Books I read in 2011 in reverse order:
The Christmas Box
Christmas Jars
The Red Suit Diaries
A Christmas Carol
Gathering Christmas
The Mansion
Don't know much about Mythology (unfinished)
Goose Girl
The Golden Goblet
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Eat Cake
Harry Potter Audiobooks (yearly summer favorite!)
The Education of Little Tree
A Lantern in Her Hand
A Biography of Benjamin Franklin Johnson
Escape from Slavery
The Magic Garden
Reading Now: A Charlotte Mason Companion
A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion
A Thomas Jefferson Education
The Keeper of the Bees
Reading to kids: Abe Lincoln gets his chance
Across Five Aprils
A Daughter of the Land
The Harvester
To Kids: The Magician's Nephew
Her Father's Daughter
Leadership Education
To kids: Freedom Train
To Daisy: Big Susan
The Well Trained Mind
Micheal O'Halloran
A Girl of the Limberlost
Now To Nathan: The Phantom Tollbooth
Now To Brandon: Freckles
To Kids: The Tale of Despereaux
To Daisy: Toys Go Out
One Thousand Gifts
Freckles
Patriots in Petticoats
To kids: Night Journeys
to kids: Hitty, her first hundred years (never finished)
A House United: Teaching Self Government
Laddie (One of my all-time favorites)
Reading now: Fascinating Womanhood
To kids: D'aulaires Pocahontas
to kids: 3 tales of My Father's Dragon
to kids: Five Little Peppers
Don't know much about American History
Toliver's Secret
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Farmer Boy
We've Given Up the Easy Life for the Good Life
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Holiday Wrap-up
This post will be edited on a day where I feel more coherent and cheerful. I just wanted to get the post out there so the date will be in the right year.
We really had a special and fabulous Christmas. It will be fun to write about it another time.
Sarajoy has impetigo, scarlet fever, and hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
I have had another 3 days of nausea, extreme fatigue, restlesness, and lots of contractions.
I'm just tired, but I'm sure one of these days I'll get the itch to write.
Happy New Year!
Okay, here we go! Sarajoy is feeling and looking much better, though blisters still cover her mouth and feet. The kids are back to school so I'll wrap up our Holiday season:
Giving Day
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Once again, our Giving Day was a great success!
I spent hours and hours at the sewing machine with my kids, but it was great quality time to spend with them.
I was so happy on Wednesday when they came home early from their half-day of school. I cherished the fact that I'd have them all to myself for nearly 2 weeks! Dallin got home early on Wednesday, too, and it was so great to have him home on Thursday. He was able to take the kids to town for awhile so Daisy and I could work on her gift without anyone guessing what it was this year!
We worked hard all day and through dinner. We had a late start, but it was still a wonderful evening.
We drew names from a cup to see whose turn it would be to wear the Santa hat and give their gifts. As each person opened their gift, they told something they love about the giver. We record these in a special Christmas binder. I can't remember what order we drew, so I'll just go by age.
Sarajoy was happy to help me glue snow glitter on the family picture ornaments for this year. They were circle-shaped fans made from old Christmas cards. She loved having a chance to "wap-up" the presents and pass them out. She was particularly fond of the one with her own picture on it!
Simon made reindeer out of candy canes with pipe-cleaner antlers and pom-pom noses and googly eyes. He helped me choose what kind of paper to wrap each one in, and he was careful to close his eyes when he wrapped his own! The cute thing was that when he opened his own, he was so excited. "What could it be? I wonder if it is a robot?"
Daisy was able to pull off the chocolate-dipped pretzels in pure secrecy this year. She wrote all of the names on the labels and hid them in our stockings. They were delicious, especially with the candy cane mint flavored sprinkles she used this year.
Ruby had Dad's help to make her presents for the boys. They were rocket-launchers that she learned to use at activity days. They were a big hit! They boys made up a fun game with them in the racquetball court. We all went out there for awhile the next day and had fun shooting the rockets she had made out of cardstock and colored electrical tape. She also gave them each a 2 liter bottle of soda to drink and use when their current launchers wear out. She made Daisy a cute bracelet and Sarajoy a tiny version of her favorite blanket, "boo-dot" (polka-dot). I got her first drawing that she made at school. She made Dallin a neat organizer for his wallet, camera, ipad, etc. that he likes to keep on top of the computer armoire.
Brandon, as usual, had the biggest ideas! Our older kids made cloth dolls to send to Africa last month in co-op. Brandon made a baby boy version for Sarajoy and a little girl for Ruby that looks a lot like the one Ruby made for Africa. We just changed the skin and hair color. He and I made them each an extra outfit and diaper. He is getting really good at using the serger. Daisy and Simon got coloring books illustrated by Brandon. Daisy's was about cats and Simon's was about Dogs. In one of his creative outbursts this year, Brandon designed a whole line of clothing. He decided to make a "nairows" shirt for Nathan. We looked through his portfolio to choose the right design. It was the most complicated, but it turned out really cool. Nathan didn't want to take it off to go to bed that night. Brandon drew a nice Christmas picture for me, and he really wanted to make a fleece vest for Dallin. I had purchased all of the materials for it, but it seemed like such a daunting project. We worked hard on it all day. There were a lot of steps too complicated for Brandon, but he did as much as he could. While they were in town, they picked up a zipper, which was the only thing I had forgotten. I wasn't sure if we would get it done, so I had him make Dallin a BYU stocking cap just in case. Thankfully, we were pulling the basting out of that zipper just as Dad was gathering everyone for the event. We had to do a little touching up on the zipper afterwards, but it is a perfect fit! Even though it required so much from me, I love helping my kids make their ideas into a reality.
Nathan had some great ideas this year as well. He made Dallin a BYU scarf, and my gift was a IOU to help me clean my sewing room. (It is a total disaster after all of these projects! I had actually wished that one of my kids would think of that for a gift!) Ironically, he wanted to make Brandon a "nairows" shirt, too. It was fun to see the surprise when they both got their shirts. He made a fleece cover for Ruby's cat's chair. The fleece has cats printed all over it. There was enough left over for Mikey's own blanket. Daisy and Sarajoy both got girl dolls and outfits so Sarajoy now has twins. They are so cute! Simon got a fleece "Cars" outfit. Simon loves to wear pajamas. This outfit is so soft, but looks less pajama-ish.
I had a lot of fun with my project this year. Years ago, when we spent a summer in Las Vegas, I had a very hard time sleeping. It was so hot, but I have a really hard time sleeping without covers. I ended up discovering a large receieving blanket of my nephew's that was just the right weight to keep me comfy but not too hot. Unfortunately, I was only able to borrow it for a few days before he rediscovered it. I went to the fabric store and made myself and Dallin one. Flannel on one side, cool woven cotton on the other. Several of my kids are hot sleepers like me, so these blankets often get borrowed from our bedroom. I decided to make one for each kid, with fabric that matched their personality. It took me a long time to browse through all of the fabric and find what was just right. It was the thing about Christmas that I most anticipated this year! Nathan's was soccer-themed. Brandon got a BYU print. Ruby-dogs, of course, and her print was so colorful and fun. She's been telling me her new favorite color was orange, so that's what color of flannel I put on the back. I found a cute kitty print for Daisy with pink flannel on the back. Simon got a bright blue print with rockets on it. Sarajoy--hot pink with monkeys. For some reason that girl is crazy about "oo-oo-ah-ah's".
Dallin was having a hard time coming up with a great idea. One day while we were out shopping, he noticed a big bin of Christmas fleece blankets marked way down. You could never buy fleece that cheap. I told him that Ruby had one of those on her Christmas list, but that I was done fulfilling her wishes. We got thinking and decided to get one for each kid and have Dallin monogram them. I was proud of him for being willing to learn a new skill, but he took right to the blanket stitch. He carefully picked out just the right color of felt and thread from my fabric collection for each blanket. The bonus was that he could work while we watched Christmas movies in our bedroom. I even brought the sewing machine up for a few nights so I could be with him. The kids were thrilled to have their own special Christmas blankets from Daddy. That night they snuggled up in spots made from 2 new blankets each under the Christmas tree. I should have taken a picture. Sleeping by the tree is one of my very favorite memories as a child. I was so full of Christmas Cheer that I had a hard time sleeping that night.
We really had a special and fabulous Christmas. It will be fun to write about it another time.
Sarajoy has impetigo, scarlet fever, and hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
I have had another 3 days of nausea, extreme fatigue, restlesness, and lots of contractions.
I'm just tired, but I'm sure one of these days I'll get the itch to write.
Happy New Year!
Okay, here we go! Sarajoy is feeling and looking much better, though blisters still cover her mouth and feet. The kids are back to school so I'll wrap up our Holiday season:
Giving Day
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Once again, our Giving Day was a great success!
I spent hours and hours at the sewing machine with my kids, but it was great quality time to spend with them.
I was so happy on Wednesday when they came home early from their half-day of school. I cherished the fact that I'd have them all to myself for nearly 2 weeks! Dallin got home early on Wednesday, too, and it was so great to have him home on Thursday. He was able to take the kids to town for awhile so Daisy and I could work on her gift without anyone guessing what it was this year!
We worked hard all day and through dinner. We had a late start, but it was still a wonderful evening.
We drew names from a cup to see whose turn it would be to wear the Santa hat and give their gifts. As each person opened their gift, they told something they love about the giver. We record these in a special Christmas binder. I can't remember what order we drew, so I'll just go by age.
