Christmas 2008

We had a great Christmas. It was a little busy, but that always happens. We did decide that we need to make our Christmas Eve tradition of going to Rocky's grandparent's house an every other year thing. That should make it a little less stressful. We all got great gifts. The kids were so thrilled with everything Santa brought them. Ciara got an American Girl Doll that she now carries around everywhere. She named her "little Ciara." Caden got trucks, and cars, and a car crash track. He loves to make the cars crash into eachother. Some gifts of mine I would like to note are: an iPod touch (this is the coolest thing ever) a large jewelry box (now all my jewelry can fit in one place) I got so many great things that I don't want to list them all. But I believe we all got everything we wanted. Here are a few pics of our Christmas activities. Here is Ciara at her Christmas Program at school.

Here is Caden posing with his toys from Santa.

Here is Ciara showing me her new diaper bag that Santa brought.

Mom with her Yoga Toes.Dad with his socks.

Cleanliness

So, Ciara's fever went away for a few days, and now is back. This is making me worry. My Dr. isn't in today, so I am going to wait until tomorrow (I could see another Dr. but I would have to take her in again. If I wait for our regular Dr, he may be able to just give us a prescription over the phone. Plus, he is our neighbor, and I like him, so I will wait). This is just really starting to bother me. Why has she had a fever for so long? Then all sorts of awful things start to run through my head. OK, I am sure it is just some simple thing. On to my real topic: house cleaning. For those of you unfamiliar with my family, I grew up in a super clean house. My mom is kind of a neat freak. Well, not just a neat freak, but a CLEAN freak. My sister has inherited a form of this, as have I (but I am much more relaxed about it than any of them). I understand that most people are not as clean as we are in my family, but I continue to be surprised at how cleanliness has become passe (meaning not very popular). I am not going to site those people that I am talking about, so don't ask if I am talking about you specifically. Every time I go over to a new person's house, I am always a little shocked at how not clean things are. And no, I don't go through the house with a white glove looking for dust. Usually, dishes are not done, food crumbs are everywhere, and carpets are stained. I will give two examples of people who do not read this. Example 1: An old friend of mine had so much stuff in their house that you could hardly move. Laundry would pile up (in the living room, no less), and there was just STUFF everywhere. Example 2: About a month or two ago, I went to a party at another person's house. The carpet was covered in dog pee stains. And they were very obvious stains that no one had even bothered to wipe up. It really grossed me out. I was afraid to walk on the carpet. So, is it just me? Am I being too hard on people? I promise, I will still like you and be your friend if you are messy. I am just wondering where have all the clean people gone? Is cleaning not cool now? Am I a nerd?

House of Sick

December has begun with a bang for me this year. Let me give you a glimpse of my schedule:

2nd: work

3rd: volunteering at the Festival of Trees

4th: Junior League meeting, then book club meeting (which I didn't make it to because my JL meeting ran too late.)

5th: work

6th: my mother-in-laws family work party (kids movie at the theatre, then visit from Santa). After this party, Caden started screaming about his ear, so I took him to an urgent care facility, where they confirmed his ear infection. We got antibiotics and went home. We had planned on going downtown to look at the lights, but cancelled it because of Caden. We decided to go to Thanksgiving Point instead, since they have a drive though light display. Ciara developed a fever of 102 that night as well.

7th: church. Kids and Rocky stayed home, but I had to go and teach my wild 8 year olds (only 3 weeks left!). Caden also started to have diarrhea because of his antibiotics (they had to give him a stronger one since he was on amoxicillian 6 weeks ago for a previous ear infection).

8th: work, and sick kids.

9th: we skipped ballet because both kids were getting increasingly worse. Caden had stopped peeing, and wasn't eating because of his stomach problems, and Ciara still had a fever. I took both kids into the Dr. He told me to stop Caden's antibiotics, and then both kids have a viral infection that we just have to wait out. Great. Then I had to make cookies, go to work, and then head over to a cookie party (where I ate too many delicious cookies).

Now, here we are on the 10th. Both kids are still sick. Caden, I think, is starting to do better. But I was up with him from 3am until 4:30 am going to the bathroom. I think I may have forgot to mention, Caden has somehow potty trained himself in the middle of all this. We are not wearing underwear yet (until this diarrhea is finished, I don't want to put underwear on him) but I have been impressed that he makes it to the potty most of the time. So I am exhausted. I haven't had an uninterrupted night of sleep since the kids got sick (Saturday). I am watching my nephew today, but we are not going anywhere. I need to catch up. I haven't been able to check my email in 2 days, and when I finally did I had 87 emails. We have a packed schedule for the rest of the week as well. Tonight, we are all getting together to decorate my family's tree, tomorrow I have a luncheon, and then (if the kids are better) my sister-in-laws are taking the kids to zoo lights. Friday, Rocky and I have a Christmas party with friends, Saturday is the trek to see my grandma, then hopefully to see the lights downtown. Sunday is my sis-in-law's birthday. This is not a good time to have sick kids. I just hope they get better soon! Sorry that I haven't seen a lot of you in a while, as you can read, I have been busy!

Pacifier Issues

I don't know what it is about today, but it has been the worst day. There isn't one thing that I can pinpoint that has gone wrong, but things just keep adding up. My biggest problem is Caden sleeping. He has been waking up at 5 or 6 every morning. For some, you may think that that is just what kids do. And yes, some do. Not Caden. This started when we took away his pacifier. He used to sleep in until 7:30 or 8. It might not be so bad if he weren't so tired, but he is exhausted, and therefore a total grump. He also has trouble going to sleep. Before his "binky-ectomy" (the medical term for removal of the pacifier), we would put him down and he would stay in bed. Now, he gets out of bed at least 4 times at night, and during naptime. We cannot get him to stay in bed. Punishment doesn't seem to motivate him either. Again, this wouldn't be such a problem, but he is just so tired, and he cries all day long, and gets mad at everything. I miss my sweet, good natured boy. I am breaking down right now and am going to go and get new pacifiers. This has got to stop. Although part of me is worried about bringing back the binky. Is this the wrong move? Or will he just eventually outgrow it? I know that he will have to give it up sometime, but I don't think now is the time. He only uses it for sleeping, and it stays in the crib. I guess I am just lost with this problem. Ciara didn't go through this. She was younger than Caden when we took hers away, but she didn't seem to use it as much. She usually held it in her hand while sleeping, and not in her mouth. Caden always has it in his mouth when sleeping. I am seriously pulling my hair out, which is why I have decided to cave. He needs his sleep, and I want my happy son back.

Tagged

Yes, I have been tagged.  I now am going to tell you 6 quirky things about myself.  

1.  I cannot sleep in an unmade bed.  Even if I change the sheets right before bedtime, I have to completely make the bed (make sure the sheets, blanket and comforter are all pulled right to the top) and then I neatly fold it back.  This drives Rocky crazy.  

