TONIGHT!!!

As if Thursday nights aren't already the best nights for the old BOOB-TUBE!, you can now go ahead and add my favorite show of all time!! Fortunately all the other shows are in reruns, so sit back and enjoy some seriously amazing dancing!

I'm so going to see them on tour when they hit the Great Salt Lake! AAAKKK, I can't wait!


Here's just a taste! Thanks Tiburon.

What a weekend!

Saturday

7am....hit the pavement with Edie...Thanks Edie!

8:30...Garage sale where I bought THE CUTEST BEACH CRUISER BIKE for a 10 year old girl...too bad I don't have one of those!

12 noon... Preschool wrap-up picnic at Washington Park. If you haven't been up there in a while, you ought to - it's a great park complete with 3 inch deep creek that has magnetic powers on little boys! We over stayed over played and got over sunned...it felt SO GOOD!

4pm...pedi's with my sisters! Then the Atom hatched open and we had dinner with my nuclear family. We all piled into my mom's car and cruised the two houses we lived in while growing up! It was so much fun! I LOVE MY PEOPLE!

Sunday

A wild hair and my crazy friend Misty convinced us to join them at the Dugway Geode Beds. We thought it was a 90 minute drive and then got there 3 1/2 hours later had a great hour of play and then drove the 3 1/2 hour ride home! Longest day of my life...7 hours in the car with 5 kids (our friends came with us, that was the day's saving grace!) We brought home a box full of whole and pieces of fantastic geodes!

We ran to my Mom's for Sunday dinner and now I'm SO glad to be home! What a Weekend!

WE. CAN'T. WAIT. FOR. SUMMER!

There's nothing like the FLU to make you crave getting out and get some sun! I just couldn't keep this monkey in any longer!

Wii had a great Mother's Day

Some times, as a woman, you have to take matters into your own hands. You have to make executive decisions that effect your family. You, on occasion, HAVE TO BUY YOUR OWN MOTHER'S DAY GIFT!

And what a time we're having with it!!! Thanks to the ever so Naughty Tiburon, I am completely addicted to kickin' my kiddos bottoms (we don't say butt) with toilet plungers!

So to explain my lack of posts completely it all comes down to the plunger! Between the Wii and a nasty stomach flu bug that cut my week's grocery bill down to nothing...I am all plungered out.

PS ~ Lisa, which works better...Lysol wipes or the Clorox ones?

We Love You....the Queen of EUROPE!

My old friend Ashely and I were in my mom's car on the way to school when we passed an apple tree with two colors of blossoms. My mom dove into a story about her uncle who had graphed a green apple branch onto a red apple tree and it grew beautifully right there on the wrong tree.

We rolled our eyes, that's what you do when your Thirteen! After school, we found ourselves in the same car going down the same street and passing the same two-toned apple tree. My crazy little Mom dove right into the Same story and it has been a running joke ever since.

We recently received news that Ashley's Mom is having some serious health issues and I feel paralyzed by that information. She's been my Mom's best friend as long as I've known her. Our families were raised together, we've traveled together, 90% of all the sleepovers I've ever had were at her house. We are that tree, different branches, one trunk.

Worried doesn't do justice to how I feel...helplessness, fear and a longing for more information tip the ice berg. I can only imagine how their family is feeling!

So on this Mother's Day, I want my Mom to know how much I love her and Kathy to know what an influence she has had on my life. She raised one of the best friends I've ever known and always been so kind to me and my family!

We are praying for the Queen of Europe everyday and are here to help however we can!

We love you D-Family!

So True

Thank you, Mom, for all the EVERYTHING!


The Lanyard

The other day as I was ricocheting slowly
off the pale blue walls of this room,
bouncing from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one more suddenly into the past --
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sickroom,
lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,
set cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light
and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.

Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.

And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift--not the archaic truth
that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hands,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

- Billy Collins

oh, you'll play and you'll like every minute...because I SAID SO!