Sarajoy was happy to help me glue snow glitter on the family picture ornaments for this year. They were circle-shaped fans made from old Christmas cards. She loved having a chance to "wap-up" the presents and pass them out. She was particularly fond of the one with her own picture on it!
Simon made reindeer out of candy canes with pipe-cleaner antlers and pom-pom noses and googly eyes. He helped me choose what kind of paper to wrap each one in, and he was careful to close his eyes when he wrapped his own! The cute thing was that when he opened his own, he was so excited. "What could it be? I wonder if it is a robot?"
Daisy was able to pull off the chocolate-dipped pretzels in pure secrecy this year. She wrote all of the names on the labels and hid them in our stockings. They were delicious, especially with the candy cane mint flavored sprinkles she used this year.
Ruby had Dad's help to make her presents for the boys. They were rocket-launchers that she learned to use at activity days. They were a big hit! They boys made up a fun game with them in the racquetball court. We all went out there for awhile the next day and had fun shooting the rockets she had made out of cardstock and colored electrical tape. She also gave them each a 2 liter bottle of soda to drink and use when their current launchers wear out. She made Daisy a cute bracelet and Sarajoy a tiny version of her favorite blanket, "boo-dot" (polka-dot). I got her first drawing that she made at school. She made Dallin a neat organizer for his wallet, camera, ipad, etc. that he likes to keep on top of the computer armoire.
Brandon, as usual, had the biggest ideas! Our older kids made cloth dolls to send to Africa last month in co-op. Brandon made a baby boy version for Sarajoy and a little girl for Ruby that looks a lot like the one Ruby made for Africa. We just changed the skin and hair color. He and I made them each an extra outfit and diaper. He is getting really good at using the serger. Daisy and Simon got coloring books illustrated by Brandon. Daisy's was about cats and Simon's was about Dogs. In one of his creative outbursts this year, Brandon designed a whole line of clothing. He decided to make a "nairows" shirt for Nathan. We looked through his portfolio to choose the right design. It was the most complicated, but it turned out really cool. Nathan didn't want to take it off to go to bed that night. Brandon drew a nice Christmas picture for me, and he really wanted to make a fleece vest for Dallin. I had purchased all of the materials for it, but it seemed like such a daunting project. We worked hard on it all day. There were a lot of steps too complicated for Brandon, but he did as much as he could. While they were in town, they picked up a zipper, which was the only thing I had forgotten. I wasn't sure if we would get it done, so I had him make Dallin a BYU stocking cap just in case. Thankfully, we were pulling the basting out of that zipper just as Dad was gathering everyone for the event. We had to do a little touching up on the zipper afterwards, but it is a perfect fit! Even though it required so much from me, I love helping my kids make their ideas into a reality.
Nathan had some great ideas this year as well. He made Dallin a BYU scarf, and my gift was a IOU to help me clean my sewing room. (It is a total disaster after all of these projects! I had actually wished that one of my kids would think of that for a gift!) Ironically, he wanted to make Brandon a "nairows" shirt, too. It was fun to see the surprise when they both got their shirts. He made a fleece cover for Ruby's cat's chair. The fleece has cats printed all over it. There was enough left over for Mikey's own blanket. Daisy and Sarajoy both got girl dolls and outfits so Sarajoy now has twins. They are so cute! Simon got a fleece "Cars" outfit. Simon loves to wear pajamas. This outfit is so soft, but looks less pajama-ish.
I had a lot of fun with my project this year. Years ago, when we spent a summer in Las Vegas, I had a very hard time sleeping. It was so hot, but I have a really hard time sleeping without covers. I ended up discovering a large receieving blanket of my nephew's that was just the right weight to keep me comfy but not too hot. Unfortunately, I was only able to borrow it for a few days before he rediscovered it. I went to the fabric store and made myself and Dallin one. Flannel on one side, cool woven cotton on the other. Several of my kids are hot sleepers like me, so these blankets often get borrowed from our bedroom. I decided to make one for each kid, with fabric that matched their personality. It took me a long time to browse through all of the fabric and find what was just right. It was the thing about Christmas that I most anticipated this year! Nathan's was soccer-themed. Brandon got a BYU print. Ruby-dogs, of course, and her print was so colorful and fun. She's been telling me her new favorite color was orange, so that's what color of flannel I put on the back. I found a cute kitty print for Daisy with pink flannel on the back. Simon got a bright blue print with rockets on it. Sarajoy--hot pink with monkeys. For some reason that girl is crazy about "oo-oo-ah-ah's".
Dallin was having a hard time coming up with a great idea. One day while we were out shopping, he noticed a big bin of Christmas fleece blankets marked way down. You could never buy fleece that cheap. I told him that Ruby had one of those on her Christmas list, but that I was done fulfilling her wishes. We got thinking and decided to get one for each kid and have Dallin monogram them. I was proud of him for being willing to learn a new skill, but he took right to the blanket stitch. He carefully picked out just the right color of felt and thread from my fabric collection for each blanket. The bonus was that he could work while we watched Christmas movies in our bedroom. I even brought the sewing machine up for a few nights so I could be with him. The kids were thrilled to have their own special Christmas blankets from Daddy. That night they snuggled up in spots made from 2 new blankets each under the Christmas tree. I should have taken a picture. Sleeping by the tree is one of my very favorite memories as a child. I was so full of Christmas Cheer that I had a hard time sleeping that night.
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| Rocket launchers made by Ruby for boys. |
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| Monogrammed blankets by Dallin. (Simon's got left at Grandma's) |
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| Bracelet for Daisy and silky for Sarajoy made by Ruby. |
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| Nairows shirts. Black made by Nathan, Blue made by Brandon |
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| Blankets made by mom. |
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| Dallin's vest made by Brandon |
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| Dolls made by Nathan and Brandon. Daisy's on left, Sarajoy's twins in middle, Ruby's on right. |
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| Simon's Lightning McQueen shirt made by Nathan. |
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| Dallin's organizer made by Ruby. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Christmas Eve Eve December 23, 2011 I love to spend Christmas Day at home quietly enjoying my family. I grew up sharing Christmas with cousins, which was wonderful. But a few years ago, it got a little crazy trying to get my whole family together and the unwrapping was pretty chaotic--not how I wanted Christmas to be. So we started our own tradition of staying home for Christmas Day and doing our visiting either before or after. This year, as the big day drew closer, I was having a hard time picturing it being the slow-paced kind of family day that I prefer. There were 2 problems. Christmas was on Sunday, and we were planning to leave very early Monday to spend several days in Idaho. Between getting people ready for church, getting myself there an hour early for choir practice, having a nice Christmas dinner, and packing for a trip, I couldn't even think of a good time to open presents let alone play with and enjoy them. So we decided to do Christmas on Saturday. That meant Christmas Eve was Friday. We made this decision on Thursday night. It was a good decision. Our plan was to spend the morning working on a few remaining Christmas projects before starting our Christmas Eve traditions. We set out a little later than anticipated, but still had a wonderful afternoon/evening. We picked up a nice assortment of fruit to deliver to a widow from our old ward, Sister Maynard. We've visited and sung to her for several Christmas Eves now. She said she had too much food in the house, and only took the strawberries. She also didn't invite us in, but instead came out on the freezing cold porch to talk to us for a minute. This is really unusual for her, we hope she is okay! We decided to stop at the Harris' house and see if they were home. We missed them last year. They were thrilled to see us and so happy for fruit instead of junk food. We sang them some songs and had a nice long visit. They are excellent people. We came home to warm baked potatoes, which we quickly ate so we could get on with our program. The nativity play was a little chaotic as Joseph was feeling rather energetic. He also made Mary get off the donkey so he could ride. It was cute, though, and Sarajoy was thrilled to be Mary. We sang lots of songs and told a couple of stories before informing the kids that Santa wanted to pay a visit. We told them that he was bringing something different than pajamas this year, so they all needed to get ready for bed. I quickly helped Santa get his suit on and out the garage door. The initial reaction was genuine excitement from Daisy and Simon. I thought Dallin was doing a great job of disguising his voice, but somewhere along the way they figured it out. Sarajoy was afraid of him, of course. The kids didn't really say anything until they were getting settled for bed. "Dad, I know that was you in your suit." Simon kept saying. We never validated him for sure, so he kept bringing it up. It was cute. The pillow pets were a fun addition to the snuggly blankets they had gotten. They all curled up together in the girls' room to dream of sugarplums. Sarajoy quickly got moved out and into her crib, though, as she was keeping everyone up. I reminded everyone that we would have a much better Christmas Day if everyone was allowed to sleep and wake up naturally. I didn't want any alarms set, etc. They agreed it would be better if we weren't all tired and grouchy. Even with all of my wrapping mostly done previously and the kids' stocking stuff already separated out into bags, we stayed up pretty late getting Christmas ready. I helped Dallin finish up a project for Simon, and I had a tiny bit of work on something for Sarajoy. We wrapped the last few gifts and curled up for our own visions of sugarplums.  The Nativity Play Cast.  Santa Pays a Visit to Daisy     Simon wasn't fooled, but he didn't let on until later.  The final product! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christmas Eve Day (Our Christmas Morning) December 24, 2011 How wonderful yet strange it was to wake up Christmas morning at 7:50 to Sarajoy needing comfort. She fell back asleep and the house was quiet. Back in bed, Dallin and I talked about how hungry we were, so I decided to get up and put the breakfast casserole in the oven. I made sure to make some noise while doing so. I even rang some bells. Before long, the kids (minus Sarajoy) were lined up in the hall. "Dig in, and find all of your gifts!" We each sat with our pile and slowly opened gifts one person at a time, one gift at a time starting youngest to oldest. We like this slow, easy-going way where we can all delight in each other's joy of receiving. I reminded Daisy that one of her wishes was to find a present under the tiny tree they had set up in their bedroom. They all rushed up there, surprised that they hadn't seen the gifts. The casserole was done in enough time to cool while we finished up. We have to eat a good breakfast before opening stockings that might contain goodies. This was hardest for Simon, who had seen some soccerball gloves peeking from his stocking. We enjoyed our stocking stuff for awhile before the kids just couldn't stand it any longer. I asked them to help tidy up the living room before we went down to the family room Christmas tree to see what Santa left. An MP3 player for Nathan, a nice set of professional quality colored pencils for Brandon, all of the girls got 2 Woodzeez families (little fuzzy animal figurines), and Simon finally got his robot. He was so excited and had so much fun with that. For all of the kids Santa left a nice big set of quality wooden blocks. They quickly became homes for Woodzees and towers for Simon's little Angry Birds bean bags he got in his stocking. Daddy got a new bag of marbles in his stocking so he and Sarajoy spent some time building a marble run for them to go down. Mommy got a nice long afternoon nap as a Christmas bonus. I'm really really glad we used Saturday even though it wasn't "really" Christmas. It was a magical day.         Now Simon can act out one of his favorite stories, A Lost Button, from the Frog and Toad books. We went to an antique store and dug thorough a bathtub of assorted buttons together. Several of the buttons can come off with velcro to act out the story. It was a lot of fun to make together, and so much fun to play with! We bought a cheap sweatshirt and adapted it to button open and added a pocket for toad to put all of the buttons he collects in it. ________________________________________________________ Christmas Day and other Holiday Highlights December 25, 2011 Having our present day on Saturday left us with a very special and reverent Christmas Day. There were no distractions from the Spirit of the Day. We got up and ready in our best Christmas clothes. Ruby and I went early to practice with the choir. Dallin got there a little early with the kids, and it warmed my heart to see them walk in together looking so lovely. Dallin even did Sarajoy's hair and put bows in! The Christmas program was wonderful. There were 3 songs between a talk by each member of our bishopric. There were solos, choir numbers, congregation numbers, small ensembles, and instrumentals. I think there were 11 or 12 songs in all. Very nice! I had a rare and special experience while singing my solo, "O Holy Night." I sing this number every year, sometimes at multiple events. This time I got to feel the precious feeling of truly being an instrument in the hands of God. I felt His power and love moving through me and emanating to the congregation. I can only think of a couple of other times in my life where I felt such power when I sing. I felt so overcome with gratitude and joy for that experience that I sat down and wept through the congregational hymn that followed. After the meeting, our bishop invited us to take copies of some of his masterful artwork to share with family and friends. What a generous gift! I especially love his pencil drawing of all of the Latter-Day Prophets. I picked several up to hand out at the family Christmas party. We came home to the smell of wonderful turkey dinner cooking. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and cleanup, and then we decided to go ahead and pack up and surprise Grandma again. We thought it would be nicer than having to wake up so early Monday morning to make it in time for the family party and brunch. We said a prayer that Sarajoy would be calmed on the trip. She has had a hard time staying in her carseat for even short trips to town, so we were nervous. We were even more nervous when we couldn't get the DVD player in our car to work. Nathan was so good and patient to sit and entertain her for the whole trip. Sometime during the last hour of our trip, everyone had woken up from naps and our CD player broke. The last 30 minutes of any trip seems to be when everybody loses it. Simon called from the back, "Everyone! I have to tell you something!" We gave him our attention. "This is taking too long!" I replied, "What are you going to do?" His answer surprised me, " We should sing songs!" So we sang songs and made it to Grandma's house for the big surprise. Everyone was there enjoying Christmas evening together. We stayed in Idaho until Thursday and had a great time. My pregnancy made the big crowds, especially during meals, hard to tolerate, but it wasn't too bad. With my parents' addition, there is room for the kids to spread out. It was fun to watch my sister's family open their presents on Monday morning at Grandma's. We had a nice brunch, party, talent show, and gift exchange all day Monday. We spent the other days playing games and enjoying being together. I remember times with cousins being so special when I was growing up. I'm so glad my kids can have those experiences, especially in such a loving environment. For New Year's, our neighbors invited us over. I was able to go over with the kids. Dallin stayed home with Sarajoy and ate popcorn and watched a movie. It wasn't long before Simon was overwhelmed with the crowd and joined them. Not long after that, I was overwhelmed with the crowd and brought the girls home. Other Holiday Highlights:  getting Peanuts stuff for Dallin cause they know he likes it! She also sent us a really cute Advent Village. You open windows and doors. She put a fun family activity idea and treat in each spot.  I love Christmas clothes!   My neice Kenzie wore it and she is 15! Even then I think it was 2nd hand. It is so pretty and festive yet!  family came to spend the weekend before Christmas with us. Sarajoy and Daphne had lots of fun together.  Ruby's not so keen on matching anymore, but she was willing to do it as a Christmas present for me.    by taking care of one of Grandma's dollies.   I think it is fun to see how blonde Sarajoy's hair looks. I also love her red squeaky shoes from Grandma. These two are a lot of fun! Well, I've spent an entire day on this post! I just heard the school bus pull up outside. I am a blessed woman, and I love this blessed season of the year! |
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Feeling Festive
December always goes by too fast, but I love it!
It seems like I haven't listened to enough Christmas music or spent enough time sitting by the tree pondering.
We have made time to make sugar cookies and popcorn cakes. We went caroling and delivered gifts to our neighbors last night. It was bitter cold, but we were bundled up and had a wonderful time.
We all thought it was great that our kitty followed us up to each door.
We had Dallin's sister's family for the weekend to make up for them missing Thanksgiving due to chickenpox. It was fabulous.
We were able to participate in the rebaptism of one of Dallin's good friends from high school. He was baptized by Dallin's brother in-law who also happens to be his best friend. Very sweet experience. We are so happy for that family.
We're working so hard to get all of our family projects done in time for our Giving Day on Thursday. It is getting really fun and exciting. Simon and I worked on his gifts today. Nathan and I worked on his gifts for several hours yesterday and got them all done. Dallin and I have been staying up every night to get our projects done. Two more days, I hope we can make it!
Simon surprised us with the announcement that he hopes Santa brings him a blue robot. Thank goodness there were several varieties of blue robot at the store yesterday. I'm really excited for his big surprise. I haven't really known what to get him. I'm also really glad that there was another option than the giant metal robot that makes obnoxious noises.
The countdown is a lot of fun!
Merry Christmas!
It seems like I haven't listened to enough Christmas music or spent enough time sitting by the tree pondering.
We have made time to make sugar cookies and popcorn cakes. We went caroling and delivered gifts to our neighbors last night. It was bitter cold, but we were bundled up and had a wonderful time.
We all thought it was great that our kitty followed us up to each door.
We had Dallin's sister's family for the weekend to make up for them missing Thanksgiving due to chickenpox. It was fabulous.
We were able to participate in the rebaptism of one of Dallin's good friends from high school. He was baptized by Dallin's brother in-law who also happens to be his best friend. Very sweet experience. We are so happy for that family.
We're working so hard to get all of our family projects done in time for our Giving Day on Thursday. It is getting really fun and exciting. Simon and I worked on his gifts today. Nathan and I worked on his gifts for several hours yesterday and got them all done. Dallin and I have been staying up every night to get our projects done. Two more days, I hope we can make it!
Simon surprised us with the announcement that he hopes Santa brings him a blue robot. Thank goodness there were several varieties of blue robot at the store yesterday. I'm really excited for his big surprise. I haven't really known what to get him. I'm also really glad that there was another option than the giant metal robot that makes obnoxious noises.
The countdown is a lot of fun!
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Christmas Miracles
I usually don't stress out (very much) about money.
We are blessed to have a very regular paycheck so it is easy to budget.
It is not always easy to live within our budget. Things seem to come up every month that there was just no way to plan ahead for.
We have always tried hard to follow the counsel of our church leaders on money management.
It has always worked out.
We've had our share of scrimping and saving and frustration and tears, but I always know it will work out.
I've learned to worry less and less because I KNOW the blessings of paying tithing are real. It is amazing.
But every year at Christmas I get a little nervous. We try to set some money aside, but it seems to run out so quickly. But every year it works out.
This year we had to cut our gift budget in half, so we spent most of it on birthdays. I know I can make a great Christmas on just a little money, but I was having a hard time imagining how it would work out this year. I love the role I play in creating magic and memories for my family, and it was hard to accept that my "plan" wasn't doable. I cut back and cut back and still it didn't seem like it was going to work.
Then we balanced the budget for December, and the money was just there. A miracle. I'm sure there's a logical explanation, but I feel so blessed that money we were not expecting was just there. There was enough for those supplies for all of the children and I to make our homemade gifts. There was enough for the kids to each have a few inexpensive wishes met. Enough for stocking stuffers and some nice things for Dallin. Enough for the things I wanted to get for my parents (our family does a gift rotation and we have them this year.) Enough for supplies to make popcorn cakes for my neighbors. (Popcorn cakes create the ultimate smell of Christmas for me. We spent every year at my Grandma's house, and she always made popcorn cakes for her neighbors and for us. This is my first time making them!)
I feel so cared for by the Lord when he provides for so many of our wants as well as our needs. I'm so grateful for the little miracles that make Christmas work out every year! Why do I ever worry?
