Labor Day Weekend Traditions

Enough of that SCARY face! Now back to my SCARY writing...

Actually, I'm getting ready to leave town for the weekend. It's our family tradition to go camping for Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. And usually Labor Day weekend is spent one of two ways: hunting or shopping.

Labor Day weekend is opening season for bow hunting. It's the time of year that all of the men in my family get dolled up in their camos, paint their faces ugly colors, bathe in no-smell-em soaps, and hunt from sun up to sun down. With the men gone us ladies really don't do too much. Sleep, eat, watch DVD's (yes, we're spoiled!)...but our favorite tradition is going bargain hunting at Kings in Salmon. (And I got a decent babysitting check today...can we say, "YAH HOO!"?) Usually on camping trips the men do the cooking (in dutch ovens...naturally), but on THIS weekend the women-folk do the cookin'. I'm really excited to go. There are some new twists involved with our usual trip, (my grandpa is threatening a boycot, one of my uncles can't come, and pending divorce couple issues...) but I'm sure it will all go well.

So, I will miss you all, but I know you'll do just fine without my CRAZY-ness! :)

My "New" 'Do

Just to show you all how cute I am now:
Before

After

All "after" pictures I've ever seen have the person smiling and looking MUCH happier than they were before...I'm NOT like most people, so why would I smile? I'd MUCH rather do my "Elvis lips!"

Things that Make Me Smile...Part 2

I think I've been EXTREMELY negative lately! (Sometimes I don't even want to be me!) Things have gotten much better, but I still feel a little like a downer. While I was driving down the road today I was thinking about all of the things I've been doing lately, suddenly a song came on the radio that made me sit up a little straighter and brought a smile to my face. The song? "With or Without You" by N'Sync. That song just brought me out of the gloom that has been following me around for a while. It reminds me of happier, more carefree times. It just made me happy. So, in honor of being happier I'm going to make a list of things that make me smile...part two.

• Singing a happy upbeat song! (like I described before!)
• Being around happy people. My parents fed the missionaries tonight and they were SO cute and bubbly! They just made me laugh!
• Cuddling with a sleeping baby...and managing to nap! (totally did that today!)
• Blowing HUGE bubbles with bubble gum.
• Getting a phone call or random email from a friend whom I haven't seen or heard from for a while. (hint...hint...)
• Eating FRESH cucumbers from a garden!! YUMMO!!
• Noticing the leaves on the trees turn from bright green to yellows, oranges, or browns. I absolutely LOVE everything about autumn-time! The fresh smell of the air...the coolness of the evenings...the new school year...
• Getting a blessing that is needed! (did that last week!)
• Going to the Temple.
• Watching a good movie...(for Family Home Evening last night we went to the temple visitor's center and watched the new Joseph Smith movie...LOVED it!)
• Cuddling under a blankie on my couch watching indulgent shows! (I watched ER this morning...all by myself...well, except for baby J, but he was sleeping the whole time so he didn't count!)
• Remembering the funny things I did as a teenager. I was following close behind a potato truck the other day and totally reminisced about the time I went to a dance (girls' choice) and we rode "in style." My friend had her uncle drive us in the back of his potato truck. We had a couch and just laughed and had a FUN time!
• Reading uplifting blogs! (There are SO many and I know that I'm guaranteed a smile when I read certain ones!)
• And I can't forget getting a haircut when it's desperately needed! I so LOVE my new 'do! (Again...I haven't got the pics yet...I've actually slobbered all over my shirt and don't really want you to see me THAT way!)

What things make you happy? Let me know! I'm determined to have a good week! No more poo-pooing my life...I have a great life, and it's time I appreciated it MORE!

Classroom Mama

Today was fun! I went to drop Cam off, like I do everyday, except today I was asked to stay and help out. Since today is my one day off during the week (every week) I agreed and trailed the kindergartners into the school.

Once in the classroom they started out by writing their names on a packet of papers and then drawing a picture of themselves. Of course there were those few who are so advanced over the others that they got bored really fast with this activity. After that they said the pledge (I was so happy to see that!) Next they had story time. During story time the other mom and I found out what exactly we were going to be doing.

The kids separate into different "centers" where they do different activities (arts, science, math, and listening.) I picked the math center...and I COULD do it! Yay for kindergarten math! All they had to do was trace shapes and color in the solid ones. WAY easy!

Without knowing what I had done I volunteered to be in charge of the group Cam was in. Big mistake! The kid KNEW he could get away with all sorts of crap, so he did! He whined and bawled that he didn't want to do it. The teacher's aide had to help calm him down and get him working. See, I could deal with the other kids...they listened to me, but my own child would NOT cooperate! Eventually we all finished and the kids moved onto other things. After the centers they went to gym. While they were out of the room we talked about how chaotic those activities had been. The teacher told us what her plans are for calming it down, I'm hoping that it will work out...for her sake!

While the kids were at gym Cam's new in-class aide, Amber, showed up. I wished her luck and then we talked about why she was there. (Mainly to help keep him focused and on task.) I'm REALLY excited for her to start! This should help out those poor overdrawn teachers immensely!

While the kids were still out of the room the teacher, aide, and other mom were asking me if I was tired. Amazingly I wasn't! Playing with those kids wasn't any more exhausting than Primary on Sunday! All three of them were searching for coffee to help keep them going, but I was fine. Weird!

Now every Monday morning I will be in Cam's class being a classroom mama! Oh, the joy!

Just a little while ago I got my hair cut. I will post pictures of me....once I get them taken. Today might not be the best day to do that since it's still brand new, and not quite "fixed." The stylist just cut it, thinned it, and then I had her wax my brows! Ahhhh....I feel amazingly hairless! It's WONDERFUL! When I got home, I quickly went to a mirror, shook my head out, sprayed with hairspray, and VOILA!! It's done! I love it when I don't have to do much to it for it to look nice! And yes, I'm bragging! I'm so cute! :)