2.  I am very particular about how I do dishes.  I didn't know that this was weird, I thought everyone did dishes like this.  My soapy water stays clean.  I do not put any dish with any kind of food in my soapy water.  No chunks, nothing.  This is just common sense to me.  But after seeing many other people do dishes, I realize this is not the case.  I also do not put a lot of stuff in the dishwasher.  Sharp knives, pots, pans, etc. do not go in the dishwasher.  They are washed by hand (in my clean soapy water).  I also HAVE to wear dish gloves.  No question about it.  Rocky's mom gets a kick out of my dish rules.  She breaks ALL of them.

3.  Certain foods on my plate are not allowed to touch.  I don't mind if my steamed veggies touch my meat or sauce.  But salad and rolls need to stay separate (preferably on a separate plate).  As do eggs and pancakes (and waffles and french toast).  

4.  It drives me crazy to let my kids wear uncoordinated outfits.  I don't mean they have to match each other, but individually I want their shirt, pants, skirt, shoes, etc. to match.  Luckily Ciara is very into matching, so I don't have to fight her on this very much.  But when Rocky dresses the kids, I have an overwhelming urge to redress them.  

5.  All my clothes are organized by color.  I have different sections for shirts, dresses and pants and skirts, but within those categories they are organized by color.  And the colors have to flow.  Red becomes purple become blue becomes green becomes brown.  

6.  I count things.  When I am on stairs, I count the steps.  I count how many swipes when I put my deodorant on.  I am almost always counting in my head.  This one makes me sound a little crazy.

Disturbing

Yesterday, Ciara went to play at a classmates house. This just happened to be a boy. This boy is one that kisses her in class. I was a little hesitant to send her there, because of the kissing, but I decided that they are just kids, and kissing isn't all that bad. When she got home, we asked if she had fun, which she did. But then she proceeds to tell me that the boy (who shall remain nameless) kept "poking her gina." (Gina is her word for vagina). This really disturbed me. I didn't know how to respond when she said that. I asked her if she told him to stop, and she said she did, but he wouldn't stop, so she finally went and told his mom. I am very proud of how she handled this, but still did not like that she had to do that in the first place. Why would he do that? I know that kids will be kids, but where do I draw the line? In my head, that was over the line. To be fair, I just finished a book about a child who is molested by a priest, so maybe I am just being sensitive to this. But it bothers me. I really don't want to her play at his house anymore. I am worried that his mom is going to ask again if she can come over, and I want to say no. How do I do that without creating a situation? Yes, my daughter's safety comes first and I guess honesty is the best policy. But is there a better way to say, "No, your son poked my daughter's vagina, and I would rather that not happen again."? That just sounds weird. I can't tell her that until her son learns some manners, Ciara will no longer be going there. This needs to be handled delicately, and I don't think I know how to do that. Any suggestions?

NKOTB 4EVER

Yes, I am a big dork. NKOTB (or New Kids on the Block for those of you not as cool as me) was last night, and it was so fun. Words cannot describe the thrill I felt watching these MEN (no longer the boys of the past) sing songs from my childhood. The New Kids were the first band I ever loved. I was so crazy over them from when I was 9 until I was 12 or 13. Joey Mac was my first love. My sister and I decided to go really retro, and got dressed 80's style. We made our own t-shirts (her said "On fire for Joey MacIntyre" and mine read "Before Justin there was Joey"), wore turquoise eyeshadow, lots of blush, hot pink lipstick, and rainbow socks. We looked hot.

I can remember wearing my hair like this. Well, not exactly like this. My bangs were much larger. My BFF at the time (Sarah P.) had the best bangs. I remember one school picture where her bangs were actually cut off by the camera. I was so jealous.

I have some NKOTB CD's that we listen to on the way to dinner before the concert. We decided to eat at a South American restaurant in WVC, hoping that in our 80's gear we might fit in on the west side. We still got lots of funny looks. But I was craving some Colombian empanadas (which they were out of, damn them). They did have jugo de lulo, which made me happy.

Then we made our way to the concert (listening to NKOTB the whole time). I thought we might run into some more 80's people, but we really didn't. There was one lady in line that was totally 80's, but I think she dressed like that everyday. We also saw some mullets, and I hope that they didn't cut their hair like that just for the concert (although I also don't hope they think that is a fetching hairstyle). We were so excited sitting in the arena.

Lady Gaga was the first to come out. I am not familiar with her, but she was OK. Not someone I would recommend. Then Natasha Bedingfield was next. I really enjoyed her. And then . . .

I could barely contain my excitement. In all the jumping around, I lost one of my large hoop earrings. For the next few hours, I became 11 again. NKOTB was the first concert I ever attended (we lived in Tulsa at the time). I forgot that I was married and had children. I truly felt like I had gone back in time. For all the old songs they sang, they choreography was also the same. I remember the dances and everything from the first concert, and it was all the same, which made me so happy! I also enjoyed their new songs, but sang every original song at the top of my lungs. My throat kind of hurts today. One thing that was different was how the guys looked on stage. I enjoyed the first concert, and they did great, but they were much more serious. This time, they looked like they were enjoying themselves. When they would start to do one of the old songs, I would see Jordan and Jonathan kind of smile and laugh. I could almost hear them thinking, "Can you believe we are doing this again?" It made me happy to see them being silly. I do still love Joey, but when Jordan took his shirt off, I had to admit that he still has a pretty hot body for an old guy. I was also pleased that Joey and Jordan sang the singles they came out with a few years ago (does anyone else remember those songs? I have them on CD!).

I don't think I can say much more about the night (except we couldn't remember where we parked the car, and it took us a while to find it). I had such a good time, and wish I could relive it again. I am still a huge New Kids fan. Here is a picture for all you Donny fans (Tiina), one for me (I LOVE JOEY), and some clips of the concert for you to enjoy:

The first clip is of my favorite song, "Please Don't Go Girl." It is fuzzy, but because it is my favorite, I had to put it on here. The second is of a new song that I quite enjoyed.

Christmas Cards

I know, it seems so early to mention Christmas, but I got some pictures that I am going to use in our cards, and I wanted to share a few with you all. I can't help but want to show off my kids!

Too Many Boys

When did Ciara become old enough for boyfriends? This last week I have gotten 2 calls from different boys in her class to invite her over to play. Why are the girls not calling? I talked with both the mom's and they both told me that their boys talk about Ciara all the time, and that she is their girlfriend. Ciara has told me how one of them kisses her at school, but the teacher doesn't let him anymore (Thank Goodness for the teacher). When did she become so popular? I am having to write it all down on a calendar because I can't keep all the playdates straight. There is also a younger boy (not in her class) that today declared Ciara as his girlfriend as well. Is this just a glimpse of what is to come? I don't think Rocky will be able to handle this. He was very upset that a boy was kissing her at school already. She is growing up way too fast. Her new thing (besides boyfriends) is hair straightening. She has asked me to straighten her hair for the past 3 days. It actually looks really cute, but it makes her look way too old. I never get it totally straight, it just curls at the ends. Don't we all wish we had hair like that? I had more picture taken of the kids over the weekend. One of my mom's tennis friends wanted some pictures of young kids for her scrapbooking business, and I need some for Christmas cards, so she came and took some. I don't have them yet, but there are a few on her blog: Life as a Three Legged Dog. I can't wait to see all the rest of them!