My little Birdie loves the piano...I can't wait to show her this when she's begging me to not make her practice!

I need some a them!

Thanks BB Blog for the chuckle!!

My Little Bro!

I'm so proud of my little brother today. He is graduating from the U of U with his Masters in Psychology! He enrolled in the program with some reluctance and I hope he is as proud of himself as I am!

Way to go T-Bob!

Anyone else a FAN?

My boys are totally into Lego's...I love it. Such a great toy! Creative, problem solving, fine motor skill improvement, I could go on and on.

Problem is...I love to play them as much as my boys. Only...I only like to follow the instructions and they are more into "ship building".

Since our trip to Legoland, we have acquired a few assorted kits. I think I am ready for this one...I've heard it's a bugger! 10,143 pieces...WOW. I think I'm +16 years old?

Only downside? an Oral 9 month old about to start crawling!

Ugh! and Double Ugh with a great big CRAP on top!

Today Sucks too.
I'm in kid Hell! I love 'em but MAN 'O MAN do I need a little Cafe Rio w/o 'em tonight!

Too many people are telling me to be tougher...I'm not, I'm a ginormous piece of Jello! I need work!

Can't manage my house, kids, life, or emotions apparently!

A not so funny from the weekend...I was doing laundry and saw Thatcher playing right outside the window. I used the blinds adjuster to tap of the out-of-reach window to get his attention. Being three, he thought it was pretty cool to see me through a window. He ran to find something to tap back with...it was the HAMMER!

Gotta go call the Dr. for more Happy pills!

Later!

Monday, that's WHAT IT IS!

Monday night at 7:00pm...Taylorsville Cafe Rio (they have that lovely little room for us!) Come one come all to a Bloggerhood Reveal!
We'll get some new reads, make some new friends and chat with those we've been reading for months now!

Lovin' it!

Mindi ~ We're just four short hours away...C'mon, you can do it! I have a guest room for you to crash in!
Tib ~ You'd better be callin' away on that sitter thing...OR...bring 'em! I'd love to meet Ethan, Avery, Olivia and Millie!
Ann ~ I'm sorry it didn't work for you this time...next time FOR SURE!!!

Cafe Rio...REALLY?!?!?!?

- K - Wait, lots of you just said yes to Cafe Rio...SERIOUSLY...Let's do it again! Can anyone do this Saturday for lunch or Monday night?

LET'S GO!

C'mon Amanda...points-Schmoints when it's GNO!!!

CRAP! (Totally my favorite 80's word)

The trip let down is in full force - time to clean house again, laundry baskets are full again, need to get groceries again, I drive carpool again, yard needs serious attention again, SNOWING AGAIN?!?!?!
-Tag's teacher told me that his answer to 'How was your trip?' was " Much better than School!"
CRAP!

This whole no binkie crap is just about killing both Thatch and Me!

Dave has been gone all week and just told me that his plane lands at 6pm but his hockey game starts at 9...Double Crap!

Does anyone else ever consider hoppin' into their minivan and tearin' off into the sunset...or is it just me?

HELP!

The ;)Binkie Fairy(; came to our house today and Thatchie is not the least bit happy! She left him a Toob of Astronauts that she KNEW he really wanted but that just didn't cut it! He really misses that darn binkie!

The time had long since come. The poor kid is nearly 4 but I've held onto it through the seizures. Fortunately we have control! FINALLY!

So, I'm in need of some support to get through the next few treacherous days!

Wish me LUCK!

C'mon...Give me your Money!

My friend Tiburon is starting up her contest again for the fourth time! She's amazing, I recall her telling us she has lost 88lbs (probably more since I met her). Check it out, it'd be fun to do with my friends! The more the Merrier!

Let's talk Earth Day

I have a question on those reusable grocery sacks...

So many are using them these days, So...What are you lining your garbage cans with? Has anyone found a garbage sack that is environmentally friendly?

