out of town for a short getaway.  We stayed over at our favorite hotel.  Highlights of our Tuesday evening  were free hot chocolate and cheesy popcorn, delicious cream of mushroom soup for dinner along with incredible dinner rolls (we at at the hotel's restaurant), dessert ordered in later while watching Independence day, and of course and most especially being with Brian.  Wednesday we enjoyed a cooked-to-order breakfast and for lunch we had the Grandpa special--Taco Bell.  Sure, we did other things besides eat, but this post is all about the food.

Blessings Page

This was going to be a worry page and believe me, I have tons of them, but I am convinced that writing my worries won’t help me as much as writing my blessings will.  They aren't in any order, and the list certainly isn't comprehensive.

My Blessings:

Cassandra and Emerson are having a baby girl.  My grand daughter!

Brian has been exercising regularly.

We have a nice house with room enough for everyone.

Miriam and Katrina have been exercising.

I have been interacting with my siblings more.

We have a pantry upstairs and downstairs full of food.

We have many copies of the Book of Mormon.   Most of the kids read it daily.  Almost all of the kids, if not all, pray daily.

Brian has a good job with good pay and good hours.

We’ve been having  fhe, family prayer, family scriptures.

We are safe. 

Spring is almost here. 

One of my kids is reading the New Era as I write.

We have a nice yard.

Our house isn’t always clean, but it rarely gets out of hand.

We have family close by to visit.

We are going to the temple this week.

My husband loves me.  My children love us.

We have good schools to send our kids to.

Jon is attending a good college.

The kids know how to cook.

We play hymns on Sunday and at night.

We have good cars.

Our kids don’t mind doing things with us.

The kids have good Young Men’s and Young Women’s leaders.

Brian and I have nice church callings.

We have the gospel

I can fast when I need strength, comfort, guidance.

My kids like to read.

I have a budget for the things I need.

We have warm water, soft beds, warmth in winter and cool In summer.

We have each other.

We have work to keep us busy.

We have information at our fingertips. 

We can contact loved ones whenever we want.

We have the freedom to worship, speak, and act according to the dictates of our own consciences.

I have nice neighbors and friends.

My kids are trying to do good.

Brian is smart and healthy.

My kids are smart and healthy.

We can rest on the Sabbath day.

We have clean water and fresh air.

Grandpa's Funeral

Last Friday, Brian, our four youngest kids, and I made the long road trip to pay our respects to my Grandpa who died earlier that week.  He was ninety two and had lived a full and happy life, passing  away in his sleep.

Sunday night, many of Grandpa's posterity gathered together for a visit.  It’s wonderful to think that Grandpa was up in paradise having a sweet reunion with parents and loved ones at the same time we were down here having a reunion of our own with Grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We had the visit in Grandma’s front yard.  When we got there, my Uncle Wallace and some of his many posterity had arrived.   I tried to hug and visit with every one who came.  Grandpa and Grandma had ten kids and nine of them were there that night along with an impressive number of children and grandchildren so there were a lot of people to hug.  Most of all I enjoyed talking to all the little second cousins (once removed?) they were all so cute!  Also my parents and my siblings, Tom, Julie, Rick, Sarah, and Elizabeth with some of thier families were there.   It was so nice to see everyone!  Brian made sure he took our kids around and had them meet everyone.  He said it was a great way to meet people, himself.

Poor Grandma, earlier that day, she had fallen and hit her head on the heater.  We were very worried about her and wondered if we should even get together, but we got the word that the gathering was on.  We were all very happy when Grandma came out.  She had a big bandage on her head.  She sat and visited a bit.  Grandma has got to be one of the sweetest ladies in the whole world.  Her presence was welcome and needed.

Then the story telling began!  My dad and Uncle Wallace were the self proclaimed story tellers.  It was great!  They swapped yarns complete with actions, gestures, and even background music on the guitar.  Ed and Milt added a bit.  We sang  some songs, too.  Wallace and Edith had set up a quilt.  I heard it was the last one my grandpa worked on and that we were finishing it for him.  A wonderful, wonderful get together!

Monday was the funeral.  Grandpa’s brother’s, Dan and Jim were at the viewing with their wives.  It was so nice to see them!   Grandpa had five brothers in all I think and two sisters?  Anyway, as we filed past the casket, I told my kids to look at Grandpa’s hands.  Fingers bent, a bit of them maybe missing, I told the kids that those hands epitomized the life of their hard-working grandpa who moved his family 23 times-- from the time he was discharged after WWII to the time my dad left home—all in order to find work to feed his family.  Hands like that are a fast disappearing sign of the slowly dwindling "greatest generation."