A Look Back

It is kind of scary how (almost) accurate this is. This was actually made before W was elected in 2000.

Favorite Moments

Here is the best SNL sketch of the election.

Gotta love "Obama Girl."

The Day After

I usually try to stay away from politics, but in light of the recent election, I feel the need to stop being objective, and just be opinionated.  After all, this is my blog.  My opinion is very welcome here.  

Yes, I am an Obama fan.  Or, an Obama Mama as we are also known.  This is the first election where the candidate I have voted for has won.  (Some of you may remember a previous post where I said I was unable to vote.  Luckily, Rocky voted my opinions, since he didn't have one of his own.  So when I say that I voted, I mean that he voted for me.  I still feel like I somewhat participated.)  The only other elections I have had the opportunity to vote in have been Bush elections, and I am proud to say that I never voted for him.  (The last Clinton election occurred right after I turned 18, but again because of the 30 registration rule, I was unable to vote.)  

There were also historical moments to this election.  First, as you all are aware, the first African-American to be president.  Some of you may think, "So what?"  But I believe this has opened up new possibilities to so many youth today.  Any child will now believe it is possible to be President, no matter what their race.  What this election means to me I can sum up in one word: Hope.  I feel hopeful.  No, I cannot guarantee that Obama will be a stellar President, but I am hopeful.  

I did enjoy the speeches last night.  McCain gave a great speech conceding the election to Obama.  And I of course enjoyed Obama's speech as well.  For the first time in a long time (8 years to be exact) I will not feel the need to turn off the TV when the President speaks.  I will, however, miss SNL's portrayal of Bush.  I will also miss Tina Fey, aka Sarah Palin.  The skits with her had to be some of the best I have seen in a long time (right above Will Ferrel as George W.).  

OK, no more politics.  We have almost a foot of snow.  I couldn't make it up our driveway.  And it still hasn't stopped.  What is going on?  I guess winter has arrived.  

Some Halloween Pictures.

Here are some pictures of our Halloween fun. We had some friends over (Lori and Brandon, and Matt and Sarah, parents and kids), had some yummy chili (thanks Sarah, and Joan!) and then took the kids out for candy. Here is my nephew Nate as a pirate. He caught onto the candy pretty quickly and was a trick-or-treating pro by the end of the night.

My handsome Caden as a monkey. You can't see, but there is a banana in his pocket that came with the costume. He loved it. Ciara the Princess Kitty, Sean the Devil, Caden the Monkey, and Nate the Pirate.

Ciara was so proud of her costume.

Caden and Ciara ready to get their candy.

They had a really good time, and this was the first year that Ciara has been really excited about it. She woke up at 5:30 Halloween morning, all ready to go. And even after it started to rain on us, and most of us wanted to go home, she kept saying, "Let's go to another house mom!" Caden definitely tired out more quickly than her. I have now convinced Ciara to give all her candy to the Candy Witch, who will replace it with a toy. Caden is not having it. He is not giving his candy up for anything.

Twilight

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Picture Update

I am finally well! After that damn cold that killed my voice for almost a week, I caught the stomach flu. I forgot how horrible it can be. But I am all better now, and ready for Halloween. The kids have been able to wear their costumes many times already. Caden got to wear his to school on Monday, and Ciara wore hers to dance on Tuesday, and also will wear it to school on Friday. I have to admit they look dang cute. Caden is a monkey, and Ciara is a princess cat. She couldn't make up her mind between a cat and a princess, so she just combined them. I only have pictures of Ciara so far, since I forgot to take the camera to Caden's school. But after Friday, I will have lot more pictures for you all.

I also wanted to put other pictures on here, since it seems like forever since I have downloaded some. So enjoy!

Caden after he got into Rocky's shaving cream. Instead of punishing him, Rocky prefers to take pictures.

Here are the kids (Ciara, Caden and Nate, my nephew) at Gardner Village looking at the witches.

Again, Gardner Village. But this time riding horses.

Caden loved riding the horse. I just love the expression on his face in the picture.

We also visited the Scarecrow Festival. The kids had a blast. They got their faces painted, made rockets, rode horses (again), went through a haunted house, and played lots of games.

My princess kitty. I will have some of Caden in a few days.

I got my hair cut on Saturday, and on a whim I decided to add some pink. Rocky thinks I am a little crazy, but that is why he loves me. I think it is kind of fun. And it washes out, not permanent. Ciara loves it and wants some in her hair now.

Day 4

I still have no voice. And I seem to be feeling worse. I think it is because I just need to slow down for a few days. I have been running around for the past week. Saturday we went to the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point, Sunday was my Uncle's birthday party (after a full day of church), Monday I had 3 kids and went to the gym, yesterday I had 3 kids again, went to Ciara's dance, and got the kids pictures taken, and today I have 3 kids again. I was going to go to the gym (I got my bag all ready last night) but I just have decided to try to relax today (as much as I can with all the kids running around). I started to catch up on some stuff, like finding out where to vote, etc. when I find out that I am not registered. Great. I was so upset that I just burst into tears after I hung up the phone. I never thought I would be so upset that I couldn't vote, but I am. I think maybe the sickness is getting to me as well. When I got my Utah driver's license at the beginning of this year, I registered then. But apparently the DMV is not good at registering people. At least that is what the girl on the phone told me. So I guess I am not allowed to have an opinion this election. I am also mad at myself. I should have made sure I was registered months ago so I would have had time to get it all organized. Too late now. And for those of you wondering, the pictures went OK. It was so cold and windy, and we froze the kids. My sister forgot her outfit for Nate, so we had to have her hubby bring it to us (we were in American Fork, so it took a while). By the time we had it, Nate had enough of the cold, and so did my kids. I felt so bad for them, forcing them to be out in the cold wind, but I didn't want to cancel, since she (the picture lady) is booked for the rest of the year. I hope we get some good pics out of this, and the kid's noses are all red. I will let you know when I see them (about 3 weeks).

Sickness

Cold and flu season has started at our house.  Caden started this last weekend with a fever of 103, and then an earache last Monday.  Antibiotics are great, and he is doing so much better.  But then Rocky got it, and I got it this past Thursday.  I thought I was getting better over the weekend, but then I lost my voice.  For 2 days I have not been able to talk over a whisper.  This sucks.  Especially when I am trying to talk to the kids.  Caden just keeps saying, "Talk louder Mom."  He doesn't understand that I can't.  And trying to get their attention is almost impossible.  I have to resort to clapping loudly, or stomping my feet, or anything to make a loud noise.  I know that Rocky enjoys it when I can't talk; it is a lot quieter in our house when my voice is gone.  Halls and Breath Right strips have become my friend, and I hope I can talk tomorrow.  We are getting the kids pictures taken, and I am SO excited.  Depending on how it goes tomorrow, I will post her information so you all can see for yourself.  

