Three is a Magic Number

Random Thoughts Thursday

2012-01-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

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What is that round yellow thing in the sky? It's so bright...

Why is it that I can think of all sorts of random thoughts, but as soon as I sit down at the computer, all I can think about is where the chocolate might be hiding?

I finished reading "The Importance of Being Earnest" this morning. I hadn't read it since high school, and I'd forgotten just how hilarious is is. And, bonus, it's under 60 pages, which at this point in my life, is a really good thing.

We're in that blessed breather space between GS cookie presales and the booth sales. For four weekends, starting the middle of February, I will be selling cookies pretty much constantly, thanks to my three girls. It's a good thing they're cute.

I just took a Biology exam. I think I liked Chemistry better.

If you somehow missed my last post, with the video of "Laws Concerning Food and Drink; Household Principles; Lamentations of the Father", you should watch it now.

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Amen, and Amen

2012-01-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

Anyone who is, or ever has been, a parent will surely appreciate this.

You're welcome.

Random Thoughts Thursday (Friday edition)

2012-01-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

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Wow, it's been a while since I forgot about RTT. Yesterday was a busy day.

This whole school thing has thrown me for a loop. Somehow there's just never enough time in the day to do schoolwork and housework. And of course, doing well is school is the agreed-upon priority for me, which means there's an awful lot of slack to be taken up each weekend by Chris, who is simply amazing.

I just made my own salted caramel hot cocoa. Yum. Starbucks will have to live without my $4 from now on.

What part of "be nice to your sister" is so hard for my children to understand?

Tomorrow we're taking the girls to see Mythbusters Live. I predict pure awesomeness, although considerably fewer explosions than the girls are anticipating.

I would like the rain to turn into snow and continue like it has been. I think it would make me really happy to be snowed in for a few days.

I just got a new cookbook, <i>The Best 30-Minute Recipes</i>, and I'm dying to try it out. Considering that I quite regularly now only have about 30 minutes to make dinner, we will all be happy to eat real food again, instead of tacos and chicken nuggets. Especially in light of this disgusting revelation.

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10 Items to Cross Off My Bucket List

2012-01-13T21:18:00.000-08:00

The following items may or may not have actually been on any bucket list I may or may not have actually made. But even if they weren't, they should have been.

1. Ring in the New Year in an airport.

Thankfully, no one got a butt shot of me

For Christmas this year, Chris's parents gave their children a Caribbean cruise. We celebrated New Year's Day by watching Miami slowly disappear into the sunset.

Of course, before that, we had to celebrate New Year's Eve in the Salt Lake airport, waiting for our 1am flight to Atlanta. By the time we arrived in Atlanta for our 4-hour layover, and despite (or, quite possibly, because of) the sleeping meds we took to help us on the red-eye, we were exhausted. After a surprising breakfast at Chili's (I know, right?), we staked out our spots and crashed for an hour or two before it was on to Miami, where we boarded the majestic, if badly decorated, Norwegian Pearl and set off on a beautiful adventure on the Caribbean Sea.

2. Visit the Bahamas

Paradise, anyone?

Our first stop was Great Stirrup Cay, a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. They schedule the island so that only one ship is there at a time, so we only had to share this little piece of paradise with the 2000+ other passengers on the ship. We snorkeled a bit, but mostly just enjoyed the temperature difference between Utah and the Bahamas.

3. Bowl at sea

Yes, it is possible to bowl on a cruise ship. It is not necessarily possible to bowl well, but at least on a cruise ship when you bowl badly you can blame it on the sea.

4. Zip line through the jungle

Those things are FAST!

When we went to Alaska, one of the excursions offered was a zip line adventure. I really wanted to do it, but I was outvoted and we went on a float plane ride instead. I've never regretted that, because it was pretty amazing, but I've still always wanted to experience the zip lines. They did not disappoint. And I think flying through the Jamaican jungle canopy was probably cooler than flying through Alaskan treetops, anyway.

5. Eat authentic Jamaica jerk chicken

It was really hard to get a clear picture, due to all the smoke, but those
are chickens splayed out on tree branches above a giant smoke pit
and covered by corrugated tin.

Oh. My. Word. Our driver in Jamaica took us to this little place called Scotchies, where I ate the BEST chicken I have ever had. I highly recommend it if you ever visit Ocho Rios.

And, as a side note, everyone in Jamaica really does say, "Mon."

6. Find out of Grand Cayman really lives up to all those John Grisham books

Cemetery Beach. Gorgeous. Peaceful. Happiness.

Okay, I couldn't honestly tell if it does, since I wasn't there to embezzle company funds. But it's beautiful and the snorkeling is awesome.

7. Get a fingerprint sunburn

Oops.

8. See a spotted eel off the coast of Cozumel

Me, Mel, & Erica rockin' the snorkel gear

Snorkeling in the Caribbean is like swimming in an aquarium. The water is amazingly clear and the fish are pretty friendly. The spotted eels, not so much.

9. Do pretty much nothing but eat, sleep, and read for an entire week

Oh, yeah.

10. Spend an amazing week with some of my favorite people

Thank you, Ron and Perri, for a fun, relaxing, rejuvenating, much-needed and thoroughly enjoyed vacation!

Random Thoughts Thursday

2012-01-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

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A new quarter of school has started for me, and I am officially in panic mode. Who would have thought that three more credits could bring on so much more stress?

Last night I dreamed that my friend Becki was a finalist on American Idol. She lost to some guy who was basically a John Denver impersonator. It was weird.

Turns out making toast under the broiler, which is what I've been doing since our unfortunate toaster mishap, isn't such a great idea after all. The good news is, the smoke detectors still work.

I started reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest while on vacation, but it's a HUGE book and I didn't finish it. Now I'm about 2/3 of the way through, with too much schoolwork to sit and read novels. When am I going to find time to see how it ends?

Is it weird to collect airplane barf bags?

My house is really, really cold right now.

I somehow managed to gain only three pounds on our cruise. I'd like to know what would have happened if I'd just eaten like normal. But cruises are not conducive to eating like normal, so I'll happily take the three extra pounds.

When I have a chance, I'm planning a post with lots of pictures like this one:

Don't hate me too much.

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2012-01-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

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Since I'm out at sea, this week's Random Thoughts are brought to you by Sunday morning in the Atlanta airport.

This airport is freezing.

Ever since I watched LOST, airplane turbulence makes me nervous. It was even worse this time: upon (a very bumpy) landing, an overhead bin popped open, almost dropping a bag on the passenger underneath.

Did you know Chili's serves breakfast, and it's not gross?

Vicki is disappointed that we can't text while we're on our cruise. Technically we can, but only if we're willing to spend several hundred dollars to do so.

Neck pillows work much better if you're in a window seat.

Chris downloaded a bunch of TED Talks onto his iPad. We just watched one by the creator of Improv Everywhere. Hilarious.

We rang in the New Year in the Salt Lake airport. It was kind of fun.

In a few hours it's back on a plane, then a mad dash to a ship, and then...ahhhhh. Sun, sand, quiet, calm. I can't wait.

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-12-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

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I love being on vacation.

I love it even more when we're on vacation at Grandma's house, and she's perfectly happy to let us sleep in while she hangs out with the kids in the morning.

I will love it EVEN MORE next week when the kids are at Grandma's house without us, and we're on a cruise ship without them.

It's pretty awesome to see old friends.

I just realized that 2012 is a leap year. That means that my Project 365 will actually be a Project 366. Hmmmm...I guess if I managed 364 days this year (assuming I take pictures the next three days) then I should be able to manage 366 next year, right?

I like being lazy.

Apparently, you are never too old for the Curious George movie.

I find it hysterical that it took three days to occur to Vicki that she and her friend in Oregon (who also got a cell phone for Christmas) could actually TALK on their phones, rather than text back and forth for hours on end.

I cannot wait to be on a warm beach. Best January ever.

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-12-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

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This morning Vicki told me that now she knows what she wants for Christmas. I told her to tell me next year. This year's shopping is DONE.

I should probably be cleaning or packing. But it wouldn't be vacation without the last-minute crazy runaround, would it?

12 hours in a car with three kids used to seem like the biggest torture ever. Now I kind of look forward to it.

I may be a total nerd, but I can't wait to see this movie!

Now I just need to get Vicki and Lexi to finish the book so we can take them to see it.

Last night we delivered Christmas goodies to neighbors. At the last minute, I made a plate for the little old couple that lives around the corner, and seeing how happy they were to receive it totally made my day.

I hate wrapping presents. I guess I should get on that, though. They won't wrap themselves.

Don't hate me, but in two weeks I'll be thinking randomly from somewhere in the Caribbean. I so cannot wait for this vacation!

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Lovin' the Local Life

2011-12-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

I know I've said this before, but Portland is an awesome place to live. There's a little bit of everything here, and just enough weirdness to make people like us really happy.

One of our favorite things about Portland is the Saturday Market. We only make it down there a few times a year (it's much safer on the wallet that way), but yesterday we had some Christmas shopping to do, and finally a Saturday with only one thing on the calendar, so we headed downtown to explore.

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked, but it was too cold to take my gloves off. I did snap a few, though.

The artists at the market are all really friendly, and most of them are comfortable with kids. Lexi was really interested in this lady's work, so she brought out a piece she was working on and showed how she put it together. It was pretty amazing, by the way. I wish I remembered her name so I could recommend her. Just look for the intricately beaded jewelry.

No visit to the Market is complete without a stop at the Spoonman's booth. These shots aren't that great, but as you can see, the girls had some run-ins with the kitchen utensils there.

This booth had some really amazing wire art. There were several pieces I'd love to have in my home, but, alas, I wasn't shopping for myself.

I took a picture of this sign while waiting for Ellie outside the porta-potties. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge so you can read it, but I promise it's worth it.

And this, my friends, is why we love Portland. Nothing is too weird to print on a sign.

If you're in town between the last weekend in March and Christmas Eve, be sure to check out the Portland Saturday Market. And feel secure knowing that you'll be able to pick up a pair of bonus pants, just in case.

Random Thoughts Thursday (late evening edition)

2011-12-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

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It's still Thursday! I bet you all thought I forgot.

There is a boy in Lexi's class with the most awesome hair ever. It makes me happy.

I'm done with school. Well, done for the next three weeks. But tomorrow, I can do whatever I ~~want to~~ need to do without worrying about not getting a lecture watched or homework done.

I took my final tonight. I didn't have much of a chance to study, so the fact that I wasn't crying when it was over says a lot. I may even have passed. I figured out that as long as I get a C on the final, I'll still get an A in the class, so I decided to just let it be what it is.

Vicki and Lexi had checkups today (remind me to never again schedule those on the same day as a final). Vicki is now, apparently, officially an adolescent.

Adolescent is a scary word.

Ellie has lost almost all her baby ways of saying things. I will probably never hear "hippobapotamus" again, and it makes me so sad. But she still says "ableble", as in "I won't be ableble to reach that high", and I will freely admit to making up questions that will require her to use that word in the answer, just so I can hear it.

I'm tired. Just really, really tired. I need a vacation.

Good thing I get one soon!

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Project 365, Take 3!

2011-12-09T12:55:00.001-08:00

Two years ago I took on a challenge: to take at least one picture every day, and post it to a blog. And I did just that (minus four days).

I enjoyed it so much that I decided to do it again for 2011. But this time around I invited friends to join me.

As of today, Day 343, I have only missed one. Poor Day 58.

Anyway, I've enjoyed doing this so much that I'm going to continue on for another year. And I've enjoyed sharing this project so much that I'm inviting you all to join me again! Anyone who reads this post, whether you know me or not, please feel welcome to click on over to Project 365 Central and join in!

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-12-08T13:13:00.001-08:00

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I hardly ever get really sick. But, thanks, I think, to my new-found opportunity to volunteer in the kindergarten classroom, I have been laid flat. I have not felt this horrible in a long, long time.

Also, I may never eat tacos again.

I'm planning on another year of Project 365! Anyone else want to join me?

I'm in love with my Folk Christmas Pandora Station! I've never thought of this song as a Christmas song before, but why not? I heard it this morning while lying in bed trying not to die, and it made me so happy (I know there's nothing to watch, but just listen):

Ellie told Chris the other day, "If you were President, we could all have our own maids and ninjas." I would love maids, but ninjas? Must. Have.

I'm glad I cleaned the downstairs last night before bed, even though I was feeling lousy. It makes it much easier to just lay on the couch all day long.

Sometimes a forced vacation is nice.

Have I mentioned before how much I love my Village? Because I do.

Do you think I put enough links in this post?

I'm sleepy. The kids are due home from school in about two hours. Think I could get in a nap before then?

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Ask a Stupid Question...

2011-12-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

Me: Who keeps tooting?

Ellie: It's me. I have tooteria.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-12-01T16:01:00.001-08:00

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Wow. Life is crazy busy. Is it really just over three weeks 'til Christmas?

I think we need to have a family meeting about fire safety, and what to do if the house ever does catch on fire. Because it's great to know about Stop, Drop, and Roll, but knowing when to actually use it would be even better.

Also, we need to talk about how it's not actually a good idea to run around the bedroom screaming "Grab your favorite things!"

You want to know how I know you're faking the tummy ache? One word: CAKE.

I have a test tonight. I'm not ready. Anyone know how to write the balanced equation for the complete combustion of methanol? Anyone? Bueller?

I love being part of a book club. I just wish my classes weren't always at the same time as the meetings.

Online shopping is so easy. A little too easy, perhaps.

In two weeks I will have made it through my first term of school!

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Tuesday Morning at My House

2011-11-29T08:58:00.001-08:00

Lately my children have been going to sleep later and later. It seems that no amount of threatening or removal of privileges serves to encourage them to stop talking to each other and go to sleep already.

I guess I should be thankful that they're all getting along, but why does it only seem to happen between 9:00 and 10:00 at night, when at least two of them should already be asleep?

Last night, at about 9:45, I informed them that I didn't care anymore what time they went to sleep. I was simply going to expect them to get up right when I woke them in the morning, no complaining. Since I did this in my "Mom's disappointed in you" voice, I think they realized I meant business.