My dad spoke at the funeral and gave a brief life-sketch of grandpa.  I’d hate to have been in his shoes and have to condense the wonderful 92 years of my grandpa’s life into a 40 minute talk.  But he did a wonderful job and told my favorite story, the one about Grandpa discovering and dislodging an armed bomb where it was caught in the bomb bay doors.   He pretty much saved everyone on the bomber.   Uncle Milt also spoke about the resurrection and the fact that, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we know we will see Grandpa again.  He did an excellent job and I know that what he said is true.  The music was also beautiful.  The grandkids 18 and younger sang “I am a Child of God.”  It was beautiful.   My brother, Tom also sang with my niece, Celeste Black accompanying him.   They sang “Blessed are They,” the beatitudes set to music.  The beatitudes are my favorite passage of scripture and I love that song which I haven’t heard for decades.  Tom and Celeste couldn’t have done a better job.

At the cemetery, grandpa’s loving sons filed around the casket.  Most touching of all the day was the haunting and beautiful sound of taps being played as these righteous priesthood bearers bore their beloved father to his final resting place.  Grandpa was old, and had lived a wonderful life, and I have a strong testimony of where he is going and that I’ll see him again, so I didn't shed any tears of sorrow that day.  I did cry tears of joy, however, at that touching sight.  The grave was dedicated by Uncle George so that Grandpa’s earthly body will rest in peace until he comes forth in glory on the morning of the first resurrection.  We sang “God be with you till we meet again.” We all hope to be worthy to rise with him on that day.

After the graveside service, we took pictures of all the family groups including my Dad’s and then left that sacred spot and drove back to the church for a luncheon.  The luncheon, provided by the Relief Society sisters of my grandpa’s ward, was absolutely delicious.  It was a simple meal, which suits us all just fine—soups and salads.  The desert was brownies and ice cream.  Grandpa and his descendants love ice cream, in fact, according to my brother, Tom, ice cream was the last thing Grandpa ate on this earth.  Grandpa’s bishop dished it out to us, a humble and loving man whom I could tell loved my grandpa very much. 

We ate and visited and my little family admired the roses Emerson and Cassandra had sent.  They were beautiful and we took a picture.  We sent them with Donna to take to Grandma’s house.  Grandma was there at the luncheon which comforted  all of us and made us grateful.  I didn’t know until Milt spoke that grandma had internal bleeding from Sunday’s fall and was leaving right then to the doctor.  I haven’t heard anything about her condition since. 

Of course, there were stories.  Before Grandma left, Milt talked about what a wonderful mother she was.  We were all impressed by grandma’s patience and understanding when Milt told about some of the dangerous things he’d do with his brothers and described how Grandma would come out, ask if anyone was hurt, and after being reassured, go back to what she had been doing. 

Some of Grandpa's other kids spoke, which I loved.  I was also happy when Grandpa’s younger brother’s stood up to speak.  They are such great guys, and I’ve missed being around them.  I liked how Uncle Dan called Grandpa a “straight shooter” and said he always tried to do what was right.   What he said was true and I will be eternally grateful to my grandpa for leaving that legacy.  I am so glad that my dad told the bishop that if he could find a microphone, they could probably use it, and that so many people did use it.  Then we put away the tables and chairs, Gordon’s boy vacuumed the floor, and we all went “home” which was, for us, my parent’s house.

In order to explain dinner, I have to give the history of Grandpa and Taco bell.  Apparently Grandpa loved taco bell.  He was eating there once a week up to the week he died.  In fact, his last real meal was reportedly at Taco Bell (although he did eat a bit of ice cream after that as previously mentioned.)  Well, he went there so much, that all the Taco Bell employees knew him and would start cooking up his usual order the minute they saw him out in the parking lot.  In fact, one day, he decided to change the old routine, parking in the same lot, but heading for the KFC next door.  Apparently the manager ran out and stopped him, telling him he was going to the wrong place for lunch!  Not only that, but a few of the Taco Bell employees were at Grandpa’s funeral for which we are grateful.  By now it should be obvious where ninety some-odd descendants of Grandpa went to eat the night of his funeral—you guessed it—Taco Bell.  Don’t worry, Aunt Martha called way ahead of time to warn them.  They said they’d be ready and they were.  We started showing up at 5:30 and kept coming steadily for more than an hour.  We had an absolute blast.  Taco Bell has never tasted so good.  The other Taco Bell customers didn’t know what to think.  I actually went up to explain about us and Grandpa to two men who were standing there looking a bit confused.  I saw someone walk up to them later and do the same thing.  I have to wonder how many times that night they heard Grandpa’s story!  Eating at Taco Bell was the perfect way to end a wonderful  day.