Politics

Every election year, around this time, I become so sick of politics. The damn commercials, the debates, the news. It is just too much. And I get tired of everyone arguing about who would make a better president. I do have my own opinion, but it is just that, an opinion. So is yours. Don't try to change my mind with "facts." Most of us only know what we hear from the news, and it is not unbiased. And don't jump down my throat because I may disagree with you. Is it just me, or has it been getting more volatile every 4 years? I don't remember this much drama before the election 8 years ago. All the drama came after. Then 4 years ago it got a little worse, and this time it seems like no one can get along. Therefore, I am not going to share my opinion with you all, in hopes that you will not care who I am going to vote for. Yes, the country is kind of a mess right now, but I am not hoping that one person can fix it. I don't think there is anything that any president can do to wipe away all this mess. I am just really glad for SNL, Daily Show, and Colbert Report that can at least make me laugh at all this stuff. In an election year, they are my favorite news programs.

Well, I'm Still Here

So I survived 30. I am officially here, and am not old. I think I can deal with it. I did hyperventillate a little when at the gym. On the stair machine, it asks you to input your age. My hand trembled as I had to push the "3" first. But I got over it, and have made it through the first half of the day.

One thing I do love about my birthday (not matter what age) are the PRESENTS! This year turned out to be the year of the jewelry. I attended a Lia Sophia party with my mother in law, and she pretty much just got me every thing on my wish list. Wahoo! But I also got some great gift cards and cash, so Caden and I went to the mall. I didn't get anything too exciting with it yet, but plan to go sans kids soon. My sister threw me a surprise party with weekend, which was definitely surprising. She put some great (embarassing) pictures of my from my childhood up, and we had great Godiva Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. There was one problem with the party: my husband chose to go hunting. He missed the party. I was so sad about that. But he did try to make it up to me. He sent flowers to the gym when I was working, and he also got me New Kids on the Block tickets! I am so excited. I know that many of you think that I am a total dork for wanting to see them, but I can't help it. They were the first band I ever loved.

One other gift that deserves honorable mention is the cutest bag:

This bag is way cuter in person. Although I can't decide on the fabric. The other option I like is:

I love them both. But I think I almost want the black, since I do not have a cute black bag. There was also many other gifts that I loved as well, so thank you to everyone who remembered, and those who came to the party. I have decided that 30 isn't so bad, and that I might actually enjoy myself!

Thirty

This past week, Rocky and I celebrated out 8th anniversary. In the grand scheme of things, this doesn't sound like a lot of time, but I really can't believe I have been married so long. I have to say how happy I am that I married him, and even though he does drive me crazy sometimes, I feel happy every day. I need to get some of our wedding photos scanned onto here to reminisce. The other thing that happens 8 days after my anniversary is my birthday. I am usually really excited about my birthday (it is my favorite holiday) but this year I am more anxious about it. If you didn't already know, I am turning 30. Even as I write that number I have to cringe a little. I know that most of you will say, "30 isn't that old, get over it." And I know that. I think once I am there, it won't be that big of a deal. But anticipating it sucks. My sister and her friends used to use the number 30 as the biggest number. If someone was gone for a long time, they would say, "They were gone for like 30." Coincidentally, I am watching the episode of Friends where they all turn 30. I used to watch Friends and think, "Well, I am younger than all of them." Now I watch and think, "I am the same age." For some reason this depresses me. I think the reason I feel so weird about 30 is that I really don't feel so different from when I was in college. I expected to feel all adult and mature at 30, but I still feel like the same girl who streaked across the U (it was around 3 in the morning, and no one was around). I have decided that all of my future birthdays will be 27. I am going to turn 27 every year.

Am I The Crazy One?

Today at the gym, I overheard some ladies talking while getting ready in the locker room. They were right next to me, so I wasn't trying to eavesdrop (OK, maybe I am a little nosey, but they were talking really loudly). They were discussing Halloween, and what their kids were going to be. The conversation turned to last years Halloween. They were trying to remember what their friends kids were last year, when they remembered one little boy. This little boy wanted to be a butterfly (like his older sister) but was made to be a truck since the mom deemed a butterfly not appropriate for him. And these 2 moms were in total agreement with this. I have a small problem with this. Aren't they just forcing the gender role onto this young boy? (From the conversation, I am guessing he was 2 or 3 when this happened). I know that men will disagree, and would force their son to be something masculine. At least most of them would. But I really don't see what the problem is. You do not have to dress him up in pink and purple sparkly wings, but they have some great Monarch butterfly costumes (that are black and orange) and work for boys and girls. For example:

I think that is costume is adorable for a boy or a girl. I have also seem some moth-like costumes that any toddler would think is a butterfly. My point is that butterflies do not have to be girl specific. And that we force gender roles onto kids way too early. They will learn for themselves, trust me! We are kind of having an issue of this in our home. As I mentioned in my previous blog, Caden is really into dancing. He loves to watch Ciara's ballet recital on DVD and loves to show us his arabesque. Rocky is getting worried that he will want to be a dancer. This fact doesn't bother me. If Caden wants to take ballet, then I am signing him up. Rocky does understand that if Caden wants to do this, then he won't stand in his way. But it will bother him. He has promised to keep his mouth shut if this does happen, but I also tell him that in a few years, Caden will probably have different interests. I know Rocky would get over his son being a dancer, but I do worry about his family. I will have to tape Joe's (Rocky's dad) mouth shut if he hears about Caden's dancing. (I say tape it shut because Joe will have many not so nice things to say about his only grandson doing something not so manly).

So, am I the only one who feels this way? Do you all think it is OK for parents to force certain roles onto their children? And I don't want to hear that forcing the gender role is OK because you don't want your child to be teased. I know that it is something to think about, but I would rather my child be himself and not change for fear of peer pressure.

**I just showed Rocky the costume and he does NOT think it is OK for a boy.**

Dancing Baers

We finally received Ciara's dance recital DVD. (Some professional films it and then makes DVD's that the parents can buy, since we are not allowed to record the performance ourselves.) She LOVES it. We had to watch it at least 3 times yesterday, and also had to rewind her own dance about 15 times. She told me that she thinks that she is the prettiest dancer. I happen to agree. I digress. There is one dance that involves Jasmine and a prince. This prince is a dancer from Ballet West that was helping with the recital. In his dance, his shirt is off. This seems like a random statement, but it should make sense later. After Ciara had watcher her dance for the 15th time, she wanted to put her costume on and dance along with the video to show Caden. After she finished, they decided to go jump on the trampoline. A few minutes when by, and I decided to check on them. I look outside and see Caden without his shirt. Ciara is dancing around saying, "Caden, now spin me. OK, now lift me up." Caden was trying to hard to lift her up, but he just couldn't. So Ciara says, "You're too little, so I will lift you up." Ciara lifts up her brother (but not very easily since they are both the same weight) and they continue dancing. Ciara was trying to reenact the Jasmine/Prince pas de deux from the dance video. I wish I had my video camera handy. I just loved that she made Caden take his shirt off so he could be like the prince. And on a 90210 update, I just watched the infamous prom episode (you know, where Donna gets drunk). I am so looking forward to the next episode with one of my favorite chants: "Donna Martin graduates!" It was brought to my attention yesterday that I have been slacking on my movie quotes. Here is one to get you through the weekend: "You can only hear that Richard Gere gerbil story so many times before you start to believe it."

