Random Thoughts Thursday

This made me laugh for so long, although I don't really know why. I guess because it's like a circus sideshow or something - step right up, and see the amazing Dillards Woman!

When you go to dry yourself off and the towel smells vaguely like the onions you cooked for Tuesday night's dinner, plus a little garlic (and you can't remember the last time you cooked with garlic), it's probably time to change the towels.

The last two days I've felt like selling my kids by bedtime. I'm hoping for a better relationship today.

There is a serious lack of ice cream in my freezer right now.

I have just officially volunteered to be the go-to girl for GS camp next year. What, exactly, was I thinking?

Why do my brother's birthday make me feel older than my own do? He's turning 28 tomorrow and suddenly I feel ancient. (Happy Birthday, Robbie!)

There's a load in the washer and one in the dryer and I find myself once again unmotivated to do more laundry.

You know the song The Cat Came Back? Well, at my house it's The Ants Came Back.

Ellie and her friend are playing school. Apparently I'm the "officer". Ellie told me, "You know, like Miss T!" [she's the secretary at the girls' school] So I guess officer = the one in the office...duh!

I would like to be able to repaint my entire house so I don't have to scrub all the crayon and pencil off the walls.

I have become convinced that baking soda has magical cleaning powers.

Here are the creative ways my 3rd grade Brownies spelled "squirrel" when writing thank you notes to the people who run the camp: squwirl, skirl, sqorol, scwerl, and sqerell. These are the ones who didn't notice that I had written it on the board.

I am so tired of finding Scotch tape in my underwear because it's (the tape - well, and the underwear, but the underwear is supposed to be there) gone through the laundry.

One day the stars will align and my house and all my laundry will be clean and no one will pee their pants, vomit, or spill and entire pitcher of juice. Then I will probably die. But it will be a gloriously happy day.

Girl Scout Camp 2009

Girl Scout camp, as always, was a blast this year! It was especially fun because Lexi was old enough to come this year. She's been looking forward to it for two years now. I'll try to make this as un-boring as possible but still fill in all the exciting details that I know no one but grandmas (and maybe Emily) really want to know.

We cheated a little bit and took all the girls out of school early on Friday so we could make the 1.5 hour drive without hitting traffic. Apart from our perpetually carsick Brownie throwing up on the front seat of my car as we parked at camp, the drive was uneventful.

We unloaded the cars and got settled in our cabins, and then we just let the girls play for a while (the picture is Vicki and her best friend Kate. Kate is about a head taller than Vicki, so they thought it was hilarious that Vicki could give her a piggyback ride.)



The camp provides meals all day Saturday and on Sunday morning, but we were on our own Friday night, so we made our famous Brownie Soup for dinner. Here's the secret recipe (shhh...don't tell): each girl brings a can of her favorite soup. They take turns dumping them into a pot, and then you stir it together, heat it up, and enjoy. We had chicken noodle, tomato, bean and bacon, vegetable, and even a can of chicken corn chowder. Yeah, it sounds gross, but it's actually really good and the girls beg for it. This is the third time we've made it.

Saturday morning Vicki's troop got to participate in the flag ceremony. This made them feel really grown up and important, and they did a great job. (Vicki's the second pink coat on the left.)



After flag and breakfast, it was time for the fun to start! The troops were divided up, and I got to spend a lot of time with Lexi's troop, which meant a lot to her. Our first stop was the Flying Squirrel. What is the Flying Squirrel, you ask? Well, one girl is the Squirrel, and she gets harnessed up and hooked to a rope.



The rope goes about 50 feet straight up into the trees where it runs through a pulley system and comes back down the side of a tall tree nearby. The rest of the group holds on to the end of the rope. When she's all hooked up and ready to go, the Squirrel shouts, "Are you ready?" The group answers, "Ready!" and the Squirrel yells, "I'm gonna fly!" to which the group replies, "Fly, Squirrel, fly!" and runs with the rope, hoisting the Squirrel into the air.



If she wants to swing through the air, the Squirrel can take a running start. The girls had a blast doing this.

While Lexi was Squirreling, Vicki's troop was on the zipline. I made Vicki go last so I'd be sure to see her descend. The zipline involves climbing a 50-foot ladder that's narrower than Lexi, standing on top of a tower that feels like the slightest breeze might blow it over, climbing over a thigh-high wall onto a narrow ledge, and throwing yourself off of it. Of course, you're harnessed and hooked to a line the whole time, but still...



Lexi's troop unfortunately didn't get a turn on the zipline this year, but they've been promised a turn next year.

After lunch it was Vicki's turn for the Flying Squirrel.





And Lexi's turn for archery (Vicki's troop did archery before lunch, but I missed it.)



I even got to try my hand at the bow and arrow. I don't like to brag (who am I kidding?) but I got a bullseye! Lexi was in charge of taking pictures of me. She didn't do too badly.



After archery we snuck in a turn on the rock wall. (Again, I missed Vicki's turn, darn it!)Isn't she cute?



She climbed about 10 feet and was done, but thrilled to have had the chance.



After dinner that night was campfire, which was fun as usual, and the girls have been quoting all their favorite skits ever since.

Vicki, Lexi, and I left Saturday night so we could still make it to church on Sunday, so I loaded up while the girls played a few more games, and then we said goodbye and took off. We didn't get home until 11:00, and the girls were zonked. Way too much fun. Can't wait 'til next year!

Girl Scout campfire songs

I'll do a big camp post tomorrow - we had a blast - but I can't resist sharing these videos now. Vicki's troop won the prize (if there had been one) this year for the best campfire song...or at least the most interactive one. Vicki is the 6th from the left, in the pink coat.



Lexi's troop did a song, too, but my friend's camera batteries died about 8 seconds in, so there's not much to the video, and it's horrible quality, but I'm all about equality, so I'm putting it on here anyway. You probably can't even tell what they're saying, but the song is a humorous recounting of a shark attack. Lexi is in the middle, in the blue coat.

Random Thoughts Thursday

For some inexplicable reason, I have had the song "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles going through my head all day long.

Someone actually thought this was a good idea.

Vicki and I are excited for Girl Scout camp this weekend. Lexi, on the other hand, is beside herself. She would have been packed two weeks ago if I'd let her.

Yesterday Ellie "decorated" herself:
Why is it that as soon as a load of laundry reaches the point of no return, by which I mean it's too late to add anything else to the washer, someone pees their pants or spills something stainful all over themselves?

Have I mentioned before how much I love laundry? No? It is the bane of my existence. People in my house should just go naked. I'd be a much happier person, although my children would probably need therapy. Not to mention the children I babysit.

Sunshine is so nice.

Do you think everyone sees color the same way? Do trees look purple to other people? Only we all know trees are "green", so we all call the color we see green, even though it looks to you how purple looks to me? Does anyone else's head nearly explode from wondering this kind of thing?

Sometimes I have days where I think if one more person touches me I will fall apart.

Whining does not get you what you want. Just thought I'd throw that in there in case my kids read this.

Going camping tomorrow with 14 little girls. Good times.

Everything you ever wanted to know about me (but were afraid to ask)

Apparently you're supposed to do this for your 100th post, but my 100th post came and went before I ever heard of this tradition. So, apropos of absolutely nothing (except that I finally came up with 100 things), here are 100 things you never knew you needed to know about me:

1. I have lived in 16 different houses in nearly 32 years.
2. I am a grammar vigilante.
3. The most rebellious thing I’ve ever done was when I got my ears double pierced against my parents’ wishes. I don't even wear two pairs of earrings now.
4. I wore my hair in two braids, a-la (how do you spell that, anyway?) Little House on the Prairie, for most of elementary school.
5. I have had six jobs: Rite Aid cashier, customer service rep. for Westin Hotels, teacher’s aide, teacher, lunch lady, and day-care provider.
6. I have only thrown up once since the third grade.
7. I once had a pet turtle named Slowpoke. He ran away. (It was very sad – stop laughing!)
8. I helped Robert Englund find manila envelopes in Rite Aid.
9. I’ve worn glasses since the 5th grade and contacts since the 7th.
10. I only had one boyfriend before I met Chris.
11. I have taken gymnastics, ballet, tap, jazz, piano, violin, and voice, and played soccer, volleyball, and softball (but I never stuck with anything).
12. I lived in England for 5 years.
13. I have been to 12 foreign countries but only 17 US states.
14. I have an almost paralyzing (and not unfounded) fear of food poisoning from undercooked hamburger.
15. I’m claustrophobic. Please don’t breathe in my face. Ever.
16. I ate a Hershey bar a day during the last month of my pregnancy with Vicki. I didn’t tell Chris about it until after Lexi was born.
17. The only bones I’ve ever broken are fingers and toes.
18. I freak out if anyone’s feet (including my own) get anywhere near my pillow.
19. I ate escargot at a little brasserie (not brassiere) near the Eiffel Tower, and I liked it.
20. I am constantly reading something. Anything.
21. I have still never read a book by Jane Austen.
22. I still have the stuffed bunny I got for my very first Easter. His name is Leo.
23. I hate my handwriting.
24. I refuse to download a blog layout from The Cutest Blog on the Block, Pyzam, or any other of those pre-designed sites because everyone else is doing it.
25. I taught myself how to use Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
26. I have been to Disneyland more times than I can remember.
27. I cannot handle money without needing to wash my hands.
28. I have never seen an American Idol finale (but I love So You Think You Can Dance!)
29. I love anything cherry flavored.
30. My all-time favorite movie is The Princess Bride. Nothing can compete with twoo wuv.
31. My ears are shaped slightly differently from each other.
32. I like scary movies (the psychological kind, not the gory horror kind) better than chick flicks.
33. In second grade I pretended that I didn’t read as well as I actually did so the other kids wouldn’t think I was a nerd.
34. I can’t stand to have a fork touch my teeth.
35. I’m bummed that I didn’t come up with the idea for Seriously, So Blessed first.
36. I have been white water rafting on the Snake River. I wore thrift-store polyester pants the whole time.
37. I have seen The Phantom of the Opera (the play, not the movie) at least five times. Probably more. Living near London had its advantages.
38. I still have my favorite plaid flannel shirt from high school.
39. I listen to NPR.
40. I won’t drink plain milk – has to be chocolate!
41. My favorite ice cream is Tillamook’s Udderly Chocolate. Mmmmmm…
42. I used to collect ceramic thimbles.
43. I got flashed in a park in Athens.
44. I can’t sleep if there’s a spider in the room.
45. I can’t squish spiders.
46. I do not function well with a messy kitchen.
47. I used to love the show 7th Heaven.
48. I make a to-die-for tomato soup from scratch. Also really good potato and pea soups. Come over for dinner sometime.
49. I can spell words backwards almost as fast as I spell them forwards.
50. I wanted to marry Davy Jones from The Monkees.
51. The first two concerts I ever went to were Garth Brooks and Bon Jovi. Yeah, I know.
52. Paul is my favorite Beatle.
53. For about 6 months after Vicki was born I was hooked on the soap Passions.
54. I have been summoned for jury duty twice and was selected to serve both times.
55. I love being a Girl Scout leader.
56. I was in the drama club at my high school (we were called the Heywood Players) and am a member of the International Thespian Society.
57. My pinkie toenails are deformed.
58. I wear VERY little makeup (this will surprise the people who were positive I didn’t wear ANY).
59. I accidentally pulled off my brother’s gerbil’s tail. Sorry about that, Robbie.
60. I can remember almost every phone number I’ve ever had.
61. The only pens I can comfortably write with are the cheap blue Bics.
62. I was obsessed with The New Mickey Mouse Club when it first started (circa 1989) and recorded every episode for 3 seasons (until we moved to England.) It filled 10 VHS tapes and my brother and I used to watch them over and over.
63. When I was 5 I got run over by a kid on a bike.
64. I love to cook.
65. I’m the only one of my siblings not born in Oklahoma.
66. My friend and I once trick-or-treated at the same houses twice, first dressed as cheerleaders and then as mummies so no one would recognize us.
67. I love the Harry Potter books, but I was really disappointed by the movies after #3 (I will still watch the new ones – there’s always hope!)
68. I can wiggle my eyebrows independently of each other.
69. I used to dress up in a wig and polyester clothes (see #37) and introduce myself as Mavis Buddingham (I did not do this alone.)
70. I have crossed the English Channel by ferry, hovercraft, and train.
71. I won’t let my daughters have Bratz dolls.
72. I am reading the NIV Bible and really enjoying it.
73. I hate being called Al, but I sometimes think of the Paul Simon song “You Can Call Me Al” as my song. He can call me Al. You can’t.
74. I used to wear a mouthguard at night so I wouldn’t grind my teeth. I chewed all the way through it.
75. I once ate Thanksgiving Dinner at the Hard Rock Café in Paris.
76. My favorite Disney Princess is Belle.
77. I got kicked out of the Manwaring Center at Ricks (BYU-Idaho) for wearing shorts.
78. The only time I’ve ever out-fished Chris was in a rainstorm, while I was 8 months pregnant and suffering from debilitating foot cramps. Go figure.
79. I can’t stand warm air of any kind blowing on my face (see #16.)
80. When I was 14 my parents let me go into London (a half hour train ride from our house) without them for the first time while my friend was visiting from the States. We got on the wrong train coming home and ended up in Richmond (a half hour away in another direction.)
81. When Chris asked me to marry him I was so surprised I just stared at him open-mouthed (clearly I got over my shock and said yes.)
82. I don’t like the smell of balloons or crayons.
83. I can’t say the word “intricacies” correctly.
84. I like to put potato chips on my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
85. I have sewn or otherwise hand-made every Halloween costume my children have worn.
86. I am (still) not on Facebook.
87. I had pet Chihuahuas named Tex and Rosie.
88. I once attended a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
89. Lewis Macleod came to my house for dinner when I was in high school and gave us free tickets to the pantomime where he was playing Aladdin.
90. I like to eat cheese and chocolate side by side (not in the same bite.)
91. I will never, ever go back to long hair.
92. I wish I could dance.
93. I would love to become fluent (or even semi-fluent) in American Sign Language.
94. I got married when I was 22 and had my first baby at 23.
95. I would love to write and publish a book of some sort, but I have no idea where to begin.
96. I used to mix butter with sugar and eat it (the thought of this now makes me gag.)
97. I have only one memory of being spanked as a child (and I also remember that I deserved it!)
98. The only time I had roommates and never fought with any of them was the time I shared a room with 11 other people for 3 months.
99. I know the basic plotline for every one of Shakespeare’s plays (Well, okay, I used to. I may not be up on Coriolanus or Cymbeline anymore, but really, who is? I bet I still know the majority.)
100. I think I’m funny, but I worry that other people don’t.

A surprise visit

Grandma and Grandpa E. came up this weekend for a whirlwind visit. We decided not to tell the girls and let it be a surprise. They got in late Friday night, so Saturday morning we told the girls we'd decided to go out to breakfast as a special treat. We never, ever go out to breakfast, so if they'd been any older this probably would have set off their "something's up" radars, but they just thought it was a great excuse not to do their Saturday jobs. We went to the "Pig & Pancake", a name that has made me laugh for four years, and imagine our shock when we walked in and discovered Grandma and Grandpa sitting there! Chris and I got a surprise as well - his brother Scotty came up, too. He's leaving for his mission in Georgia in about a month and managed to convince his parents that they needed to bring him along, because he wasn't going to get to see the girls for at least two years.
The girls loved having him here to play with. Ellie especially. She decided Scotty was her own personal buddy, to boss around as she pleased. And being the awesome uncle that he is, he did anything and everything she commanded. It was a win-win situation.

After breakfast we put together a picnic lunch and headed to Washington Park. The playground there is enormous and we hardly ever go, so it was another special treat. The twisty slide was my favorite part. Not going down it, mind you, just watching the kids. It was one of those older metal slides, and it's nice and slick from all the use. This is what all the kids looked like as they started down it:
But they all came out looking like this:
There's a big sandbox, which ended up being the highlight for all the girls (and I have my suspicions about Grandma, too.) They built a pretty impressive sandcastle, complete with tunnels:

After we were all sufficiently worn out from the park, we came home and grilled burgers and watched Hook.

Church is at 1:00 for us, so on Sunday Chris and I fixed a big brunch of lemon pancakes with raspberry syrup and baked eggs. We got a breakfast cookbook and have been trying something new each week. These definitely passed the test. After church the weather was absolutely beautiful, so we changed clothes and went to the park by our garden. We threw frisbees and played and had a great time. Grandpa coached Vicki on how to catch a frisbee (like a crocodile) Lexi demonstrated her gymnastics skills, and Ellie picked flowers she wasn't supposed to ("but Mommy, they're for you!")

Monday morning Grandma and Grandpa went to help out in Vicki and Lexi's classrooms for a little while, and then they came and got Ellie and took her swimming at the hotel. And I got to run some errands all by myself. This was another win-win situation. After we picked the girls up from school we went to Round Table Pizza for an early dinner, and then, sadly, Grandma & Grandpa and Scotty had to leave.

We had a great time and only wish they could have stayed longer. (and I wish I had taken the camera with me more places!)

Oh, and now they'll believe us when we tell them that it's not always raining here!

I'm not a terrible person!

I've been suffering angst ever since I posted last night. So even though chances are no one else has thought twice about this, I have to say it anyway.

I Do NOT wish that my kids had vision or hearing difficulties. I am extremely grateful that they are all healthy and whole. We are incredibly blessed. As terrible as my vision is (and don't get me started on my mother's vision - love you, Mom!), it's actually something of a miracle that my kids can see at all!

Nor do I think of glasses or hearing aids as something to accessorize with (although they're getting much better at making glasses and hearing aids that look more like accessories and less like medical devices - our friend's hearing aids are red, white, and blue.)

I just happen to think that my friend's son looks adorable with his hearing aids, and that little kids in glasses are really cute. My kids are stinking cute already, but there's no such thing as cute enough.

I think I feel better now. Thanks for listening :)

Random Thoughts Thursday

It's late. I should be in bed.

I recently found out that my friend's daughter is getting glasses. Her son has hearing aids. While I should be, and am, grateful that my children don't need any assistance like that, I'm also slightly jealous that her kids get these cool accessories. Is that wrong?

I just now found the papers I lost and had to reprint. But I swear they weren't there two hours ago when I needed them.

Why can't I find the image I want on the internet? I know it's there - my friend found it. She even gave me the link. But it doesn't work for me. Ladybug on a flower picture, where are you?

Grandma and Grandpa E. are coming tomorrow night. But shhhh...don't tell the girls.

Girl Scout camp is next weekend. I'm excited. Last year we spent a lot of time telling the girls to stop whining (they didn't listen). This year we got them all journals. So instead of telling them to stop, we're just going to tell them to go write in their journal whenever the complain to us. I bet it only takes once for most of them.

Lexi gets to come to camp this year. She's bouncing off the walls with excitement.

While we're at camp, Ellie and Chris are going to go to the zoo and "use our loud voices to tell the polar bears to get back in their cages." Okaaaaay...

I love The Office.

Being the grammar nerd that I am (was that phrase even grammatically correct? Oh, man), this made me laugh out loud when I heard it on the radio this evening.

And just to prove how big a grammar nerd I truly am, when she heard me cracking up at this essay, Vicki said, "Mom, you know not everyone thinks grammar jokes are a funny as you do, right?"

Okay, yeah, it's late. If I wait 20 more minutes, it won't even be Thursday anymore. Can't have that, can we?

Posting...

Oh, yeah? Oh, yeah.

Being a mother gives you a lot to work on. Sometimes you're aware you need to work on something. And sometimes it takes a little help to see the changes that need to be made.

In my defense, Ellie talks A LOT. Her mouth is constantly moving. She narrates everything she does. A lot of the time she's just talking to herself, but then again a lot of the time she's talking to me.

The problem is differentiating between the two. This is where I get myself into trouble.

The other day we were out running errands. She had been chattering in the backseat the whole time, and eventually I just sort of tuned her out. I was listening to NPR. It's not like music - you can't just have it on in the background. There are people talking. I needed to hear what was being said. Of course I did. But when the little voice in the backseat started saying, "Mom. Mom? MOM!" with increasing volume and intensity, I realized a reply was expected. So I jumped in with a standard Mommy's-tuning-you-out-but-doesn't-want-you-to-feel-bad-about-it response: "Oh, yeah?"

Clearly I've been using this one too much.

She became very indignant. "Mom! Stop saying 'Oh, yeah'!"

So I apologized and tried to keep up.

But I got busy listening again. For a while I at least remembered to use some standard variants: "Uh-huh" "That's crazy!" "Really?" "No way!" "Mmm-hmm" ("Mmm-hmm?" works well, too) "You're so silly!" "Oh, boy!" You can tell by her tone which basic kind of response is required.

Then I forgot. I said, "Oh, yeah?" again. And, oh, she's on to me. She may not have caught on to the others yet, but she knows exactly what "Oh, yeah?" means. It means Mom's not really listening, and Something Should Be Done about this.

Ellie is a take charge kind of girl. She announced, "Mom, we need to get that word out of your mouth!"

I'm trying, kiddo. Oh, yeah, I'm trying.

Easter dresses and what The Bunny brought us

I very nearly didn't get a shot of the girls in their Easter dresses, but I realized in the nick of time that neither grandma would ever forgive me if I didn't. Sure enough, within 12 hours both grandmas had asked me about it. So here you go, Mom and Perri, this one's for you!



The girls were very excited for Easter. I've tried to talk with them over the last week or so about the true purpose of Easter, that we celebrate the day because Jesus died for us and was resurrected, meaning that we can all have the chance to live with Him and Heavenly Father again. I think they got it. But that didn't stop them from being on pins and needles for what the Easter Bunny would bring.

Easter baskets are a pretty low-key affair around here. This year the girls each got a book and a stuffed bunny:

And a pair of socks, a magnetic notepad (they each have a magnet board by their bed), and of course chocolates and jelly beans.

They also each got a dollar coin, which is more exciting than a dollar bill, because it's gold!


We colored eggs on Saturday, and I didn't think to take pictures, but the Easter Bunny found them in the fridge and hid them all over the house for the girls to find.

We had a great Easter program at church, and the girls got even more candy from their teachers. And when we got home and I panicked because we didn't have an Easter dresses picture yet, even though they weren't thrilled to have to leave on the clothes (we tend to be happier the fewer articles of clothing we're wearing around here these days) they posed perfectly for me:

Everybody say it with me now: awwwwwww...

Random Thoughts Thursday

I love my visitor tracking thingy (thanks for the idea, Carrie!) Since I installed it I've discovered that someone in Germany occasionally visits, as well as someone in England (I think I might know who you are!) an someone in India stopped by once. I do not, as far as I know, know anyone in India or Germany, so I'm fascinated by this. I *heart* blog attention :)

Awesome bumper sticker of the week: Republicans for Voldemort.

Vicki wore a tie to school yesterday. I have no idea why.

We had three days of beautiful summer-like weather. I miss it.

Ellie told me the most awesome story today about how she and her friend Katiebug (never just Katie) threw a surprise party for Jesus's birthday, and he came down and they jumped out and yelled "surprise!" and (here I quote) "Jesus was like, 'Oh, wow, I'm so happy!'"

My new cleaning strategy seems to be working out so far. The house looks much better in general. I like it. Now if the kids would follow suit...

I'm having a hard time with Easter this year. I really want the girls to understand that it's about the resurrection of the Savior and not about pink bunnies and chocolate eggs. But I also think Easter baskets and the Easter Bunny are fun traditions that I don't really want to let go of. Trying to find a good middle ground is a struggle.

Lexi wrote a letter to the Easter Bunny detailing her desires for her basket. See what I mean?

However, I'm teaching the children's Sharing Time at church on Sunday, so at least I can try to have some influence there. In other words, maybe it will sink in better at church than it seems to at home.

Why can't the clothes just wash themselves?

Why does the little girl I babysit insist on coloring on every surface that isn't paper?

So far, no more strep. It will be another day or two before I declare us officially out of the woods, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and so far Ellie and Chris both seem fine.

In light of my earlier thought, it's probably sinful how much I love (and hoard) Cadbury Eggs. The Easter Bunny is bringing me my own 4-pack. Oops, better not let the girls read this post!

Only Love is Spoken Here

Last night the second and third grade classes at the girls' school had their annual music program. The school has really been focusing on respect, and trying to teach the kids what respect means. They teach "the three R's", which are Respect for Self, Respect for Others, and Respect for Learning. So it was really appropriate that the music teacher go a new route this year and present a program titled "Only Love is Spoken Here". It was quite possibly the best music program we've been to at this school since Vicki started.

She even taught the kids sign language for a lot of the songs. Here they are signing the word "love":
I couldn't get a picture of my favorite sign, which was "cheer" - big smiles and arms waving in the air :)

There were about 20 speaking parts, and Vicki was chosen for one of them. I can't remember what she said, unfortunately, but she did a great job!
And I let her wear her Easter dress, which is a big deal, because normally we buy them and then I hide them away in my closet where the girls won't be tempted to wear them and ruin them before Easter.

It was a blast to watch Vicki sing because she got really into the music and was dancing in place and grinning so big I thought her face would split in two. It's really too bad that it's hard to take a decent picture in the school gym, because it was so much fun - one of those times I wish we had a video camera!

The Deadly vs. The Undead

In which we become enlightened

vs.

For as long as we have been married, and most likely longer, Chris has been trying to get me to watch a movie called Krull. It’s not that he thinks it’s the Best Movie Ever or anything – he just thinks it’s fun. But I have had zero interest in watching it. It hasn’t really been a source of contention or anything, but whenever we would talk about what movie to rent, he would inevitably suggest that one. I always shot it down and we managed to come up with something else we could both agree on. When we signed up for Netflix it was, of course, one of the first movies added to our queue.

And there’s it’s been there ever since. There was always something better to watch.

Any of you who know Chris well know how hard it is to get him to watch a “chick flick”. He almost cried the time I wanted to go see You’ve Got Mail, and that was when we were dating and he still wanted to impress me. He went, but not until his sister threatened to disown him and adopt me if he didn’t. She still likes me more than him.

When I started reading the Twilight books, I got the eye rolls, but when I told him they were making it into a movie, I got The Look. After 10 years of marriage, I know that look. It’s the one that says, over my dead body. So I saw Twilight twice in the theater, once with a girlfriend here in Oregon and once with my sister-in-law Emily (the one who likes me more than Chris) in Utah. I figured that was it, and I was okay with that.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned to Chris that it was coming out on DVD and we’d have to watch it, ha ha. And he said to me, and I quote, “I’ll watch Twilight if you’ll watch Krull.”

What?!? WHAT? That’s all it takes to get him to watch chick flicks? One stupid fantasy film? And it took me 10 years (plus all the time we dated) to figure this out?

So two weeks ago we watched Krull, and on Friday we watched Twilight.

We both had the same thing to say when the movies were over:

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.





By the way, honey, I don't care if you think he's a creepy stalker with goofy hair. Edward is still hot.

3 down, 2 to go

Vicki has strep.

Want to take bets on who gets the next round of antibiotics?

Don't come over for a few days.

Random Thoughts Thursday

I made snickerdoodles on Sunday. Ellie calls them "stickernoodles". I like that better.

I have no problem with people putting bumper stickers on the backs of their cars. I have a bumper sticker on my car (two, if you count the U of U sticker in the back window...oh, three, if you count the zoo member sticker - but that's beside the point). What I can't figure out is why people want to put a sticker on their car with print so small that it would require them to be rear-ended for anyone to actually be able to read it.

The secretary at the girls' school just called me. Vicki has a sore throat. Nice. But she doesn't have a fever, so the secretary made her go back to class and was just calling to give me a heads up.

I am coming out of the cleaning slump I've been in all last week. My new strategy: never leave a room empty-handed. I'm hoping this plan will eliminate the stuff that just sits for days on the stairs because nobody wants to move it. It's the little stuff that kills me.

Going to Costco with one kid is so much nicer than going with two. But I always feel like I'm missing something.

I ate Wendy's for lunch today. Jesus would be proud of me. My waistline? Not so much.

We have ants. They're just the little tiny black ones (just - like they're no big deal - ha!) but they're everywhere (why is it always the bathrooms?) and it's grossing me out. They usually don't come out until the middle of August, so this is new. Maybe they're trying out a new strategy in their ongoing plot for world domination, but it's not working for me, and after tomorrow when I go buy the ant traps, it's not going to be working so well for them, either. The girls will miss their new pets, though. Bummer.

Anyone else going to watch the ER finale tonight? I've only watched the show off and on recently, but when it started 15 years ago (15?!) I watched it religiously. I feel sort of obligated to see how it all ends.

I wish the sun would just make up its mind once and for all what it wants to do today.

Words Vicki asked me to define yesterday: chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and Viagra.