Next topic, I loved this post. I want to see Al Gore's house(s), because it should be Covered in solar panels, with One hybrid car and a Huge compost pile in the yard. I too am getting tired of being preached to by those not practicing!

Last, I agree with my mom...It's the Baby Boomers in Menopause that are causing Global Warming! (Good one, Mom!)

They sure know how to keep it light!

So, we really did have a great trip. But, being a Mom, I did lose my cool twice. Both times the boys quickly put me back in the VaCa spirit with the funny things they say!

We were sitting in a sandwich shop for lunch. At this point the picky eating had hit an all time HIGH! (C'mon who doesn't lose it then?!?!) Both boys had ordered Exactly what they wanted and neither were touching it. I'm pretty sure you could hear me coming unhinged! CREEEEEK! Right then Tag looks at me and says
"What if you had 26 kids?"

Then we tried to make Thatcher take a nap...HA, HA! Talk about pressure! All of us sitting around watching him try to sleep. Finally he looks up at me and says "When it's your birthday I'm going to write you a card that says...'Dear Mom, You're Mean!"
We couldn't stop laughing all day!

Back...sorry for the break.

Went to San Diego...a MUCH needed trip! I'll post pics soon! We had way too much fun and got all caught up on rest!

Reality feels good today!

Spring is in the AIR!

YEP!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!

CAN. NOT. WAIT!

Go Here

Go There

It's EVERYWHERE

PS, Too busy to blog - Them are fightin' words, I know!

Just to clear a few things Up

Okay, first of all Thank you very much for all the fun birthday wishes and warm-fuzzies with Sprout's passing. It was a good week! I really miss her, I knew I would, 12 doesn't just fade over night!
My birthday was a great day and I really do feel amped for the coming year!

Now, some answers to questions you left.
The Web is strings, yarn, ribbons, shoelaces, etc. It's actually pretty fantastic and worth the trip. The museum is fabulous too, so plan a day if you're in the mood for some culture!

Next, my new tattoo is on the top right side of my back.

As far as my diet, can't believe I'm gonna say this, I want to lose 40 lbs. SHEESH, how'd I get here, Don't know but I'm taking it one day at a time and really focusing on my goal. I've also ordered a tapeworm (per Mindi's suggestion!)

I hope you all have a GREAT WEEKEND!

PS, for a sweet story - head on over here!

My Living Nightmare!

12, Yep, TWELVE Three year-olds on a field trip to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

Saving Grace: This Really cool interactive exhibit! (We are recreating it in our classroom next week!)

When Will I Learn

After school today I took the boys for a Slurpee, good stuff! After, I was Razzin' my kids!

Me: What do you say?

Them: A Hugely insincere "Thaaaannnk Yooouuu"

Me: no, I want a 'Thank you mother DEAR, you are the best mother ever for buying US something on YOUR birthday and we love you soooo much!'

Thatcher: Yes, Thank you mom, cuz you're all puffy and sort of Squishy.


Two things...
1-I got what I deserved!!
B- My DIET STARTS TOMORROW!!!!

Aren't my kids CUTE?!?!?

Just needed to bury that last post!

It's my birthday, too, Yeah!

YEP, It's my birthday! I am a HUGE birthday BABY! It's a real problem I have!

It's weird, this year though, it has been the hardest year of my life and that has made me retrospective today.

From seizures, to new babies, to no babies, to dear friends going through hell, to losing my sweet Sproutie - I am happy to see this year come to a close.

There have been so many days it seemed the world was crumbling around me. Oddly enough, it's you, my fellow bloggers that have been such a huge support!

I feel like corners have been turned, seizures are slowing, BABY is coming, Sprout is at Peace! This is My year! This is the year I take back the control of my happiness, my life, my attitude, my faith! Not to mention my kids, oops!

So, sometimes you need to do something a bit 'out of the box' to feel yourself again, to feel again.

Mom, you might want to look away.