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Yesterday, we had our primary program.  We had practice for 3 hours on Saturday.  I was one of only 2 teachers who actually showed up to this.  It was fun.  I say that in a dead tone, since it was NOT fun.  You all are familiar with my rebellious class.  They were all there for the performance, and were quite good during the actual performance.  Ciara was adorable if I may say so.  She said both of her lines, and sang her song so well!  (Can you tell I am a little proud?)  Anyways, after the program we had to go to primary (of course).  They kids were a little wound up.  And what did the presidency do to help calm them down?  They game them cookies, and chocolate bars and Skittles.  And then sent them off to be taught by me.  WHY?????  I think it was some kind of test.  They were so rowdy.  Luckily, I have a new teacher with me, so she was there to help with crowd control.  It did help, but I was still tired after.  Thank goodness we are gone next week.

Yes, out of town again.  But this time with the whole family.  We are going to a cabin in Yellowstone.  I hope the kids enjoy it.  I am kind of afraid they might get bored.  But I could be surprised.  

Also, I have been watching a lot of 90210.  My sister has season 1 and 3 on dvd.  I am watching 3 right now, and for those of you that don't know, that is their senior year.  I haven't seen these episodes since I watched them the first time, when I was in middle school.  Last night I watched the episode where Dylan's dad gets blown up.  Dylan says a really good line while making out with Kelly: "You need a dose of Dr. Dylan's good beside manner."  This show just makes me laugh.  Jim and Cindy really have a lot to teach all of us about being good parents.  :)

Diaper Review

I decided to test some new diapers. I don't know why I decided to do this. I guess I just like to research just about anything. So I ordered some new diapers (all environmentally friendly, I have been done with the Huggies and Pampers for a while) and have come to some conclusions. The first brand I tried was Tender Care. These SUCK. Every time I used them on Caden, the leaked. I had to change his pants every time the diaper got wet. I don't know what was wrong with them, but seriously, EVERY TIME. I ended up throwing those away. The next brand I tried was Seventh Generation. I am kind of enjoying these. They are nice and stretchy, and they absorb well (unlike the previous brand). Rocky doesn't like that they are tan instead of white. This isn't really a big deal to me. The only thing I don't like about them is that they seem to leave a little residue on Caden's bum. It reminds me of Pampers and Huggies, which always left little gel things all over him. Other than that, they are good. The final brand I tried was Nature Babycare. This is the brand I have actually been using for the last 8 months or so. These still remain my favorite. They are stiffer and less flexible than the Seventh Generation, but they don't leave stuff of Caden's butt. I also have never had a leaking problem. I did get a bad batch one time, where the diaper kept detaching from the Velcro, but that was just once. These still remain my favorite. I also use the wipes, but am also trying new wipes. I am currently using the Seventh Generation wipes, and they are a bit disappointing. They are too thin, and they kind of clump together when I take them out. So, in conclusion, Nature Babycare win both categories for me (wipes and diapers). Either way, I want to encourage everyone to at least try using environmentally friendly diapers.

Mom's Gone Wild

As I mentioned before, I went on a girl's trip with some of my friends this weekend.  We just got back last night, and I am still recovering.  Instead of giving you all a rundown on everything we did, I am going to post some of the best lines from the weekend, and some of the unforgettable moments.  Many of these things may not make sense to the majority of you, but this is the best way for me to remember the weekend.  Needless to say, we had a BLAST!

"That was when I hit rock bottom."

"Don't I have better legs than Valerie?"

"I am going to take of my pants, but first I want to finish this beer, then I need to poop."

"I want to sit on your face."  (this is said screaming really loudly)

"You have fu#$%^ with the wrong person!!"

"I'm Sarah, I'm Sarah!"

"I'm gettin' my drink on."

"I've never seen Lori so sluty, and she doesn't even look sluty."

"Oh, is it separation anxiety?"

"I've kissed as many girls as I have boys."

"What color are your nipples?"

"Let's call Ben!"

"I've already pooped 3 times."

These are not quotes, but other things I would like to mention:

Ice

90210 game- mom pants, valley of Donna, hot pink, Steve in clothes, something crappy happens to Andrea for no apparent reason

American Idol

hot guy surfing on the computer

Kyle, Dusty the bartender, Santa Claus guy and socks guy

we heard Brandi's fat kid

the black eye's in Driggs

drunk by association

cheese bagel and chocolate fountain

Caden's School

Today was Caden's first day of school. I was kind of sad to see him go off to class. Although the rest of me was cheering for almost 3 hours of no kids. He was a little excited about going, especially since one of his teachers is the same as last year (Ms. Kara). But as soon as we got to class, he got really shy and didn't want me to go. I was sure he was going to cry, but he didn't. He was such a big boy. He walked over to the books with Ms. Kara and they read while I said goodbye and left. He turned shy as soon as I returned to pick him up too. He had a great time, and they said he was a big helper. It is bittersweet to see the youngest go to school. I look forward to it, but then I get a little sad. He is growing up too fast. And what did I do with my free time? Well, I thought about going to the gym, which is probably what I will normally do. But this time I decided to get a yummy chocolate croissant and enjoy it. So I did. On other news, I am leaving for a girl's trip on Thursday! Wahoo! We are going to Jackson Hole for 4 days. I can't wait! We did this last year (to Moab) and had a blast. We usually don't have a lot of plans. Most of us are just happy to be child- and husband-less. We get silly, gossip, laugh a LOT and have lots of stories when we come back. So if you all don't hear from me for a while, be patient because I am sure I will have lots of stories when we get back!

Continued from yesterday . . .

She actually went through with it! Ciara got her ears pierced! I took her today, and I really didn't think she would go through with it (again) but she hopped up into the chair, all ready to go. She did start crying after the first ear, and I was afraid she wouldn't let them do the second ear. But amidst all the crying, she still held her head still so they could do the other ear. She was very brave, and stopped crying pretty quickly. She cannot stop touching her ears now. And she stares at herself in every mirror she passes. Here are some pictures of my big girl with earrings:

I also realized that I have been slacking on the movie quotes. So here is a new one for you all:

"Or perhaps a house full of dwarfs. I hear they are very hospitable."

Forgotten Posts

I have thought many times over the last few days about what I would post.  Every time, I would have some great discussion about some topic that had caught my attention that day.  But life would get in the way of my actually making my way to the computer, and now that I have time I have forgotten everything I was going to mention.  So I apologize if this bores you.  I promise, I had much better ideas!

Rocky and I watched "The Bucket List" the other night.  I wasn't expecting much from it, and was pleasantly surprised.  It made me contemplate my own "Bucket List."  I know that many of you may have already posted something similar, but I will not include the things I have already accomplished (such as have kids, get married, etc.) or things that I have no control over (like see my kids get married and have kids).  I know that this list will change over the years, but right now, this is what I have:

1.  Go cage diving with Great White Sharks.

2.  Go to the Kentucky Derby, wear an outrageous hat, and drink a Mint Julep.

3.  See the Great Wall of China.

4.  See the Egyptian Pyramids.

5.  Buy a pair of designer shoes (Jimmy Choo's, Manolo's).

6.  Get Lasik.

7.  Go back to visit Oman and Colombia.

8.  Attend a High School reunion (which would half accomplish #7).

9.  Learn Italian and Portuguese.

10.  Get some really nice family pictures taken.

11.  Eat at Serendipity.

12.  Go to Wimbledon.

13.  Drive a fancy sports car.

14.  Meet any of the men of my "List."  (For the final list see here.)

15.  Wear my wedding dress again.

16.  Buy a puppy (preferably a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel).

That is all I can come up with tonight.

