How I love you!!
All your political activism and unrest.
I long for any little golden nugget of news and spent untold minutes following with fascination all that is happening there. Maybe I should take a "sick-out" since I'm spending too much time thinking and reading about little old Wisconsin.
I'd like to believe that if I were there I would don as much rainbow wear as possible and join the protests (FOR and AGAINST) just for the fun of it. Maybe I would even buy a mega phone just for that special occasion.
Who knew us cheese-heads living in dairy land could forgo Friday night fish fry and recliner time with squeaky cheese to cause such nationwide political upheaval.
Gosh I love you Wisconsin! You make me proud!!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A Question
Ten years ago today I was asked a question that changed my life. I wholeheartedly answered "YES!"
And so, in addition to doing 6 loads of laundry, taking children to school and play group, making lunch and dinner, helping a child with a bloody lip and changing 4 dirty diapers, and dealing with the grumpy child who wants candy (pouty, pouty face here) . . .
I took out my ring cleaner and polished my rings till they were sparkling. My heart skipped a beat. I'm just down right lucky to be married to my best friend! It's been wonderful. So glad he asked!
And so, in addition to doing 6 loads of laundry, taking children to school and play group, making lunch and dinner, helping a child with a bloody lip and changing 4 dirty diapers, and dealing with the grumpy child who wants candy (pouty, pouty face here) . . .
I took out my ring cleaner and polished my rings till they were sparkling. My heart skipped a beat. I'm just down right lucky to be married to my best friend! It's been wonderful. So glad he asked!
Oh, and I should mention, I'm Still wildly and madly in love with the guy!!!!
What We Say
If you didn't know already, I have four kids. Yep, I do! And O my goodness I'm so glad when people notice or remind me when I'm out and about with only my three that I obviously have my hands full.
For example, at approximately 9:07 one morning I walked through the doors of a local grocery store. At 9:07:30 I got from a gentleman also retrieving a shopping cart, "Looks like you've got your hands full."
Me: Smile. "Thanks!"
9:08 A fellow shopper: "O boy, you've got your hands full." Once again, smile and "Thanks!"
9:09 While in the produce section. "Someone's got their hands full." Who me? You're the one with the bunch of bananas. But alas, smile and "Yep."
9:11 Past the dairy section. "Looks like you've got your hands full." Ok, I'm done with smiling. "Yep. Thanks."
#5, 6 and 7 nailed me while in the check out line around 9:14. "You've got your hands full." "Oh wow, she sure does. She's got her hands full." "Hey has anyone told you recently, you've got your hands full." At this point I wish that I had taken scowling lessons from Eliza but I'm too polite and I smile and laugh along. How do you say thank you to that? Is it even a compliment?
That's just a small sampling of my day. I get that ALL.THE.TIME. I've learned to smile and laugh it off and not get annoyed. More amused. I've learned to appreciate people who say, "Let me get that door for you because it looks like you've got your hands full." That's what I call nice!
It's gotten me to thinking about what people say without even thinking about it.
This hit home with me one day while I was with a bunch of kids. Well, you know, in addition to my already got-my-hands-full bunch. Russell, my little 3 year old, was happily minding his own business. He wasn't aware that another little girl was about to notice a fashion faux pas.
See, Russell dresses himself everyday. He's been doing that for about a year. It's awesome. But, like most little kids who aren't micro-managed while they dress themselves he tends to put things on backward - specifically his pants. Some days I point out the problem and help him fix it. Other days I'm too busy or I don't stress about it. Well, this happened to be one of those days. He had his pants on backward.
It was out of her mouth in an instant. "Russell you've got your pants on backward." Her hand went to her mouth and she started to giggle. One by one, the other children around joined into the giggling and the silliness of it all. Russell, gosh I wish I could have captured the look on this face. He wasn't hurt exactly. It was just that, well, he became aware. This awareness crept over his face. He had done something someone else thought was funny and silly. But he didn't find it funny or silly. He just felt silly.
Gosh I felt so horrible for him. I gently led him out of the room and asked him if he would like to fix his pants. Which we did. It was my first experience of seeing my child struggle with something that was socially awkward. I couldn't stop it and I couldn't protect him. In reality, not a big deal. He's moved on from it.
It's stuck with me. What we say. How we say it. Does it build up or tear down. Make someone's day or ruin it. I know for me, I'm gonna try to watch what I say.
For example, at approximately 9:07 one morning I walked through the doors of a local grocery store. At 9:07:30 I got from a gentleman also retrieving a shopping cart, "Looks like you've got your hands full."
Me: Smile. "Thanks!"
9:08 A fellow shopper: "O boy, you've got your hands full." Once again, smile and "Thanks!"
9:09 While in the produce section. "Someone's got their hands full." Who me? You're the one with the bunch of bananas. But alas, smile and "Yep."
9:11 Past the dairy section. "Looks like you've got your hands full." Ok, I'm done with smiling. "Yep. Thanks."
#5, 6 and 7 nailed me while in the check out line around 9:14. "You've got your hands full." "Oh wow, she sure does. She's got her hands full." "Hey has anyone told you recently, you've got your hands full." At this point I wish that I had taken scowling lessons from Eliza but I'm too polite and I smile and laugh along. How do you say thank you to that? Is it even a compliment?
That's just a small sampling of my day. I get that ALL.THE.TIME. I've learned to smile and laugh it off and not get annoyed. More amused. I've learned to appreciate people who say, "Let me get that door for you because it looks like you've got your hands full." That's what I call nice!
It's gotten me to thinking about what people say without even thinking about it.
This hit home with me one day while I was with a bunch of kids. Well, you know, in addition to my already got-my-hands-full bunch. Russell, my little 3 year old, was happily minding his own business. He wasn't aware that another little girl was about to notice a fashion faux pas.