I was nervous that Ruby's Christmas list she wrote for her teacher contained things I hadn't planned for. She really wanted a pillow pet. I'm not big on trendy things like this, and pillow pets seem a little silly and expensive. I had already spent what I was going to spend, but I wasn't sure about pajamas. My kids usually get pajamas from Santa on Christmas Eve. They really don't need them this year, and I didn't want to spend the money. I knew I could make pajamas, but even the cost of fabric is pretty crazy. I thought of using the fabric I have, and thought it might be a waste of time because the fabric I have in big enough pieces for pajamas is mostly ugly and uncomfortable (my Grandma's collection of polyester knit from the 70's). I started looking in my fabric and found some fleece and fake furs and velvets. Not fabric that would make good pajamas, but it might make good pillow-pets! I decided to give it a try, and the results were fabulous. I ended up spending no money at all and making some really fun pillow-pets for my kids. It was a quick and easy project for me, and I got to put a lot of creativity into creating the perfect animal for each kid. Another miracle.
I've been reading the Christmas Jar(s)? book again, and feeling a little sad that our jar is not as plentiful this year as it has been in past years. We just haven't had that little leftover grocery money each month lately. My kids are eating more and more. I love being a part of a Christmas miracle for somebody in need, and I know there are so many families that qualify this year.
Today I got a Christmas card that had a rather large sum of "Christmas Cheer" enclosed.
I got to beef up the Christmas Jar. Another miracle.
I planned a date with Dallin tonight to get the snow tires put on his car and run a couple of errands. Thanks to the "Christmas Cheer", we got to go to Sonic for a little dinner. Our waiter was so amazingly friendly and happy and gracious. We tipped him some Christmas Cheer.
We got back to the tire store when they were closing. Dallin went in to pay for the installation. He gave them a coupon, they rang him up and he gave them his card. One whispered to the other, and the next thing you know, they say "Merry Christmas! You caught us at the right time." and handed his card back. He was dumbfounded. He was thrilled! Another miracle.
We also found a really great deal on supplies for Dallin to make something for the kids.
We are so blessed! I hope we are doing and learning what we should with this multitude of blessings.
We are blessed to have a very regular paycheck so it is easy to budget.
It is not always easy to live within our budget. Things seem to come up every month that there was just no way to plan ahead for.
We have always tried hard to follow the counsel of our church leaders on money management.
It has always worked out.
We've had our share of scrimping and saving and frustration and tears, but I always know it will work out.
I've learned to worry less and less because I KNOW the blessings of paying tithing are real. It is amazing.
But every year at Christmas I get a little nervous. We try to set some money aside, but it seems to run out so quickly. But every year it works out.
This year we had to cut our gift budget in half, so we spent most of it on birthdays. I know I can make a great Christmas on just a little money, but I was having a hard time imagining how it would work out this year. I love the role I play in creating magic and memories for my family, and it was hard to accept that my "plan" wasn't doable. I cut back and cut back and still it didn't seem like it was going to work.
Then we balanced the budget for December, and the money was just there. A miracle. I'm sure there's a logical explanation, but I feel so blessed that money we were not expecting was just there. There was enough for those supplies for all of the children and I to make our homemade gifts. There was enough for the kids to each have a few inexpensive wishes met. Enough for stocking stuffers and some nice things for Dallin. Enough for the things I wanted to get for my parents (our family does a gift rotation and we have them this year.) Enough for supplies to make popcorn cakes for my neighbors. (Popcorn cakes create the ultimate smell of Christmas for me. We spent every year at my Grandma's house, and she always made popcorn cakes for her neighbors and for us. This is my first time making them!)
I feel so cared for by the Lord when he provides for so many of our wants as well as our needs. I'm so grateful for the little miracles that make Christmas work out every year! Why do I ever worry?
I was nervous that Ruby's Christmas list she wrote for her teacher contained things I hadn't planned for. She really wanted a pillow pet. I'm not big on trendy things like this, and pillow pets seem a little silly and expensive. I had already spent what I was going to spend, but I wasn't sure about pajamas. My kids usually get pajamas from Santa on Christmas Eve. They really don't need them this year, and I didn't want to spend the money. I knew I could make pajamas, but even the cost of fabric is pretty crazy. I thought of using the fabric I have, and thought it might be a waste of time because the fabric I have in big enough pieces for pajamas is mostly ugly and uncomfortable (my Grandma's collection of polyester knit from the 70's). I started looking in my fabric and found some fleece and fake furs and velvets. Not fabric that would make good pajamas, but it might make good pillow-pets! I decided to give it a try, and the results were fabulous. I ended up spending no money at all and making some really fun pillow-pets for my kids. It was a quick and easy project for me, and I got to put a lot of creativity into creating the perfect animal for each kid. Another miracle.
I've been reading the Christmas Jar(s)? book again, and feeling a little sad that our jar is not as plentiful this year as it has been in past years. We just haven't had that little leftover grocery money each month lately. My kids are eating more and more. I love being a part of a Christmas miracle for somebody in need, and I know there are so many families that qualify this year.
Today I got a Christmas card that had a rather large sum of "Christmas Cheer" enclosed.
I got to beef up the Christmas Jar. Another miracle.
I planned a date with Dallin tonight to get the snow tires put on his car and run a couple of errands. Thanks to the "Christmas Cheer", we got to go to Sonic for a little dinner. Our waiter was so amazingly friendly and happy and gracious. We tipped him some Christmas Cheer.
We got back to the tire store when they were closing. Dallin went in to pay for the installation. He gave them a coupon, they rang him up and he gave them his card. One whispered to the other, and the next thing you know, they say "Merry Christmas! You caught us at the right time." and handed his card back. He was dumbfounded. He was thrilled! Another miracle.
We also found a really great deal on supplies for Dallin to make something for the kids.
We are so blessed! I hope we are doing and learning what we should with this multitude of blessings.
Settling
I feel like I'm finally settling into my new life. It is a good feeling.
I am amazed at how so many parts of the transition took me by surprise.
I was not prepared to have to learn how to mother all over again, but that is what it felt like.
I was not prepared to have so many of the things that were working in our home stop.
I feel okay now.
I still don't think public schooling is the ideal situation for our family, but I can make the best of it and see and enjoy the good parts.
It is good for Nathan because it has awakened his interest and sense of responsibility for his education. I am glad to see him interested in what he is learning. I'm glad to see him so happy with his friends.
I am a little sad that our family can't provide that excitement for him right now, but I understand.
Is it good for Brandon? I don't know yet. He's enjoying it so I'm satisfied with that for now. He's been doing a great job of getting up early and getting his chores done before school. I'm glad he's there to watch over his little sisters.
It has been good for Ruby to experience something she didn't really want to do but was willing to give it a try. She has had to do some assignments she was not really happy about, but she stuck it out. I'm proud to see her putting so much into the experience. She is the girl who still gets her chores all done. She does her homework mostly on her own. She is excited and interested about the activities going on in her class and in the school. She really seems to be thriving there. "Are you enjoying public school?" I asked the other day.
"Yes", she said with a big smile.
I jokingly asked if she was ready to do homeschool again and was surprised that her answer was yes.
Surprised, but happy. She will most likely be home again after Christmas, and I can see that being a great thing for her. She is in a stage where she really craves attention from me and wants to learn the womanly arts. I still feel like there are a lot of unknowns about this situation, but I'm hoping it will work out to have her home.
I have the most mixed feelings about Daisy. I miss having her home so much. She is still such a little, playful thing that I'm sad she's not around more to play with the other kids.
But school IS good for her. She has made leaps and bounds in her reading skills in just 2 weeks. She is so excited about the things she is learning. She has been practicing jump-rope so much that her legs hurt! I think school is inspiring her in such a good way. We've finally figured out that other than reading, she only has homework on Mondays. So Mondays are tough, but after that she can come home and play. We also adjusted her chore responsibilities. Now she cheerfully gets all of her chores done before school, and sometimes with a little time to spare. I'm so glad she can start her days on a successful note. She loves her teacher and wants to finish out the school year with her. We'll see!
This is definitely good for my little ones. They have each other and they have their mommy. We are figuring out a schedule that works well for all of us. Sometimes we all miss the big kids, and it is a rough day, but the days are getting better. We've discovered that if I walk on the treadmill for awhile and then we all go for a walk outside, we have a much, much better day. They both chatter at me the whole way. So much of it is nonsense, but I'm glad they feel like they have my attention. These past few days have been so reminiscent of back when I just had the 2 little boys. Those were such special times, I'm happy to get to re-live them in a way.
It is good for me. It has been good for me to take inventory of my own health a little. I have tried several things to ease the discomforts of this pregnancy. Supplements and diet change did not make the difference that I was hoping, but exercise has been miraculous! I feel like a new person just from doing a little bit of walking. I'm so thankful to have found an answer. I think this is the first time in my life that I have actually felt energized by exercise!
It has also been nice to have a slower pace. I feel like I have time to fill my reserviors without sacrificing rest. I usually have a little time to rest after breakfast. Then I have time to study and write and ponder with occasional interruptions from Simon or Sarajoy. I don't mind it, though. It is nice to feel like I have that time. Then we exercise. Then we have lunch. Then I can usually count on them playing for awhile while I do housework or projects or rest.
Today I did get a little tired of the constant barrage of questions and comments. Sarajoy is in the phase of saying, "what?" after everything I say. So I have to repeat everything several times. But I'm glad I'm not always trying to do 8 other things so I can actually connect with them instead of just being frustrated and impatient.