On another topic, Ciara asked again to have her ears pierced.  She wants to go tomorrow.  I doubt whether or not this well happen.  I will let you all know.

I have also finally started to list Ciara's old clothes on Ebay.  This has been somewhat sad for me.  She has such cute clothes (at least in my opinion) and it makes me sad to give them away.  Many of you may think, "But what if you have another girl?"  I have thought about that question, and for now, there are no other children in sight.  I am perfectly happy with the status quo, and do not feel the need to change anything.  If we were to have more kids, it would be so far down the line that most of her stuff would be out of style, and I would want new stuff.  I did keep my favorites, so I am not getting rid of everything.  But if you, or anyone you know if, is interested in some cute clothes for girls, you can find me here.  If any one that reads this (or whose friends live in town) I will waive the shipping fee.  I also have a box of stuff that is unsellable on Ebay, so anyone who is interested in looking at that let me know!  I have lots more items to list, mostly in the 6-12 month size, so those will be coming up soon.

One last thing . . . here are some pics that I took of the scrapbook I made.  These are not of the one I am making now (that won't be done for some time . . . Sorry Brandi!) but they are of the one I made for my sister last year.  Enjoy!

Ode to Indian

Every year, my mom goes to the US Open. No, not to play tennis, but to watch. As many of you know, the Open is going on right now. And we have created a new tradition when my mom is gone: get take out Indian. My mom is the only one in our family that doesn't like Indian food. The rest of us love it. So every time she leaves town, we get Indian. Last night was our Indian Fest. My favorite is the Butter Chicken. Rocky always gets Tikka Masala. I digress. Every time I have Indian I am reminded of how much I really love it. Naan is the best bread ever. Even Caden is starting to enjoy it. It was a little on the spicy side, but he kept going at it. Ciara still wasn't into it, but I am not surprised. I don't think most toddlers like Indian food. We tried lots of different restaurants in the valley; last nights feast was from the Ganesh Cuisine in Midvale. They are the second best only to the Himalayan downtown. We have also tried the Royal Indian, and the New Dehli Palace. But neither compare to Himalayan or the Ganesh.

I also wanted to post some new ballet pics of Ciara. It is definitely busy now that ballet and school have all started, but I think we are all happy. There is some routine to the day, and I no longer have to find activities for us to do.

Financial Planning and Sunday School

Rocky seems to have it in his head that we need to meet with a financial planner. Why????? I don't know what the rest of you all think, but I feel that this is a waste of time. I really have no desire to meet with this person, who will tell me what I already know. I really don't know what Rocky wants to accomplish with this meeting, but I am not looking forward to it. There will go at least 2 hours of my life that I will not ever get back. As many of you know, I teach Sunday School to the 8 year olds. My class has grown, and I think I have about 10 kids now. This doesn't sound like a lot, but it really is. They are loud and rowdy. The majority of them this past Sunday were boys. They would not stop talking, and yelling. Then two of the girls made the other girl upset, and then one of the boys called one of the girls a fat cow. All the other boys were congratulating him, saying, "Good one!" and high-fiving him. That pushed me over the edge. I was just flabbergasted at this. Maybe I haven't been around 8 year old boys enough, but I thought that was way over the line. I had to go and get another adult to sit in the class and keep order while I tried to teach a somewhat less spiritual lesson because I was so incensed. On a happier note, I am excited because I get to make another baby book! I made one for my sister, and I have to say, I think it turned out pretty cute. This next one is for a boy too, but with different colors. Although, could someone out there have a girl so I can make a girly one?

Some Pictures

I finally figured out how to get the pictures off the other camera, so here are some new ones: Ciara at the rodeo back in July- Caden at the rodeo- Caden and Aunt Ashlee fishing during our camping trip- Ciara goofing off in the tent-

And since I haven't done a movie quote in a while, I will post a few. These have been in my head all week for some reason (Lori, you already know the movie, so no guessing).

"Stop looking at me swan!"

"It's nudey magazine day!"

"He called the $hit poop!"

"If peeing your pants is cool, then consider me Miles Davis."

"I'll give you a grown-up."

"Back to school, back to school, to prove to them I am not a fool."

"Billy, my Billy boy. I knew you would come back. No one can stop you if you try, don't I have a nice rack?"

OK, enough for now. More Friends trivia next time.

School, Camping and Work

So I haven't posted in a while. Too much has been going on. First, Ciara started school. Wahoo!! I think she was more excited than me to go back. She had such a big grin on her face when I dropped her off. Caden's school doesn't start until September, but that is OK. Since he is younger, I like to keep him around for a bit longer. Soon enough, they will both be at school all day. What will I do with myself? Hmmmmm . . .

Here is Ciara outside her school:

Here she is playing outside with a new friend (either Abby or Katherine).

On another topic, we went camping. Now, some of you may not know, but I do NOT like camping. I hate not having showers, beds, clean floors, etc. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a city mouse. But my dear hubby likes to camp and fish and hunt and all sorts of other things, so I occasionally have to go along with it. It was the first time we have taken the kids camping. They were pretty good, but we did leave a day earlier than planned. We went to Strawberry Reservoir, so Rocky could do some fishing. It was freezing! Friday night we were so cold, and the kids were so cold as well. At one point during the night, Caden was sleeping completely on his pillow with no covers, and his butt sticking up in the air. We got him back into the bag, and the next morning he was so far in the sleeping bag that we couldn't see any part of him, just a big lump somewhere near the bottom of the bag. Ciara slept ok, but she was also freezing. She woke up crying at one point during the night, and when I asked her why, she said, "Because my nose is cold and I don't want it to be." So I let her come into my sleeping bag with me, which of course meant that I got no more sleep. Another thing I learned about Ciara is that she talks in her sleep. Most of the night she just mumbles nonsensical things, but I do remember one sentence she said very clearly: "OK, I will have a pancake after." I really thought she was awake when she said this, because it was so loud. We survived the first night, and I was ready to go home. But Rocky wanted to do more fishing. We did have poles for the kids to use, but they got distracted. And can I blame them? Casting out and just sitting there until something bites? Not my idea of a good time. Caden made up a new game for himself: he stood by edge of the lake, grabbed rocks in each of his hands, and would yell, "Ready, set, GO!" and throw the rock in the lake (or reservoir as Rocky keeps reminding me). I don't think that it helped with the fishing. We finally decided to leave that evening (no one wanted to sleep in the freezing cold again) so we got to come home and clean up. I have to ask, does everyone take so much stuff camping? Rocky's parents brought a LOT of stuff. Most of it food. It looked as if we were moving up there. A sample menu: breakfast was french toast, eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausage. Lunch was taco salad. Who makes taco salad while camping? I know I don't camp often, but I thought that sandwiches were as sophisticated as it got while camping. Oh well. She tries. I have pictures, but they are on a different camera, and I don't know how to get the pictures off of it. I also started work yesterday, but there is not much to report. Everything was great, but most was training, so I don't many stories.