As a general rule, waking them up consists of me shaking them vigorously by whatever body part I can reach at the time (the setup of their beds - all three in one small room - is such that, if they're creative, at times they're not actually accessible to anyone less than a contortionist) and singing really obnoxious wake-up songs in a very chirpy voice, until they get out of bed just to make me stop.

This morning, I smoked them out instead.

Oh, sourdough toast, how tasty you would have been.
Also, a new toaster is now at the top of my Christmas list.

It was the fastest I've seen them move before 9:00 in the morning. Ever. But they were all consequently ready to go on time today. Possibly emotionally scarred for life, but ready to go on time.

In related news, I can take comfort in the fact that Ellie knows what to do if she ever catches on fire. The first thing she did when the smoke alarms went off, before any smoke was even visible upstairs, was drop to the floor and start rolling around.

Random Thoughts Thursday - Thanksgiving Edition

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Not so random today, but that's okay.

Today I'm thankful for:

My Family. I'm blessed with an amazing and supportive husband, who has yet to complain about the shambles the house has fallen into since I went back to school. I'm blessed with three daughters who remind me every day what is truly important in life. I'm blessed with parents who loved me enough to let me go and a sister and two brothers who have clearly forgiven me for being the bossy big sister I was. I'm blessed with in-laws who welcomed me warmly to their family years ago and continue to love me like one of their own daughters. And I'm especially blessed that so many of our family could be with us today.

My Savior. I may have doubts and questions at times, but the one thing I will always know is true is that I am a daughter of God and He loves me and knows me and is always there for me.

My Village. Time and again, my wonderful friends and neighbors have been there for me when I've needed them. I only hope I can give back what's been given to me.

Technology. Because of modern technology, my children can talk face-to-face with their grandparents even though 800 miles separates them.

Music. Nothing lifts a weary soul like good music. And nothing makes a mother smile like her children singing.

Food. What can I say? I appreciate good food.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! My your turkey be juicy, your potatoes fluffy, and your pie every bit as good as you imagined.

Things to be Thankful For

2011-11-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

While going through my file of old emails to our Utah family, I found an account of our first Thanksgiving here in Oregon, back in 2005. In previous years, we had always had Thanksgiving with one or the other extended family, so this was the first year I'd had the experience of cooking a turkey. It was definitely an educational process:

The girls watched me get the turkey ready. They were fascinated by the whole thing, until I got the wrapping off. Then I pulled it out of the bag and the "juices" came dripping out and Vicki started screaming, "It's bleeding! It's bleeding!" (She refused to eat any of it at dinner, so I think if I do a turkey again next year I won't let her watch the prep part so she doesn't get scarred for life.)

She asked where its head was, and I explained to her that they cut off its head and neck, and they put the neck inside, and that when I pulled it out she could see.

I was, and I realize now that this was probably not the best idea, referring to the turkey as "he", and just as I said, "they cut off his head and put it inside him", Lexi walked into the kitchen and asked in an extremely concerned voice, "Whose head? Dad's?"

There's probably a really good reason that I don't ever remember watching my mom get the turkey ready on Thanksgiving morning.

Mother of the Year

2011-11-19T15:57:00.001-08:00

It was Vicki's 11th birthday a few weeks ago, and her grandparents sent her clothes.

The problem with buying clothes for a kid who lives 800 miles away is that they aren't always the same size they were the last time you saw them.

Thankfully, Grandma included a gift receipt, so Vicki and I headed off to the nearest JC Penney (which, unfortunately, is still about 20 mins. away from our house.) We immediately found the same clothes in a bigger size, and made the exchange. Vicki stopped off in the bathroom while I waited on a bench outside, and then we stopped in Claire's to look at jewelry before heading home.

It took a good 15 minutes to get out of the parking lot and back on the freeway (FYI, local people, 6pm on a Saturday is not a good time to leave Clackamas Town Center.) About halfway home, a thought occurred to me, and I turned to Vicki and said, "Do you have the JC Penney bag?"

And she said, "No, you had it."

And she was right.

I had had it. But I didn't anymore.

So we turned around, drove back to the mall, went back to the bathroom bench where I'd set the bag next to me while I waited, and where I'm 100% sure I left it when we went to Claire's. It had been nearly an hour and it wasn't there anymore.

We checked with the nearest cashier, who called the lost & found. Nothing.

We retraced our steps through the mall, on the off chance that I'd set it down in Claire's. Nothing.

We check the lost & found ourselves. Yep, nothing.

Long story short: two days and a 45-minute drive from Clackamas to Vancouver (because the missing shirt was the last one in her size) later, I replaced the missing birthday present.

Definitely not one of my finer moments. The upside is that my daughter is an eternal optimist and not yet a teenager, so she didn't hate me, even though it was my fault. But, you know, disappointing someone like that is almost worse.

Tell me I'm not the only one who's ever done anything like this. Please?

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-11-14T12:16:00.001-08:00

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Somewhere along the line I must have done something on the library website to indicate that I'm really, REALLY interested in Star Wars. Because every time any new Star Wars material becomes available (and you'd be really surprised at how often that happens), I get an email about it.

Of all the things about housework I hate, laundry is definitely at the top of the list. So guess which housework item Chris tackles first now that I'm busy with school? I love my man.

Now, if those toilets would just clean themselves...

It's pretty awesome to get to go Christmas shopping by myself, without having to make special arrangements.

Why do I have such a hard time figuring out what to eat for lunch?

My house is soooooo cold. Two shirts, a hoodie, socks, and slippers, and I'm still freezing.

When your 6th grader is asked in class to list her 5 favorite musicians/music groups, and she includes The Beatles and Bob Dylan, you know you've done something right.

Today's Groupon is for 63% off Turducken. And it's surprisingly tempting.

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-11-10T10:08:00.001-08:00

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I would like to have time to blog again. Actually, I would like to have time to do anything again, besides study chemistry and do the bare minimum cleaning required to keep random visitors from thinking I'm a slacker (please don't drop by unannounced and ask to go upstairs. That's all I ask.)

I lost Vicki's birthday present from her grandparents. In the mall. Maybe if I find time, I can write a post about this event. It was not one of my better moments.

Lexi, bless her heart, is trying out her conflict resolution skills downstairs right now with her sister and two of our babysitting friends. Based on the screaming, I'd say it's not going so well.

Do you ever have a moment when your entire life suddenly seems very surreal? As in, how on earth am I the mother of three children?

Oh, me neither.

Sometimes a non-school day is a good thing. And sometimes, not so much.

Apparently Vicki's school is having a dance today, during school. She didn't say anything to me about it. I wonder why...

There is too much drama in this house. Way, way too much. Somebody save me. Send some boys over; that should help.

Did I seriously just say that? In about two years I will probably be saying exactly the opposite. There is no escape, is there.

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-11-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

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Having school uniforms was supposed to eliminate the drama of getting dressed in the mornings. And up until this morning, it did.

There is way, waaaaaay too much chocolate in my house. This is not good for me and my hips. So not good.

Kit Kats for breakfast may not be the healthiest option, but it's the one that goes over with the least resistance. Don't judge me.

I decided to let Vicki read The Hunger Games. But I told her we have to read it at the same time. The only trouble is, she's a faster reader than me (which, if you know me, you'll know is saying something), so by the time I started on my copy, she was halfway finished with hers. She read the whole thing in one day, and I'm still on page 30.

It's nice, for a change, to hear a private school parent defend their decision to send their kid to private school, rather than feel like they're questioning my decision to send my kid to public school.

I get to register for my next term in a few weeks. And one of the classes I need to take is available online in two different sessions, both of which include an on-campus lab that conflicts with something else. Neither one is out of the question, but I sure wish it was offered on one other day as well.

It was probably not the smartest move for me to bake cookies the day after Halloween.

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The Obligatory Halloween Post

2011-11-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

(Mom, this is for you!)

Vicki is studying ancient civilizations this year, and has been really into the Percy Jackson books, so she decided to dress as Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom (hence the owl on her shoulder). She made her costume by herself - how cool is that? Ellie has been planning on being Rapunzel pretty much since she saw Tangled for the first time. And it was extremely important to her that she have a wig. She determined that her own hair, despite being the longest in this household, is nowhere near long enough, and anything I might have attempted to create with yarn would only have been met with all the scorn a 6-year-old could muster, so I caved and bought something that is now sitting in a tangled (ha!) mess on my stairs. Lexi...well, I don't really know why she wanted to be a zombie, but she made an awesome one. We had a blast designing her costume and doing her makeup, and her hair was a riot. Yes, that's her real hair. It was lots of fun to comb that out afterward, let me tell you.

Our church has a Halloween party every year, and they always find someone to take pictures, which I love.

This is the one I took with my cell phone camera
behind the photographer's back

I'm seriously considering making this our Christmas card this year

This is the only picture I have of Chris's and my costumes. Chris made his own steampunk attire. He wanted to go all out, but budget constraints made that a challenge, so he just went with an awesome eyepiece and a wrist-mounted rocket launcher. And I just recycled my punk costume from years past, but with better tattoos and a different hair color (I tried purple this year, but I think I like last year's blue the best...what do you think?)

After the church party, we humiliated our children by taking them to the pumpkin patch in full costume.

Contemplating the choosing of the pumpkin

She went with a "zombie pumpkin"

Isn't she cute?

And then, of course, we carved the pumpkins.

Happy Halloween!

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-10-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

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I finally got my copy of the book my book club is reading this month. And read it in three days. I really wish I was able to actually go to the meeting, because I know it's going to be an interesting discussion!

My house is a disaster. Di. Sas. Ter.

I have a test tonight. If I do well, then I think that will justify the disaster.

Ellie and her friend wrote a song. It's not all that great, musically speaking, but it has a beautiful message. Maybe I'll have to record them singing it. Assuming they don't forget the whole thing before I have a chance.

There is no school today or tomorrow (or yesterday, for the younger two.) Fortunately, everyone is getting along right now. This could change in a heartbeat, and I probably just jinxed it by posting it on the internet, but for now, I'm just rejoicing in the peace.

I would really like for it not to be so cold. I don't want to turn my heat on, but I'm FREEZING!!!

It's been three weeks since Ellie's birthday, I haven't planned a party yet. Bad mommy.

For the first time in, well, ever, I'm not sewing Halloween costumes. Of course, I'm not buying them, either, so I guess it all works out. Luckily the girls all wanted to be something that could be put together fairly easily from stuff we already had. I'll post pictures, of course!

Ellie wants an American Girl doll for Christmas. Her sisters have had theirs for a few years now, so it's probably time, but have you seen the prices of those things??? Santa better have had a good year this year...

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Meet Howard

2011-10-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

This is Howard the ladybug.

He lives in our car.

I have no idea how he got there, but he's been there for at least two weeks.

Don't ask me why his name his Howard, or how we know he should be "Howard", and not "Howardina".

It's just how we do things around here.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-10-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

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In addition to being random, Thursday has become crock pot day around here. I'm trying a new recipe, and right now my house smells soooooo good!

I've been watching The Wonder Years on Netflix. I'd forgotten how much I loved that show.

The weather was so beautiful on Monday. I just wish it would have stuck around. I really don't want to turn my heat on yet, but that means I'm back to hoodies and slippers in the house at all times.

Next week is Parent/Teacher Conferences at the girls' schools. I always get so excited for that.

I'm helping with the book fair at the elementary school again, but, sadly, no giant Clifford costume this time. Maybe in the spring. People probably think I'm crazy for being willing to wear that, but it was fun.

The past several years we've done Thanksgiving dinner by ourselves, and finally this year we have family joining us! Very exciting.

I'm hungry.

I aced my chemistry test last week. The only bad thing about this is that now I have nowhere to go but down.

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Strange Conversations with Strangers

2011-10-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

This morning Lexi woke up with a fever.

On an ordinary Sunday, this wouldn't throw too big a wrench in the works, but today happened to not be an ordinary Sunday. Chris and I were both scheduled to teach, and since he was going to be teaching adults and I was going to be teaching 4 & 5 year olds, it was pretty obvious which lesson was going to be easier for a last-minute substitute to put together. (The ease of convincing a last-minute substitute to teach 4 & 5 year olds is something entirely different, by the way.)

So I started down the list of willing substitutes and promptly discovered that there aren't a lot of people who answer their phone at 8:00 on a Sunday morning. After hanging up on several voicemails and answering machines, I finally got through to someone who didn't already have a class to teach.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief and putting away the phone list, the phone rang.

Me: "Hello?"

Caller: "Did someone just call my house?"

Me: "Who is this?"

Caller: "Who is this?"

Me: "This is Allison Ebert."

Caller: "Did you call my house?"

Me: "I've been making a lot of phone calls this morning, so I may have. Who is this?"

Caller: "Did you call me?"

Me: "I'm sorry, I really have no idea. I don't have Caller ID, so unless you tell me who you are, I can't tell you if I called you or not."

Caller: "Well, I'll give you a phone number. 555-5555. Did you call me?"

Me: "Okay, that doesn't help. I didn't memorize all the numbers I called. If you could tell me who you are, I'll be happy to tell you if I tried calling you or not."

Caller: "I'm not telling you my name."

Somehow we finally got off the phone.

Without her ever telling me her name.

As much as I'd like to apologize for giving this anonymous paranoid phone police lady a complex on what might have otherwise been a very pleasant Sunday morning, I'm too entertained by the bloggability of our conversation.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-10-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

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I so want to see this movie:

Awesome.

I honestly thought life would be a little less crazy, or at least that I'd have a lot more time to myself, once all three girls were in school. Not so.

I hate the annual back-to-school cold. How come the kids don't get it, but I do?

This evening I have my first test in a very, very long time. I'm a little nervous.

We have nothing going on on Saturday. I'm so happy about this it's not even funny.

I find it a little irritating that people keep posting those "Mormons are Christians!" videos on Facebook. Honestly, I think it's even a little counterproductive. I'd like to write a full blog post about this one day, but I don't know if I'll ever get to it.