My Singing Time Idea

For those of you who rack your brains for ideas of what you can do for things you have to do, I have one suggestion: Ask a friend for advice. A while back I asked for advice on singing time ideas for church. I was given MANY and am really grateful for them! (Thanks!) Anyway, one just hit me as a good way to review for the Sacrament meeting program.
My friend, Carrie, gave me the idea for the singing time olympics. When I read that idea my mind just went NUTS!! I've got it set up so that not next week (I'll be out of town), but the NEXT week we'll be starting. I've printed off score cards for the primary presidency to use to score the singing...from one to ten. Once we get a score for a song we'll keep track of the points. I'll make up a cutsie poster that tells the kids what their scores are, and we'll have the junior primary compete against the senior primary. I'm even thinking about having some extra events...like standing and sitting on command from the conductor.
At the end I wanted a prize for the winner, but I didn't want the losers to feel bad either. So I was telling the primary presidency about it and they suggested making mini-medals for the winners. I was thrilled to get the idea. So the winners will be getting a gold candy on a ribbon that they can wear around their necks, and the "losers" will be getting a silver candy. I'm SO excited about this that I can't even tell you!
Today was my end of month game day, and to add extra fun to the game I pulled out my celestial singing chart. It has a sun, moon, and star on it. The songs are on individual stars and however well they sang was how high on the chart the star was placed. They sang SO well knowing that they were being judged. It was fun. The funny part was when we started reviewing "Holding Hands Around the World." I tried to jog their memories by saying the first words of the song...just to get them remembering the song, and I totally messed up! The pianist helped to remind me of the words, but I STILL forgot the words. It was just a disaster! I almost completely forgot the words to the verses! I definitely need to review! The kids loved that I was messing up though...they knew the words and thought that it was funny that they were doing better that me. So I managed to turn my mistake into a fun learning experience!
Church was so good today. The speakers gave really good talks about perspective...and not comparing yourself to someone else. I have such a hard time with that! I compare myself constantly! It's one of those habits I really hope to break. The lady that spoke compared it to everyone having a peg-board. Everyone has different pegs in their boards, and you can't say, "Well, I've got 3 pegs that she doesn't have...I wonder what's wrong with her." Because she may have 20 pegs elsewhere that you don't have yourself. I thought it was a really good analogy!
I've been going to church by myself for a while because Steve has been working graveyards on Saturday nights. I HATE it, but I deal with it. When I'm at church I feel like I'm a single parent (even though I'm not!) It is SO hard. I really admire those parents who have spouses who either aren't members of the church or those who are inactive and yet they go diligently every week. I'm very impressed with their dedication. I'm just glad I only have to do it for short periods of time! Today two people came up to me asking how Steve was. (One was a member of the bishopric.) I told them that he's been working graveyards and is just sleeping. If he wasn't working those shifts he'd be at church. They both seemed relieved that he's not just becoming inactive. Personally, I'm relieved too. I can't wait for him to stop working these horrendous shifts! I miss my husband...and play practice hasn't even started yet!

Sticker Charts from the Trenches

When you look at this picture do you think, "Gee, that looks like a sweet boy!"? You should, because that's what he looks like, but hidden beneath this sweetness lies a defiant monster!

We've been trying out a new thing with Cameron. He's such a spoiled rotten child that he's gotten really sassy and ornery with us. He's constantly telling us, "NO!" or "I don't wanna!" But all I hear from his teachers and others who work with him is that he's a fun boy and that he's really good. They even tell us that he listens to them! Why can't he do that with us?

Anyway, we've started a new system and it looks like it will work. I've made up a chart with specific goals that I want Cam to accomplish (obeying parents, being nice to others, not whining....) and every time he does something that falls within one of those categories he gets a sticker on the chart. Once he gets at least one sticker next to each goal (there are like 6 areas) he'll get some candy. If he fills a row with stickers, then he gets to play his computer game. He still hasn't earned any candy yet, but he's REALLY close. We got this idea from the Learning Center. They have goal charts all over the place, and we figured that if it worked for them, then it could work for us. I'm even going to make up a chart for the 2 year old that I watch. I'm actually thinking about modifying it so that he has the rules written next to the chart, and when he fills a row he gets candy, when he fills 2 rows he'll get to play on the computer. It's still a work in progress, but it seems like it's sinking in.

For a long while now we've been trying to teach Cam to be nice to animals and to other kids, but he just doesn't seem to care! I'm hoping that with this chart it will make him think before he does something.

Today I had a fun morning. My cousin got remarried and I was able to be there. He looked SO happy and I'm glad he married the gal he did. They are so cute together! So in love!! Awww!! His daughter waited for him to come out of the Temple this morning and as soon as she saw him she hiked her dress up, began running toward him squealing, "Daddy!" and took a flying leap into his arms. It was so sweet. His new wife just looked on with a huge grin on her face, and tears streaming down her cheek! I love it when things work out for the best!

They had an open house last night since they took off immediately after the ceremony to Boise for the other reception. They had asked my mom to help serve, but she has date night EVERY Friday night and asked if I could do part of it for her. So I was helping serve. I had a good time, catching up with my cousins on the recent gossip. I was in the kitchen fixing up some plates when my other cousin came running in saying, "Dawnyel, you HAVE to come see this!!" I finished up quickly and hurried to the gym to find my son dancing with my cousin's daughter. They were slow dancing. It was so sweet. Cam even spun Eisha a couple of times and she flourished her dress to make it look fancier! It was the sweetest thing I've seen in a LONG time! I was upset that I didn't have a camera. Hopefully I can get copies of it from my cousin! It was so precious. The whole way home Cam was telling me that he was dancing with Eisha and she was his friend. He had a blast, and I was impressed he knew how to dance like that! He really has a good sense of rhythm!

There are times like this when Cam can be so sweet, and hopefully with this new reward system, those things will happen more often!

No Complaints

The schedule is finally falling into place! I don't have anything to complain about today! (You get a break!)

I had to get L and E's dad from work again, but hopefully this will be the last time I have to do that. They're getting their van tonight! YAY! This means that I will be handing the kids over to their daddy when he gets into town around 12:30 every day! I'm so excited. This means that I won't be so stressed.

I was talking with my mom about it last night and I figured out why I've been so poopy about the whole situation: I never know when my day is over. See, when I watch other kids, and I have to wait for their mom to get off of work. Then I never know if this is the day she'll be on time picking them up, or whether she decides it's the day she needs to run her errands. When you babysit someone else's kids you are pretty much stuck until the parents come to get them. Like if I have something to do it has to wait until I am without excess kids. It's really not the way I want to live my life. But if I have a schedule and the parents stick to it, then I'm content and happy!

I can't wait for Monday...I'm getting my hair cut....again! I requested the same lady who did my last (marvelous) hair cut and I'm hoping she can recreate it. (If she gets close I'll be happy!) I didn't know it at the time that I got my hair cut, but I know her sister! We ran into each other again at a church thing and she kept staring at me. Finally she asked me if I got my hair cut at a certain place, I said I had, and then she told me that she was the one who cut my hair. After I realized who she was we chatted and I told her how much I LOVED this hair-do. She accepted my gratitude and then we talked about all sorts of other things. I LOVE finding a hair dresser who you have a good connection with AND one who makes you look and FEEL good!

I almost don't know what to do with myself when I'm not complaining. (That MUST be a sign that I do it TOO much!) I will say, thank you to those of you who have stuck with me through my insanity period, your feedback has been SO helpful...and so therapeutic! Thanks to your support I feel like I will make it through this hectic time! YAY! I'm a big girl now!

Oh, and I almost forgot...we have a new addition to our family! No, I'm not preggo (wishing I was) but my parents have taken in a foreign exchange student. He seems really nice (don't they all when they first get here all shell shocked and such!?) And I'm sure I'll be talking about him once in a while! His name is Matthias and he's from Switzerland. (Coincidence: the LAST exchange student my parents sponsored was named Matthias...bad experience though!) We're hoping to have a lot of fun with this boy! >:)

Do I Complain Too Much?

Thank you to Jane's mom! Cam got a ride to and from school with them today! What a life saver! She must have sensed my anxiety about what to do with bringing him home!

Today was busy. I got up to get the two who arrive at 5:30, and the little girl fell right to sleep, but baby E REFUSED! Ugh! All I wanted was a nap, but I didn't get it!

On top of this, their parents only have ONE vehicle. This is a huge problem because the mom is here in town, but the dad is in another town 15 miles away. So instead of the kids being picked up around noon-thirty, they had to wait for mama to get off at 3:30 and pick them up. By the time she got here I was exhausted! (Don't worry too much about the situation...they're in the process of getting another vehicle...it's just taking a lot more time than they thought it would!)

