Thursday, March 29, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday

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I have my book club tonight, and I'm only about 1/3 of the way through the book.  I guess I know what I'll be doing all day!  Fortunately, it's a quick read.

I saw The Hunger Games last night with my friend Rachel (we see all our "guilty pleasure" movies together).  I don't have much faith in film adaptations of really popular books, but we were both pleasantly surprised.  It was actually a good movie.

We managed to clean out the girls' room over the course of the last two days.  Lexi and Ellie both now have entirely new wardrobes, and I made $1.16 in loose change I found under the beds and behind the dressers.

We bought a new TV last week.  It's pretty awesome to finally ditch the old tube TV, but a purchase like that so close to Spring Break means that the girls have been watching it WAY too much.

When did "stop bugging your sister" start meaning "bug your sister as much as you possibly can"?

Many days I feel like referee.  Maybe I should start wearing black and white striped shirts.

My car is in the shop again.  But supposedly they found the problem this time (fingers crossed).  If the air conditioner still works in two weeks then I'll believe them.

Having older, more independent children is so much easier than little children.  But they sure were cute when they were little.

I'm enjoying my Spring Break and feeling really, really nervous to start classes again next week.

My children keep begging me to buy Nutella.  The problem is, if I buy it, I know I'll eat it.  What's a mom to do?

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Junior Mythbusters

We're big fans of Mythbusters around here.  In fact, over the past several months, Friday night has become our traditional Mythbusters & panini night (thank you, Amazon instant video, for feeding our habit.)  Heaven forbid we plan anything else on a Friday.

One of the Mythbusters' taglines is "don't try this at home".  However, there's one myth we've always wanted to test: Diet Coke and Mentos.  Around Christmastime, I discovered a kit that contained a roll of Mentos and a plastic tube designed to let you drop several mints into a bottle of Coke at one time.

The setup

A plastic pin holds the mints in place until you're ready to pull the cord and release them all at once, and there's a hole in the top for the resulting geyser of Coke.  Of course I had to buy it.  We've had the kit since then, but haven't gotten around to using it.

Until this weekend.

Uncle Blaine and Aunt Mel came to visit us from Seattle.  Blaine is a big Mythbusters fan, too, and it was finally not raining, so Saturday seemed like the perfect day to try out this experiment for ourselves.

We headed over to the park and set up in the grass.  The girls took turns dropping the mints into the tube, and then we all stood back.

Vicki somehow managed to score the role of
cord-puller without a fight




I think it's safe to say we had a blast.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday

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I have another quarter of school under my belt.  Only 3 more to go before I'm finished with my prerequisites!  And only 2 more to go before I can apply for the nursing program.  Crazy.

This weather is killing me.  I wish it would just dump a really good snowfall and be done with it.  Either that, or move on to Spring.

Apparently today is National Goof-off Day.  Good thing that was already on my schedule!  I'm starting my Spring Break a few days early.

Last night I told Chris I might do some cleaning and organizing around the house today.  You know, to catch up on everything I've been letting slide since January.  He told me I'd better not.  Today is for me.  I married an awesome guy.

I took Vicki and Lexi to see Wicked on Saturday.  It was awesome!  I wish I could go to shows more often, and take the girls.  I need people to sing showtunes with.

Next week is Spring Break.  I plan to take the girls hiking with friends, spend at least one entire day in our jammies watching movies, and clean their room from top to bottom.  That's not too much to accomplish in one week, is it?

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday

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I'm pretty sure I mentioned a few weeks back that I wanted to do a post titled "Pictures I Didn't Take".  I still haven't done it, but Ellie got her hands on my phone the other day and I have a whole slew of awesome pictures now.  And a video, in which I'm pretty sure she announces a conspiracy theory.

I love my kids.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for Spring Break.  I plan to spend at least one entire day in my jammies.  Maybe the girls and I will just watch movies and eat popcorn all day.  Also, I'd like to spend time doing things that I want to do, as opposed to things that I have to do.

I'm nervous about my biology final.  It will make the difference between an A and a B in the class.  I know there's nothing wrong with a B, but still...

Why is it that the more politically educated I become, the more angry I also become?  Why are there such idiots out there?  And why do they think they know what's best for others?

We are finally done with Girl Scout Cookie sales for another year!  I wish I'd taken a picture of the $900+ in cash I had stacked on my kitchen table yesterday before I took it to the band, but it was a rush-around day and I forgot.  I'm just happy that most of the cookies are out of my house.

Ellie has eaten all of her Tagalongs.  Vicki has not.  Life is hard.

February and March have been really, really, REALLY busy months.  I need August to come soon.  Nothing much happens in August (except Lexi's birthday, of course!)

Sometimes I read back over old blog posts and think, hey, I'm pretty funny!  Other times, I think, why the heck did I put that on the internet?

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Monday, March 12, 2012

I Blame the Girl Scouts

source
Somehow, in the last couple of years, my meek and mild little daughters have turned into speak-your-mind, healthily opinionated, not-afraid-to-stand-up-for-what's-right, strong-willed little women.

Clearly this is the fault of the Girl Scouts.

You know, that organization that empowers innocent little girls all over the nation, and even the world, to discover who they are and what they stand for.