Ellie keeps asking when we're going to have her birthday party. And I keep stalling. Maybe we just won't do friends parties this year. I wouldn't have a problem with that, but my kids would. Lexi's birthday was in August and she's still asking.

I haven't missed a day on my Project 365 since February! Last year by this time I had missed two, and by the end of the year I missed four, so I'd say this year I'm on track for 364 out of 365!

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-10-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

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I wish I had time to blog. Yesterday would have been a good blog day, but, alas, there's this thing called homework.

I can post a picture from yesterday now, though:

Senator Jackie Dingfelder encouraging kids to get exercise by
walking & biking to school

It was International Walk & Bike to School Day (did you know that?), and our school had a major party. Major. There were big-time political people waiting on the corner to form a walking school bus, free goodies upon arrival at the school, and an assembly with the afore-mentioned big-time political people. Pretty cool.

It's amazing how much chaos my going back to school created around here. The only reason the house isn't any more of a wreck is that the girls are all in school all day. And the only reason the laundry got done this week is that Chris did most of it. Love that man.

The timer on my phone just scared me to death. Gotta go check on some cupcakes.

Today is this goofball's 6th birthday:

She makes me smile every day, even without
the nerd glasses.

I forgot to mention that there was also a Portland Timbers player at the festivities yesterday. My middle daughter, who has never played a game of soccer in her life, had him autograph two pieces of paper, her arm, her school bag, her bicycle helmet, and her new white school shirt. Nice. Poor man.

It's picture day at the elementary school tomorrow. I think I'll have Lexi and Ellie read these handy instructions first.

I should probably get back to those cupcakes. Yum.

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-09-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

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I just realized I have two posts sitting in my drafts box that I wrote a long time ago, and if I post them now, they're not really relevant, but it seems like a waste to just trash them. So at some point soon you'll probably see posts here with a disclaimer stating just how long ago I wrote them. Heads up.

I was supposed to start school on Monday. But my classes this term (all two of them) are online, and the system was down. It was also down all day Tuesday. But yesterday I finally got to start my Chemistry class! I think I'm going to like it.

I didn't get to start my computer class, because I need Microsoft Office 2010, and we only had 2003. I'm installing it now. Wish I'd known about that before yesterday.

I'm pretty sure there's someone walking around on my roof.

Ellie was describing a boy in her class to me. She told me "he's the one who looks like [another boy in the class], only taller." It reminded me of Ramona Quimby and "Bruce who doesn't wee-wee in the sandbox." At least she's not going all Junie B. on us and calling them things like Meanie Jim or Crybaby William.

I have had Lady Gaga's "Born this Way" in my head for the last three days. Help.

Tomorrow night, Chris and I will finally watch the finale of LOST. Then what will I obsess over? Probably getting a 4.0. No time for TV - gotta study!

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Sage Advice

2011-09-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my first day of school. I haven't been a student for over 10 years.

Needless to say, I'm a little nervous.

When I reminded the girls tonight that I'll be starting school tomorrow, Ellie said, "Mom, let me give you some advice about the first day of school."

(Let me remind you here that her school experience totals a week and a half. Still, in her lifetime that's more than me.)

"My advice for you, Mom, is: Have fun!"

I think I will.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

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I have found a new love: Starbucks' Salted Caramel Chocolate Crème Frappuccino. Yum.

This week I discovered that it's fun to be a crossing guard.

This post made me laugh out loud.

This morning I've been working around the house with my headphones on, listening to podcasts, and I keep thinking I hear Ellie talking to me. It's really disconcerting.

In a fit of Facebook-induced frustration (if you're on Facebook, you know exactly what I'm talking about), I joined Google+ yesterday. I have 14 friends, the majority of whom I'm related to. I don't know whether I'll actually do anything with it, but if you're on Google+ (and you're not creepy), find me!

One day, very soon, we will finish watching LOST, and we won't have anything to obsess over. Sad.

Ellie is still frustrated that they're not learning anything at school. I guess she was expecting to sit down and have lectures about how to add and subtract. Or, who knows, quantum physics. Anything but "choice time" and "writer's workshop". Apparently those things aren't learning. Don't get me wrong, she absolutely loves school, but there's always the caveat "...even though we didn't learn anything. Again."

I forged Chris's signature (it's not really forgery if he gives his permission, right?) on some paperwork I had to turn in, and I mentioned it in front of the kids, and then Vicki spent the evening trying to forge mine.

I think the A/C in my car might actually have gotten fixed for real this time. And I probably just jinxed it by announcing that on the internet. Dang.

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Honest Reporting

2011-09-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

Lexi's homework assignment tonight was this:

Observation (noticing details with out eyes) is very importand in science! Look around your house carefully. Write 10 observations that you think most people wouldn't notice about your house if they came over.

Her response?

1. Our walls are messy
2. No fish in the fish bowls
3. Our stairs are dirty
4. Our computer screen is dirty
5. My bed is boring
6. Our room is boring
7. We have 40 light bulbs
8. We have 8 blinds
9. We have 11 doors
10. Our bathroom is messy

Well, then. Okay. Thanks for the observations, Lexi.

I take comfort in the fact that she thinks most people wouldn't notice these things about our house if they came over.

*Edited 15 minutes later to add: I am now absolutely horrified that I put this on the internet for all to see. In my defense: I don't know what she thinks is wrong with the walls; the fish bowls are decorative and hang on the wall and still look cool without fish, the carpet on the stairs is the cheapest variety possible, and I swear it stains if you look at it; yes, the computer screen is dirty; I don't see anything wrong with her bed or their room; I've never counted our light bulbs, blinds, or doors, bus she's probably right and at least these things aren't embarassing (although...40 light bulbs? Really?); if they picked up their clothes and towels and didn't persist in smearing toothpaste all over the counter and sink their bathroom wouldn't be so messy! There. I feel better now.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-09-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

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I bought a new kind of deodorant yesterday, and today I keep catching a whiff of it and wondering what that smell is. I don't smell like me anymore.

Ellie was exhausted by happy last night. Right before she got into bed she said, "Mom, this was the best day EVER!"

I hope today lives up to yesterday.

Yesterday evening Vicki was on the Wii, making Miis of Jamie, Adam, Kari, Grant, and Tory from Mythbusters. Yes, we're raising nerds.

I spent five hours helping with picture day at the middle school (my feet hurt.) And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at the middle schoolers - they were very polite and respectful.

This house is too quiet without any kids here.

We're still watching LOST. I find more frequently now that the only thing running through my head is, Wait, what??? Only seven more episodes to go. Then we have to find a new show to obsess over.

I watched Lexi and Ellie in their first Tap/Jazz combo class yesterday. Ellie's lack of coordination and rhythm is more than made up for by Lexi. That girl can move!

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Time to Fly

2011-09-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today I left my baby girl at school.

Actually, the more accurate description would be that today my baby girl kicked me out of her classroom.

I didn't cry at the school. I may have cried a little on the way to school, and I may also have sobbed like a baby for a few minutes when I got home. (And now, while I'm writing this post.) But I didn't cry at the school.

Ellie was up at 7am, knocking on my door and announcing, "I'm a kindergartner!" She was dressed before breakfast, and before anyone else in the house, including me.

We walked to school. Well, Lexi and I walked. Ellie ran and skipped the whole way.

As parents, we want our kids to grow up and try new things. I've been excited to have the house to myself for a few hours each day for a very long time. But now I'm feeling lonely. I don't know what to do with myself.

Except, that is, for eating this bucket o' brownies that a friend gave me this morning. She said she knew I'd need them. It's good to have friends.

I miss my baby. I miss all my girls, really. It's awfully quiet here without them.

But I can't deny that Ellie is growing up. She still needs me, but she's ready to be a little more independent, to experience the world for herself.

She's ready to spread her wings and fly.

Far be it from me to get in her way.

Tomorrow...

2011-09-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my baby starts school. All-day school.

We've both been looking forward to this day for a very, very long time.

But now, suddenly, it's upon us and I'm not as excited as I thought I would be.

In fact, I'm a little bit weepy.

Ellie and I have been buddies all day, every day, just the two of us for the last four years, since Lexi started kindergarten. I thought about taking her out for ice cream, or some other special treat, but then I realized I was the one who needed to be taken out for ice cream, and she doesn't have the funds for that.

So we just ran errands instead, like any other normal day around here.

And I took pictures.

You know, to remember.

Rushing off to save the day. At Walmart (I know.)

"Look how else I can ride on it!"

"And also like this!"

Eating yogurt treats in the parking lot.

The last time we'll walk to school together to pick up
big sisters. Tomorrow I'll be picking her up.

I'm really going to miss my goofball constant companion.

But I can't wait to hear all about her day tomorrow.

And I may have to indulge in some chocolate when I have the house to myself.

Shhh...don't tell Ellie.

9/11 Healing

2011-09-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

Ten years later, I still remember how utterly surreal it was to go from watching Sesame Street to watching the world I knew change forever.

But while the world around me changed, I was not personally affected by the September 11 attacks. No one I knew was flying that day. I didn't know anyone working at the Pentagon, or a single person in New York City, let alone anyone in the World Trade towers. While life for Americans in general changed, my own personal life was not altered in the horrific way it was for others. I can't imagine the pain and horror those who were affected had to deal with.

Phyllis Rodriguez's son was in one of the Twin Towers that day. It took 36 hours of anxiety before his family found out that he had been killed. Aicha el-Wafi's son is Zacarias Moussaoui, who was sentenced as a conspirator in the attacks. The two women have formed a beautiful, inspiring friendship that speaks volumes about the power of forgiveness, healing, and mutual understanding and respect.

It is my prayer today, and every day, that we as a human race can strive to, as Aicha el-Wafi says, "...all live together in peace, and respecting each other."

Small and Simple Things

2011-09-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Back in April I posted this, about the NAMIWalk I was participating in here in Portland.

I was stunned at the outpouring of support I received for this event. Stunned and so grateful.

Clearly, there are more people concerned about fighting the stigma of mental illness than I first realized. After I posted, I had friends come to me and tell me about someone they knew who was living with mental illness, or about their own personal struggles with it.

Just like many physical illnesses, it isn't immediately apparent when someone is mentally ill. Your neighbor, co-worker, fellow parent on the playground, or acquaintance from church could be waging a silent war every single day, and you might never know it. It's easy to feel helpless, to wonder what you can possibly do to help. I know this; I spent four years trying to figure it out.

And then I learned more about NAMI.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the largest education, support, and advocacy organization that serves the needs of all those whose lives are touched by mental illness. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers. And NAMIWalks is an opportunity to raise money for the various chapters of NAMI nationwide.

I know many of my readers live in Utah. The Utah NAMIWalk is taking place in two weeks, on Sat. Sept. 24. Several members of my family are participating in this event, and I encourage any of you who feel so inclined to consider joining them. You don't have to join their team (although they'd probably welcome you with open arms); you can walk as an individual - it's what I did. But it's a great way to spend a morning and help fight the stigma of mental illness. (If you're not in Utah, you can always check here to find the date of the Walk in your area.)

It's not really a big deal. It doesn't take that much time. But there's a verse in the Book of Mormon that I've always loved: "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." (Alma 37:6) Walking 5K on a Saturday morning may not seem like much, but it's a step in the right direction, and together we can make a difference.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

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Ellie is currently planning out all the details for her birthday party. Her birthday isn't for another month, but since this has been going on in some form or another for the last 10 months, I guess it's finally about time to take her seriously.

I got robocalls from the "credit card services department" at 10:30 last night and 6:30 this morning. Nice.

Vicki's new shoes are only two sizes smaller than mine. And she is, quite proudly, only 7 inches shorter than me. I am not ready for this.

Turtle haiku!

I've been walking down to the school each afternoon, even though I don't technically have to go this week, since Ellie hasn't started yet and Lexi's old enough to walk home alone. Talking to the other parents on the playground after school is my social outlet each day.

My sister-in-law sent me this link. Some of them are really crude (Mom, you're probably going to be offended), but I was laughing so hard I was crying.

I've wondered sometimes if my memories of just how hilarious Lexi was when she was little are a little exaggerated. After last night's discovery, it's clear they're not. She has a one-of-a-kind personality, and she is awesome.

For the last three days, Ellie has started begging for lunch at 9:00 in the morning, approximately half an hour after she's finished breakfast. Methinks this girl needs to be in school.

I've read a lot of blogs lately where parents talk about how sad they are sending their children off to school. I don't feel that way. Should I feel that way? I love my kids, and I love spending time with them, but I also love the fact that they're stretching their wings by going off to school each day, learning new things and being with friends (and learning how to be with people who aren't friends.)

I'm hosting Book Club tonight, so I should probably get back to making my house presentable. Well, at least the downstairs part. What they can't see won't hurt me.

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Blast From the Past

2011-09-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some old files on my computer this afternoon and came across a priceless gem called "emails from Oregon". When we first moved here, in my pre-blog days, I wrote a long email each Sunday night keeping the grandparents and aunts & uncles up to date on all our goings-on. Once I started the blog the emails became redundant, so I stopped, but I'm so glad I saved everything. I have had the most entertaining (and non-productive) evening reading back over it.

Allow me to share with you a little bit of what our life was like in 2005:

July 17

Vicki appeared upstairs, announcing that Lexi was making a mess. I went downstairs to find that Lexi had apparently decided that she was in need of lotion, and finding none nearby, had decided that her yogurt, which, after all, was a pretty pink color, would work just as well.

July 31

The other day the girls were singing a song from one of them [Veggie Tales videos] called "Stand Up for What You Believe In". There's a part in the song that goes, "God! He's the one who backs you up! He'll stand with you!" Well, they were disagreeing because Vicki thought the lyrics were, "God! He's the one who packs you up! He'll stand on you!" And Lexi, bless her heart, thought it was, "God! He's the one who vacuums up! He'll stand in you!"