Juggling 2 screaming babies is HARD. I truly admire mothers of multiples...how do they do it!? Add in the older 2 kids and you've got a circus! There were several times during the day that I thought everyone was taken care of and I could rest, but I was almost always wrong!

This is what my day felt like:

Wake up.

Settle kids.

Attempt to sleep.

Change wet diaper.

Feed screaming baby.

Send off older kid.

Change diaper.

Feed baby.
Get second baby.

Feed baby.

Change diaper.

Switch babies from arms to swing.

Change diaper.

Feed baby.

Soothe child.

Get older child home and fed.

Feed 2 year old.

Change diaper.

Switch babies from arms to swing.

Feed baby.

Change diaper.

Switch babies from arms to play pen.

Send off older child to therapy (which I completely forgot about!)

Feed baby.

Change diaper.

Change diaper.

Send off two kids.

Breathe.

Do I complain too much!? My husband seems to think so, and now here I am proving him right by complaining about him! ARGH! Why is it he can come home from work, and whine to me about his day and how bad it was...I listen and support him, but when I complain about my day all I get is: "You brought this upon yourself!"? Can you tell I'm not really thrilled with the man right now!? He spent his day in bed...SLEEPING! That's not even right!

ANYWAY, here's to accomplishing things, and then whining about it!

Glimpsing the Future

Today was NOT fun! I was up at the butt-crack of dawn gathering sleeping children and trying to keep myself some-what sane! After I get the hang of this new schedule I think I'll like it, but it's DEFINITELY gonna take some time!

To help myself out I've spent my newly acquired babysitting paycheck on helpful baby stuff. We bought a nice play pen and a clearance baby swing. I'm hoping that while one baby is screaming and crying, I'll be able to soothe the other one with either the play pen or the swing.

Walking to school with Cameron, L and E this morning was a HUGE eye-opener. I'm not sure how I'll be able to walk with an extra child and not have a stroller that holds all of them. UGH! So fortunately, Jane's mom is going to pick up Cam for school tomorrow! That's one less thing I'll have to worry about! I'll just have to figure out how to get him home! Any suggestions!?

I was seriously stressing about this whole situation yesterday, but now I think it'll be okay. When I realized I would be watching kids from 5:30 until noon, I thought it would drag on forever. But in reality, it went by really fast! Adding one more child shouldn't hurt...should it!?

Thanks for all of your kind words about my insanity...most others when I tell them about my new habit give me THAT look. You know the one....where the smile fades and the eyes speak words I don't really like to use! I just have to have a positive attitude and all will be well. Once the schedule is established it will be FABULOUS!!

And on a slightly funny note: Cam cried HARD today when I dropped him off at school today. The kid has been going to school now for 3 years, but he chooses today to have a breakdown! He was fine once I left, but it was quite a sad feeling seeing his blotchy red face and hearing his piercing screams fill the room. Eventually he was fine, but it broke MY heart!

SHOOT ME NOW!!

Ugh!! After this morning's post where I shared my insane schedule with all of you, I've found that someone (I don't know who yet, but when I do I'm going to share some choice words!) has been referring me to others as the ward's good babysitter! As of now...this VERY minute...my mantra is "NO! NO! NO!!!!!"

Thank you, and good night!!

Day Two of my Kindergarten Saga

I'm THRILLED beyond words!! A little girl from church is in Cam's class!! When I was talking with her mom earlier this summer, we both mentioned how good it would be for our kids if they were together in school, AND NOW THEY ARE!! I can breathe a sigh of relief. Little Jane will take GOOD care of my boy: helping him feel more included and help him be more outgoing. Jane is THE most outgoing little kid I know! I love her to DEATH!! Every Sunday she makes sure that she goes out of her way to make Cameron know that she's happy to see him. I can't tell you how excited I am for this!

We walked to school this morning...on our own for probably the last time for a LONG time, and I reviewed all of the "walking to school rules." ("Do you see any cars coming?" "Hold my hand." "Where are you going to meet mama after school?") Now I just have to worry about getting my babysitting habit under control.

Here's my NEW problem: I'm adding yet another child to my growing list of charges to babysit. (YES, I am officially insane!) Last night I talked with my aunt who wondered if I could watch her granddaughter for an hour or two here and there while she's busy working, and her daughter has to go to work...until her OTHER daughters get home from school. (Are you confused yet!?) So now my babysitting schedule is going to be crazy!!

On Mondays I will pretty much be on my own!! (Thank heaven for SMALL miracles...) I'll only have another kid if I have to watch baby B. (My new charge...she's 7 months old...so she'll be one of the OLD kids! What am I getting myself into!?) And even then, I'll only be watching her from 12:30 until 3:00! Not too bad!!

On Tuesdays I will only have to watch baby J. (The newborn...he'll be a month old on Saturday!) I'll start watching him about 7:30 or so...I haven't really figured out the times yet with him. I'll be talking to my cousin about it sometime soon! And after school, Cam STILL has speech therapy. Will I be able to shuffle all of this!?

On Wednesdays I may or may not have little L and baby E. (Little L is almost 2 and baby E is 3 months old.) When I start watching them tomorrow I'll have to be awake at 5:30 AM! (I am NOT a morning person, so this will be the hard part!) My friend L will drop them off in jammies and blankies and hopefully *crossing fingers* they'll sleep until 8:00 or so. (As long as Cam doesn't wake them!) Then I'll have to dress all three kids (me too) and walk Cam to school at 8:30! This is where I'm starting to think I was crazy to agree to all of this. Hopefully we'll get a routine going and the kids will adjust quickly! On Wednesdays Cam gets out of school early, so we'll pick him up and I'll only be busy with all three kids for an hour or so...until L and E's dad comes to pick them up.

Thursdays will be my insanely busy day! I'll have baby J, little L, and baby E! We'll ALL have to walk to take Cam to school....can I say....DOUBLE STROLLER!? Then I'll have all three kids together until noon....After L and E go home with their dad I'll have J until about 4 or so, but in that time Cam will have to ride the van so he can go to occupational therapy at 3:00! I'll be able to NAP when they all are gone! (At least I'm hoping!)

Fridays I'll be back to having L and E...coming bright and early at 5:30! But we don't have therapy, or extra kids...unless I need to watch B. (B could come during ANY of those days too, so the count will stand at kids: 5 me: one!)

I may have to babysit on an occasional Saturday, but it won't be too bad! On those days I'll only have the kiddos for a few hours here and there! My main concern right now is just finding a decent play pen to put the babies in while the older ones romp and play. Right now when I lay baby E on the floor he loves it, but he will get mauled shortly afterward if I don't keep a close eye on him. I'm hoping with a play pen, he'll be able to lay or play without the added bonus of being attacked by little L and Cameron.

So, in summary....I'm a crazy lady and I need a padded room and a straight jacket immediately! Anyone able to help!?