I am glad for the mental break I have from the responsibility of teaching. I think the hardest thing about homeschooling for me was just that weight of responsibility and the feeling that I might be missing something important or not doing it "right". Because it is not the way I was raised, I found it very tempting to be constantly comparing. I'd compare with the school kids and get overwhelmed. I'd compare with the homeschooled kids and get overwhelmed.
It was always worth it, though. I still think the benefits far outweigh that hardship, but I am glad for the break.
I hope things will continue to settle into something doable and just right for right now.
I am amazed at how so many parts of the transition took me by surprise.
I was not prepared to have to learn how to mother all over again, but that is what it felt like.
I was not prepared to have so many of the things that were working in our home stop.
I feel okay now.
I still don't think public schooling is the ideal situation for our family, but I can make the best of it and see and enjoy the good parts.
It is good for Nathan because it has awakened his interest and sense of responsibility for his education. I am glad to see him interested in what he is learning. I'm glad to see him so happy with his friends.
I am a little sad that our family can't provide that excitement for him right now, but I understand.
Is it good for Brandon? I don't know yet. He's enjoying it so I'm satisfied with that for now. He's been doing a great job of getting up early and getting his chores done before school. I'm glad he's there to watch over his little sisters.
It has been good for Ruby to experience something she didn't really want to do but was willing to give it a try. She has had to do some assignments she was not really happy about, but she stuck it out. I'm proud to see her putting so much into the experience. She is the girl who still gets her chores all done. She does her homework mostly on her own. She is excited and interested about the activities going on in her class and in the school. She really seems to be thriving there. "Are you enjoying public school?" I asked the other day.
"Yes", she said with a big smile.
I jokingly asked if she was ready to do homeschool again and was surprised that her answer was yes.
Surprised, but happy. She will most likely be home again after Christmas, and I can see that being a great thing for her. She is in a stage where she really craves attention from me and wants to learn the womanly arts. I still feel like there are a lot of unknowns about this situation, but I'm hoping it will work out to have her home.
I have the most mixed feelings about Daisy. I miss having her home so much. She is still such a little, playful thing that I'm sad she's not around more to play with the other kids.
But school IS good for her. She has made leaps and bounds in her reading skills in just 2 weeks. She is so excited about the things she is learning. She has been practicing jump-rope so much that her legs hurt! I think school is inspiring her in such a good way. We've finally figured out that other than reading, she only has homework on Mondays. So Mondays are tough, but after that she can come home and play. We also adjusted her chore responsibilities. Now she cheerfully gets all of her chores done before school, and sometimes with a little time to spare. I'm so glad she can start her days on a successful note. She loves her teacher and wants to finish out the school year with her. We'll see!
This is definitely good for my little ones. They have each other and they have their mommy. We are figuring out a schedule that works well for all of us. Sometimes we all miss the big kids, and it is a rough day, but the days are getting better. We've discovered that if I walk on the treadmill for awhile and then we all go for a walk outside, we have a much, much better day. They both chatter at me the whole way. So much of it is nonsense, but I'm glad they feel like they have my attention. These past few days have been so reminiscent of back when I just had the 2 little boys. Those were such special times, I'm happy to get to re-live them in a way.
It is good for me. It has been good for me to take inventory of my own health a little. I have tried several things to ease the discomforts of this pregnancy. Supplements and diet change did not make the difference that I was hoping, but exercise has been miraculous! I feel like a new person just from doing a little bit of walking. I'm so thankful to have found an answer. I think this is the first time in my life that I have actually felt energized by exercise!
It has also been nice to have a slower pace. I feel like I have time to fill my reserviors without sacrificing rest. I usually have a little time to rest after breakfast. Then I have time to study and write and ponder with occasional interruptions from Simon or Sarajoy. I don't mind it, though. It is nice to feel like I have that time. Then we exercise. Then we have lunch. Then I can usually count on them playing for awhile while I do housework or projects or rest.
Today I did get a little tired of the constant barrage of questions and comments. Sarajoy is in the phase of saying, "what?" after everything I say. So I have to repeat everything several times. But I'm glad I'm not always trying to do 8 other things so I can actually connect with them instead of just being frustrated and impatient.
I am glad for the mental break I have from the responsibility of teaching. I think the hardest thing about homeschooling for me was just that weight of responsibility and the feeling that I might be missing something important or not doing it "right". Because it is not the way I was raised, I found it very tempting to be constantly comparing. I'd compare with the school kids and get overwhelmed. I'd compare with the homeschooled kids and get overwhelmed.
It was always worth it, though. I still think the benefits far outweigh that hardship, but I am glad for the break.
I hope things will continue to settle into something doable and just right for right now.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Quotable Cuties
Simon playing with Dallin: "Dad, I'm the awesome guy and you're the old guy."
Simon to Mom: "Mom, how long will it take me to get big so I can hike in the mountains?"
Before I can reply, he turns to Sarajoy: "Sarajoy, when I'm big will you call me Simon?"
Sarajoy: "Yeah"
(She currently calls him "Si-Si", but it sounds more like dy-dy")
Simon and Sarajoy's class is doing a Baby Jesus dance for co-op. Today I filled a basket with 10 wrapped up baby dolls. (Okay, so I like dolls)
Sarajoy found the basket packed and ready to go for co-op and was so delighted! She played with and kissed the babies. I told her to clean them up for co-op. She cleaned them up and then grabbed her lunch bag. She brought it to me excitedly and said, "bo-pup" (co-op). Making lunches for co-op was the big Wednesday night ordeal before the kids started Public School. Since then, I've just thrown a few things in a bag for the 3 of us to share, but she remembered the routine. She grabbed a bag of dried pears and dumped a few in her lunch bag. She went to the fridge to get an apple while I went upstairs. When I came down, she was in the process of dumping a handful of shredded cheese in her lunch bag. This is not something she normally has for lunch, but she does love cheese, so I thought it was cute that she was helping herself. I helped her get a baggie for her cheese. We peeled a carrot and wrapped it in Saran wrap like "baby jesus". She also agreed to some bread and butter and a couple of graham crackers. She was so proud to have made her own lunch!
Simon to Mom: "Mom, how long will it take me to get big so I can hike in the mountains?"
Before I can reply, he turns to Sarajoy: "Sarajoy, when I'm big will you call me Simon?"
Sarajoy: "Yeah"
(She currently calls him "Si-Si", but it sounds more like dy-dy")
Simon and Sarajoy's class is doing a Baby Jesus dance for co-op. Today I filled a basket with 10 wrapped up baby dolls. (Okay, so I like dolls)
Sarajoy found the basket packed and ready to go for co-op and was so delighted! She played with and kissed the babies. I told her to clean them up for co-op. She cleaned them up and then grabbed her lunch bag. She brought it to me excitedly and said, "bo-pup" (co-op). Making lunches for co-op was the big Wednesday night ordeal before the kids started Public School. Since then, I've just thrown a few things in a bag for the 3 of us to share, but she remembered the routine. She grabbed a bag of dried pears and dumped a few in her lunch bag. She went to the fridge to get an apple while I went upstairs. When I came down, she was in the process of dumping a handful of shredded cheese in her lunch bag. This is not something she normally has for lunch, but she does love cheese, so I thought it was cute that she was helping herself. I helped her get a baggie for her cheese. We peeled a carrot and wrapped it in Saran wrap like "baby jesus". She also agreed to some bread and butter and a couple of graham crackers. She was so proud to have made her own lunch!
Better Days
These have been better days.
I am still tired and achy and occasionally restless.
I still miss my kids while they are at school.
My little ones miss them, too. They were particularly fussy and quarrelsome today.
But I feel better. Peaceful.
I got my blessing on Monday night.
I did not sleep well at all that night.
But I had an idea that Candida might be causing a lot of my tiredness and itchiness and grouchiness. I felt that I should try a special diet for one week and see if it made a difference. As I lay awake, I thought of things I should avoid: sugars, fruits, yeast breads, white flour. This is a very extreme, and hopefully temporary change to get my body back in balance. I know I can do it for a week! I also had some time to think about things I CAN eat, which was important.
What a difference I felt in the morning!
I gave myself permission to read and rest for most of that day.
Brandon needed to come home early because of a headache. It was good for us to get dressed and get out of the house for a few minutes.
I did a little housework and remembered some errands that needed to be run.
I called Dallin to see if he wanted to make it a date night, and he did. We really needed it!
We had dinner, took care of errands, finished up some Christmas shopping, and enjoyed one another.
At the grocery store we saw some good friends we haven't seen for years. It was wonderful to catch up!
On the way home, I got a text message that my class on Becoming Spiritually Centered was starting. I had missed the email. Dallin graciously offered to drop me off and help the kids frost their Christmas cookies, their reward for taking care of things so well while we were gone.
It is so wonderful to learn and study about the Savior with friends. We have such fun and wonderful and uplifting discussions.
The topic for the evening was Godly Sorrow. Part of the discussion was about being willing to go through pain and suffering for the Savior. When we do all things, work, play, worship, suffer, for him and with him it allows us to experience a fulness of joy. The discussion was a missing piece of the puzzle for me. There has been something about the class that kept bothering me, and this answered my concern. I was also impressed with how liberating it is to keep this in mind when we are suffering at the hands of someone else. If we focus on the Savior instead of the offender, we are freed from the anger and vengeance that so naturally come. We are given the chance to turn our hurt into joy and gratitude as we suffer a little for the One who suffered so much for us.
It is so wonderful to wake and feel the peace of the Lord instead of the fog of the world.
Today was not easy, but it was good.