See, Russell dresses himself everyday. He's been doing that for about a year. It's awesome. But, like most little kids who aren't micro-managed while they dress themselves he tends to put things on backward - specifically his pants. Some days I point out the problem and help him fix it. Other days I'm too busy or I don't stress about it. Well, this happened to be one of those days. He had his pants on backward.
It was out of her mouth in an instant. "Russell you've got your pants on backward." Her hand went to her mouth and she started to giggle. One by one, the other children around joined into the giggling and the silliness of it all. Russell, gosh I wish I could have captured the look on this face. He wasn't hurt exactly. It was just that, well, he became aware. This awareness crept over his face. He had done something someone else thought was funny and silly. But he didn't find it funny or silly. He just felt silly.
Gosh I felt so horrible for him. I gently led him out of the room and asked him if he would like to fix his pants. Which we did. It was my first experience of seeing my child struggle with something that was socially awkward. I couldn't stop it and I couldn't protect him. In reality, not a big deal. He's moved on from it.
It's stuck with me. What we say. How we say it. Does it build up or tear down. Make someone's day or ruin it. I know for me, I'm gonna try to watch what I say.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Yummy
Afton has discovered her feet as of late. With that means is the removal of her socks to "taste". This was yesterday while we were consuming our dinner. I guess she felt left out. Time to start solids?
Today she appeased her desire to eat by one again, stuffing her face full of sock. And she won't suck on a pacifier. Go figure!
However, what really cracked me up was to find this from my return trip to the garage. Do you spot an extra pair of socks there? Big brother Russell decided to let her sample his. (Even more amusing to me since he use to do this exact same thing around her age.)
So happy Valentine's Day everyone. Maybe it be filled with love, cute-ness and socks!
And now back to my regularly scheduled dishes.
And now back to my regularly scheduled dishes.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Seven Minutes of Our Evening
It all started with a phone call to my mom tonight. It was innocent. I was trying to figure out what a good price for honey was which led to me blabbering on about life in our house. Because of my blabbering, my mom requested I take a picture of Eliza's hair. Well . . . I pulled out the camera and started snapping pictures when we should have been doing this:
But instead, I was taking pictures of this:
and this:
I find it amusing when I take Eliza's pig tails out and they essentially stay in. Especially, though it wasn't the case tonight, when she is in a grumpy mood and starts screaming at me. When you have a 2 year old with her hair standing straight out from the side of her head screaming at the top of her lungs, it's funny. That was my attempt to document.
Well, it lead to a request from Russell to take a picture of this:
And of course, I needed to get a picture of his backside since I photographed Eliza's.
And of course, I needed to get a picture of his backside since I photographed Eliza's. 
It's hard to resist to taking another picture of this sweet girl.
Then Jaron wanted in on the action too.
And Clark, he just wanted me to put the darn thing down so we good get these crazy kids to bed.
And I laughed and laughed and laughed because moments after this picture Eliza distributed the scriptures to everyone. Her "distribution" to Clark involved throwing the book at him which knocked Afton upside the head. Her reaction: a stunned, blinking look and then back to life as normal. If only I had gotten a picture of that.
And that, in a nutshell was our evening for about 7 minutes when we should have been reading the scriptures. Which, by the way, we still did. As I giggled.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Learning Some Tricks
Taking a Walk
I just took the best walk in my neighborhood that I've ever taken. (It wasn't just because I was sans kids.) I've walked it in cold, drizzling rain, intense wind (!), and heat. Spring, summer, fall, winter. Oh, and while I was in labor too. Let me tell you, my neighborhood is pretty boring. Just sidewalks, road, lamp posts and houses. That's what you get when you build a neighborhood out on the prairie. But today, well, it was different. It probably helped that our entire neighborhood is covered in glorious, beautiful snow.
Yes, we delightfully received about 12 inches of that white stuff in the past week. Maybe more, maybe less. But who's measuring anyway. There's a lot. It has shut down the city, maybe the whole state. I find it amusing. But I would being a northern girl. I'm hearty when it comes to snow and cold. I'm a miserable wimp when it comes to heat.
To me there is more to snow then just being wet, cold stuff. I find that it internally makes me focus, at times, on spiritual things. My mind shifted during my walking, from trivial to sacred. As I was seeing things that were so common to me blanketed in white my perception of them changed. What is covered changes. Our memory and vision is slightly altered.
Snow reminds me that there is power in change. In fresh starts or starting over. What is underneath could be good or bad. Beautiful or ugly. But what reveals itself when the snow leaves . . . well there is potential in that. Like the sight of spring greens poking through the ground.
I have that potential to change. To start fresh. I pondered on those things that in my life have become "idols" that have prevented me from reaching my spring growth.
We all need a cold, snowy walk sometimes. It's good for the soul.
Yes, we delightfully received about 12 inches of that white stuff in the past week. Maybe more, maybe less. But who's measuring anyway. There's a lot. It has shut down the city, maybe the whole state. I find it amusing. But I would being a northern girl. I'm hearty when it comes to snow and cold. I'm a miserable wimp when it comes to heat.
To me there is more to snow then just being wet, cold stuff. I find that it internally makes me focus, at times, on spiritual things. My mind shifted during my walking, from trivial to sacred. As I was seeing things that were so common to me blanketed in white my perception of them changed. What is covered changes. Our memory and vision is slightly altered.
Snow reminds me that there is power in change. In fresh starts or starting over. What is underneath could be good or bad. Beautiful or ugly. But what reveals itself when the snow leaves . . . well there is potential in that. Like the sight of spring greens poking through the ground.
I have that potential to change. To start fresh. I pondered on those things that in my life have become "idols" that have prevented me from reaching my spring growth.
We all need a cold, snowy walk sometimes. It's good for the soul.
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