Our trip home consisted of more reading of “To the Rescue," the biography of President Monson.  So we in essence celebrated the lives of two great men on that trip—our grandpa and our prophet.  

Miriam's Madlibs Birthday

Madlib’s version:  Today is Justin Beibers’s  birthday.  She very very happy to be zero eons old.   And we are very very wretched as her parents to have swimmed till her four million and third birthday.  Miriam is now in pink school at Pickle Hill where she is taking basket weaving, ditzery, horticulture, Swahili, and PE among other things.  She is currently getting very good waffles.  This year Miriam has been able to go to Disneyland where she visited Walt Disney and Adolph Hitler, Vienna Illinios where she was giddy to find out that they didn’t have a mall.  She also went to EFY in Washington DC, Dune buggy camp, street car conference at Pencil college, and to Iraq twice, once in Leap Year to see her rich great aunt come back from Denmark  and once on Perry the Platypus Day for a Muslim reunion.  Miriam worked for Nose in the summer and again for Moose during the first semester of the funny farm.  She is in a Widget’s Choir and is preparing to go on a space oddessy  with them in June.

Last night we gave her little grouts from the family and ate turkey and sea urchin eggs.  Tonight we are running up the celebration with more training wheels and lightbulbs.  George Washington was here to celebrate last night and caramel cheetos will be here to help us incessantly laugh today.  We love Casper the Friendly Ghost very much.  She is slothful, messy, and intrepid and we hope she has a very Dreadful Birthday.

Miriam's Real Birthday

Today is Miriam’s  birthday.  She very very happy to be sixteen years old.   And we are very very happy as her parents to have survived till her sixteenth birthday.  Miriam is now in high school where she is taking seminary, choir, biology, Spanish, and PE among other things.  She is currently getting very good grades.  This year Miriam has been able to visit Cassandra and Emerson.  She also went to Nauvoo Illinios where she was disappointed to find out that they didn’t have a mall, Especially for Youth, girl’s camp, youth conference, and to Arizona twice, once in October to see her grand parents come back from the Dominican Republic  and once in December for a family reunion.  Miriam worked in the summer and again during the first semester of school.  She is in a Children’s Choir and is preparing to go on tour with them in June.

Last night we gave her little presents from the family and ate pizza and ice cream.  Tonight we are finishing up the celebration with cake, more ice cream, and games.  Jonathan was here to celebrate last night and Preston will be here to help us celebrate today.  We love Miriam very much.  She is helpful, fun, and kind and we hope she has a very Happy Birthday.

A Dark and Stormy Night

Monday Jon had a dentist appointment so I drove an hour and 15 minutes to pick him up from college.   Boy was the drive long and boring.  I struggled the whole way to keep from closing my eyes and telling myself to wake me up when it was over.  The hour and 15 minutes back was totally different—it was so fun to visit with Jon and catch up on all the news of his life—I told Jon that it took ¼ the time.   Wow is time relative.   After Jon's appointment, at 5:00pm, we loaded everyone up to take him back to the dorm.  It was Monday, after all, and on Mondays, everything that we do, we do together.  Except that we left Matt behind because he had a last-minute choir thingy that couldn’t wait.   It was a weird drive.  In front of us the sky was blue and gold with gorgeous, billow-y clouds.  Behind us was grey and stormy.  It was quite disconcerting to think that we’d have to drive back home in that.   The drive seemed quick because of all the enjoyable conversation.  The drive back home was very stormy and very long—nothing relative about it.  In fact, at one point, we couldn’t even see the white line on the side of the road and had to turn back and go home another way.  The other way was better and we would still have gotten home in okay time if we hadn’t stopped  for dinner.  After we got back on the road , the storm really picked up.  We didn’t get home till 8:30.  Brian was exhausted from the stressful driving.  

Super Bowl

Wow, I wonder if Sunday’s Super Bowl is the first one I’ve ever watched.  If I watched it before this, I blocked it out of my mind—it must have been a foul memory.  Just kidding.  Any way, Saturday night, Brian and Matt wanted to buy food for the Super Bowl, so I sent them to the grocery store.  Alone.  With no guidance.   Fifty dollars, 4 steaks, 7 layers of dip, two bags of corn chips, 20 taquitos, 1 bag of Cheetos,  4-2liter bottles of pop, and  ½ gallon of ice cream later they returned.  Let’s just say that the five of us ate very well Sunday night.  The Super Bowl itself was fine.  Some of the commercials were funny; some we turned off.  I ended up feeling antsy—too much testosterone, I guess.   Finally I broke out the crochet and worked on a pink baby dolly.  So, with junk food and pink yarn, I made it through my first Super Bowl.