Day of Nerves and Relief

Kindergarten is going FABULOUSLY...even with it's being the first day! I got Cam up and dressed (He whined all night last night. Don't really know if it was nerves, or if he was really in pain like he claimed!) He was so defiant, but seemed ready to go to school. We got dressed, and then we were off on our walk to the "big" school. (It's just down the street...takes all of 2 minutes to get to the front door of the school!)
Anyway, as we started off, I noticed my visiting teaching partner walking her daughter to school as well. I thought, "This will be cool...having our kids together!" We walked to the classroom and Cam kept asking me if they really needed him at school. He's always been an inquisitive child, and when he asks us why daddy has to go to work our response is, "Because they need him there." So he thinks that school is his work, and that they need him there! I reassured him that they DID need him and we walked into the room which was FILLED with students, parents, and aides. I saw some kids who clung to their parents for dear life, and others (like my son) who found their seat and waved good-bye to their parents...all grown up! We dropped of the community supplies (aka: school supplies) then we hung up empty back packs and found our way to the school's library. Most of us were BRAND new as kindergarten students' parents. I think MOST of the kids are the oldest ones and that's why we all were new to this. We talked with the principal (still don't know if I like her or not...), filled out forms, and made sure that our kids were ready to continue their start into kindergarten.
We actually didn't do too much, so after the "open house" was over we all sat in the hallway and waited for our students to finish up their evaluations. I don't know if I explained it very well, but what the deal is with the unknowing which session they're in is this: the kids were tested today to see where they place on early reading tests. Those tests were evaluated to see what percentile they're in, and then the classes were arranged with equal numbers of kids who are high on the scale and low on the scale...to make for a more BALANCED class.
When we were all crowded into the library I checked to see if I had turned in the proper papers for Cam to be in school and the secretary showed me the paper. Next to Cam's name it had "AM." She asked me if I still wanted him in the AM session, and I agreed. She told me that unless something major happened, he would most likely be in that session since I had requested it. PHEW!! What a relief that was!!
I ended up talking with some other parents and we all were nervous for our kids and hoping they were all getting along well. After a very LONG hour (time really does change when you are anxious!) the kids came out, found their parents and backpacks and the day was done. I talked with both the principal and the teacher to tell them that the in-class aide situation was in the works, but that the aide couldn't start until NEXT week. They both thought that was okay, and reassured me that he would be just fine this first week without an aide. This week will be mostly spent on further testing of the kids to see what they know and what needs to be worked on. I can't believe all the stuff kindergartners have to do now! I just remember coloring, playing with toys, and having fun...now they work, work, work! I certainly hope Cam makes it through all that he's expected to get through! (Can you tell I'm WAY more nervous about this than Cam is!?)
Overall I wasn't that worried about him leaving...just him being left behind the other kids. Having a child who isn't developmentally up to date with his peers is hard!! Especially for someone like me who is so perfectionistic. I guess I just have to let him learn and grow at his own pace and not worry too much about it. But it's going to be hard!
I did get the news I wanted...he WILL be in the morning session!! YAY! Now we'll just have to figure out the babysitting situation. More stress to come!!
And now, as a special treat for reading my extra long blog, that cartoon I TRIED to scan two weeks ago, but now all colored and pretty...and READABLE!! :)

Squirrelly Ranch and Other Boring Facts From My Weekend

What a fun weekend! On Friday we went to my dad's company's party. We got there a little late since my dad had to fix the bed in the trailer before we could go, but we got there just as they were eating dinner. I remember thinking that last year the food at this place was very yummy, but I think I was just REALLY hungry (or very forgetful)...it wasn't so good! Their chicken tasted like fish (ick!) and the other stuff just made us thirsty! The instant we sat down to eat dinner a little kid of one of my dad's employees came up to Cam, tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he remembered him. That was the last time I really saw the boy the whole time we were there. He was off with those kids the rest of the time!

I ended up eating S'mores (yes, I know they're not good for me, but it was only ONE!) I played card bingo, and won...a candy bar! (The max amount I could win, since I'm a child of a boss!) And colored many pictures. Okay, so I was bored out of my mind, but I did get in some good laughs and an EXCELLENT nap! They really didn't plan many activities like they have in years past, so it was more of a "do-what-you-want" kind of thing.

The funniest thing I saw was this scrawny little squirrel trying to carry a huge pine cone up a tree. It had the pine cone sticking out of it's mouth like a cigar. It was nearly as big as the squirrel was...I was just so shocked to see that visual that I had to stop and watch it for a while. I guess I'm easily amused! (Either that, or I really was bored!)

Part of the weekend was spent in pain. I don't know what I did, but my heel of my left foot was KILLING me! I could barely walk up and down stairs. Today it's been marvelous...not painful at all! YAY! I thought I may have had a bone spur, but I don't really know. I think I may have just pulled something and it took a little bit of time to heal.

Tomorrow is Cam's first day of kindergarten. He's excited, but nervous. I just hope that he does well. His aide can't start for another week, so I'm really hoping he'll be fine! *crossing my fingers* Tomorrow is only a trial day. They've set up 2 different hours where they'll evaluate the children, and then in the afternoon they'll consult with other teachers and try to make the classroom more balanced: even numbers of kids who are really prepared (can write their names, read...) with those who are not so prepared (like my Cam!) I'm really, really hoping for morning! *crossing my toes* He is a complete MORNING person. We sometimes joke that we don't know where he came from, since BOTH my hubby and I are night owls. He's one of those kids who's tired when the sun goes down, and awake when it comes up. It didn't even matter that we had covered his windows with aluminum foil to keep the light out...he was up when the sun was. He's ALWAYS been that way, and I'm sure he will continue to be that way...at least until those teen-age years hit! He's always done much better in the mornings, and always been grouchier in the afternoons. So we'll find out his permanent schedule tomorrow afternoon! Here's hoping! *crossing eyes*

I called and scheduled our family portrait for next month. And after talking with the receptionist I found that our gift certificate is really only worth about $75. She told me that if we want that date we have to put half of the price down to secure it...which will be another $75. I'm still excited about it...that's going to be our family's Christmas this year...so it will be worth it! I'm so ready for a new hair cut and a cute family picture! Can you feel the excitement in my life!? :)

Primary Singing Time...Stop and Go

So I just checked my email, and learned that ideas are needed. I seriously think we need a Primary Chorister Boot Camp! Give us the ideas that have worked and good tips for keeping the "troops" entertained! I haven't put one of those Primary posts in for a while, so I'm going to do what we did today! Seriously, I haven't had such a good response for WEEKS!

And for a special bonus...I've put the posts with Primary hints on my sidebar...hope that helps with getting the ideas too! :)

I've actually done this before, but it worked SO well today! Today we were working on Search, Ponder, and Pray. We sang through the first verse and chorus one time to review, and then I pulled out my "game." I've bought a book that has WONDERFUL hints and games for teaching songs and it had a stop and go sign. I took those signs, and taped them to a paint stirring stick (cheap...like $1 at Walmart) and they can flip the sign from one to the other to sing the song. Now here's the fun part of this game. We only sang ONE song today...but we sang it 10 or 12 times....and the kids were sad we had to stop. I make sure I watch them for who is singing and pick those who have been singing. They LOVE that I watch for them, and that they get rewarded for their efforts...and the sound is MARVELOUS!! (The Stop and Go sign is also REALLY fun for nursery!! Those kids just love catching their teachers singing when they're supposed to be quiet! And it makes the time last a lot longer...you can pause for a while and see how quiet they get! SO fun!)

Another tip that I do is I always have my schedules made up for the entire month! It's so much easier for me to know what's going on. I just love having it all put together at the beginning and not worrying about "what am I going to do today!?" It makes it SO easy for finding subs too! If you want a copy of my schedules, email me and I'll send them to you.