Have Your Cake and . . .

Have any of you all ever had a drastic change of taste? Not like taste in clothing, or decor, but actual taste of food? And to stop any suspicions, no, I am not pregnant. I used to love cake. Cake was my most favorite food. All kinds of cake (except carrot, which I do not think is cake), and especially the frosting. I used to LOVE the big globs of frosting shaped as roses sitting on top of my cake. But now, I don't like cake. It all started back in June. I had discovered this wonderful cake from Granite Bakery. They make it regular and then put a (previously) delicious chocolate draping on top of it. That was my most favorite cake. But then everyone wanted it. We had it for Caden's birthday in April, and then twice in June for my mom's and mother-in-laws birthday (twice within 4 days to be exact). I think I overdid it with this cake. After my last bout of cake, I felt a little sick. So I haven't had any since. For my aunt's birthday, she wanted the same kind of cake. So I tried to have some again. Same feeling: queasiness in my stomach. I could only eat about 3 bites and then I was done. (And those three bites didn't have any frosting). For those of you that know me, you know that this is weird. I don't think I will ever feel the same way about cake again. This makes me sad. I will miss cake. I am now moving cookies up into the number one spot on my food list. I still like some forms of cake: cheesecake (especially the Godiva one from the Factory), Nothing Bundt Cake (delicious, yummy cream cheese frosting). But cookies are my new thing. Well, not really new, since I have always loved cookies. But since cake is gone . . . Since Lori is kicking movie quote ass, I am going to have to come up with something else. Perhaps I could do some Friends trivia (since I am the Friends expert). "Wait a minute, hold the phone. You aren't talking about Chuckles University?" Who says that and what are they referring to (what is the episode about)?

Olympic Spirit

Last night I watched the swimming.  That race is one of the reasons I love the Olympics.  For those of you that missed it, you missed an incredible race.  It was the men's relay race, and the French were favored to win.  They were so much favored that they started to do some trash talking before the race.  During the last leg of the race, it looked as though the French had the race already won.  The US was about 1/2 a body length behind.  But somehow, in the last few moments, the US caught up and won.  It was much more exciting watching it than trying to explain it.  But watching someone (especially the US) come from behind to win is just plain exciting.  I know that many love the Olympics, myself included.  But for me, the Olympics is something more.  Growing up, we moved a lot.  So when people ask, "Where are you from?" I don't really have an answer.  Many of you with hometowns have certain affinities for the local sports teams.  But having no hometown, I have really not had the opportunity to latch on to a certain team.  We lived out of the country a lot of the time, and then my hometown became the whole of the States.  It didn't really matter which state, but I was just identified as "American" or gringa (when we were in South America).  The Olympics gives me an opportunity to root for the only team I feel any loyalty to: the USA.  As far as local teams, I do favor some over others (Broncos, the U) but I don't feel as connected to them as I do the whole country when it competes with the rest of the world.  So go USA, and I look forward to the rest of the games.  

Quote:

"In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns."

Working

OK, I think I am recovered from my marathon weekend of volunteering. I bought the new Stephanie Meyer, Breaking Dawn. I was looking forward to finding out how this story would end. I will try not to reveal anything that will ruin the book for you. I couldn't put it down, but was a little disappointed. She went off in kind of a weird direction for me. It was a little too much like The Host. Not in an obvious way, but just in the level of wierdness. And why is everything happening in these next few days? I have about 4 things going on on Saturday, 3 on Monday. It just doesn't end. Plus they are working on the roads again. And Caden had a pretty bad fall at the gym today. He apparently tripped over Ciara and fell head first into the shoe cubbies. When I saw him, he had the biggest knot on the side of his forhead. They said he didn't cry for very long, and Ciara stayed with him the whole time. She loves to play mother to him. Also, I have somewhat big news. I am going back to work (kind of). It is just part time (less than 20 hours per week). And it is at the gym. Yes, I am sure some of you are laughing a little thinking of me working in a gym. But I am in the child center. No, not day care. It is very different. This center is amazing. They have a computer room, a separate room for babies (under 1), a separate room for toddlers (under 2), an inside play area, an outside play area, basketball court and lots of other things. No, it is not my dream job, but it works for now. I can bring the kids with me when I want, and they have a great time playing there already. My membership is also paid for, which is great. I just figured I am there already, might as well get paid for it! So we shall see how this goes. I am a little nervous, I haven't worked in over 4 years. But I am sure it will all go well. I have to get certified in all sorts of stuff, take lots of tests, and many other things. They are very thourough, but I do appreciate it since I have been taking my own children there for the last 5 months. We shall see how this goes . . . I realize I haven't done a movie quote in a while: "Check out the funbags on that hosehound."

Day 2 and Day 3

OK, so Friday. I had to leave the house around 7:30 am in order to pick up the walkie-talkies by 8 am. I make it to the school at about 5 mins after 8. And lo and behold, the director isn't there. There are people wandering around the building (the health fair doesn't officially start until 10). I had to kick all the people out of the building, which I hated doing. That is why the director should have been there. To do HER job. I digress. So the rest of the committee shows up by 9 am, and that is when we are meant to have a meeting. Again, no director. She is in the building by this point, but we aren't sure where. At around 9:15 the meeting starts. She doesn't have much to say, but I give out all my kitchen rules. I tell them that I am the kitchen Nazi, so please don't mess it up, and don't eat the food for the medical students. I am having trouble remembering all of Friday. I remember running up and down the stairs about 100 times with food to restock the medical break room. I remember agencies complaining that the food wasn't ready early enough (they were complaining at 11:30 am). I remember that we ran out of dentists at 6 pm, so we had to shut the dental floor down early. I can also recall one great JL member sitting in the kitchen and calling every dentist in the phone book to see if anyone could come and fill in. Unfortunately, no one could, but the fact that she made all those calls was such an incredible thing. I remember many JL members waltzing through my kitchen, and trying to eat the food that was NOT for them. And I also remember them giving me dirty looks when I told them they could not eat it. The event was over at 8 pm, and it took me about and hour to clean up. I got home around 9:30. Saturday. This time I didn't have to be there until 9 am. Again, we started at 10. This time, the morning was a little quieter. But as soon as 10:30 rolled around, I was busy. The food was being delivered, and I was trying to get it to where it needed to go. One of the elevators was broken, so we had to wait in line for about 20 mins to get lunch up to the medical break room. Every time I left the kitchen, I would always get stopped to do some translating. This was very difficult. I know conversational Spanish, not medical Spanish. They are very different things. Then the 4th floor (where the dental services were) lost power for about 1/2 hour. We had to cut the dental line off at 2 pm, and the dentists were still working at 6 pm (we had closed at 5). I also had to call the police on Saturday. There were some stupid teenage boys harassing everyone, and the security we had couldn't control it, so they asked me to call the cops. It took them 30 minutes to get there, and by that time the guys had left. My day was very similar to Friday: racing up and down the stairs with food and water. Running all over the building doing all sorts of random things. We shut down at 5 and began to tear down. My tear down was relatively easy, especially since Kate, who is doing my job next year, was there. We had lots of extra food left over, so we made a couple of homeless shelter runs. They were so grateful for all the food, and it was so sad to see these little kids. It just broke my heart. But at least I know they have food and cleaning supplies for a little while. I won't go over all the details of the tear down. Just know that I sincerely hope that next years director is much more organized, and know that I hope to have a more relaxing assignment from now on. I would definitely organize CARE Fair again, but not next year. I need a break. But it was all worth it to see the thousands of people come through and get immunizations, physicals, dental work, and many other services that they wouldn't have had the opportunity to get otherwise. I will volunteer next year, as should all of you reading this.