Friday

Last night was date night!!  I took the kids to the grocery store to buy ice cream and something special for dinner.  Then I dropped Katrina off at a birthday party and we went to the library to check out movies for the kids to watch.  We checked out “Emma” for Miriam and “Robots” for Thomas.  After that, Brian and I took off.  We ate at my favorite restaurant again this week.  I love their soup and salad!!  How can a basic dinner salad with ranch and a bowl of cream of broccoli soup with garlic bread be so good??  They totally make the best soup, garlic bread, and ranch dressing on earth.  Even the lettuce tastes especially good.  Brian got the rosemary chicken tortellini.  We had fun eating and talking.  Then we visited a military museum exhibit with a lot of world war II art.  Wow, I went to museums three times this week.  Weird.  

Priesthood Service

Thursday I taught the seminary students about the priesthood and it reminds me of how grateful I am for the service and love that righteous priesthood holders show to me and those I love.  I asked the young men to tell me one way that their priesthood duties directly serve themselves and the answer is that they really don't—the priesthood is basically used to bless and serve others.  A young man can’t pass the sacrament to himself, a father cannot give himself a blessing.  A man cannot baptize himself.   All priesthood duties are performed for others.  Men, like women, have a calling centered on selfless service to others and I am so grateful for how the men in my life magnify the priesthood callings that they hold.

My church service

Thursday after school, we held Activity Days.  These activities are for young girls on our church age 8-9.   Another woman and I are their leaders and we hold activities that will build these girls' faith in God and His son, Jesus Christ.  Our activity Thursday was a trip to a museum that displayed artifacts from ancient cultures in our area.  We paid a bit of money for a special tour which the girls really enjoyed and which also included a chance for each one of them to make a piece of pottery.  I was very happy that the girls  were on their best behavior and seemed to have a wonderful time learning about how people lived thousands of years ago.  

What do l do all day??

Wednesday, after subbing for seminary, I took a nap and then bought some groceries.  When the kids got home I finished the plates I have been decorating to hang on either side of my kitchen window.  They turned out pretty good, although not perfect.  I think they’ll look good on the wall.  I decided to make my own plates because I can never find anything decorative in the stores.  What does this say about my sense of style???  Actually, I should clarify.  I can never find anything decorative that I like at Walmart, Shopko, and Target.  I like pretty much everything at Ethan Allen.  I guess it’s more that I can’t afford to satisfy my tastes in decorating.  

Dinner Time

Matt made dinner Wednesday night and after Brian got home from tutoring someone and Miriam and Katrian got home from Choir and Thomas finished all his homework, we ate dinner together as a family.  I wish I could figure out a way to keep them at the table longer.  Now I know why some people serve dessert after dinner—no one is going to leave before pie.  But my kids get way too many sweets as it is and I don’t want to add to that.  Maybe I’ll start setting a timer and not letting them leave before it goes off.  Is it too much to ask that everyone stay at the dinner table for 20 minutes??? 

New Beginnings

Wednesday night after dinner we went to Miriam and Katrina's New Beginnings for Young Women.  Miriam played the opening song and Katrina led the young women in reciting the theme.  The leaders welcomed the girls turning 12 this year into young women, and encouraged all the young women to obey the commandments and keep their baptismal covenants.   Brian and I enjoyed being there with them.

Tuesday

Tuesday was the day that I prepared both seminary lessons.  After school, Brian and I went to the temple which was wonderful.  When I got home, I felt an added amount of love for my kids and family that I know came from being in the House of the Lord.  While we were gone, the kids did their chores (somewhat) and made dinner which was Coconut Curry Chicken, brown rice, and vegetables.  It was nice to eat together as a family.  

My Monday

Monday, Brian and I went to the funeral of Brian's Uncle Jack.  It was an inspiring service and was nice to remember Uncle Jack’s wonderful life.  We enjoyed seeing so many of Brian’s extended family.  After that we stopped by the work of Brian’s friend.  They talked guns and military history.  Brian's friend said that his wife is in the process of leaving him for some other guy.  How do these things happen?  Here is a nice, fortysomething man who has given his life to his family and needs the love an companionship of his wife to see him through the rest of his life, and now that is gone.  And his wife...Why do people throw away their best chance of happiness with the husband or wife of their youth for some stranger?  I'll never understand it.  Anyway, Monday night was family night and we went to an exhibit at the local museum.  It   contained beautiful images of the life of Christ.  It was so inspiring!