August 14

Lexi is still changing her identity on a regular basis, as frequently as she changes her clothes. This morning before church she threw a genuine teenager-worthy hissy fit while standing in her closet because, and I quote, “I hate these clothes!” (keep in mind that this was just three days after her 3rd birthday)

Sept. 4

Lexi said our family prayer at bedtime a few nights ago, and asked Heavenly Father to "please bless Violet and Dash, and Mr. Incredible and Elastagirl, and Jack Jack in Elastagirl's belly." while nodding at each of us in turn...Lately she has been talking to me about when she was a grown up. She'll say things like, "When you were a little kid and I was a grown up, I made the bed and you messed it up!" (while, might I add, she's in the process of gleefully messing up the bed I just made), or "When you were a little kid and I was a grown up, I made cookies and you cried because I said no cookies until after dinner." And because I know you all need a good laugh, today in Sacrament meeting, she turned to me and announced, in a very non-reverent voice, "You know, my underwear is on backwards!”

Sept. 11

Vicki said, “I know something that’s not appropriate for dates with boys.” We asked her what, and she said, in all seriousness, “Showing your underwear.”

Nov. 7

[Ellie] is so calm, which is really really nice given the level of chaos that we generally have around here. She just observes. I only hope she's not saving up ideas for later that she'll unleash on us all at once. (clearly, she was)

Dec. 4

Yesterday morning Vicki woke Chris and me up by announcing outside our bedroom door that she was "freakin' hungry".

also Dec. 4

Lexi's new clothing issue arises each morning when I try to make her wear pants while we take Vicki to school. It's been pretty cold lately, and since we don't park the car in the garage, it's cold in the car. Lexi insists on wearing a dress every morning, only to get in the car and cry because her knees or her "little leggies" are "fweezing". However, when I try to make her wear pants instead of a dress, she cries because the pants "make me look weird".

I'll stop now. There's plenty more where this came from, though.

Maybe you don't think my kids are as hilarious as I do, but I can't stop laughing.

Back to School!

2011-09-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

It's back-to-school week around these parts! Vicki and Lexi started today, but kindergarten doesn't start until next Wednesday, so poor Ellie, who has been waiting forever for her turn to go to school, still has another week to go.

Vicki was so excited to be able to choose her own
clothes. I, on the other hand, wish the uniforms
continued through high school.

Vicki and her friends have made plans to meet up and walk to school together each day, but a few of us uncool parents insisted on joining them the first day. You know, to humiliate them with cameras. Nothing like starting middle school off on the right foot. At least I didn't kiss her goodbye in the classroom - even Lexi would have balked at that this year.

Middle School, here we come!

Lexi insisted on getting a messenger bag instead of a backpack. They must not be "the thing" anymore, because we had to search everywhere before we found one that her sense of style and my wallet could agree on. The strap is so long it bangs her in the knees, but she loves it. I did not tell her to pose like this for her picture - this is pure Lexi. Also, note the fluorescent socks. With a uniform, there are only so many ways to express yourself. And for Lexi, day-glo socks are clearly the best.

Mighty 4th Grader!

First day down for two of them, one more to go.

It's going to be mighty quiet around here after next week.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

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All week I have been traveling with my Girl Scouts.

I'm happy to say that they've been incredibly well-behaved. It's truly been a lot of fun.

I'm tired of driving, though.

Tillamook ice cream is the best.

My thoughts aren't that random today. They all seem to have to do with this trip.

It's a pain to blog from my phone.

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Today

2011-08-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up at 5:00am.

Today I drove to my friend's house early in the morning to drop off my van so it could be loaded up. I drove home in another friend's car.

Today I got three children ready for church.

Today I stopped at the store on the way to church because a certain child didn't tell us until last night that she's out of a particular bedtime necessity.

Today I was still early for church.

Today I drove for two hours with a car full of gear and Girl Scouts.

Today I sang camp songs, ate pizza by the pool, and helped pack tomorrow's lunches.

Today I began a week-long adventure with the ten most awesome almost-6th graders I know.

We're gonna have a blast.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-08-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

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I heard an awesome story this week about E.B. White. Apparently he did an audio recording of Charlotte's Web, and it took him 17 takes to get through the part where Charlotte dies.

I finally broke down today and put our little A/C unit in the window. We've made it this long, but the house didn't cool down overnight (at 9am it was 80 degrees upstairs, and only 67 outside), and I was dying. It's amazing what a difference it makes. I will probably not be as grouchy today as I first anticipated.

I took my car into the shop. Again. Maybe this time they'll fix it.

It amazes me in this day and age that there are still people who don't check their email regularly.

My baby starts kindergarten in three weeks. I can't believe it. She can, though. She can hardly wait.

Yesterday we visited the school - I had a meeting with the principal - and when the secretary saw Ellie and her friend Katie, she said, "There's my two kindergartners!" and I swear they both grew a foot taller.

I love getting a haircut.

Next week I get to ride a horse on the beach. How cool will that be?

Never plan vacations two weeks apart. It will make you crazy.

There is not enough ice cream in my house today.

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Living in The Village

2011-08-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

I hate my house. HATE it.

Well, okay, maybe that's a little harsh.

I really don't like my house.

It's too small. The builder did a shoddy job. The wiring is faulty. The carpet is cheap and badly in need of a cleaning. There is no pantry. It's too small. The original paint (still in a few upstairs rooms) was hideous. There is nowhere for visitors to park. The people renting across the street like to swear at each other, with the windows open, at 2am. Did I mention it's too small?

Okay, fine, I hate my house.

But I refuse to move if it means leaving this neighborhood.

We moved here almost sight unseen. In fact, the first time I laid eyes on the house, or the neighborhood, was the day we pulled up with the moving van and a front door key. Chris flew up and spent a day with a realtor, looking at houses and taking pictures, which he then shared with me. After a lot of thought and prayer, we settled on a place and made an offer.

We've lived here six years now. In June, Vicki "graduated" out of the same school she started attending in kindergarten. There is a core group of families that we've met since that day in 2005 that I consider to be as good as family; people I love to spend time with, and who I trust with my children (and who I'm fairly certain trust me with theirs.) I cannot imagine my life without these families as a part of it.

You've heard the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child"? Time and again since moving away from our "real" family, I have seen this in action. These families have banded together to help look out for each other. They have been my salvation on a number of occasions. I've seen rides offered so that someone else's child doesn't have to miss out on a book club meeting. I've seen watchful eyes kept on other's people's children on the school playground - I know that if something were to happen to me and I wasn't able to make it to the school on time to pick up my kids, several other parents would have my back. I've seen countless impromptu playdates, arranged on the spur-of-the-moment with a "what's one more?" attitude. I've seen parents willing (and even - dare I say it - excited) to look after my children on short notice when I've needed it most.

Maybe it's like this everywhere. I don't know - I guess I never needed it before. But I do know that we have our own amazing little Village here (might I just add that it's due in no small part to our wonderful neighborhood school), and I don't ever want to have to find a new one.

Village children and their gingerbread houses, Dec. 2010

I may hate my house, but I love my home, here in my Village.

Sign of the Times?

2011-08-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

What does it mean?

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

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Having access to Netflix on my phone is dangerous. Who wants to fold laundry when you can just sit on the bed and stream one episode of "The Office" after another?

I wish my kids appreciated salads as much as I do. I would love to eat salad all summer long, but, darn it, they expect me to actually cook stuff for them. It's too summery to cook.
Speaking of summery, I feel like eating zucchini bread, but I don't feel like baking it.

I wish I were Mary Poppins. Or at least that I had her magical finger-snapping abilities.

Ellie just brought me the missing ponytail holder bag, full of the missing ponytail holders. I just bought a whole bunch of new ones. Figures.

Vicki and her friend are melting wax in empty soup cans on the stove in my kitchen - and scenting it - in the hopes of making candles. I really hope my kitchen doesn't end up covered in wax by the time they're finished. They wanted to do an experiment, and this one seemed like a better idea than hammering rocks on the porch.

Now I'm not sure why I thought that.
I think my brain still wants to be on vacation.

School doesn't start for 2 1/2 more weeks. I can't decide if I'm ready for that, or if I want more time with my kids. My opinion changes hourly.

This hour, I'm ready.

Why can't we all just get along?

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Reaching Our Destination

2011-08-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

12 hours is a long time to be stuck in the car.

But we've made the drive between Portland and Salt Lake City 13 times now, and the girls are older and better at keeping themselves busy.

We have two portable DVD players, which surprisingly don't get as much use as they did a few years ago (although it appears that both Lexi and Ellie may have been utilizing them when I took the picture). We also have the VCR in the car, although it, too, is mostly ignored.

Decades ago, my mom started a family road trip tradition of handing out "100-mile treats", and I've kept the tradition alive, although my mom's treats were actual, edible treats, while mine tend to be things like markers, books, and movies. Hers were probably cheaper, but mine keep kids occupied for longer.

We always leave around 4am, and Chris drives while the girls and I snooze. We switch sometime after breakfast, once we've stopped at one of the many gas stations we've become all too familiar with over the course of the last six years. The hands-down best one is the Boise Stage Stop, on the Utah side of Boise. Just in case anyone was wondering.

While driving, we play the Alphabet Game, I Spy, and 20 Questions. We listen to music, podcasts (Radiolab, Freakonomics, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and This American Life are our favorites), and the girls singing. Ellie sings songs she makes up, usually about such song-worthy subjects as the sun shining through the window or my sister's dogs. Vicki and Lexi sing camp songs.

In past years, I've dreaded the drive. It was long, it was boring, and the kids were squished and unhappy. But now that we have a bigger car, older kids, and more life experience, I've decided it's actually kind of fun. Too often in this house we're trying to find our own space and, essentially, get away from each other, but when we're forced to spend time in close quarters, my kids have learned that they can actually have a good time together. They enjoy each other more, and Chris and I enjoy them.

And now I realize that these days, like the objects in the mirror, the destination is actually closer than it appears.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-08-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

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Today is Lexi's 9th birthday. I feel a little bad that we're not really doing anything special today to celebrate, but then again, she's already had two parties. And she did get to blow out a "candle" on her French toast this morning (we couldn't find any actual candles, so it was a match, but she didn't care.)

Nine!

On Monday, I told the girls that we had a big, fun day planned for Tuesday, but that it was a surprise (we were taking them to Lagoon, a local amusement park.) Ellie immediately asked if we were going for ice cream. I love that my kids view ice cream as a big, fun surprise.

Spending time with grandparents is great, but I know I'm going to pay for it when we get home. Apparently, everything Grandma does is right, and I don't do anything like Grandma.

At Lagoon on Tuesday, we discovered that Lexi doesn't like fast rides, Ellie does, and Vicki, who gets carsick driving to school, can go on upside-down roller coasters without losing her lunch. Go figure.

Apparently, there is a letter waiting at home telling us who Vicki's homeroom teacher is this year. I can't wait to find out. Not that I know anything about any of the teachers at the middle school, but it would be nice to know which of her friends are with her.

I can't think of any more random thoughts. Vacation brain, I guess.

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Klowning Around

2011-08-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

My brother Robbie was a film major in college and now makes commercials for a firm called VitalSmarts. Even when he was in high school, he and a bunch of his friends used to make movies just for fun. A few years ago, he put a bunch of his movies from high school and college onto DVDs and handed them out to family members. My children love watching Uncle Robbie's movies.

One of these movies is a little gem called "Apokalypse Klown", starring my brother's friend Brad as a really freaky clown who lives in the basement and, as clowns are wont to do, kills people. The girls like watching it, but they find the clown freaky all the same.

Today we went to church with my parents. It just so happens that Brad of the Klown fame also goes to my parents' church. When I saw him after Sacrament Meeting, I pointed him out to Vicki and Lexi. "See that guy over there talking to Uncle Robbie? He's the clown from 'Apokalypse Klown'!"

Blink, blink. "Really?"

"Yep! Do you want to go meet him?"

Both of them shuddered, and neither one paused for even a second before answering "NO!!!" in voices much too loud for church.

Apokalypse Klown, your legacy lives on. And I'm really glad we don't have a basement.

Some Things Really Shouldn't Be Named

2011-08-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about visiting far-away family is telling stories about my kids. Yes, my relatives all read the blog, but I don't blog about everything, and my kids are, honestly, complete weirdos, so there's always plenty to tell.

Yesterday while hiking, the story of Ellie's foot came up.

See, a few weeks ago Ellie discovered that she has some warts on the bottom of her foot. Gross, I know, but it happens. And, since this isn't our family's first experience with foot-warts, I know that they will eventually go away on their own. Or we could cover them in duct tape for a few weeks, and that would get rid of them. If only I wasn't on vacation and therefore too lazy to bother with the duct tape cure. Maybe when we get home.

Anyway, I digress.

Ellie has apparently named her warts.

I swear I am not making this up. You can't make stuff like this up. If you ask her, she'll happily (and rather proudly) tell you all about it. Their names are Bob, Bobby, and Timmy. Timmy is the tiny one. Bobby used to be named Tarzan, because he looked like a target, but now he doesn't anymore, so now he's called Bobby.

Where she comes up with stuff like this, I will likely never know.

My kids are weird.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-08-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

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Today we are on the road! Utah, here we come!

I'm posting this from my phone, which I've never done before, so I hope it works out. I cheated a little bit and started the post at home.

We had the A/C fixed in the car last week, and yesterday it decided to die on us again. So, to add to my already somewhat frantic day, I ended up dropping the car off at the mechanic. As much as that threw me off, we still managed to be completely packed and ready to go by 10pm. We're getting better at this (it's only taken 6 years.)

Blogging from my phone is challenging. Isn't there an app for this?

Ellie is currently serenading us with a very looooong song about my sister's pugs. It involves dancing, which is quite an accomplishment, considering she's buckled up.

Her sisters are singing camp songs.

Are we there yet?

Here's what I can see right now:

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Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

2011-08-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

This morning the girls and I went shopping. Sadly, it wasn't the fun kind of shopping. We went to Costco and the grocery store.

And I, as usual, forgot to grab my strong, reinforced-bottomed, reusable grocery bags. (If anyone has any tips on how to remember these, please do share. Ellie used to be really good about reminding me, but lately she's been falling down on the job.)

When we arrived home, I instructed each of the girls to help carry groceries into the house. They were dying for lunch, and I let them know that the timing of lunch would be directly affected by how long it took to unload and put away all the groceries. That got them moving.