Here are most of us, we are missing the dental ladies: Michelle and Emily.

Back row: Wendy, Kathryn, Kelly, Michelle, Brittany, Rachel, Ellie.

Front row: Alise, Raven, Me and Lindsay.

Giving Back

Many of you know that I am a member of our local Junior League. I like the opportunity to volunteer, and the chance to give back to the community. This weekend, I was one of about 10 of us in charge of putting on CARE Fair, one of the largest free health clinics in the state (I think). It certainly seems large. For 2 days, we offer free medical and dental services and we see around 3000 people. I saw we, but really I mean the Dr's. I don't actually treat people. I just helped organize it. This blog may be long, but I feel the need to share my experience. We will go day by day: Thursday- Thursday was set up. We use a five story school building to host this event. The school so kindly donates the space to us, so we try to be very careful with how we use the building. Before any set up takes place, I had to take pictures of each of the rooms so we can return everything exactly how it was previously. I thought we should have started earlier in the day, but the Director decided that 12 was early enough. We went and got the U-Haul, and went to the storage unit to get all our stuff. We emptied one of them easily enough, but the other unit is full of exam table that weight around 500 lbs. There were about 6 of us trying to load all this (all women, and not very buff). I don't know how it happened, but we finally got it all on the truck and to the school. My job was to oversee all the logistics of CARE Fair. I reserved the truck, made arrangements with the other rental companies for tables, chairs, draping, etc. I also reserved walkie-talkies, and some children's books to hand out. The books are donated and we usually get around 2000. I was told that they would be ready for me to pick up around 2 on Thursday. So Michelle (who was in charge of dental) and I went over to get them. We arrive at the location, and they lady tells us that we not only have to pack our own books, but we also have to count each one. Seriously???? We didn't have any boxes to pack stuff with, we thought we were just picking them up. So we sat there for about 2 hours, counting and packing 1008 books. Yes, exactly. I counted every single one. Then we go to pick up the walkie-talkies. They aren't ready. No one told them I would be coming. Great. But they were very nice and just asked me to come back in 45 minutes. We went back and tried to help with the unpacking effort. Part of my job was the kitchen and food. The kitchen was my domain. I had everything organized in no time. Then I just helped everyone else. When I finally had a chance to go and pick up the walkie-talkies, they were closed. Just another thing to add to the list. We finally finished around 9 pm. I was exhausted. And totally wound up about the next day. I got home, tried to sleep, without much success, and woke up around 4am and just laid there for a while. OK, I will tell you about Friday tomorrow. For those of you interested in joining the Junior League, we are having an open house August 18th at 6pm. You can check out the website at www.jlslc.org.

The Mist

I recently saw this movie. I wasn't expecting much. Steven King movies are either really good (Stand By Me, Green Mile) or really bad (Pet Cemetery, Christine). This started off in typical fashion: small town, archetypal characters (the religious freak, the out-of-towners, army personnel). I thought I knew where it was going. I was kind of bored. But then it seemed to take a very disturbing turn. I will try not to spoil it for those of you that want to see it. Marcia Gay Harden plays the religious zealot, and her character was reminiscent of the mother in Carrie (which I think goes in the "good" King category). Instead of being a horror movie (which it still is), it made me think about what disastrous situations do to humanity; it made me think about how different people react in life-threatening situations. One thing that makes the movie more heart-wrenching that it centers around a man and his son. If he had been a single man, it would be a different story. But for those of us with children, our choices are very different than if we were alone. What could you do to save yourself and your kid(s)? Or if not save them, to spare them the agony of a tortuous death? That is what was so disturbing to me. It forced me to think about those question, which are not ones I enjoy pondering. I am pretty sure that I won't live through a situation exactly like the movie, however I am not guaranteed to never make a decision like that. I think back to what I have read about the Holocaust, and families were forced to make those decisions. I am sure people in parts of Africa still make those decisions today. For now, I live in a place and time where those things seem distant, and only in movies. Let's just hope it stays that way. Do I sound morbid? I hope not. I am really not depressed or anything. Just thoughtful. Movies do that to me. I do have to say, if you have seen the movie, I could not have done what he did. It does make me sick to my stomach thinking about it. OK, I will attempt to lighten to mood with a happier movie quote: "The planet of not wanting to die by a drive by shooting. Everybody, lock your doors."

Changes

I know, I have been messing with my layout. I liked the last one, it was very cute. But the title of this is a DESPERATE (mormon) Housewife. So I decided it needed to be more desperate. Did I succeed? Does it look desperate? How does one make a blog look desperate.

And I just realized I didn't do a movie quote last time!  

I know that Lori will be the only one to get this, as I don't believe most of the public has actually seen this movie:

"What is God's name happened here?"

Sunday

Sundays are not my favorite days. They should be, but they aren't. Church starts at 1, which just happens to be the kids nap time. So we have to drag 2 tired kids with us, and try to get them to be well behaved, which, for those of you with kids, know it is almost impossible to get tired kids to be well behaved. Then, after dealing with my children, I get to teach other peoples children. I really don't mind doing this, but yesterday was not a good lesson. I teach the 8 year-olds, and I have 11 kids in the class. Luckily, they have not all shown up at the same time. But I had 8 there yesterday. They are usually pretty well behaved. I have 2 boys that are good friends, and they do like to scuffle once in a while. But other than that, I can't complain. That was until I got a new kid. He has more energy than all of them combined. He seems to find it impossible to sit still. And he likes to yell things out in the middle of it all. He was stressing me out. He would take his shoes off, eat his paper, ask me if I had been to Lagoon, yell out random information (like, "A kid from my school is from Argentina"), crouch on his chair. He does all this during Sharing Time, which is the time all the kids are together before we divide up into our own little classes. So we go to our class, and besides teach a lesson, yesterday I was supposed to wrap a whole bunch of items for some missionaries from our ward. One girl was really good at helping me, but the boys were so not interested in wrapping. I cut my lesson short (which I don't mind doing) but then I lost complete control of the class because I was trying to wrap, and I couldn't get it done and try to entertain them at the same time. So of course, we got out of class late, which I do not like doing. I like to be done on time. I was a little stressed when we got home. Shouldn't I feel fulfilled after a day at church? Perhaps next week . . . New movie quote: "I'll have what she's having."