It's funny how things happen.  I never intended to be so involved in the Girl Scouts.  I was a Brownie for a few years, and even a Junior, and it was fun, but not a hugely life-changing experience.  Still, when Vicki started school, I thought it would be a good thing for her.  The only problem was that there were no troops nearby with space for her.  So my friend suggested we start our own troop, and here I am six years later, wrapping up another year of cookie sales with not one, but three Girl Scout daughters.

Who all want to change the world in their own ways.

At each Girl Scout meeting, the girls all recite the Girl Scout Promise, which is:
On my honor, I will try:
to serve God, and my country,
to help people at all times,
and to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scout Law is:
I will do my best to be
Honest and Fair,
Friendly and Helpful,
Considerate and Caring,
Courageous and Strong, and
Responsible for what I say and do,
and to
Respect myself and others,
Respect Authority,
Use resources wisely,
Make the world a better place, and
Be a sister to every Girl Scout.
I have watched that first Girl Scout troop grow from five tiny 1st graders to 12 strong 6th graders, and I am proud of them each and every day.  I leave our meetings this year on such a high from listening to these girls discuss constructive ways to deal with the situations they face each and every day.  We've talked about friendships, bullies, jealousy, and boys (though I'm not ready for that one yet!), and they've stood as great examples to their younger counterparts as they taught the Daisies all about cookie sales.

I've watched these girls step completely out of their comfort zone and overcome shyness and fear of speaking to strangers in order to sell their cookies to support their sister Girl Scouts.  And I've watched each one of them smile while doing it.  They've learned that work can be fun, and that hard work is rewarding.

I've sat through a meeting and heard them constructively and fairly calmly discuss a bullying situation that a few of their own were facing.  They tried to be fair, and considerate, and rather than spend an hour tearing down the girl who was doing the bullying, they simply discussed how they could solve the problem and support each other.

I've watched them be friends to the friendless and support each other through all kinds of life lessons.  They have their moments (don't we all?), but this group of girls have never ceased to impress and amaze me.  I am proud of them and proud to be their friend.

As for my own three Girl Scouts?

I have seen Vicki, Lexi, and Ellie embody each line of the Girl Scout Law at different times and in different ways.  Each time they do something nice for someone else, they're being Friendly and Helpful, and Considerate and Caring.  When they admit to doing something they shouldn't have, they're being Honest and Fair, Courageous and Strong, and Responsible for What They Say and Do.  When they remember to compost and recycle and reuse, they're Using Their Resources Wisely and Making the World a Better Place.  When they're respectful to their teachers (and their parents!), they're Respecting Authority.  And, most importantly, every day they're trying hard to  Respect Themselves and Others.

They're serving God and their country by discovering who they are, where they come from, what's going on in the world around them, and how to get along with everyone they meet.

So whenever someone tells me that my girls are so well-behaved, or so polite, or friendly, or considerate, I think that instead of laughing it off and saying, "Oh, you should see them at home!", I'll just say, "Thank you! They're Girl Scouts."

Because, really, I blame the Girl Scouts.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday

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I wonder why it is that most often when I dream about things happening at my house, it's not my house that I live in now, but my childhood home in Oklahoma.  I haven't set foot in that house since 1990.

It's really, REALLY frustrating when adults don't behave like adults, but like spoiled little kids who throw a fit when it looks like they might not get what they want.  Especially when everyone else in the room is behaving like an adult.

I love our school community.  It is truly amazing to see how we can band together when the need arises.

I currently feel like transplanting our entire school to another district, though.

Today there is no school for the elementary students, because we have Parent/Teacher Conferences.  So guess which two children were up BEFORE the time that I normally have to drag them out of bed?  And guess which child still had to be dragged out of bed?  Why does it always seem to work like that?

This is the last weekend of cookie sales.  I can't even begin to tell you how ecstatic that makes me!  Remind me not to take 9 credits in the same quarter as cookie sales ever again.

I still have an A average in both classes, though!

The ants are coming back.  I am not happy about this.  They're mostly in the bathrooms, though, not the kitchen, so I won't complain too much.

I know I'm late to the game, but Stephen Colbert is my new favorite.

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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday

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The sun is shining!

It's a little sad that out of my last 7 posts, 5 of them are Random Thoughts Thursday.  All week I've had plans for a couple of different blog posts, but darn those priorities.

I did manage to catch up on my Project 365 blog (at least through Sunday...okay, so it's not technically caught up, but it's better than it was, and I have taken pictures every day since then).  The exciting thing is that the last time I missed a day was February 27 of last year.  So I have now officially taken pictures for 365 days straight.  How cool is that?

Chris sent me the link to this video.  Actually, he made me watch the video and then I made him send me the link, but it all amounts to the same thing, right?  Anyway, it's hilarious.  Although if you're easily offended by references (both slang and medical) to women's reproductive parts, you probably shouldn't watch.

I just can't get excited about grocery shopping.  I've tried, and it's just not happening.  Is there anyone who can?

I still haven't watched Downton Abbey.

Then again, I still haven't read a book by Jane Austen.  Well, not really.

I was so sad yesterday to hear that Davy Jones had died.  I used to watch The Monkees all the time when I was a kid, and I had all kinds of plans to marry him one day.  Of course, at the time I had no idea that he was something like 30 years older than me.  He was just really, really cute.

And I'm pretty sure there's nothing in the world that defines "groovy" better than this video:



Hey, I made it through a whole post without mentioning Girl Scout cookies!  Oh...maybe not.

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