I LOVE wiggle songs. I always have one on hand for each Sunday...the kids LOVE Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. We start out at a regular speed, then we get going faster, and faster, until we race the piano! (Did it today, and the kids LOVED it!) My "super speedy trick" is when you do the: "eyes, ears, mouth and nose" part...you point to your eyes and make small circles going toward the outside of your face...circling back to your nose...then you have...eyes...ears...mouth...and nose! So fun!

Anyway, my plan for the next few months is REVIEW for the sacrament meeting program! I've got a laminated tree on a poster board and every season I trade out the leaves...with fall we do yellow and orange leaves. I put the songs on the back...laminate the leaves for more permanence, and then we have the kids pull the songs off. I'm thinking about having a Singing Time Olympics though....(stealing from my friend!) and have competitions between Junior and Senior Primaries! Ought to be LOADS of fun! And keep them motivated with singing! YAY!

They Say EVERYONE Wins When You Support Charities, But I'M The REAL Winner!

Last night we went to a fund raiser/end of summer event for the Learning Center (where Cam has been every Friday this summer!) I was told by Steve's old boss to pass the message to him that he HAD to go to it, so being an obedient boy, he went.
They had all sorts of fun stuff going on. They were selling the crafts the children had been making all summer, they had a raffle, they were selling food and goodies, and they were having a silent auction. We walked along the tables with the auction items on it when we came to a cool gift certificate for a family photo shoot worth $130! Figuring it was worth a shot, we bid $5. As the night got along we ate and watched as more and more people were bidding on the items. I noticed that there were 3 gift certificates for the same photographer and each one was getting a little higher and higher. After we ate I made Steve stand by the paper and babysit it...I really wanted to win it! We stood and guarded it until they announced that the bidding was over,"Put the pens down and step away from the tables. It's over!" At that point we had won that particular item with a bid of $7!! How can you beat that!?
We sat down with everyone else and watched some slide shows of what the kids did that summer and waited for the winners to be announced. We went through the entire thing without hearing our names. I was thinking, "Uh...we KNOW we won that bid...we babysat the sucker until the bidding was FINISHED!! What's up?"
Apparently some guy wandered by and noticed a LOW bid on ours. Thinking it wasn't NEARLY high enough, this guy put HIS name under ours with a higher bid!! CHEATER, CHEATER, PUMPKIN EATER!!! As Steve was trying to figure out what had happened, the guy admitted that he signed AFTER the bidding was over. His wife MADE him turn it over to us...with our lowly $7 bid!
I was really excited about it! I went home and checked out the photographer's website and now I'm EVEN more excited! They take AWESOME pictures!! I can't wait to get it done!! I'm just going to get a haircut before we do, then I'm going to schedule it! I'm a winner...I'm a winner....I'm a winner!!
And now, I'm off. My parent's company is having their company party tonight and they've invited us. Unfortunately Steve has to work graveyard tonight, but I don't...so I'm going! It should be fun! See all of you later!

One more thing before I leave...I'm very pleased with how America's Got Talent turned out! I'm really, really, REALLY glad that Bianca won! She was SOOOOOO good! It's hard to believe that she's only 11!! WOW! And her reaction to winning a million smackers was priceless too! YAY! True talent prevailed! (Secretly I was rooting for the guys who made fun of the quick change people...that was THE funniest moment in the show!!)

Another Secret Fear

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...I'm afraid of aliens! OKAY!!! Go ahead....laugh...I can handle it (the fact that I can't hear you laughing helps with me being okay about it!) I don't know exactly when it started, but I know it got worse once that show Unsolved Mysteries came out. To this day the sound of Robert Stack's voice or the theme song to that show will send shivers up and down my spine! By that time it was a full blown phobia! Just hearing other accounts of alien abductions convinced me that I was once abducted and experimented upon...I mean, I even had the same shaped scars that they showed people who had been abducted as having. It completely freaked me out!
One night I was sleeping peacefully in my messy bedroom when I woke up for my nightly potty run. Imagine in your mind a room that was so cluttered with clothes, toys, and papers that the piles were the same height as the bed. (Yes, I was a pig! But I'm not that way anymore...I swear!) Anyway, I got up and wandered to the door only to find that the door was not there. Instead I found a wall. Of course I first thought that I had flipped around in my bed, so I wandered in the opposite direction, hoping to find my way out. Instead, I found another wall! That time I was scared! I knew that I had been abducted by aliens, and was now their captive! My over-active mind knew that they had placed me in a holding cell until they could get around to dissecting me.

I collapsed on my bed and began bawling uncontrollably.

I shared a room with my sister and figured that she would be nearby and could hear me. I called out her name...begging her to turn on the light so I knew where I was. After a few minutes of crying, the lights came on, but NOT in the room I was in. I realized I was in the room right next to my room...our family's "pilot" room. (We called it that because that was where we would "pilot (pile)" our junk. It was as messy, or worse than my room had been!) I climbed out of the mess relieved to be in my home! If I remember right, I was so happy that I hugged my sister. I don't know if she even remembers this incident, but I always will remember the time that she was my hero! I still don't know how I ended up in that room...but I always suspected it had been an alien drop off!

Now I'm still a bit afraid when I think of the things that aliens are portrayed in the media to be able to do. It doesn't bother me too much, unless I think a lot about it. I've actually come up with my own theory about aliens. I believe that "aliens" are actually out on other planets, but I don't believe that they have the technology that they are shown to have. I think they're just like us...trying to get their own lives in order, and not necessarily worrying about life on other planets.

I'm not so worried about aliens anymore, but if I ever find unusual scaring, hear Robert Stack's voice or that theme song I will head for the hills! Otherwise, I'll be fine.

WARNING!! I'm talking about something that may be sensitive for some, and totally disgusting for others...Reader, beware!

Today is a new day. I'm actually pretty excited about it. I FINALLY got my period regulated!! YAY! We've been trying for years for a baby, and I've been patiently waiting for my body to get on a "regular" cycle....the day is finally here! I'm thrilled! It's actually taken many visits to a doctor to get me working regularly. I'm currently taking a couple of diabetes meds that have gotten my body in its groove!! To me, it means there's hope!

I'm sure my husband is happy about this regularity too! It means less of me being PMSy! See, before my body started to groove I'd get PMS for a month...sometimes two! That makes being around me not so fun. But now that I'm back to "normal," it only lasts a week...not a month!! Can we start cheering for my husband's happiness now!?

Anyway, that's all I wanted to share. I'm just so excited for all of this. My body works!! THANK GOODNESS!!

Getting Things Done

I'm so excited!! I've been getting things done all day today. I didn't have to babysit (my rare day off...) so I did all of those things I've been neglecting lately. I called the geneticists to make an appointment for Cam for next month, called my service coordinator (so I can get my reimbursement this time), decluttered my kitchen white board, folded AND put away my laundry, got paperwork from the school, turned it in to the people who need to fill it out, took Cam to therapy, paid some bills, found out when my doctor's appointment was for the week, and got school clothes shopping done. I'm officially done! I probably won't be this busy again for a LONG time!
Cam has to see the geneticists in Salt Lake every year now because he was diagnosed last year with NeuroFibromatosis. His form of it is very mild. He has no tumors, but he has multiple cafe au lait spots. I see more of them everytime he takes a bath. I'm going to be asking them if it's cause for concern or not and he'll also be having his eyes checked by their opthamologist. They only have genetic clinics on Tuesdays, so he'll be getting out of school for a day. I'm not sure if he's up for that or not, but it doesn't REALLY matter...he's going to be missing school whether he likes it or not!

We're also on our way to getting the boy his in-class aide. I'm so excited for that. I definitely think he'll benefit from having an aide!!

And on one more quick note...my bestest friend in the whole wide world has now joined blogger. I'm so excited! I can't hardly keep it in! She lives far enough away, that I don't get to hear from her that often, but now I'll be able to peek in on her life whenever she updates!! So go visit Kim at luvin-the-world-lambiestyle!!! (Can you tell I'm excited?!)

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering, I'm much cheered up now! :)

How I Cheer Up

Thoroughly Mormon Millie has a fun game that asks us a Quick question...usually with fun results...today’s was MEANT FOR ME!!

It was: What makes you happy when you're sad or upset? I figured we all get upset, and seeing what others do MAY help us find what works for us. So I’m sharing again here! :)

Here’s my Response:

This must be MEANT for me...I've been such a crabby-butt lately!
Here's what I do:

1. Whine to my mom...if she's not involved in the situation.

2. Eat something chocolaty!! Chocolate is my cure-all!

3. Write about it...either in blog form, or email...sometimes I actually use a REAL journal!! (go figure!)

4. Cry...usually when I'm alone and can have a good air-gulping session...works like a charm!

5. Watch one of my old stand-bys: French Kiss (why it makes me happy? I don't know!), Looney Tunes, Head Over Heels...the good stuff that makes me laugh my guts out!

6. Clean, or straighten things up.

7. Surf my favorite websites.

8. Listen to my favorite types of music...Tim McGraw or Church songs!

9. Pray. If none of the above work I get down on my knees and pray like there's no tomorrow!

Now it's your turn, what cheers you up!? Go ahead and share, then go and play TMM's game! :)

My Weekend as a Wheel

This last weekend was filled with all kinds of activities. We spent the majority of the weekend in my husband's hometown and with his family. We dropped off Cam and our over-night stuff at Steve's brother's apartment, and then we were off for the adventure known as "10 year class reunion." After talking with my mom about what goes on at these events I thought I was prepared to be the extra wheel behind my husband, but I think I held my own pretty well.
Friday night they had a dinner and program at a local hotel. It was fun seeing people who recognized Steve and him re-connecting with old friends. We plopped ourselves down at a table to await the night's events. We were talking with two of Steve's pals when a random girl came up to him, pointed and said, "Stephen _____!" We were quite shocked!! This girl was one of those in high school who was popular and quite nice to all she knew, but she never really ever talked to Steve! They ended up talking and having a good time. Then we ate the dinner, and sat back and enjoyed the attempts of the comedian/magician. I think our table was the only one paying any attention to him, and laughing at him. By the end of the program I was thoroughly bored, and begged to get to bed. Steve said there was someone he wanted to talk with who was on his way, so we waited for him. They had a cash bar there, and I watched as the drinkers stumbled off one by one. By the time his friend got there the room just REEKED of beer, and I was ready to leave. We went to his brother's place, and got ready for bed.
Instead of sleeping when we got there I stayed up and talked with his brother for an hour and a half. It's weird...I can talk better with his brother than he can, and Steve can talk better with my brothers than I can. So I got him talking about EVERYTHING that is going on in his life. I gave him my advice, and just hopes that he takes it.

After sleeping really weirdly, we woke up late and hurried off to the school tour. Since they've remodeled most of the building, they thought it would be fun to see what's new! I just know that the history there is AWESOME! And that if I had to go there, I would have gotten lost!! Then after the tour, we went to the park for a barbecue. I mostly stuck with the people I had met the night before, or stuck to watching Cam while he was playing on the toys and in the bounce house. Steve had a good time, but since he wasn't very popular, and quite a loner in school, he didn't know many people, which means, I didn't know very many people.

I was shocked to realize how much fun it could be though, and have since decided to go to my own 10-year reunion next year! I knew more people, and I have a VERY different personality, so I'm hoping that with those positives that I will have fun at my own reunion.

I was shocked that I knew someone he graduated with. She was in the institute choir with me EONS ago. I was happy for that fact!

After the whole thing was over, we met up with Steve's parents and chatted for a couple of hours. It's one of the few times when I've really gotten along with his mom and dad and I had more fun with them than I did almost the whole time at his reunion.

Then on Sunday I realized a little stuffy nose that had started on Friday was now a full-blown icky mess. I was hurting pretty bad, and called in sick for Primary. I was disappointed that I couldn't go, but I was really glad for the recuperation time! I feel much better today, and hope it's just allergies! (The smoke in the air is pretty bad from the fires burning around here!) Because if it's allergies, then I have some allergy medicine that will really help! I'm just really happy that I can breathe through my nose today! YAY for small miracles!

Grateful Day

I'm determined to be more positive!!

For the last little while I've been completely in the dumps. I think I've just been to focused on myself and that has GOT to change! TODAY!!

I read Stephanie's post from Friday, and determined that I'm going to have a grateful day, just because I need it!

• I'm grateful for my faith. There are times when I get to feeling sorry for myself, but then I remember that I'm NOT alone! There is someone who totally understands everything I'm going through and is willing to help me through those rough times. I'm grateful for Him and that he loves me no matter what I've done or who I've become! He is my brother, and I love him for that!
• I'm grateful for a loving husband. He tries so hard to help me when I get weepy or upset. I know he's trying to help me when he offers his advice and that he wants me to be happy. He is a sweet man who truly cares about me and our son.
• I'm grateful that I was once able to get pregnant and that I was blessed with my son. Everyday that I see him, I realize what a miracle he is! He may act bratty at times, but he is my life's joy! He loves me, and tells me often that he does. He has shown me that I have more in me than I thought was there!
• I'm grateful for my mother. She is always there to help me laugh at myself, show me my mistakes, and just be there for me. She is my best friend (other than my sweet husband) and I can honestly say that I love her and I'm glad that we were put together as mother and daughter.
• I'm grateful I'm in relatively good health. I may have those few sick days, but I'm not in chronic pain everyday of my life. I can walk around, and take care of my son (and a few other children as well...) I'm glad I can move pain-free!

I'm feeling a little better. I'm going to make a longer list of things, and hope to post more at another time! I just need to stop internalizing EVERY little thing that I encounter in my life!

Okay, so I lied....

In my last post I said that I was signing off for the weekend, what I didn't plan on was all of my free time today!
I think I'm crazy!! My cousin called me today and asked me if I can start watching her new baby on a permanent basis starting in 2 weeks. I said YES!! (Please don't throw those virtual tomatoes all at once!) I guess what cinched it for me was the fact that I'll only be watching him 2 days a week and those days will be Cameron free. With Cam going to school in a few weeks, I'll just be down to 2 kids, but now with baby J...the count is back to 3!! The nice thing is that it will add some more money to my dwindling funds...Hey!! I'm a contributing member of this family! *feeling proud*
I was reading through my normal blog reads for the day, and to my shock I found that a post I had commented on had magically changed. Now my very witty comments were no longer pertinent. *blushing* So I deleted them and commented appropriately! But just reading it made me feel frustration.
The basis of frustration would be seeming well wishers giving unwanted and unsolicited advice. I'm not saying I haven't done my damage in this area, because I've commented rudely before and have suffered from the consequences of that split-second thought. But as an infertile woman who's been trying for baby number 2 for going on 5 years now I related all too well to the "advice" that was given.
I was communicating with a dear friend from college via email. She had just announced that she was pregnant with baby number 2 and I was wishing her well, and updating her on my situation. I mentioned that we had been trying for several years for a baby and that I was in the process of seeing an herbologist who was helping us get pregnant. (I'd tried the clomid route and was UNIMPRESSED with the things my body had gone through on those drugs! I figured herbs are "natural.") Anyway, I didn't think much of it until I got her response. She said something to the effect that we shouldn't try so hard, if it was God's will, then it would happen. HOW COULD SHE!? Okay, so some of you may not understand the thoughts that I was, and feel now, just thinking about it. I was hurt. How is it she, someone who knows NOTHING of the pain I had felt be so passe about my feelings? How could she told me that I couldn't try? That I really SHOULDN'T try?! This coming from someone, who without even thinking about it, was pregnant so easily!? I felt betrayed by a friend. It hurt beyond words. I stared at my computer screen and tears blurred my vision.
It took me a LONG time to get over those feelings, but they're better. I still feel hurt, but it's not as deep.
I guess after reading that post I had relived those feelings and couldn't get out of town to enjoy my weekend without sharing here why I feel so strongly about that situation. I certainly hope I've not hurt anyone else's feelings with the comments I leave. If I do offend...please tell me...It's not my intention to hurt anyone!!
Now I'm really off...I swear!

What is this World Coming To?

Dear American Television Viewing Public,

YOU STINK!! What is WRONG with you!? I have been addicted to NBC’s show America’s Got Talent, and thus far, I’ve LOVED every minute of it. Until tonight I was satisfied with the acts that had gotten through to the finals...yodeling girl: AWESOME! Dancing groups: COOL! Acapella singing guys: LOVE THEM!! But tonight you sorely disappointed me!

Tonight the votes were thrown to the whiniest, boringest, same-ol’ group! ACK! After watching this couple perform the SAME act 3 times now....I was bored. Sure it’s cool how they change their clothes in a split second...Heck, I want to know how they do it too, but come ON!! The other acts at least CHANGED their routines each time they appeared, but David and Donia!? Don’t give them your votes just because Piers, the "mean" judge, stated the truth, and by doing so made Donia run off stage BAWLING her eyes out! Sympathy votes are worth NOTHING!! Why didn’t you give your precious 10 votes to someone who DESERVES to win a million dollars? Why can’t you vote for someone who not only shocks you, and makes you ask "how’d they do that!?" But vote for someone who can give you diversity!

Those voters who voted out of pity for this group...SHAME ON YOU!! I’m ashamed to be associated with your bleeding hearts!

Signed,
An Annoyed Voter

*******************************

Tonight wasn’t JUST filled with major annoyances with my show, it was also full of fun. We are having a big youth thing going on where they have all kinds of activities to entertain children. As a part of that a local performing theater had a free show for Fred Garbo’s Inflatable Theater Co. We had gone to one of these shows years ago when Cam was two, and at that age he enjoyed the show minimally. We figured that with him being older, and understanding more of what’s going on around him that he’d LOVE it. He didn't disappoint us! Seeing his reaction to what was going on was priceless!

Basically, it’s a man and woman who climb into inflatable things...blocks, wheels, furnature, clothes....and they really do a good job of keeping the kids entertained. Three boys sitting behind us were commenting the whole time about who they thought was inside of the various objects. At the end of the show they throw out the blocks for the audience to hit and play with. If they ever come your way, I highly recommend seeing them!!

I’m also pretty much signing off for the weekend. We’re off to my husband’s 10 year high school reunion. Steve was hoping to get a hotel room for Friday night, but our pay checks disappeared before we even had them. So we’re going to be camping out at my brother-in-law’s apartment. That should be an interesting situation. He’s a bachelor and is a little weird. I love him, but I’ve never been THAT close to him. I hope this weekend lives up to my husband’s expectations.

He’s now begging me to come and play video games with him...I certainly hope that I will be awake enough to babysit early in the morning!

My Obsession

After my rather disjointed and random-thought-spout-of-a-post yesterday, I've got some things under control!

I woke up this morning, cleaned myself up for babysitting and sat down to eat my breakfast when I got a call from my friend L. She was apologizing and apologizing for not giving me more warning, but could they just cancel babysitting for the day? (UH...You HAVE to ask!?) So I had free time to do all of those things I've been putting off...right!? Well....I held Cam on my lap, sat down to watch an uplifting show on KBYU, then promptly hauled him upstairs for a NICE, LONG NAP!! Ahhhh...I feel so refreshed!!

And now that I feel better....back to some weird thoughts from my brain!

When I was younger I really wanted to be a mom, dance teacher, or a bag lady. (Okay, the bag lady thing just SOUNDED fun!) But as I got older I found that I excelled in one particular subject in school and focused more and more on pursuing that course. What did I want to do? For most of my high school years (and only then) I wanted to be an English teacher. For some reason I'm the weird person who understand what adjectives do...where those DARN commas go....and why we do things a certain way!

I even was in some honor English classes in high school...until my misinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet freshman year got me a dreaded "B!" How scandalous! So I was in "normal" English for the next couple of years, until I decided that I couldn't stand the rate of learning that I was getting in those classes. I pushed my way into my absolute FAVORITE class my senior year: AP Literature. Thanks to that class I was exempt from giving a Senior Project like my other classmates! I was in love with the language and the challenge I got in that class. In the process of pushing my way into AP Lit, I dragged along one of my best friends. She struggled, but she ended up doing VERY well! We both became inspired by our favorite teacher, Mrs. Hatch! She made knowing how English works cool! She also was a very patient and forgiving teacher...especially after our Bunburrying incident.

We had just finished reading "The Importance Of Being Earnest," and Mrs. Hatch told us that she was going to be gone the next classtime and that she was going to leave us a practice AP test to take. We thought we were being funny when we all decided to skip class to visit our "dear sick friend, Bunburry!" Needless to say, the substitute freaked when NO ONE showed up and tattled on us to the principal who ended up being furious with us! Mrs. Hatch thought it was funny, and said that we should have waited for a day when she was there...so she could skip out with us!

After our high school careers were over, my friend and I returned to talk to Mrs. Hatch about what we were doing and what we wanted to be. Both of us told her that we wanted to be English teachers just like our favorite teacher. She was taken aback! Then after the shock wore off...she immediately started to convince us that teaching was NOT all it was cracked up to be.

I had realized this to a small degree when I was Mrs. Hatch's teacher's aide my senior year, but hearing that my FAVORITE teacher didn't like it either solidified my decision. By that time I had changed my mind about what I wanted to be anyway. (I still hope to finish my college education so that I can be a sign language interpreter.)

But changing my mind about being an English teacher hasn't really changed my obsession with proper English. Now I just get frustrated when I can't fix it!! I just wish that I could be an editor. That would be PERFECT for me!! But, I can't do that without finishing school...so until then, I'm your unofficial editor.

My siblings have all come to me with English papers and tips for writing and I love it! It's times like that when I feel English-teacher-esque!

So if I get a bit snobby with my writing...forgive me...it's the English teacher in me coming out!

And on another side note: that friend who I dragged to AP Lit DID become an English teacher. She's LOVING it, which goes to show that it's your attitude about what you do that determines your happiness!

I Feel Like Something Is Wrong With Me....But Life STILL Goes ON!!

I'm so sorry about my last attempt at posting. I will get the official comic from the website once it allows me to! The gist of the thing is the dad was trying to show his kids how to use the slip-n-slide and FLOP! He fell on his gut...hurting himself. Like I said, once I can get the official copy, and not my sad try at scanning...you'll see it for yourselves!
The last 2 days have just worn me out! I've been babysitting the two kids I usually watch until 5:00 both nights. And since Cam and little L don't get along very well it's been a challenge for me in keeping my cool. (I have lost it a few times!) Otherwise life is good!
I thought I was going to have the next few days off from babysitting, but I was mistaken. Little L's dad just had surgery today and he's gonna need me to keep track of the kids for a few hours while he rests and recoups. I don't know what it is about men and getting sick or having surgery, but they turn into babies themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm whiny when I get sick or have surgery too, but I have to keep going. There's no one to wait on me hand and foot. I'm the mom...Mom's aren't allowed to get sick!!
I can't believe that summer is nearly over. School is going to be starting back up in a few weeks, and at that time I'll find out what schedule Cam will have for Kindergarten. I don't feel old enough to have a kindergartner!! We decided that what's best for Cam is to go to the normal kindergarten, but have an aide who will help keep him on task. I'm supposed to call the principal sometime this week to confirm this arrangement, but do you think my sleep-deprived brain could remember that!? Ack!!
I truly hope I feel better soon! I don't know if I can survive this week if this schedule persists! Wish me luck!

I'm Not Alone!!

Why does this comic make me laugh? Maybe it's because I lived it a while back? Several family members have told me that they thought of me after reading it....enjoy! Now you have a bit of a visual to go along with the story!!

Just a Few Pictures

I figured that while I'm at my parents' house I'd get some of those promised pictures for you all to view. (If any family is currently reading or viewing this...let's exchange pictures....)

This is the closest we could get to the original 12 children as we could under the circumstances. Two were actually unable to make it, so their pictures were put in, so they wouldn't be left out!

I just laughed when this picture was snapped. They decided to take "funny face" pictures and my Aunt Judy decided to pick on younger brother John, by picking his nose. (Okay, so I'm weird!)

This is our version of the WHOLE stinkin' clan! We had every camera take ONE picture of the whole group. I don't think this one turned out too badly. This is why we need to get together to exchange the pictures....some are bound to be better than others...

This is JUST the grandchildren who showed up. There are many who aren't there, but as you can see...I come from a LARGE family! (Makes for fun times!)

This is one of the two shots our family got taken after the group shots were done. Why is my mom's mouth open like that!? OH! That reminds me...if you look closely, you'll notice we're wearing numbers on our shirts. At the last family reunion we came up with a number system for who goes with who. How it works is this: The first number is the original sibling's birth-order number...my mom is number "6", so our first number is 6. Then you take the second number from birth order after that....so my number is 6-1. Cam is 6-1-1...and so on.... My youngest brother is 6-6...he's determined to have 6 children so that his last child will be 6-6-6. What a goof!!

This is the last picture I'll share right now. This is our "nice" picture. My sister and her husband weren't able to make it to this part of the reunion, and my other brother was off doing...something. But I think it turned out nicely!

Like I said before, we had a ball, and I can't wait to get together with these people again! (If you want to see more pictures, you can look at my flickr account. I've used up most of my monthly allotment just uploading a FEW of the pictures!)

I apologize for the pixelly pictures...Dang that Blogger!! The clearer pictures are on my flickr account. Growl!

Love That Family, Definitely Gonna Miss Them!

I'm back! Did you miss me!? I can't quite say that I really missed Blogger, but I did miss my friends!

This last week was so much fun, I wish it wasn't over! I love, love, LOVE my family! We have such fun times that I wish they were always here!! My aunt and uncle from Arizona came, along with my aunt and uncle from Minnesota, and my uncle from California, then my uncles from Utah came, and my aunt from Washington. Along with these travelers, we had the local aunts and uncles to join in the fun. I was sad that my aunt and uncle from North Carolina couldn't come, but with the price of gas, it would be a HUGE expense for them. But I know they were there in spirit!

On Monday, we had a huge dinner/meeting at my mom's house. We were debating about going camping for the week because both of my grandparents aren't doing well. My grandpa sprained his foot. I'm not exactly sure what all he did to it, but it was causing him all sorts of pain, to the point where we were wheeling him around in a wheel-chair. Then on Monday morning my grandma was complaining to my mom that she was way dizzy and didn't feel well. My mom told her to go to the doctor, and they told her that her blood pressure was all over the place and that she needed to stop worrying. (Now I know where I get my worry-ness from!) In the end we decided that going camping and getting the extra 28 people away from her house where she feels obligated to serve all of them constantly, would help the situation. Then that night was filled with games, laughter, and full bellies!

Tuesday was pretty normal for me, but that night we went to my grandparents' house for a weenie roast and re-acquaintance with the families. The laughter continued, and we all ended up laughing and having fun until 11:30 that night. (There were oodles of pictures taken, but unfortunately our camera is dead...I'm going to have to swipe some of the pictures from my mom, or my WONDERFUL aunts and uncles!!)

Early the next morning, we all packed up and went camping just an hour and half from home! I SO love living where I do...close enough for a quick drive that will take me away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to the beauty of the wild outdoors! We found that our camp-site was fairly vacant, set up, and promptly vegged!! My cousins from Arizona LOVE fishing, so they were out on the lake trying their luck. My cousins from California had brought a jet-ski and were out on the lake skiing. My dad was TRYING to get his boat to work properly so that he could give boat rides. And most of the rest of us were sitting around camp playing games or resting! It was HEAVEN!! Pretty soon, my dad got his 4-wheeler off of his truck and the rides began. I ended up taking one of my cousins on a ride around the area, and we had a ball! She was laughing harder than she had in a LONG time! After our bumpy ride, we went back to camp laughing and very relaxed!!

The next day many families wanted to go for a day trip to Yellowstone National Park. Don't get me wrong, Yellowstone is GORGEOUS...but once you've seen it, it's pretty much the same ol' stuff! My grandma was getting worse with her dizziness, so she had to stay, and several of us decided to keep her company. That was actually more of heaven than the day before, for the simple fact that my husband and Cam were with the group going to Yellowstone, and I was at camp...no worries, and completely free to do what I wanted!! Ahhhhh....Loved yesterday!! I ended up going on multiple 4-wheeler rides, just enjoying the beauty that surrounded me. I even got adventurous, and went up a pretty steep hill, only to realize after getting up it, that I had to get back down. SCARY!! I made it with no scrapes or cuts and felt good about it. Unfortunately I did bruise. I didn't notice it until today when we were getting ready to leave, and I couldn't figure out where it had come from, then I remembered my bouncy, bumpy rides....ah, the thrill of discovery!!

That night a small storm blew in, but it was NICE! Like I've said before, I love rain, and it's not an official camping trip without a rainstorm!!

Then this morning we all packed up and left. It was so fun. I didn't want it to end. I didn't want my family to leave, and I wanted to be free to do those things forever!! But things end, and change, but hopefully, I'll remember these fun times, and will remember the fun times when things get rough! Hopefully, pictures will follow soon!