I again feel peace about my children going to school.
I was able to finish a couple of Christmas projects.
Dallin brought leftovers home from his luncheon, so I didn't have to make dinner.
We made some changes in Daisy's schedule and chore requirements to help her cope with the school schedule better. I think it helped. She is happy to feel like she can finish her responsibilities.
It was hard to say no to the white hard rolls, cinnamon frosted muffins, and donuts that came home with dinner, but I did it!
Everything is okay!
I would like a donut.
I am still tired and achy and occasionally restless.
I still miss my kids while they are at school.
My little ones miss them, too. They were particularly fussy and quarrelsome today.
But I feel better. Peaceful.
I got my blessing on Monday night.
I did not sleep well at all that night.
But I had an idea that Candida might be causing a lot of my tiredness and itchiness and grouchiness. I felt that I should try a special diet for one week and see if it made a difference. As I lay awake, I thought of things I should avoid: sugars, fruits, yeast breads, white flour. This is a very extreme, and hopefully temporary change to get my body back in balance. I know I can do it for a week! I also had some time to think about things I CAN eat, which was important.
What a difference I felt in the morning!
I gave myself permission to read and rest for most of that day.
Brandon needed to come home early because of a headache. It was good for us to get dressed and get out of the house for a few minutes.
I did a little housework and remembered some errands that needed to be run.
I called Dallin to see if he wanted to make it a date night, and he did. We really needed it!
We had dinner, took care of errands, finished up some Christmas shopping, and enjoyed one another.
At the grocery store we saw some good friends we haven't seen for years. It was wonderful to catch up!
On the way home, I got a text message that my class on Becoming Spiritually Centered was starting. I had missed the email. Dallin graciously offered to drop me off and help the kids frost their Christmas cookies, their reward for taking care of things so well while we were gone.
It is so wonderful to learn and study about the Savior with friends. We have such fun and wonderful and uplifting discussions.
The topic for the evening was Godly Sorrow. Part of the discussion was about being willing to go through pain and suffering for the Savior. When we do all things, work, play, worship, suffer, for him and with him it allows us to experience a fulness of joy. The discussion was a missing piece of the puzzle for me. There has been something about the class that kept bothering me, and this answered my concern. I was also impressed with how liberating it is to keep this in mind when we are suffering at the hands of someone else. If we focus on the Savior instead of the offender, we are freed from the anger and vengeance that so naturally come. We are given the chance to turn our hurt into joy and gratitude as we suffer a little for the One who suffered so much for us.
It is so wonderful to wake and feel the peace of the Lord instead of the fog of the world.
Today was not easy, but it was good.
I again feel peace about my children going to school.
I was able to finish a couple of Christmas projects.
Dallin brought leftovers home from his luncheon, so I didn't have to make dinner.
We made some changes in Daisy's schedule and chore requirements to help her cope with the school schedule better. I think it helped. She is happy to feel like she can finish her responsibilities.
It was hard to say no to the white hard rolls, cinnamon frosted muffins, and donuts that came home with dinner, but I did it!
Everything is okay!
I would like a donut.
Monday, December 5, 2011
He did it again!
The day is nearly over, and I've been growing grouchier for the past several hours.
There has been a dull, horrid, stagnant feeling in my heart and home today.
The Christmas lights, music, good reading, prayers--they seemed to just barely keep me from losing it.
Painful, nauseating contractions sent me to bed just before dinner. It took me a couple of tries to make it down to dinner so I could eat.
I've had that "something's not right" feeling all day. Am I getting Sarajoy's stomach bug? Am I just worn down by the stress of the Public School thing? Is this pregnancy just too much for me? Is making a baby all I have the energy for? Is this baby trying to come early? Why can I only be up and doing for a couple of hours before I feel like I need a nap again?
Just when I thought I was going to get more than a couple of minutes of sleep, my bedroom door slammed open (again) and I heard Simon's voice (again). I was trying really hard to be kind and patient with his cute requests. This time he said Sarajoy needed me. I looked at my doorway and my heart dropped. She was holding her hands out in a "this is disgusting" sort of way. Diarrhea everywhere.
I got her cleaned up while trying to hold back my gag reflex (unsuccessfully). I put her and Simon in the tub and proceeded to clean up the mess. I was still trying to catch up on the mountain of laundry caused by her Saturday night vomiting.
Checking in on them, I found them both on their tummies, kicking and splashing and giggling to their hearts' delight. And mine. A bright spot in a gloomy, stinky day.
After dinner, I was still not feeling well or like I should be up cleaning the kitchen with the rest of the family. I sat down by the Christmas tree hoping to absorb some peace from the decor. I picked up the Christmas "I Spy" book and started looking at it. Simon came and sat with me on the couch. We were looking at it together when he suddenly said, "So, want to call someone? play some games? I've got Angry Birds." and he pulled a toy cell phone out of his pocket. I smiled and we played some goofy games to help him get ready for bed. Still there was homework and trying to get tired people to bed and Family Home Evening squeezed in there and reviewing finances with Dallin and the gloom settled back in.
But as I was getting ready for bed, I thought of it again:
"So, want to call someone, play some games? I've got Angry Birds."
And I had to tell Dallin.
And we both laughed.
And I'm still laughing.
And I'm thankful again for my Buddy-Boy.
..
There has been a dull, horrid, stagnant feeling in my heart and home today.
The Christmas lights, music, good reading, prayers--they seemed to just barely keep me from losing it.
Painful, nauseating contractions sent me to bed just before dinner. It took me a couple of tries to make it down to dinner so I could eat.
I've had that "something's not right" feeling all day. Am I getting Sarajoy's stomach bug? Am I just worn down by the stress of the Public School thing? Is this pregnancy just too much for me? Is making a baby all I have the energy for? Is this baby trying to come early? Why can I only be up and doing for a couple of hours before I feel like I need a nap again?
Just when I thought I was going to get more than a couple of minutes of sleep, my bedroom door slammed open (again) and I heard Simon's voice (again). I was trying really hard to be kind and patient with his cute requests. This time he said Sarajoy needed me. I looked at my doorway and my heart dropped. She was holding her hands out in a "this is disgusting" sort of way. Diarrhea everywhere.
I got her cleaned up while trying to hold back my gag reflex (unsuccessfully). I put her and Simon in the tub and proceeded to clean up the mess. I was still trying to catch up on the mountain of laundry caused by her Saturday night vomiting.
Checking in on them, I found them both on their tummies, kicking and splashing and giggling to their hearts' delight. And mine. A bright spot in a gloomy, stinky day.
After dinner, I was still not feeling well or like I should be up cleaning the kitchen with the rest of the family. I sat down by the Christmas tree hoping to absorb some peace from the decor. I picked up the Christmas "I Spy" book and started looking at it. Simon came and sat with me on the couch. We were looking at it together when he suddenly said, "So, want to call someone? play some games? I've got Angry Birds." and he pulled a toy cell phone out of his pocket. I smiled and we played some goofy games to help him get ready for bed. Still there was homework and trying to get tired people to bed and Family Home Evening squeezed in there and reviewing finances with Dallin and the gloom settled back in.
But as I was getting ready for bed, I thought of it again:
"So, want to call someone, play some games? I've got Angry Birds."
And I had to tell Dallin.
And we both laughed.
And I'm still laughing.
And I'm thankful again for my Buddy-Boy.
..
Sunday, December 4, 2011
P.S.
For those of you waiting for an update on the Public School thing:
I made it through one week, and I am ready for my kids to come back home.
Today has been kinda tough thinking that they'll leave again tomorrow and we'll have to do it all over again.
Sniff, I think its my turn for a back-to-school blessing.
I made it through one week, and I am ready for my kids to come back home.
Today has been kinda tough thinking that they'll leave again tomorrow and we'll have to do it all over again.
Sniff, I think its my turn for a back-to-school blessing.
Enjoying my Buddy-Boy
Simon has been such a delight lately!
We finally got our Christmas decorations all put up on Thursday. Dallin and I stayed up late doing the finishing touches, so I went back to bed after Scriptures and breakfast Friday morning.
I heard when Simon got up and went down the stairs to see all of the lights, nativities, and decorations.
"Oh, I love this!" He said.
Later I heard him say, "Wonderful!"
Since then, the Christmas Spirit has been in his heart. He keeps bringing me lovely gifts all wrapped and taped. He did it for probably an hour yesterday while I was figuring out the finances on the computer. Every few minutes, he would bring me a present wrapped in kleenex and thouroughly taped up.
"A calculator, it's just what I wanted!" (It really was as I had been using it and put it down for a minute.)
He was so excited to hear that it was what I had really wanted.
He brought me some ornaments from the tree and other little odds and ends, but my favorite was the last one.
We both had a good laugh when I undid the tape and wrapping and found a piece of popcorn!
At co-op on Thursday, the teachers gave them some paper to color and put snowflakes on. He said, "I want mine to be a surprise." So he covered his eyes while he colored on it. Then he mostly covered his eyes while he folded it up and hid it in his pocket. It was very cute! He loved making snowflakes, too.
The first time he brought me a gift, I was resting in bed. I told him how excited I was and told him to put it under the tree and I would open it on Christmas. He put it under there and sang "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" and said, "That's long enough!" and brought it up for me to open. He was so happy with my delight at opening the gift that he said, "Mom, you can open one of my presents on Christmas." On his way out of the room, the reality of that promise sank in and he said, "Well, you can open YOUR presents on Christmas."
