Teacher Conferances DONE

Oh I am DONE DONE DONE. Today was a rather long day.. well most days are that start at 1:30 am.. hehe

I worked then got off put the big kids on the bus. Garyn was out today because kindergartners don't have school on SEP (parent teacher conference) days. I snuck in a small nap. Woke up put the chicken into cook, for the teacher dinner. Left to get my hair cut and colored. LOVE IT!!!! I am so lucky to have such a good friend that cuts my hair. She just knows me and knows how to make it easy for me to do. Garyn got his cut too. Yup he really needed it. Yeah don't believe me look at the puzzle picture below again. Then rushed home and cooked cooked cooked. I made 2 desserts. Fried Ice Cream or as I think it is really called Coconut Ice Cream something. Anyway Totally yummy! Finished the chicken made my refried beans etc. etc. I have been the PTA mom in charge of dinners for the teachers in SEP night for 2 yrs and this yr I am having other moms bring in food so that I don't do all the cooking etc. It is a great way to go and we don't use any budget money this way because each mom just donates a portion. But I am not so good at delegating.

I find myself double doing everything because I don't know if I have asked for enough or if they will be able to complete the assignment and etc. When I was doing the whole meal I could line it all up and see what I did or didn't have etc. It is much harder planning amounts when you are tasking it out. So of course once again I over planed and over did. But the dinner was FABULOUS! The teachers loved it and the food was great and we didn't run out of anything. And I had extra moms that came and helped since my helper was swamped tonight with family wedding obligations. So we had plenty of food and plenty of help and I left feeling really grateful to live in a place where the parents do so much for the school. Everyone that I called to have bring food was so willing to help and they all offered to do more or bring more etc.

Got home at 10 the kids had torn the house to shreds while I was gone. Jesse is in SanDiego for a few days for a Software Conference and so Jaden was the the babysitter while I was gone from 4:30 - 10. He does really good with the kids but man oh man was my house a wreck. I put the food away and did a minor pick up and left the rest so that I could get some sleep. I went to bed by 11:30 then was up by 2:30am to work and now I am off and get to sleep a little more and my kids are not going to like me when I get up because it will be cleaning time. They are the ones that made the mess and I am not having Jesse come home to a huge mess after being gone. I want home to be able to come home and spend time with us in a CLEAN and relaxing environment. I think I get tonight off so we will probably get a date night.

Oh wait now we won't get a date night our babysitter is going camping. Jaden is going with the scouts on a Winter Camp out. YIKES! I have been trying not to think about it. Just thinking about my baby boy (OK young man, but he is still my baby boy) out in the cold sleeping in an ice cave is not a comforting thought as a mom. He is so excited and can't wait to go. I am gong to be on pins and needles till he gets back home again. UGH it is hard letting them grow up and go off and do things.

great now I probably won't be able to sleep... shouldn't have thought of it.

Tattle Tale Tuesday

The Story of The Great Frog Caper

So my sister is a big fat tattle tale but she does have talent for telling a story so if you want to read a funny story about me go here:

http://itsallaboutthedrama.blogspot.com/2008/07/tattle-tale-tuesday-great-frog-caper.html

P.S. Be sure to tell her that is isn't nice to be a Tattle Tale. hahahaha

Tuesday Tell All - Random tellings from my warped mind and a Zap of a Flashback

Just a few randoms thoughts that I wanted to jot down:

I love dip. I am a total dip, and love to dip my foods. I could probably eat old shoes if I had the right kind of dip for them. My favorites are ranch, onion, honey mustard, spinach bacon, and since I am a born and bred Utah girl, of course I love the fry sauce, and one step further, Happy Valley so, oh baby bring my the white sauce for my fries. Ooooooohhhhh yeah that's what I'm talking about. hahahahaha Oh and for breakfast foods when not so many dips are around I will totally dip everything into my syrup. No, to be honest I bath everything in it. Especially the eggs. YU-UM-ME!

I am loving having the kids home for summer we are being totally lazy this year. No big adventures yet. Thursday I think we will go to the park. Tomorrow it Activity Days at my house that will be fun. But having the kids home is killing me in food. I stocked up on snacks and they are gone already. I need new summer snack ideas. They love the fruits and veggies but only when I have them all cut up and ready to go and of course, if I have the right kinds of dips on hand. But when they get hungry, instead of eating food they go for snacks.

My kids do not know the difference between a snack and a meal. If they are hungry the will eat and entire box of fruit snacks or crackers. Yes the whole box. UGH!! And their favorite snack of choice..... cold cereal what else? I swear I am going to buy stock in Malt O Meal. How many bags of cereal can 4 kids eat in one day?

Went shopping today to stock up on healthier snacks and lunches, $180 bucks later we still haven't got much for dinners. LOL Anyone else feel like the kitchen becomes a black hole when the kids are home for the summer? What is up with them turning into munch mouths? How do they ever survive at school on only one meal a day all winter long? sheesh.

We are looking for a new car. Hopefully one that is dual fuel and will save us some gas money. My husband commutes and gas is killing us. OUCH! This also means that I will get my van back and not be stranded at home everyday and that we can do a little more summer fun stuff. Hoping we find a good deal on a car. (fingers crossed)

I never do my hair anymore, seems that with the kids and the chaos and the fact that I work in the middle of the night and sleep in the middle of the day I just never really do my hair. I wash it and brush it and etc. but never really DO it, not even sure I know how anymore. Not even sure how I feel about that. But it's just a fact.

I think I am too hard on my kids and at the same time not hard enough. I can't seem to find the balance between setting expectations, teaching them to be responsible and yet also not hurting their self esteem, or pushing them to far. Sad thing is I don't even expect much but I want to see them become healthy, balanced, self assured, and confident, reliable adults. