Crazy Shopping Woman

I made it through my first ever Black Friday shopping experience uscathed.  I left the house just after 5:00 this morning so I could stand in the rain outside Best Buy, next to a friendly man in shorts (brrrrr...dude, it's 40 degrees out!) with an abnormally large umbrella that he was, thankfully, willing to share.  Once inside, I managed to get what I needed (woohoo!) while keeping my fingers intact.  No black eyes, no bloodshed, very little panic.

While I don't think this will be an annual event for me (I prefer my sleep, thank you very much), I did get enough of a rush from the good deals at Best Buy and the two other stores I visited in the dark that when I got home at 7am, rather than going back to bed like any sane person would do, I unloaded my loot and spent five more hours shopping.

But I'm almost finished with my Christmas shopping!

And now I'm really, really sleepy.

Random Thoughts Thursday

In honor of this Day of Thanks, I thought I’d forgo the usual Random Thoughts and instead share some things that I’m thankful for. I’ll do it randomly, though. It is Thursday, after all :)

Family. I have the most wonderful husband and the most beautiful daughters in the world. You can argue with me on that if you want to, but I’ll still be right.  And Chris and I are both blessed to come from amazing families.  My kids have the best grandparents, aunts, and uncles in the world!

Music. If you want to get a message across to me, music is the best way to do it. Nothing moves me quite as much. I don’t think I could live without it.

Chocolate. Something else I doubt I could live without.

The gospel of Jesus Christ. I know my Savior lives, and I know He loves me.  I am grateful for all the blessings He has provided me.  I hope I can live up to His standard.  I try.

Netflix. Fun and easy entertainment: the constant of our weekends.

Sunshine. Rare. Beautiful. Warm.

Traditions. We went bowling again today.  It was awesome.  It's the first real tradition our family has had that's separate from the families Chris and I grew up in, and the girls won't let us forget. I have some great pictures from today that I will post soon.

Harry Potter books on tape. It’s getting old listening to snippets of the same two books over and over and over and OVER, but they’ve gotten Lexi excited about books, and that’s definitely a good thing. I’m willing to make sacrifices to encourage the development of another book lover.

Facebook (there, I said it). Thanks to my cave in several months ago, I’ve reunited with people I have had no contact with for over 10 years. That, if nothing else, makes it worth it and worthy of this list.

Friends. New and old. One is silver and the other gold.  I have friends all over the world, and each of you has helped me to become the person I am today.  You are an inspiration

Oh, and everyone who reads my blog! Am I cool enough that I can say I have “readers” yet? I don’t know. But I appreciate anyone who is actually interested in the life and thoughts of me.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Drawing a Blank

I want to blog.

Or maybe just write.

I want to have profound and meaningful things to write about.  I want to leave my mark on the world.

I started a post tonight that wants to be all those things.  But I don't have the energy to finish it.  It involved pictures.  Lots and lots of pictures, and despite the ease of Blogger's new and improved picture uploader, it still takes effort, effort which I do not feel like putting forth.

I feel like the blog is being neglected.  I faithfully come back each Thursday, because I've discovered that Random Thoughts Thursday has some sort of magical powers.  It draws people in, and I like people reading my blog.  It makes me, in a very TAMN-like way, feel validated.  But the rest of the week doesn't have the same kind of draw, for any of us, and I've developed writer's block.

Either that, or mommy's loss of momentum.

Life is busy.  November and December are crazy months.  I love this time of year, but man, it's nuts.  I don't know if I'm at the point yet when I can say I'll be glad when the holidays are over, but a day or two of downtime would be nice.  (As long as that downtime is not in the form of another illness, thank you very much.  We're done with that now, okie-dokie?)

For someone who started this post thinking she had nothing to say, I sure do have a lot to say, huh?  I've got nothing to blog about, so I blog about nothing.*

I'm drawing a blank, and Ellie's drawing on the walls.

It's me, there on the left.  You can tell because of the short, curly hair.  I think she thought I wouldn't get as mad at her for using the walls as a canvas AGAIN if it was a picture of me.  The sad thing is, I didn't.  I didn't succeed in trying not to laugh, I took a picture and then I didn't even make her clean it up.

The way I see it is: at least I'm making a mark somewhere!

*10 points if you get the song reference

Random Thoughts Thursday

I've been stressing for the past two weeks that I insulted and/or offended people with my spelling & grammar comment.  I didn't mean to!  I'm just weird like that, but I don't sit around editing people's comments or blogs or anything.  Professional websites, on the other hand...

The cold that’s been moving through the family since the swine flu left us has finally made its way to me. Blech.

One day I will get a grasp on why the phrase, “Please clean up your toys” seems to hold no meaning for my children.

I need a good homemade Christmas ornament idea for this year. Good, cheap, and fun.

I did figure out, though, what the girls can give for Christmas to all their various teachers. It’s inexpensive, homemade, and pretty darn cool.

I really wish I could remember everything that’s happened in the last 11 Wheel of Time books. Book 12 would make so much more sense then.

Today’s motivation level: zero.

I’ve discovered that as much as I love being surprised, picking out my own Christmas present is sometimes the better way to go.

It would be nice if we had a month where there wasn’t at least four days off school. Hasn’t happened yet.

I am proud to say that I will be going to bed long before midnight tonight, unlike some other devotees of a film that shall remain unnamed. Yes, I will see it, but not until at least next week, possibly the week after. It’s how my friend Rachel and I tell ourselves we’re less crazed than everyone else.

Besides, I haven’t actually been able to stay awake past midnight in years. No point paying for a ticket and standing in line for seats for a movie I’d just sleep through.

I’m stressing about Christmas shopping. I have an awesome gift in mind for the girls, but I want to wait until Black Friday to see if I can get it for cheap. If I can’t, I have no idea what they’ll be getting. But I can’t really buy much for them until I get this sorted out. Stress!

For all my protest about Thanksgiving getting its fair due, I sure do have Christmas on the brain.

I just changed my Facebook home page language to pirate. It’s much more entertaining that way (thanks for the tip, Lori!)

You Can Drag a Kid to Paper, but You Can't Make Them Write

The big focus this year at the girls' school is writing.  All the kids are being encouraged to become detailed writers.  Both girls have reading comprehension-type questions on their homework each week.  Vicki has had a lot of homework assignments that require her to read about an issue and then write an argument for or against the issue.  Lexi has simpler assignments, but they encourage writing nonetheless.

I love to write (hence the blog), so I think this is a great thing.  My children, unfortunately, do not tend to agree with me on this.  Vicki complains every night about how much she hates writing and how hard it is, and how stupid and boring and unfair, blah, blah, blah.  Lexi, however, has chosen a more passive-aggressive tactic.

She brought home a worksheet the other day that she'd apparently done in class.  The top of the worksheet said, "Draw a castle" with a nice big box underneath for drawing said castle.  Lexi's castle is magnificent.  It has turrets and ramparts and flags, and is even so detailed as to include a drawbridge, which, at the moment, is lowered, presumably to allow entrance to the princess waiting just outside the borders of the picture.

Underneath the drawing box it says, "Write about the castle", followed by a series of prompts.  Here is what my too-smart-for-her-own-good daughter had to say about her castle:

• Who or what? a castle
• Did what? sat thare
• Where? thare
• When? 2:00 am
• Why? it’s a castle

Alrighty then.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Did you know that the fastest way to better customer service is to bring along two little girls wearing fluffy princess dresses?

Why is my computer running so slowly today?

I finally feel caught up on the house after being sick! Now everyone better just stay healthy for the rest of the year!  And stop getting clothes dirty.  That would be nice, too.

I used to be such a compassionate mom when my girls woke me up in the night. I’d cuddle and love and cover and kiss and then crawl back to bed. I also used to be really good at falling right back asleep. Now, not so much. And not so much with the compassion at 2:00 in the morning. Get your own dang drink of water!

One day I will look back on the last 9+ years of interrupted sleep and laugh, right? Right?

I cried while watching Glee last night. I am such a sap.

It’s really cold in here.  But if I turn the thermostat up I'll forget to turn it back down at bedtime and we'll roast in our beds.

Why can’t I find a good day to take Ellie to the zoo to see the lions? She’s thrilled that we have not only Gloria the Hippo, Marty the Zebra, and Melman the Giraffe, but finally Alex the lion, King of New York!

Maybe Ellie watches too much TV.

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

Today marks 40 years since the debut of what is quite possibly the most beloved children's program of all time.  I grew up watching Sesame Street and all its lovable furry monsters, and I'm proud to say my children love it, too.  Everyone has their favorite moments from the Street.  Please indulge me as I share some of mine.

This is the most awesome rubber duckie song ever:


Grover has always been my favorite monster. He's bumbling and clueless, but he's so sure of himself.  And he announces his presence by saying, "It is I!"  What's not to love?


The 70's colors and animation, the funky music...how many of us learned to count to 12 by watching this? How many of us still can't count to 12 without singing this?


I'm not embarassed to say that there are many, many more, but in the interest of time, these three will have to do.

And now I invite you to join me in celebrating this awesome show and tell me, what are your favorite Sesame Street moments?

Sleeping Beauty

Nine

(She wanted a carrot cake, and Dad delivered.  But we didn't have anything we could use as carrot jockeys.  Bummer.)

Vicki had a birthday on Saturday.  My oldest child is now nine years old.  That makes me...ancient.

In keeping with recent tradition on this blog, here are nine things about Vicki you may or may not know:

1. She has read the entire Harry Potter series more times than me, by a long shot (and I've read it at least seven times.)
2. She is completely unconcerned about what other people think of her.
3. She hates it when people spell her name wrong.  It's sort of an "Anne-with-an-e" kind of thing.

4. She cannot function if she doesn't have a book to read.

5. She has never needed as much sleep as normal people.

6. She loves projects.  For example: she has sewn herself a skirt and knitte several hats, and is currently crocheting a scarf and sewing a bathrobe.

7. Her favorite foods are: meatloaf, pork chops, chicken tacos, and pizza.

8. She loves to sing.

9. She is the most perpetually cheerful person I know.

Happy birthday, Vicki!!!

Random Thoughts Thursday

This is my 300th post! Release the ceiling balloons! (which makes me think of “Wewease da secwet weapon!” How's that for random?)

Why don’t other people care about spelling and grammar like I do? Am I some kind of freak? Wait, don’t answer that.

Halloween is over and I need someone to get rid of all the candy that my kids haven’t eaten yet. Preferably before I eat it.

When the rain comes, why do they run and hide their heads?

Turns out you have to book flights with mileage points waaaaay in advance for Christmastime. So we’ll be driving to Utah again this year. Ugh.

I miss England.

I’ve discovered that four days of being sick and doing nothing equals two weeks of making up for it. If only I had a magic wand.

Greek Mythology is awesome.

Sneaky mom trick of the day: “Surprise Mac”. When the kids are tired of plain old mac & cheese, hide hot dogs under it and tell them they’ll get a surprise if they eat all the macaroni. I’m such a genius. (I suppose this works best if finding hot dogs under your food is considered a good surprise.)

I am surrounded by princesses.

Ellie thinks Belle was her teacher in “baby school”. What a weird kid.

There is a mountain of laundry in the hall. I have been carefully avoiding it. I think it’s reproducing on its own now, though. Time to conquer.

Why I Will Never Be Accepted into the Punk Community

Photo courtesy of Becca and the church Halloween party

Reason #1: I am clearly making the "I love you" sign, as opposed to the "rock on" sign.  There were a lot of people behind the camera laughing at us and I think the pink hairspray affected my brain.  I got confused.  But I do know the difference.

Reason #2: I do not have a good sneer, or an exceptionally long tongue.  I was trying to look tough, but people were making me laugh.  Chris, however, seems to be channeling Gene Simmons.  Ew.

Reason #3: My jeans are not ratty enough.  It was too last-minute of a costume to sufficiently tear the one holey pair I had.  Rest assured, if I do this again next year, the jeans will be ratty.

Reason #4: My tatoos are not cool enough.  They actually don't look that bad in this picture.  But they're attached to the shirt.  Chris's are better.  His actually look real.

In conclusion, it's pretty clear that I'm a double-chinned, grimacing, loving, pink-haired something (with a really shiny forehead), but probably not much of a punk.  Alas.