I got myself a birthday present this year...I got a North Star!

The Star represents the 5 people in my little family and it represents strength.

Red is the color of Love.

The black is a reminder that as their Mother it's my job to hold 'em all together, but it's not touching to remind me to let 'em breath, let 'em be.

I'm going to shine this year, I'm going to get my house in order, get my life back together, focus on my children and making them the best they can be. I'm going to get my body back in shape to keep up with my kids and the life I want!

Watch out, I'm on FIRE!

Happy Birthday Edie!

Love sharin' this one with you! Hope your Day is GREAT!

Heaven is a tropical island made of waffles and turkey

Today (3/29/08) we had to put my sweet little Sproutie to sleep. She was 112 dog years old and things were slipping fast.

We got Sprout at the Humane Society about 12 years ago. They told us she was 4 years old. The people that brought her in brought 11 other dogs that looked JUST like her. They had dogs that had puppies, that had puppies, that had puppies.. she was probably totally inbred. We brought her home with knotted fur to her paws and chucked her in the tub. Under all that hair was this tiny little Sprout of a dog.

She was such a quirky little mutt. She was absolutely terrified of snowmen, balloons and wrapping paper tubes. She LOVED to lick ears, we hated that! We once left her with our neighbor and her two cats for a weekend. When we returned, Sprout was laying on her back and both cats were preening her belly...She was a lover of all non-dog animals!

Sprout only liked three other dogs: Gus, Scotty and Rukkus. Our next door neighbor recently got 2 Golden Retriever puppies that she Hated! I swear, if she had any teeth left, their dogs wouldn't have faces. She bit them every chance she got, cranky old girl!

We got her when we lived in a little condo. She loved laying in the sun, must have been the arthritis. She scratched a huge hole in the screen to our tiny balcony and would lay out there for hours. One day I came home from work to find Sprout asleep on the couch and a fat, gray pigeon at her food bowl in the kitchen. I sort of freaked which woke Sprout up. The pigeon hopped to the door, through the screen and flew away. Sprout was amazingly comfortable with the whole situation leading me to believe that bird had done this before!

Once we left her with my Mother-in-law while Dave and I left town. She forgot her name and called her Snuffalufagus for a week. Poor Sprout didn't answer to HER name for weeks! For some reason No One could remember her name!

Some of my favorite screw ups were...

Spit
Scout

Sprite

Squid

Squirt

Condo

Also, everyone thought She was a boy...even the vet today. I guess Sprout isn't the most feminine name, that - and - all dogs are boys and all cats are girls.

Anyway, I could have never asked for a better pet! She was so gentle with all children, so good to me and our family. She went so peacefully, for that I am thankful. I know that her heaven is comfy, really warm and full of waffles. I know that Gus was waiting for her and since turkey was his favorite, I'm sure there are mountains of that on the island as well.

I love you Sprout! I will miss your cold little nose on the back of my leg, constantly needing to step over you (did I mention that she was blind as a bat?) and the way you were always on my lap or any lap you could find! I'm so glad to know you are at peace! Tell Gus 'Hi' from me!

The Sign of TRUE Friends

This is my good friend Lisa! She's pretty, isn't she!

She is an amazing person, too! She's a great mom, the kind that's always on the go!

It's weird that 8 months ago we weren't really friends anymore but thanks to blogger (and Kami) we're back to being thick as thieves, and I'm so glad!

Lisa, you are such a good friend! I love that after umpteen years of not really talking it's as if we didn't miss a minute! You are so good at keeping our GNO's going! Thanks for including me on your adventures! I am so lucky to have a friend like you! (okay, We love Mark and the boys too!)

Things to Love this Week~

This week I love...

Yard work

watching the beautiful things in my yard start to bloom

The HUGE Maple in my yard

Sproutie

my vacuum

GNO with my H.S. friends tonight...YAHOO!

(Sorry for the blog-lift, Lisa!)