We've come across a few "bad guy" stories lately that have really impacted him. King Noah from the
Book of Mormon and today king Herod. It is interesting to realize how he'll still be thinking about something quite awhile later. Out of the blue he'll say something like, "But kings aren't bad. They're good." Or he'll ask over and over again why someone would want to do something like that. Today during the Christmas devotional, I explained to the kids that the part of the film they were showing was Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt away from King Herod. Later at dinner, Simon piped up, "I never, never want to see that show again with that bad king." It is cute because the show didn't show Herod at all, but because of my explanation he was feeling bad about it. I am glad for his tender heart.
At the ward Christmas breakfast, he won a jar of cinnamon Santas with a gold gift bow on top. As we rushed to help clean up, gather our things, and get out the door, he was trying to explain something to me. It took me awhile to figure it out. He said that he had a flower with a sticky thing on the bottom. I said, not knowing yet what he was talking about, "Oh, did you lose it?". He got emotional and said, "No, somebody threw it away....and now my heart is broken!" And he burst into sobs. After we got in the car, I realized he was talking about the Christmas bow on his jar. I was happy we had one in our wrapping box at home. It was even blue, his favorite color.
I am thankful for the enthusiasm and liveliness this great kid adds to my life. I'm a lucky mama.
...
We finally got our Christmas decorations all put up on Thursday. Dallin and I stayed up late doing the finishing touches, so I went back to bed after Scriptures and breakfast Friday morning.
I heard when Simon got up and went down the stairs to see all of the lights, nativities, and decorations.
"Oh, I love this!" He said.
Later I heard him say, "Wonderful!"
Since then, the Christmas Spirit has been in his heart. He keeps bringing me lovely gifts all wrapped and taped. He did it for probably an hour yesterday while I was figuring out the finances on the computer. Every few minutes, he would bring me a present wrapped in kleenex and thouroughly taped up.
"A calculator, it's just what I wanted!" (It really was as I had been using it and put it down for a minute.)
He was so excited to hear that it was what I had really wanted.
He brought me some ornaments from the tree and other little odds and ends, but my favorite was the last one.
We both had a good laugh when I undid the tape and wrapping and found a piece of popcorn!
At co-op on Thursday, the teachers gave them some paper to color and put snowflakes on. He said, "I want mine to be a surprise." So he covered his eyes while he colored on it. Then he mostly covered his eyes while he folded it up and hid it in his pocket. It was very cute! He loved making snowflakes, too.
The first time he brought me a gift, I was resting in bed. I told him how excited I was and told him to put it under the tree and I would open it on Christmas. He put it under there and sang "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" and said, "That's long enough!" and brought it up for me to open. He was so happy with my delight at opening the gift that he said, "Mom, you can open one of my presents on Christmas." On his way out of the room, the reality of that promise sank in and he said, "Well, you can open YOUR presents on Christmas."
We've come across a few "bad guy" stories lately that have really impacted him. King Noah from the
Book of Mormon and today king Herod. It is interesting to realize how he'll still be thinking about something quite awhile later. Out of the blue he'll say something like, "But kings aren't bad. They're good." Or he'll ask over and over again why someone would want to do something like that. Today during the Christmas devotional, I explained to the kids that the part of the film they were showing was Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt away from King Herod. Later at dinner, Simon piped up, "I never, never want to see that show again with that bad king." It is cute because the show didn't show Herod at all, but because of my explanation he was feeling bad about it. I am glad for his tender heart.
At the ward Christmas breakfast, he won a jar of cinnamon Santas with a gold gift bow on top. As we rushed to help clean up, gather our things, and get out the door, he was trying to explain something to me. It took me awhile to figure it out. He said that he had a flower with a sticky thing on the bottom. I said, not knowing yet what he was talking about, "Oh, did you lose it?". He got emotional and said, "No, somebody threw it away....and now my heart is broken!" And he burst into sobs. After we got in the car, I realized he was talking about the Christmas bow on his jar. I was happy we had one in our wrapping box at home. It was even blue, his favorite color.
I am thankful for the enthusiasm and liveliness this great kid adds to my life. I'm a lucky mama.
...
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
November Pictures
 |
| Simon's adorable drawing. He's having a dream about Daisy. See how she's up there in a bubble? So cute! |
 |
| For Co-op the kids made dolls to send to Africa. They turned out so cute! |
 |
| Our Wonderful co-op choir. |
 |
| Mikey. We like him. |
 |
| Christmas time is here! |
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thank You!
Thank you for caring and wondering and thinking about me this week! I feel so loved and supported by the comments and phone calls I have receieved. I am so blessed!
Today has been better, though it might just be because I got to do some Christmas shopping today, and I LOVE Christmas! Coming home to the girls telling me they have no homework was also a plus. Dallin getting home early was a big plus. I feel like there is hope for us to have some enjoyable family time after all! The kids just tied a bunch of animals to our wooden train to make a big sleigh and flew it through the house. Simon and Sarajoy are in heaven to have their playmates back. Sarajoy stood by the window calling for Ruby and Daisy for 15 minutes today. I finally had to offer her some chocolate chips to distract her. She was not happy about the news that they were at school.
I've gotten some ideas about supplements to try to help me with my pregnancy woes, so hopefully that will help me be a little more productive and less restless.
I also felt inspired to include some more personal details about our decision to put the kids in public school. I wrote them in answer to a previous comment, but felt I should include them here after I sent the response.
I am learning that what I believe in as a parent is to follow the Spirit. How many times have I learned about this or that philosophy/method, etc. only to have the Spirit guide me another way? Many. Even the ones I felt the Spirit guiding me to in the first place. Often it is a lesson in humility. Often I need to be reminded what the ultimate "right" really is. I have said before that the only reason I would stop home schooling is if the Lord told me not to, but I never really believed He would. How would that ever be the "right" thing?
We were not praying about whether our kids should go to school or not. Though the thought often crosses my mind, I didn't really consider it an option. It always made more sense to keep them home.
We've been concerned about our relationship with our oldest for several months. A comment he made to his friends left me with a very heavy feeling. I couldn't shake the feeling all day that something was wrong . When I really got down to thinking about it, I couldn't stop. I was awake for hours that night, and thought about it all day the next day while I waited for my husband to get home.
I was pretty horrified at the conclusion I had come to by the end of all of that thinking. It wasn't until my husband explained that he had set a goal (days? weeks?) beforeto pray for 30 minutes a day about our kids that I started to feel peace, like it really was an answer. He felt that way the whole time I was talking to him.
It settled in on me that our family needed this experience. That is the only "why" I have so far. I can think of possibilities, but we'll see how it plays out. The favorite one that has been suggested to me is that there might be people out there who need my kids. I think that is such a lovely thought.
I still feel like my mind and heart want them home. It makes so much more sense, it is our lifestyle.
But I cannot doubt that it is right, and so we'll make the best of it. It is hard to not know how temporary or permanent of a change it is, but that is a part of going forward with faith.
Today has been better, though it might just be because I got to do some Christmas shopping today, and I LOVE Christmas! Coming home to the girls telling me they have no homework was also a plus. Dallin getting home early was a big plus. I feel like there is hope for us to have some enjoyable family time after all! The kids just tied a bunch of animals to our wooden train to make a big sleigh and flew it through the house. Simon and Sarajoy are in heaven to have their playmates back. Sarajoy stood by the window calling for Ruby and Daisy for 15 minutes today. I finally had to offer her some chocolate chips to distract her. She was not happy about the news that they were at school.
I've gotten some ideas about supplements to try to help me with my pregnancy woes, so hopefully that will help me be a little more productive and less restless.
I also felt inspired to include some more personal details about our decision to put the kids in public school. I wrote them in answer to a previous comment, but felt I should include them here after I sent the response.
I am learning that what I believe in as a parent is to follow the Spirit. How many times have I learned about this or that philosophy/method, etc. only to have the Spirit guide me another way? Many. Even the ones I felt the Spirit guiding me to in the first place. Often it is a lesson in humility. Often I need to be reminded what the ultimate "right" really is. I have said before that the only reason I would stop home schooling is if the Lord told me not to, but I never really believed He would. How would that ever be the "right" thing?
We were not praying about whether our kids should go to school or not. Though the thought often crosses my mind, I didn't really consider it an option. It always made more sense to keep them home.
We've been concerned about our relationship with our oldest for several months. A comment he made to his friends left me with a very heavy feeling. I couldn't shake the feeling all day that something was wrong . When I really got down to thinking about it, I couldn't stop. I was awake for hours that night, and thought about it all day the next day while I waited for my husband to get home.
I was pretty horrified at the conclusion I had come to by the end of all of that thinking. It wasn't until my husband explained that he had set a goal (days? weeks?) beforeto pray for 30 minutes a day about our kids that I started to feel peace, like it really was an answer. He felt that way the whole time I was talking to him.
It settled in on me that our family needed this experience. That is the only "why" I have so far. I can think of possibilities, but we'll see how it plays out. The favorite one that has been suggested to me is that there might be people out there who need my kids. I think that is such a lovely thought.
I still feel like my mind and heart want them home. It makes so much more sense, it is our lifestyle.
But I cannot doubt that it is right, and so we'll make the best of it. It is hard to not know how temporary or permanent of a change it is, but that is a part of going forward with faith.
Monday, November 28, 2011
The First Day of Public School
How was it?
Well, for awhile I was thinking maybe I liked it a little too much, but I did discover some difficulties.
Last night, the kids each got a blessing from Dallin. We had a neat discussion about some of the important things we want them to remember. It was a nice, spiritual, emotional evening. Mostly I was the one being emotional. I had a good cry before bed and pretty much got it out of my system.