Lexi, in her enthusiasm (or starvation), yanked the first bag she saw quickly out of the car.

Unfortunately, it was the bag full of heavy cans and jars.

And the bottom split open.

And the cans and jars all fell out.

And we live on a hill.

Also, I don't think I've mentioned this, but we currently have construction workers doing repairs on our townhouses every weekday morning. Naturally, they chose that moment to be finished for the day and getting into their cars. At the bottom of the hill. The sight of three kids and a crazy lady chasing cans of soup and jars of pickles down the street no doubt made their day.

As one drove past, he said, grinning, "That would have been a great YouTube!"

I'm disappointed to report that he didn't manage to get his phone out in time.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

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Every time I think about blogging, I get overwhelmed. I'm not really sure why, but I can't seem to get a post written to save my life.

Yesterday Ellie was being a space cadet (as usual.) I said to her, "Are you on another planet?" and she dreamily answered, "Mars."

She's been enjoying her week as an only child. Yesterday in a Facebook post I called it "(L)only child", but today she told me she only misses her sisters a little bit. Because "We're going to fight when they get back. It's just the way we're made."

My phone autocorrects "sleepovers" to "sleepiness". Smartphone indeed.

If you live in the Portland area, you should know that YoCream has Family Nights Mon.-Thurs. from 5-7pm, where all treats for kids 10 and under are only 99 cents. I feel it's my duty to share this information with you.

Yesterday I cleaned out under the couch, behind the credenza in the entry, and inside the coat/shoe closet. Ew.

Today I think I have to conquer the fridge. I'm pretty sure no-longer-identifiable things in there are close to forming an army to take over the house. Double ew.

I start school in just over a month. Holy cow.

After hearing this, I've decided to change the way I pray in public. Boogedy, boogedy, boogedy, amen!

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-07-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

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Next month two friends and I will be taking 11 soon-to-be 6th graders on a six day trip to the coast. Are we crazy? Maybe. But I can't wait!

I hate "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" commercials. With a passion. Who's with me?

Why can't I ever think of anything to blog about?

My kids have been watching too much TV this summer. Curse you, Netflix.

It's after 4pm and I still don't know what to make for dinner tonight. I had a plan, but my day didn't work out like I expected it to, and now that plan is shot. Pancakes, maybe?

Next week Ellie will be an only child while her sisters are at camp. But she's not excited or anything. Oh, no.

Vicki's book club rated The Golden Compass an average of 5.6 out of 10. Next they expressed an interest in reading Shakespeare. They're a little ambitious.

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No "Ifs" or "Ands", Though

2011-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I informed Ellie that she would be showering after swimming lessons. Knowing full well that I was going get an earful of why she didn't really need to shower today, that perhaps some other day, sometime in the vague and distant future would suffice, I added, "No ifs, ands, or buts, Missy."

She looked at me and very sincerely said, "Okay, Mom. I wasn't going to say 'if' or 'and' anyway. I might say 'butt', though, because it's more fun to say than 'bum'."

Alrighty, then. As long as we're clear on the shower.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-07-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

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So...today is Thursday. It took until 1:00 for that to actually sink in. Must be summer.

Tonight I'm taking Vicki and Lexi (and Vicki's friend Shelbie) to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2! Woohoo!!!

In honor of the movie, we made Muddy Buddies. I'm not sure what they have to do with Harry Potter (unlike these, which I would love to make but don't have anywhere near enough time), but we snuck them in when we went to the last HP movie, and apparently you only have to do something once for it to become tradition.

I need to not let myself get riled up over things people post on Facebook. Especially when they didn't post them to rile anyone up in the first place.

Maybe I'm too opinionated.

"Rachel" from "Cardholder Services" keeps calling me. I wish she'd stop.

This summer seems to be the summer of things really clicking for my kids in swimming. Vicki passed the last level this morning (woohoo!), Lexi is in level 9 (out of 10), and Ellie is in level 4 and learning arm strokes. And I'm proud of them.

We got the A/C fixed in the van (hint: if you buy a used car in October in Oregon, you won't need it, but check the A/C anyway), which means we get to go to Utah this summer after all!

10 more hours until Harry Potter!!!

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She Still Wants to Hold My Hand

2011-07-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

My oldest.

Volunteer.

Swimmer.

Reader.

Fearless.

6th grader.

Growing up way too fast.

When we're walking someplace, though, I often find her at my side.

She may be growing up, but she still wants to hold her mom's hand.

I love it.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-07-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

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The AC in my van doesn't work. This was not a problem until just recently. Now it's a Problem.

I like that the girls have swimming lessons at 9am. It's late enough for us to sleep in (I'm too old to sleep past 7am anymore) but early enough that we still have the rest of the day ahead of us.

I've decided I want to take piano lessons again. And learn to dance. Guess I need to get a job.

My little brother (who's taller than me) sent me a text message yesterday to tell me that he misses me. It totally made my day. Maybe even my week.

I love "This American Life". Love. It. I'm seriously considering paying $2.99 for the app, which is major, because I don't pay for apps.

Leftover pizza is the best. I'm so glad I made two pizzas last night so we actually have leftovers!

I think today the girls and I will finish watching Anne of Green Gables. Thank you Netflix for sending a replacement DVD!

Must...not...bake...cookies. Must...not... Oh, who am I kidding. Cookies, woohoo!!!

It's possible to eat cookies and still lose 10 lbs., right? Right?

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There's an App for That?

2011-07-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have an iPhone, but Chris got an Android-based phone (I guess it's only fitting, since I was raised Mac, while he's been a PC for life). We're constantly comparing apps, but it's always nice to compare with someone who has the same OS. Last Friday we went to the park with friends, and while the kids played, Chris and Tod talked phones.

"You definitely need this one!"

Tod's had his phone for longer, so he was telling Chris about all the must-have apps. If you ask me, everything they discussed falls into two distinct categories: useful apps, and turn-you-into-a little-boys-again apps.

Case in point: Jedi Lightsaber:

Useful? Not at all.

A must-have? Obviously.

Chicken Hats

2011-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday evenings can be kind of crazy around here. This past Wednesday, I was going with Lexi to her GS awards ceremony and then Chris was taking her and Vicki to an activity night at church. I was trying to communicate to him, simply and efficiently, that he should not expect anything prepared for dinner when he got home from work, but that our old standby, the chicken patty, was an option.

I think I need a chicken hat.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-06-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

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If all I had to go by was the weather, there's no way I'd believe today is the last day of June. Seriously, Mother Nature?

If Papa Bear's porridge was in the biggest bowl, Mama Bear's the next biggest, and Baby Bear's the smallest, and Papa Bear's porridge was too hot, wouldn't it make more sense if it was Baby Bear's that was too cold, and Mama Bear's that was juuuuust right? This has always bugged me.

After Ellie dropped the quart-sized yogurt container on the kitchen floor, she announced "No one come in here! There's been a major incident!"

I wish I didn't have the time now to bake cookies. Cookies are bad.

I bought Harry Potter tickets this morning! Woohoo!!!

Insurance companies are so much fun. We're finally getting things wrapped up on a claim for something that happened last August. And it's not my fault it's taking so long. (try telling that to the people threatening collections.)

Ellie took this picture of herself yesterday:

I can't stop laughing.

I'm proud of myself because when the girls asked me to buy chocolate-covered strawberries, Lady Godiva chocolate-covered strawberries, no less, I maintained my self-control and said no. I'm crying inside, but on the outside I'm proud.

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The Swing

2011-06-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'm cross-posting this from my other blog, so most of you have probably already seen it, but I've loved this poem since I was little, and the picture of Ellie just personifies it for me. So now you can enjoy it twice!

How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue?

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,

Till I can see so wide,

Rivers and trees and cattle and all

Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,

Down on the roof so brown—

Up in the air I go flying again,

Up in the air and down!

-Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child's Garden of Verses

Photography Skillz

2011-06-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

If I leave my phone alone for more than five minutes, it's pretty much a guarantee that the next time I see it, a few more levels of Angry Birds will have been passed and there will be some interesting pictures on the camera roll.

Case in point:

This is clearly everyone's favorite app.
And Lexi's favorite pose.

I think Ellie took this one.
Why? I don't know.

There are at least 30 variations of this.

See?

I need to buy lightbulbs.

I don't know who took this one, but I sure
hope my butt isn't really that big.

Freaky.

Also freaky.

Dad's not immune, either.

Then Vicki has to go and take a really awesome picture.
Go figure.

The moral of the story? Guard your camera well.

Or be prepared to delete a lot.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-06-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

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I discovered the coolest web site last night.

In related news, apparently "Reliable Snot" is an anagram of my name. Awesome.

Overnight, Vicki became a swimmer. Yesterday she was still flailing all over the place, and today I watched her swim 10 widths of freestyle, with bi-lateral breathing (I'm so cool because I know the technical term for breathing over both shoulders), like a pro.

There are not enough hours in the day.

Yesterday my repeated mutterings included the phrase, "It's only the third day?" This might be a really looooong summer.

I came up with a new "keep the house clean" strategy and brainwashed my children into believing it will be fun. I'll do a full post on it sometime. If it works.

I feel like complaining about the lack of summer warmth, but give me two months and I'll be complaining about the heat, so maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut.

Smartphones are really addictive.

If you leave me a comment, please sign it with your favorite anagram name (see link above).

Love,
Alien Lobster

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Things that Make Me Feel Old

2011-06-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

*Having a friend tell me about a pair of "vintage" jeans...from 1999.

*Explaining to my kids what "fast-forward" means.

*Getting a postcard in the mail from the college I'll be attending, announcing an exciting upcoming bash, and recognizing that if I went I'd be AT LEAST a decade older than anyone else there.

*Having to wait while the telephone survey people run through one more age category than they used to.

*Realizing that the 80s music I love is now being played on the Oldies station.

*Realizing that the 80s was three decades ago.

*Discovering that my body can no longer handle sleeping on the hard mattresses at Girl Scout camp - I swear it wasn't that uncomfortable last year!

*Knowing that at the end of this summer I will be a middle school parent.

*Admitting that I'm still more comfortable operating a Walkman than an iPod.

*Realizing that the 1st graders I taught before Vicki was born will be Seniors in the fall.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-06-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

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I didn't mean to complain about Chris in yesterday's post. Really! It didn't even occur to me that that's what people would get out of it. Just shows how much attention I pay to the small things, I guess. He's forgiven me, I think. (Although his text message to me when I apologized profusely simply read, "just remember, I don't get mad..." I'm actually a little afraid.)

My firstborn is graduating from elementary school this afternoon. Man, that makes me feel old.

School isn't even out yet, and already I think the summer's not long enough.

I'm pretty sure that in two years I'm going to be heading the Outdoor School fundraising program for Lexi's class. It's a good thing I'm getting used to it now.

Today I finally finished the book I was supposed to have read for my book club meeting on the 2nd. Two weeks ago. It's been a little busy around here.

My new phone makes me feel so organized! If you know me, you'll know I'm not AT ALL organized. So either it just makes me feel organized, or it's actually helping me. I vote for the latter.

I learned how to tie a tie when I was in a play in high school that required me to wear one. You wouldn't think that skill would come in handy with only daughters, but it does.

I can't think of any more random thoughts.

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I'm Glad it's Today

2011-06-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a weird day.

Chris took the car because he was attending a class in Oregon City and didn't want to spend two hours biking there. Can't really blame him.

Tuesday is my usual grocery shopping day, and when Chris said if I gave up the car for the day he'd be willing to stop by the store on his way home, I assumed a deal had been made. I even emailed him a very specific list (I don't know how it works in other households, but whenever Chris does the shopping we end up with all kinds of weird things.)

We were out of bread, so I had to make the hated roll-ups for the girls' lunches.

Ellie and I took our time walking home from the school, gathering enough rocks, leaves, flowers, and sticks to garrison a colony of birds' nests for a month.

I discovered that the girls' laundry baskets were overflowing and decided to remedy the situation all in one day - what I was thinking when I made this decision, I may never know.

I'm glad it's today.

Vicki had her first book club meeting after school, so she went straight to her friend's house, but we brought home a replacement child for a spontaneous playdate.

We got home to find Chris there. His class had finished earlier than he'd expected, and he was trying to set up the computer so he could do some work from home.

And there were no groceries.

Apparently there'd been a miscommunication. While I thought he was for sure going to stop at the store on his way home, he thought that he'd do it if it worked out. But he was finished with the class earlier than he expected and thought he'd get some work done. Since he gets paid to work, but not to shop for groceries, I can't really complain.

So instead I told him he was in charge of the three girls downstairs, told the three girls downstairs that the man upstairs was in charge and that they could have an after-school snack of goldfish crackers, and left for the store.

I arrived home less than an hour later to find my husband still upstairs, blissfully unaware of the fact that downstairs were three little girls who had eaten their way through half a bag (a Costco-sized bag, by the way) of goldfish crackers, six packages of fruit snacks, and three Go-Gurts, and were now sitting in the living room watching "The Electric Company" with their feet in giant bowls of water.

Sigh.

I'm glad it's today.

During dinner, we asked Vicki how her day at school had gone, knowing full well she'd had the "My Changing Body" talk and video that afternoon. Blushing furiously, she admitted that it wasn't that bad, and that she really hadn't learned anything new, except that animals go through puberty, too. That was the question she submitted for the Q&A session after the video (God bless those wonderful teachers forever.)

She mentioned a few of the other questions that had been (anonymously) submitted. When she said that one of them had been, "What's a virgin?", Lexi, having no idea herself, shouted, "Virgins! Let's all be virgins!"

Sounds like a good idea to me.

I'm glad it's today.

This morning, Ellie and our babysitting friend Violet found the bag of craft feathers that Vicki and Lexi had been using the other day, and decided to decorate the living room with them.

I'm...glad it's today?

Imagine Balloons and Confetti

2011-06-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Because this is my 500th post!

I've been writing this blog for nearly four years. I started it as a way to keep far away family members updated on what we were up to. Mostly what the girls were up to; let's be honest, the far away family members don't actually care that much about what Chris or I are up to.

Over time, the blog evolved. It became a creative writing outlet for me. I found out that people actually read what I write, and sometimes they like it! Now I have followers I've never met. Not too many, but a few. It's fun.

I have plans in the works to, hopefully, reach a larger audience. I want to write posts that people will enjoy reading. However, I'm pretty sure I think I'm funnier than I actually am. So even though I have my favorite posts here on the blog, I want to know what people who aren't me enjoy.

So, in honor of the 500th post here on Three is a Magic Number, I have a favor to ask of you, my readers. Will you please leave a comment letting me know which post (or posts!) you've enjoyed the most? Pretty please?

It would be a wonderful "Happy 500th Post" present for me (because, of course, an event as epic as this one requires presents!)

And it would go so well with the balloons and confetti.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-06-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

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Added to the list of things I never thought I'd hear myself say: "Okay, why did a paintbrush just fall out of the milk?"

Today is the elementary school talent show. I'm very excited that there doesn't seem to be a single Justin Bieber song involved. And also that there's at least one showtune.

Following is a pictorial example of why you should never leave your 5-year-old alone in a room with toothpaste:

The important thing is that she had a lot of fun.

I figured out how to sync my Google calendars with my iPhone. Now I feel so organized! (even though I'm still really not)

I get to go to camp this weekend with Lexi's GS troop. I'm excited, but also feel like there's so much I could be getting done around here if I wasn't going to camp for the weekend.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.

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Your turn!

If you do a Random Thoughts post on your own blog, I'd love to know about it! Leave me a comment and I'll come read!

Speech Impediments

2011-06-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ellie can't say the initial "R" sound. She's only five, so we're not really that worried about it yet, and I suppose it's not truly a speech impediment at this point (and I hope it's clear that I'm in no way making fun of people with speech impediments. Just my own child.)

The best part about this is that she has absolutely no idea that she's saying words wrong. She thinks she rules the world, so therefore however she says something must be the right way to say it.

Tonight Chris was singing along with the song that was playing while Vicki was cleaning the playroom. It was that "A is for apple, B is for bug" song. However, he kept making up new words for each letter. Rather than yell at him for messing with things, Ellie said, "Dad, don't forget 'Y is for why-no!'"

My days are going to be really dull when she starts kindergarten in the fall.

Six Little Votes

2011-06-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

I realize this probably seems like an oddly-timed post, seeing as it's June, and it's not an election year. Bear with me. It will all make sense in the end.

We live in a teeny little school district. Four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school; that's it. The schools are pretty small, too. Our elementary school only has about 400 students. We love it.

Last month a special election was held here. A lot of the ballot items had to do with education. Our neighbor, Portland Public Schools, had a much-publicized bond up for election, one that was guaranteed to raise taxes if it passed.

Our own little district also had a bond on the ballot. We were hoping for money to build a new middle school - something desperately needed, since the current one was built to house 600 students and now houses upwards of 800 - and update the four elementary schools in terms of safety and technology. It was set to replace an existing bond that was about to expire. This meant that, unlike the PPS bond, it wouldn't raise taxes. However, due to the size of our district, this bond didn't get anywhere near the kind of attention the PPS bond did.

Several of my friends were very active in spreading the word. They sent emails, passed out fliers, made phone calls, knocked on doors, and sat at a booth outside the Farmer's Market. One good friend is not an American citizen, and therefore can't vote, but she still put in countless hours spreading the word because her children attend school in this district and she cares about the quality of their education. While our family didn't do that much work, we made sure to hang a sign in our window, put a sticker on our car, and wear our "I'm voting yes!" buttons constantly. The girls were all fired up about the election, wearing their buttons to school and discussing it with their friends. It was a great civics lesson in action.

By the time the polls closed on Election Day, the bond was up by 17 votes. The next morning, the count was up by 27 and we were celebrating our victory.

And that's when the roller coaster ride began. The count bounced up and down by just a few votes as the few remaining ballots were counted. We were down by 1, then up by 2, then down by 2, then up by 1. Suddenly we were in the news. Rarely is an election so close.

During this time I became frustrated and, yes, I'll admit, angry as I learned of people I knew who either hadn't voted at all, or who had voted "no". Of course, I understand and firmly believe that it's everyone's right to vote however they see fit, but now I wish I had been more proactive, had stepped up and made phone calls, canvassed in the rain, or just mentioned it more often in casual conversation. Too many people didn't understand the difference between our bond and Portland Public's. Too many people still thought their taxes were going to go up if they voted "yes" and therefore voted "no" (although I personally believe that an increase in taxes is worth the investment in educating a community's children, but that's perhaps a post unto itself.) Too many people fail to see that if you're not part of the solution in making our public schools better, you become part of the problem.

The final count came in today: after a recount, the bond passed by 6 votes. That's it, just 6. Vicki will probably not get to enjoy the new middle school, but now I know my other two girls will, and that all our community schools will be safer places for the children who attend them.

This experience has been an eye-opener in so many ways. I have always believed that it's important to be an educated voter, to understand the issues before I vote so I understand the true impact of my vote, but now I believe that even more firmly. My girls have had an opportunity to see what happens when a community rallies together over something they believe in, and what can happen if not enough people become involved. I can assure you that at least Vicki has become motivated to stand up and speak out for causes she believes in. This is why she and I will be spending tomorrow, and several Saturdays through the summer, helping to raise money for Outdoor School. And I can't (and won't) complain, because she has become a citizen in her community, and has learned that if you want something to happen, you have to make it happen. What a life lesson!

And lastly, there's this: if you never believed before now that your single little vote could make a difference, well, I'm telling you, friends: it's time to become a believer.

Six little votes just made a world of difference for the children in my community.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-06-02T16:09:00.001-07:00

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Today is Thursday? What?!? Oops.

I almost have 500 posts on this little blog. Crazy. I'll have to do something major to celebrate when that bit number actually rolls around.

I'm having way, waaaay too much fun with my new phone. Here it is, next to my old one (which, amazingly, had lasted five years):

As one friend put it, it was like going from 0 to 60 in seconds flat. I'm still in awe of everything it can do. They just need to invent an app that can do my laundry and I'm set for life.

Why don't my kids listen to me? I feel like a broken record. Maybe if I got a new voice, they'd hear me better. That, or one of those airhorns they use at football games.

It's not fair that all three of my girls need new Girl Scout uniforms this year.

My book club is tonight, and I'm feeling really guilty because I haven't finished the book. It's been a busy month. Of course, I'm going anyway. Why let the fear of public humiliation stop me from spending an evening with some of my favorite ladies?

There is not enough chocolate in my house.

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Your turn!

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Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-05-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

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Overheard during dinner:

Ellie (with a mouthful of food): "Vicki, you need to work on your table manners!"
Vicki: "Oh, yeah? Look who's talking!"
Ellie: looks around "Duh! Me!"

My NAMIWalk was awesome! I'm excited to do it again next year. If anyone wants to join me, let me know!

Tomorrow is Kindergarten Roundup at the school. Ellie has literally been waiting for this day for an entire year. She has her wardrobe planned and everything. I really hope it lives up to her expectations.

I'm registering my baby for kindergarten tomorrow. Wow.

We tie-dyed t-shirts in Girl Scouts yesterday. I love tie-dye. I'm such a hippie.

Tonight is the season premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance". We promised the girls they could watch it if they're all ready for bed by the time it starts. Of course, we'll force them to go to bed before it's actually over. Huh, I should probably tell them that.

With the start of SYTYCD comes one more night that we can't watch LOST. We're now four episodes into season 5, and no questions are being answered! How on earth are they going to wrap everything up by the end of season 6? DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ANSWER THAT QUESTION. IT'S RHETORICAL, AND IF YOU TELL ME I WILL HAVE TO RELEASE THE SMOKE MONSTER AT YOU! (what's up with the smoke monster, anyway? What IS it and where's it coming from? And why haven't we seen it recently? Ugh! See what I mean???)

Does anyone else think Niel Diamond is really good cleaning-the-house music? Or is it just me?

Less than a month of school left...and then I have a middle schooler! So not ready...

I think I'm getting a new cell phone next week. That will be very exciting, since my current cell phone is about five years old.

I want to write a post about why we love our school so much. Because we really do. I wouldn't want to send my kids anywhere else.

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Your turn!

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Just Because

2011-05-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an up-and-down day on Lexi's roller coaster ride of life, but she's still my sunshine on a cloudy day. I love my Lexi-Lou.

Family Try-athlon

2011-05-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

My wonderful father-in-law turned 60 at the beginning of this month, and all he wanted for his birthday was for the entire family to join him in a triathlon Sprint (that's half-Olympic distances).

The man on the big day.
(I stole this picture from my sister-in-law's blog. Sorry, Em!)

I love my father-in-law to death, but any request involving running is not one that I'm terribly excited to meet.

The good news was that the expectations were low. His plans originally included naps in between each leg. That's my kind of athletic event.

The event was in the works for several months (Eberts are big on planning. And pre-planning.) T-shirts were designed and the date was set for May 7. The rest of the family is in Utah, so they reserved a swimming pool and plotted out a course for the bike and run/walk. They kept us Oregonians abreast of the plans and as the big day approached we ~~worked really hard to get in shape and get ready~~ talked a lot about our own participation.

The Sprint distances are 750m swim (1/2 mi), 20k bike ride (12.4 mi), and 5k run (3.1 mi). We were given the completely guilt-free option of adapting each leg in whatever way suited our abilities. My abilities are thus: I haven't swam a lap since about 1994, I own a bike and sometimes I ride it, and I loathe running but frequently walk our children to school.

Basically, I figured I'd be fine with walking the 5k, except for the fact that I didn't think I'd live through the swim, let alone the bike ride.

The morning of the 7th, though, I discovered the Ironkids triathlon distances (the Intermediate, for ages 9-11, is a 150 yard swim, 4 mile bike ride, and 1 mile run) and, knowing that Vicki really wanted to participate, decided that of course she needed someone to do it with her. Problem solved, death averted.
I didn't pull the camera out at the pool, but Vicki and I swam our laps first while Chris played with Lexi and Ellie. 150 yards is 3 laps, which is much more doable than the 18 laps required by the Sprint distance. Even so, I found the backstroke to be my friend. The crawl stroke, not so much. Vicki beat me by a long shot. Once I could breathe again, Chris and I switched places, and we girls played while he swam.

We decided to do our run/walk before the bike ride, since we were already at the high school. Lexi took off running, did one lap, and decided she was done.

Go, Lexi, go!

She and Ellie spent the rest of the time crawling under the fence, collecting rocks, and playing on the bleachers.

Prison break? Nope, just two cute kiddos!

Chris, Vicki, and I walked a mile together before Vicki declared herself done and ran off to join her sisters. At that point, I was "officially" done, too, since I was doing the same distances as Vicki, but I decided to keep Chris company for the remaining two miles. Because I'm nice like that, but also because I figured that was the one leg of the Sprint I could actually do without dying.

Here's a view of the lovely weather we enjoyed.

It sprinkled on us a little bit, but the heavens didn't actually open until we were completely finished. Small blessings are sometimes the sweetest.

After we finished at the track, Chris took off on his 12-mile bike ride while the girls and I hung out at home. It took him about an hour, and then Vicki and I took off.

We rode from our house to the Columbia River and back, which worked out to be 5 miles round-trip instead of 4, but we made it. Vicki had never ridden that far before, and she did a great job!

Halfway point. I love where we live!

I'm amazed at how much I actually enjoyed this event. It would have been more fun to do it with the whole family, but we had a blast on our own. Ron, if you want to do this every year, we're in (as long as we can still walk instead of run)!

Oh, and Happy Birthday!!! We love you!

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-05-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

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I was all depressed because no one commented on last week's post, and it was my birthday! But now I realize that Blogger was having issues right around then (I was out of touch, technologically speaking, for a few days), so I've decided to believe that hundreds of people commented and it all just got lost. Yes, that's what I believe.

I really want to get back to blogging more than just Thursdays. I really do. Why can't I make it happen?

This morning I spent an hour an a half in the dentist's office, having a broken tooth and lost filling repaired. Now I firmly believe that I was completely scammed several years ago at a different dental office when I had a broken tooth repaired. This time all they did was fill it and tell me if I experienced pain (which I wasn't anyway) to call them. Last time I had to suffer through a root canal, crown lengthening (which is dental terminology for "agonizing torture beyond your wildest imagination"), and crown placement in a whole series of appointments. I was dreading the worst this morning and am content with the amount of agony I suffered compared to what it could have been.

I have now received $350 in donations for my NAMIWalk. People are awesome. My people, doubly so. Thank you!

Today was the Fun Run at the girls' school. Last year it was raining. This morning it was about 70 degrees and sunny. Spring finally decided to show up, and she picked a good week to do it!

Why can't I find motivation to tackle the pile of laundry that resulted from our camping trip? I've washed everything, but I can't seem to get it interested in folding itself.

It's nice to have my computer back. But it came back sans all the extra software we installed. Guess who gets to reinstall everything?

I don't recommend getting a virus in your computer (or anywhere else, for that matter.)

I fully grasp the irony in linking this here, but come on! How could I not?

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Your turn!

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I'm Just Doing My Part

2011-05-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Just under a week until I participate in the Northwest NAMIWalk!

I first posted about this walk about a month ago, and in that short time I have been amazed at the outpouring of generosity that I've received. I set an original fundraising goal of $100, feeling fairly confident that I could raise that much over the course of a month without too much trouble.

Within two days I had more than doubled it.

What this tells me, aside from the fact that I am blessed to know some very generous souls, is that fighting the stigma of mental illness is something that is important to more people than I first realized.

It's important to me, as I said before, because I have a close family member who is fighting a valiant battle against mental illness. And, in fact, this person is not the only member of my extended family fighting this battle.

I'm willing to bet that every single person reading this blog right now knows someone who is battling mental illness in some way, shape, or form. It's far more common that we'd like to think. And it's easy to feel helpless when it comes to something like this. I know I have. I live too far from this family member to be able to offer any physical support, and so for four years I've wondered what I can do, aside from continual prayers and constant reminders of how much I love them.

But by giving up just a few hours this coming Sunday (and getting some exercise in return!), I will be contributing nearly $300 to NAMI, a wonderful education, support, and advocacy organization that serves all those whose lives are touched by mental illness. It's not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it's a lot to me.

Most importantly, I'm helping to raise awareness. Mental illness SHOULD NOT be stigmafied. For a long time, we didn't understand enough about it, but that isn't true any longer. Medicine has come a long way, and we now have the capability to treat illnesses of the mind with the same regard as illnesses of the body. I feel like more is being done lately to help fight the stigma (like this moment on Glee, which made me cry), but we still have a long way to go.

If you are able to contribute even a little toward my walk, I encourage you to do so by visiting my walker web page. If you are not, and I understand that not everyone is in a position to do so, I encourage you to think about what you can do to help raise awareness and improve the lives of those dealing with mental illness. If a brisk walk appeals to you, consider joining me on Sunday, so I don't have to walk alone! (And if you're not local to the Portland Metro area but are interested in walking, check here for a Walk in your state - Utah's is on Saturday, Sept. 24 and I know several members of my family who will be walking then.)

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to those who have donated. I wish I had a better way to express how grateful I am, and how much it means to me personally, but this will have to suffice.

And to my family member, if you read this (you know who you are!): I love you. I don't care whether you've made mistakes, or how badly you think life sucks right now - and it pretty much does suck right now for you. All that will go away, but you will always be a part of my family, and I will always love you - no conditions, no strings attached. None at all. I'm doing this for you, and I just want you to know that.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-05-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

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Today is my birthday! Woohoo!!! I'm turning...29...again ;)

Tomorrow is Chris's birthday. I love that our birthdays are so close together. It makes life easier.

All I want for my birthday is for life to be less crazy. So we're going camping. I can't wait.

The problem with showing up to parent meetings in our school district is that you find yourself co-chair, at the very least, of all kinds of committees. Despite clear insistence that there was no way we were going to do it, my friend and I are now in charge of the fundraising for Outdoor School for next year.

I'm going to miss shopping with Ellie next year. I never thought I'd say something like that, but it's true. She's so much fun to hang out with.

Planning a camping trip is a lot of work.

Yesterday I quoted "The Simpsons" to Vicki. She said, "Mom, you're really weird." One day she'll appreciate my twisted sense of humor.

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Your turn!

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Random Thoughts Thursday (late afternoon edition)

2011-05-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

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My computer crashed yesterday. It's in the shop now. Of course, the most devastating thing about it was knowing that I might not be able to do a Random post today! I mean, my public needs me, right? Right?

Fortunately, Chris's laptop, which for the last two months has refused to work with our wireless connection, decided this afternoon would be a good time to start working again. So, commence Random Thinking...

I have an irrational fear of double-decker bridges. I think it stems back to the fact that the first time I'd ever heard of a double-decker bridge was when the Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. I pretty much hold my breath whenever I drive over the Marquam Bridge.

I learned last weekend that Ellie wants to be a veterinarian, a ski instructor, and in a band when she grows up. Life is nothing without ambition.

I love book club Thursdays!

I'm supposed to be participating in a family-wide triathlon this Saturday (Chris and I are here, the rest of the family is in Utah). Should be interesting. Seeing as how I haven't done a thing to train for it, I may die.

My NAMIWalk is in two weeks! I'm very excited, and incredibly amazed at the support I've received!

I guess I should start fixing dinner. I don't want to. But I will, and it will be yummy.

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Harry Potter Happiness

2011-04-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy!!!

I know what Vicki, Lexi, and I will be doing at midnight on July 15!

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-04-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

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I love it when my kids belt out Newsies songs at the top of their lungs. It's so much better than if they were singing Justin Beiber songs.

This morning I'm going in to talk with a college advisor, something I have not done in over a decade. I'm scared to death about this whole going back to school business. It makes me feel so old.

I have the best picture of Ellie and Uncle Blaine, but I think I want to save it for another post.

Living in my house is like living on the roller coaster of emotions 24/7. And they're not even teenagers yet. Oy, vey.

The other day Chris and Ellie were naming Lego guys, and Ellie picked one up and said, "He doesn't have a name. He's anonymous."

I wish I could remember all the funny things I planned on posting here all week long. These posts would be so much better if I could.

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Moments Like This...

2011-04-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Two Random Thoughts Thursday posts ago, I alluded to a phone call that chased away any lingering doubts about starting Vicki in school when we did. Today I get to talk about why.

Vicki has always been bright. She has always been eager to learn, and determined to succeed at whatever she put her mind to. Crawling wasn't getting her to where she wanted to go quickly enough, so she started walking at 9 months old. Speaking one word at a time didn't communicate her thoughts clearly enough, so she started speaking in complete sentences long before anyone expected her to. She learned the basics of reading pretty quickly, but once she really figured out that if she put it all together the doors to new worlds would open, she started really reading in the space of almost literally a weekend. One night we were reading chapter books to her, and the next, it seemed, she was reading them to us.

At this point we had just moved to Oregon, and suddenly we found ourselves faced with the fact that we had a four-and-a-half year old who was, as far as we could tell, ready for kindergarten. We talked it over with the school, took her in for the kindergarten assessments, and spent some time on a conference call with the wonderful principal, who took us through the pros and cons of starting kindergarten early, made his recommendation based on her assessments (which was to go ahead and start her), and left the final decision up to us.

And we've never truly regretted sending this little baby:

with the backpack that's almost bigger than her

off to kindergarten.

She was pretty much the tiniest kid in the school, but boy did she love it. From day one, school was very clearly her thing.

Over the years since then, Chris and I have talked about that decision we made for her, and whether or not we still thought it was the right decision. And we've always felt good about it, and pretty sure it truly was the right decision.

Fast forward to a week and a half ago. I got a phone call from the principal, the same one who helped us make the decision to start her early nearly six years ago. He said Vicki had been chosen by the 4/5th grade teachers as the outstanding student of the year, an award that is presented annually by the local Masonic Lodge for one boy and one girl from each of the elementary schools in our district.

the sign in front of the school (the boy's name is on the other side)

In that moment, I knew, without a doubt, that we were absolutely 100% right in sending her to school when we did. Not only did she hold up in all academic areas, but socially as well. She may be the youngest 5th grader in the school (she's actually younger than a few 4th graders), but she carries herself with a maturity that more than makes up for the age difference.

with her teacher Mrs. T and our amazing principal Mr. L

It's moments like this that make parenting feel so worth the effort. I don't believe that Chris or I did anything out of the ordinary to help Vicki achieve this award - it was all her hard work and dedication, but our award was getting to listen to her teacher's speech about why she was chosen for it.

And that, my friends, is a beautiful reward.

He Lives!

2011-04-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives who once was dead.
He lives, my ever living Head.

He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives, all blessings to impart.

He lives! All glory to His name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-04-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

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I love it when people come visit us! So do my kids - especially when it means they get to skip a day of school.

On the other hand, there's nothing like having houseguests to remind you of all the things in your house that are falling apart.

At least we have a house.

I should be more grateful for what I have, even if it's not perfect.

In a fit of excitement, brought about by the purchase of a new-to-me sewing machine, I decided to make the girls' Easter dresses. I have the fabric; it's sitting in a nicely folded pile in my closet. Easter is this Sunday. Guess what I'll be doing all day long on Friday and Saturday?

I can't believe there's only two months of school left. And then I'll have a middle-schooler, a 4th grader, and a kindergartner. And I'll be a college student once again. Scary, all of it.

Lexi just told Ellie that having a rip in your jeans makes you look cuter. Great. It's beginning.

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Your turn!

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End the Stigma

2011-04-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Four years ago a close member of my extended family* was diagnosed with mental illness.

I love this person dearly, and since that time I have wondered what, exactly, I can do to provide support. I suppose I could have been more proactive about seeking out opportunities, but, well, life's busy. Not a great excuse, but it's the only one I have.

The time for excuses has come to an end, though.

Just recently I learned about NAMIWalks. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the largest education, support, and advocacy organization that serves the needs of all those whose lives are touched by mental illness. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers. NAMIWalks is an opportunity to raise money for the various chapters of NAMI nationwide.

The Walk here in Portland is taking place this year on Sunday, May 22. As a Mormon, I generally shy away from doing things on Sundays that aren't church-related, but I feel pretty strongly that God doesn't mind me missing church when I'm spending the time instead doing something to support someone I love.

If you feel inclined or inspired to support me in this event, you can go to my walker website, where you will find a safe, easy, and secure way to donate to the cause. Every little bit helps.

And If you are in or around Portland and are interested in joining me in walking for this cause, I'd love to have some company! You can find all the information you need on my website, too. If you are too far from Portland to join me for this event, consider walking in an event that's local to you. You can find information about all nationwide NAMIWalks events here.

It's time to get rid of the stigma and realize that people with mental illness deserve to be treated just like anyone with any kind of physical illness. They deserve the respect and support of their communities, and they deserve access to quality and affordable healthcare.

And I'm doing what I can to help out.

Will you help, too?

*If you happen to know this family member, please be respectful of their privacy and do not mention them by name here on the blog. Thank you! (And darn that stigma.)

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-04-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

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Why must the sun tease me so? And why must it never, EVER stop raining?

Ellie just informed me that she named the squirrel outside the window Aviva. It has a kind of chipmunky design on its tail, apparently.

And she named another one Cokey. If she sees any more, she's naming them Jimmy, Martin, and Chris.

I have no idea.

Yesterday I got a phone call that erased any lingering doubt (if there was any) about enrolling Vicki in kindergarten when we did. Phone calls like that are nice.

Lexi informed me the other day that she's planning on being the tidiest kid. I like it. I hope it lasts.

This morning I made banana chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. The recipe makes 24 and there are currently only 13 left. I predict that by tomorrow morning they will be a distant memory.

You should watch this now. But only if you want to laugh.

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Pure Awesome

2011-04-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have the two cutest nieces on the planet. They just "published" a story, which made me laugh until I cried, and which I absolutely have to share with a larger audience. It is the best thing I have read in a long, long time.

So, without further ado, please redirect yourselves to my sister-in-law Emily's blog, where you can read what she very appropriately described as "a Salvador Dali painting with princesses". Enjoy.

Sweet, Sweet Irony

2011-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Oregon has a special election coming up in just over a month. This morning a concerned citizen left a flier on my windshield while I was shopping in Fred Meyer.

I wish I had a scanner, but since I don't, I'll just copy it here for you, with the formatting exactly as it was in print:

What The local media

doesn't really want you to

know.

Ballot majors 26-121 and 26-122 will

cost the average property owner

$500.00 more a year in taxes on an

average $250,000.00 house, plus an

extra three percent on top of your

homes value at the end of the year.

Vote yes or no

Also watch for a possible 85 percent increase

on your water bill for the next five years

This affects you, if you are a homeowner or a

renter in Multnomah County.

Be concerned, be very concerned!!!

Oh, trust me, I'm very concerned.

See, ballot "majors" 26-121 and 26-122 are bonds to benefit Portland Public Schools.

And if the author of this flier is a product of Portland Public Schools, then he or she has made a very convincing case. Although I have a feeling it's not the case he or she was trying to make.

I love the smell of irony in the morning.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

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I accidentally bought 1-ply toilet paper. I don't know why that disturbs me so much, but it does.

I'm so ready for Spring.

In the nearly six years we've lived here, our street has been closed three times. Once three years ago as the result of a train wreck and now twice in the last three weeks. Crazy.

We're halfway through the fourth season of LOST, and it just keeps getting weirder. And Ben Linus keeps getting creepier.

Why does the clasp on every necklace I've ever worn always migrate to the front? And why does it always migrate to the front on the same side?

I'm not usually a sucker for the plethora of "funny" animal videos posted on YouTube, but this one really cracked me up.

This made me laugh, too. It also made me very disappointed that I missed the audition. I already know all the words to "If I Were a Bell".

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Woes of an Almost-Middle-Schooler's Mother

2011-04-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

Vicki will be starting middle school in ohmyword five short months.

I'm not ready for this.

She is, though. Ready and bouncing up and down with excitement. The girl who has never cared about clothes in her life is planning her wardrobe for the time when she no longer has to wear a uniform (darn it.)

Last week, all the 5th graders at her school got to go over to the middle school for a tour. And I wanted desperately to go along, but I managed to convince myself that it would be better for all of us if I just stayed home. Moving into the world of middle-schoolers is not something that needs to be done with Mom holding your hand. And, quite possibly, sobbing uncontrollably. Yes, better for everyone.

That evening at dinner she gave us all the scoop. The middle school is BIG, but awesome. Lockers are so cool. If you don't play in the band as a 6th grader, you can't do it as a 7th or 8th grader, so please, please, please can she get a flute? She learned an exciting new word: electives. And she threw it around like she'd been saying it forever. She was suddenly a world ahead of her former lowly elementary-school self.

I miss my baby.

Heaven help us all when she actually starts middle school in the fall.
Oh, and the school supply she's convinced she needs more than anything else?

A cell phone.

Of course.

Can't I just freeze time right now? Please?

I'm not ready for this. Not one little bit.

Blast from the Past

2011-04-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our tax return, we reorganized our "office" over the weekend. We bought a new desk, added some shelves, and basically turned the room into an ad for IKEA. Seriously, we're turning into the IKEA poster family. It's slightly pathetic, but also easy on the pocketbook.

Part of the job involved going through unlabeled CDs, trying to figure out whether there was anything on them worth keeping. Most of them were either blank but really scratched, or copies of music we already had stored on the computer. But I came across two discs of random pictures from several years ago that made me really grateful I hadn't just trashed everything without checking them first.

And now, to the future humiliation of my children, I'm going to share some of these priceless gems with you.

First, some of my favorites of Ellie:

Diva child

I like to call this one "trailer trash Ellie"

This was when I learned that naptime
wasn't going to be so easy anymore

And now, Lexi:

In true dad fashion, Chris thought it
would be hilarious to dress her up like
Dobby from Harry Potter.

She said, "Take a picture of me with an
angry face." This was the angry face.

Self-inflicted mullett

Vicki's aren't quite as embarrassing, but I work with what I have:

Not sure what the face was about.
Also, I'd forgotten our kitchen floor used
to look like that!

Back when she couldn't smile normally
to save her life, and she had a gap-tooth
grin for a year and a half.

Do you think Vicki looks like me?

Vicki

Then there was one of me before I got my hair cut. Wow.

I like it better short.

Also, Chris and I used to look really young.

2005

It's scary to think that by the time this picture was taken, we'd been together for 10 years, married for 6, and had two children with one on the way. And we look like such babies.

Among the pictures was also a fabulous shot of my already-big belly at 13 weeks pregnant with Ellie (which I will NOT be sharing with you, thankyouverymuch), pictures of the water damage to our house when we returned home to find a pipe had been dripping steadily for the entire 11 days we were in Utah, pictures of my entire family at the Oregon coast (watch out guys, I'll use those one day!), and a whole bunch of others I'm glad we didn't lose.

So, the moral of the story is: always label your discs.

And also, it's never too early to provide future humiliation for your children.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-03-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

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Did you miss me last week?

We've all recovered from what I am now calling, for lack of a better name, THE VIRUS OF DEATH (yes, the all-caps are necessary, trust me.) It has been five days since anyone in our house threw up and we're all very excited.

I lost five pounds in three days. Although I'm delighted with the results, I don't recommend the method.

I love how my kids' hands all still easily slip into mine when we're walking somewhere together. All three of them are still happy to be holding hands with Mom in public, and it makes me smile.

This morning Ellie and I got to watch more police in action, frighteningly close, as they responded to another shooting call right around the corner from the fabric store we were heading to. I would be happy to not have to be anywhere near police action again for the rest of my life.

What is it about the phrase "blue lips" that makes it so much fun to say? Or is it just me?

Now, not only do I want a new camera, I actually need one. Or at least to get mine fixed.

Being accepted for school would make me feel so much more excited if I hadn't received the acceptance email two minutes after submitting my application. I guess as long as you have the ability to hit "submit", a community college will take you.

I'm scared to start school again. I feel too old.

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If I Call it an "Adventure", Maybe I Won't Cry

2011-03-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

If I believed in karma, I'd be wondering what I'd done wrong.

This past week was the girls' Spring Break, and we left Chris behind and headed down to St. George for some Grandma & Grandpa time. The plan was to fill our days with hiking, exploring, swimming, playing, and all kinds of craft projects, and my sister-in-law Emily was coming down with her girls Abbie and Savannah.

Our flight left late Friday night, so we spent the morning packing and the afternoon running errands. Our neighbors, meanwhile, spent the afternoon in a gang-related shooting incident which caused our entire street to be closed off and filled with policemen.

For a while, it looked like we weren't going to be allowed to go home. And not going home meant not packing and leaving again for the airport.

We eventually made it home, and in a crazy mad rush finished the packing, ate dinner, and left the house significantly less clean than I had intended to. But we made it, and the trip began.

Among the items we forgot to pack in our mad rush: the girls' toothbrushes and my swimsuit.

Saturday we slept in and then went hiking at Red Cliffs Recreation Area. Uncle Blaine and his girlfriend Mel were with us for the day. This was BY FAR my favorite day of the trip.

Queen of the world!

This was a lot scarier than it looks - I'm so proud of her!

Sunday was spent playing with cousins, baking cookies with Grandma, and challenging Grandpa to a putting contest in the backyard "golf course".

This was also the day my camera broke. Thankfully Vicki brought hers along, so I didn't have to worry about missing a day.

Monday was a rainy day, but we planned accordingly. All the girls sewed matching pajama pants with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Emily while I ran around buying craft supplies and a new swimsuit (FYI: Walmart's choices in this department are rather unfortunate.) We made flower fairies and went to Del Sol, where Grandpa bought us each a t-shirt.

And this is where my vacation ended.

Tuesday morning I awakened to the sound of Vicki throwing up. Everyone else went hiking at Zion National Park while the two of us stayed home and watched movies. Then they got back from hiking, with a vomit-covered Ellie, who didn't make the last 10 minutes of the drive.

Wednesday was another day of doing nothing at home. I finished one book and started another, while Ellie watched movies and threw up a lot. Everyone else went to the sand dunes in Snow Canyon, and Vicki came home with a fever. Goody.

Ellie continued into the evening, so by 8pm I was on the phone with our insurance company's ask-a-nurse and the on-call physician at our pediatrician's office. Both recommended having her looked at, so it was off to the ER, where it didn't take long to conclude that she was dehydrated and in need of an IV. The poor kid was so miserably sick that she didn't even move when the stuck the needle in. After another bout of vomiting, they gave her some Zofran, which I have nicknamed The Wonder Drug, and within 10 minutes she was sitting up, chatting animatedly about all kinds of things, and eating a popsicle, which stayed down. If you ask her what the worst part about the hospital visit was, she'll tell you it was when they removed the tape that was holding the IV on. It was the only time she cried.

After the Zofran

We returned home around 11pm to learn that Lexi had a fever. Joy.

So on Thursday, Lexi lay on the same couch previously occupied by her sisters, watching movies while Emily and I cleaned and packed and Grandma and Grandpa took the rest of the girls to a park. They came back to pick us up for lunch at IHOP, but Lexi elected to stay home. Knowing I hadn't been out of the house in two days, Grandma offered to stay with her, but I only got out of the house long enough to make it to the IHOP parking lot, where Vicki threw up. Again. And where the energy was quickly fleeing from Ellie.

So I had one kid with a fever, for which Tylenol was doing nothing, one kid who was vomiting, and one who had absolutely no energy and complained of a tummy ache (mine would ache too if I'd spent 24 hours vomiting). Two of them were also having issues with the other end, if you get my drift. And I wasn't feeling so hot myself anymore.

Did I mention we had a plane to catch that night?

God is good. I know this because after begging and pleading with Him for pretty much the whole day, we managed to make it home almost without incident. The girls were in fairly good spirits during the two-hour drive from St. George to Las Vegas, and they managed to make it through security (bless forever the sweet security lady who must have seen the exhaustion in all of us and sent us through the "special" line - the one set aside for airport personnel and wheelchairs) and into the packed waiting area before crashing. We found a corner and they all lay down and fell asleep. Once we got on the plane, Ellie was asleep again before takeoff and Lexi about five minutes after. We made it through the first hour of the flight before Vicki threw up again. Thank goodness for barf bags and a kid who's old enough to know what to do.

The plane landed at midnight, and when Chris picked us up I sat down in the car and burst into tears.

We made it.

I don't believe in karma, but if I did, I'd have an awful lot of questions for the universe. I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything to deserve all that. I do believe in God, though, and I know there's no way I would have made it through the day yesterday without His help. I did not do that on my own - He was holding me up until I could do it on my own again.

And now, I need a vacation.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-03-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

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It has been absolutely crazy around here lately. My house has suffered immensely. Today, I'm up to my elbows in laundry.

But tomorrow, I leave on vacation! Woohoo!

Want to know how many boxes of cookies my kids sold? Well, it doesn't matter, because I'm going to tell you anyway. Lexi sold 211 boxes, and Vicki sold a whopping 586 boxes! That's just 3 boxes shy of 800 when you put them together, and only 40 fewer boxes than Lexi's entire troop sold. My girls worked HARD and I'm really proud of them!

And now, I'm DONE with cookies! Well, until next year.

I didn't make any green food for breakfast, and I didn't decorate the house with shamrocks or gold coins. I didn't bake cookies or put treats in my kids' lunches. And guess what? I don't feel like a terrible mother!

Today I got an anonymous card in the mail. It just said, "Wishing you a wonderful week." It totally made my day!

This morning, I got to watch Vicki receive a "Golden Pride Ticket" at school. It's a high honor, and she was praised as being someone who represents the school well now, and who will, in the future, make the school proud. Yay, Vicki!

I'm going to be pretty much without internet access for a week, so don't expect a Random Thoughts post next Thursday. I'll have to make up for it on Friday, I guess.

Hey, it's 1:00. I should probably eat lunch.

And do some more laundry.

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Your turn!

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Some-Kind-of-Colored Small Fantasy Creature

2011-03-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Update: I think I was tired when I posted this last night. "...asked what Daddy fun things was going to do..." makes no sense whatsoever! I fixed it so I am no longer being publicly humiliated, but I left the phrase here so I can laugh at myself anyway.

Last night at dinner we were discussing the girls' and my upcoming trip to Utah. We're going for a girls' week with Grandma and Grandpa E. (he's an honorary girl for the week...or something.) And Chris is staying here alone.

We were talking about all the fun things we want to do while we're in St. George, and someone asked what fun things Daddy was going to do while we're gone.

Vicki said, "Oh, he's just going to eat junk food and watch junk shows."

Chris said, "Junk shows?" (probably thinking, rather accurately, that I'm the one who watches junk shows; Glee, anyone?)

And Vicki said, "Yeah, you know, like 'Blue Elf'."

Silence.

Blue Elf?

"The one you were watching that one day? Where it was kind of like deja vu? And they're on a spaceship, with a guy with an H on his head?"

And Chris almost fell out of his chair laughing.

She was talking about Red Dwarf.

Random Thoughts Thursday

2011-03-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

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After that post about showering every morning, it's really embarrassing to admit that it's after 9:30 and I haven't showered yet. In my defense, though, there's no school today (again), and Ellie has been planning since Monday to make pancakes today, so that took precedence over the shower. It will happen, though.
Amazingly, I have only eaten one Cadbury Creme Egg so far this Easter season. I'm very proud of me. And we don't need to mention how many Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs I've eaten, do we?

Four more days until the cookie sale is over and I get my life, and my living room, back! Woo hoo!

I'm really proud of my girls, and my Girl Scouts. They went above and beyond expectations!

I want a nicer camera.

Yesterday I singlehandedly fixed the backseat of our van. It involved screwdrivers and ~~swearing~~ only a little bit of blood.

We're up to the season 3 finale of LOST, and just when I think the show can't possibly get any weirder, it does just that.

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Zen and the Art of Showering Each Morning

2011-03-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not a morning person AT ALL, but ever since Ellie was born, I've made it a priority to get up early enough to shower before the girls are awake. I never feel fully awake myself until I've showered. It seems to make the day go better. Also, I really enjoy the peace and quiet the shower provides. I heard someone say once that she got a lot of her praying done in the shower, and since then I've discovered that she was really on to something. The white noise of the water running, and the steam, and the yummy smells of shampoo and body wash make it a great time to pray and meditate and ponder and organize my mind.

Or at least try to.

This morning, my peace was interrupted by the ear-piercing shrieks of one of my children. Even through the running water and closed door, I could tell that it was the same phrase, over and over, and I knew she was either yelling for me (even though she knew I was in the shower) or yelling at one of her sisters, neither of which boded well for my morning.

Then another child came into the bathroom, complaining that the yelling sister had whacked her in the face with a pair of pants.

Happy, happy day.

The old me would have lost it. But, in my shower-induced zen-like frame of mind, I've become a new me. A me who doesn't lose it quite so often. A me who realizes (and, yes, it took me this long to realize it) that losing my temper over ridiculous things takes waaaay more energy than just taking a deep breath, counting to ten, and reminding myself that this, too, shall pass.

Because I kept my cool, by the time I got out of the shower everyone was friends again. The pants-whacker had apologized for the pants-whacking, the pants-whackee had apologized for whatever it was she did to prompt the pants-whacking, and everyone was playing Webkinz and halfway ready for school, which, to be honest, was more ready than I expect anyone to be at 7:15 in the morning.

It's going to be a good day - I can feel it. And all because I had a shower this morning.

Random Thoughts Thursday (late afternoon edition)

2011-03-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

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Oh, yeah, it's Thursday. I almost forgot. It's been a little crazy around here.

Guess what happens when you're friends with the person running the show at the elementary school book fair? You get phone calls that begin with the phrase How much do you love me? and end with you agreeing to spend two hours doing this:

I have never had so many hugs and high fives in one evening.
It was awesome.

I seem to talk about the girls' school a lot. Well, you know something else I love about our school? The kids get to take public transportation on field trips. Maybe some people wouldn't see this as a good thing, but I do.

I'm actually making an effort to lose that stubborn last 10 pounds that have been hanging around since I had Ellie. But I'm trying to do it without really changing much in my lifestyle. Ask me how well that's going. Cadbury Creme Egg season is not the right time to decide to get serious about losing weight.

I bought the girls new umbrellas yesterday. We live in Oregon; they should probably each have had a working umbrella long before now.

I'm tired of the rain, though.

Two more weeks until Spring Break, and our second annual girls' (and Grandpa) week in St. George! We can't wait!

I've been wondering, what if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

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Your turn!

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A Handy Guide for Parents

2011-03-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

Several months ago we got to have The Talk with Lexi. It was fun.

But oh, how I wish I'd had this handy-dandy "where you came from" guide, along with its stunning visuals.

It would have made The Talk a lot more fun for everyone.

I'm definitely bookmarking it for when Ellie's ready. You can never be too prepared for things like this.

Not By Any Stretch of the Imagination

2011-03-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm a stay-at-home-mom.

I don't have a job outside the home - the home is my job. I do babysit four days a week to bring in a little extra (which really isn't extra, considering there would be no piano lessons, dance classes, or Girl Scouts without it), but I have no other job than being a mom.

So why does it feel like I'm never home?

If my job description is going to include the words "stay", "at", and "home", it would be nice to actually stay at home.

But instead, I'm volunteering at the school, driving from store to store to store to store, leading (or helping to lead) Girl Scout meetings, schlepping kids to dance classes, piano lessons, and church activities, and, lately, standing outside various stores for two hours at a time hawking slightly overpriced (but really tasty) cookies.

No wonder my house looks the way it does.

It will be nice in a few years when I'm actually part of the workforce again, because then I'll feel like I have a truly legitimate excuse for letting things fall apart.

Until then, I would like to remind people who ask what I do that if I answer "I'm a stay-at-home mom!", I'm totally lying through my teeth.

There is no such thing.