Side note: I did not sleep well. It has been a problem lately, especially if I have anything on my mind or if I know I need to get up early for something.
I have a sort of restless leg thing going on, but it is more like a restless whole body plus itching thing. It happens anytime I hold still for more than about 5 minutes. Yeah, church was fun on Sunday.
For some reason when I rest during the day, it is so much easier to fall asleep. But if I have to hold still and not sleep, I pretty much want to go crazy.
Anyway, we all got up and had our scriptures and prayers and breakfast. The kids all got their jobs done on time without having to get up too much earlier. Nathan has to get up at 6, though, because his bus leaves at about 7:10. I also got up at 6 for some quiet study time before I had to start breakfast.
I kept myself busy doing laundry while everyone got ready. I was sad to hear the front door close and realize that Nathan had gone without saying goodbye. He was so restless and nervous that he probably just forgot. The other 3 left eagerly at 8:30 (though I insisted on hugs and kisses) to meet their friends at the bus stop across the street.
The next several hours were quite lovely. I got the little ones dressed and continued to work on laundry while they got Buzz Lightyear dressups on and watched a Christmas movie. At one point I noticed Sarajoy was not watching the movie, and I got a little concerned because she's made a couple of naughty messes in the past few days. By the time I put down what I was doing, I noticed her on the stairs with her baby dolls. She was making beds for them on the steps.
I decided to see if I could get some rest while they were happily occupied. I read a little of the Ensign and started The Mansion. A little while later, I was awakened by Sarajoy with her blankie and pacifiers. She climbed right up and fell asleep beside me. Later, Simon climbed up with a book and asked me to read to him. What a nice, cozy time we had!
We had Simon's favorite lunch: PB&J. Simple and easy. We sat and read a big pile of library books together after lunch. They helped me clean up the Autumn decor so we could start getting Christmas out. We put up our little tree before Thanksgiving, but that was all I wanted to do last week. Today I got out the toys we keep under the tree: An old-fashioned wooden engine, a homemade teddy bear with Christmas jammies, A dog puppet that barks Christmas songs, a Nativity puzzle, lots of Christmas stories, a little wooden rocking horse, and a few other little toys. We had plenty of fun playing with those for awhile. I decided to get the toy Nativities out so the little kids could have time to play with them before the bigger kids got home. Sarajoy was in heaven with all of those little "baby dze-dze" toys. We made some felt straw for our little cradle and some white blankies so she could have a baby Jesus doll. She has carried it around all day.
Suddenly, it was 2:00. I knew I wanted to have the house clean and a snack ready when the kids got home. I put the little ones down for quiet time and got to work. I wanted to have the kitchen clean so we wouldn't have to spend time on it after dinner. It is a big job to do alone! How long has it been since I've had to sweep and mop. I'm spoiled, I know! Nathan got home just after 3:00, but stayed outside with a huge crowd of kids. I let it go for today, but I told him from now on, I get him at 3:15! He told me about his day while he ate muffins and I finished mopping the floor.
Simon and Sarajoy were so excited for the other kids to get home. Everyone got big hugs and I heard 3 more stories of a great day.
Then I started to feel the results of working so hard and fast in the kitchen. I was exhausted and achy. And the kids got their homework folders out.
Seriously?
I knew about homework, but the reality of having your little kids gone until 4pm and then having them come home and do homework is pretty ridiculous.
Daisy, the 1st grader had the most. Of course.
So when is she supposed to play? Really, that is a pretty important part of childhood.
Simon and Sarajoy were tired and hungry and ready for some attention from siblings.
I was trying to split my attention between 4 different homework assignments and keep dinner from burning and Dallin was late and I was completely and utterly spent.
They finished. He got home. We ate. I was grouchy. He left again briefly on a Scout errand.
Gotta love Scouts.
Dinner clean-up WAS quick, so maybe that was worth it.
For FHE we read our "Thankful Chain" that we've been working on for 7 or 8 years. Everyone was so tired. The little ones were wired and climbing all over the place. I finally asked Dallin to get down on the floor and wrestle with them while I finished reading.
After prayer, Dallin rushed the little ones up to bed. It was already after 8pm. Nobody complained that we didn't have an activity or a treat.
I got a phone call about some free bread. There is a breadmaker in our ward who occasionally has surplus. I brought home 25 loaves for my freezer. How glad I am that I won't have to make bread this month!
When I got home, the littles were asleep, and the big kids were sitting around the table telling Dallin about their day. I joined in with some public school memories. It was nice. We called it a day and they went to bed.
How did it go?
Ask me in a week or two. I still don't feel like I know what it is "really" like.
Right now I just want to go to sleep.
Well, for awhile I was thinking maybe I liked it a little too much, but I did discover some difficulties.
Last night, the kids each got a blessing from Dallin. We had a neat discussion about some of the important things we want them to remember. It was a nice, spiritual, emotional evening. Mostly I was the one being emotional. I had a good cry before bed and pretty much got it out of my system.
Side note: I did not sleep well. It has been a problem lately, especially if I have anything on my mind or if I know I need to get up early for something.
I have a sort of restless leg thing going on, but it is more like a restless whole body plus itching thing. It happens anytime I hold still for more than about 5 minutes. Yeah, church was fun on Sunday.
For some reason when I rest during the day, it is so much easier to fall asleep. But if I have to hold still and not sleep, I pretty much want to go crazy.
Anyway, we all got up and had our scriptures and prayers and breakfast. The kids all got their jobs done on time without having to get up too much earlier. Nathan has to get up at 6, though, because his bus leaves at about 7:10. I also got up at 6 for some quiet study time before I had to start breakfast.
I kept myself busy doing laundry while everyone got ready. I was sad to hear the front door close and realize that Nathan had gone without saying goodbye. He was so restless and nervous that he probably just forgot. The other 3 left eagerly at 8:30 (though I insisted on hugs and kisses) to meet their friends at the bus stop across the street.
The next several hours were quite lovely. I got the little ones dressed and continued to work on laundry while they got Buzz Lightyear dressups on and watched a Christmas movie. At one point I noticed Sarajoy was not watching the movie, and I got a little concerned because she's made a couple of naughty messes in the past few days. By the time I put down what I was doing, I noticed her on the stairs with her baby dolls. She was making beds for them on the steps.
I decided to see if I could get some rest while they were happily occupied. I read a little of the Ensign and started The Mansion. A little while later, I was awakened by Sarajoy with her blankie and pacifiers. She climbed right up and fell asleep beside me. Later, Simon climbed up with a book and asked me to read to him. What a nice, cozy time we had!
We had Simon's favorite lunch: PB&J. Simple and easy. We sat and read a big pile of library books together after lunch. They helped me clean up the Autumn decor so we could start getting Christmas out. We put up our little tree before Thanksgiving, but that was all I wanted to do last week. Today I got out the toys we keep under the tree: An old-fashioned wooden engine, a homemade teddy bear with Christmas jammies, A dog puppet that barks Christmas songs, a Nativity puzzle, lots of Christmas stories, a little wooden rocking horse, and a few other little toys. We had plenty of fun playing with those for awhile. I decided to get the toy Nativities out so the little kids could have time to play with them before the bigger kids got home. Sarajoy was in heaven with all of those little "baby dze-dze" toys. We made some felt straw for our little cradle and some white blankies so she could have a baby Jesus doll. She has carried it around all day.
Suddenly, it was 2:00. I knew I wanted to have the house clean and a snack ready when the kids got home. I put the little ones down for quiet time and got to work. I wanted to have the kitchen clean so we wouldn't have to spend time on it after dinner. It is a big job to do alone! How long has it been since I've had to sweep and mop. I'm spoiled, I know! Nathan got home just after 3:00, but stayed outside with a huge crowd of kids. I let it go for today, but I told him from now on, I get him at 3:15! He told me about his day while he ate muffins and I finished mopping the floor.
Simon and Sarajoy were so excited for the other kids to get home. Everyone got big hugs and I heard 3 more stories of a great day.
Then I started to feel the results of working so hard and fast in the kitchen. I was exhausted and achy. And the kids got their homework folders out.
Seriously?
I knew about homework, but the reality of having your little kids gone until 4pm and then having them come home and do homework is pretty ridiculous.
Daisy, the 1st grader had the most. Of course.
So when is she supposed to play? Really, that is a pretty important part of childhood.
Simon and Sarajoy were tired and hungry and ready for some attention from siblings.
I was trying to split my attention between 4 different homework assignments and keep dinner from burning and Dallin was late and I was completely and utterly spent.
They finished. He got home. We ate. I was grouchy. He left again briefly on a Scout errand.
Gotta love Scouts.
Dinner clean-up WAS quick, so maybe that was worth it.
For FHE we read our "Thankful Chain" that we've been working on for 7 or 8 years. Everyone was so tired. The little ones were wired and climbing all over the place. I finally asked Dallin to get down on the floor and wrestle with them while I finished reading.
After prayer, Dallin rushed the little ones up to bed. It was already after 8pm. Nobody complained that we didn't have an activity or a treat.
I got a phone call about some free bread. There is a breadmaker in our ward who occasionally has surplus. I brought home 25 loaves for my freezer. How glad I am that I won't have to make bread this month!
When I got home, the littles were asleep, and the big kids were sitting around the table telling Dallin about their day. I joined in with some public school memories. It was nice. We called it a day and they went to bed.
How did it go?
Ask me in a week or two. I still don't feel like I know what it is "really" like.
Right now I just want to go to sleep.
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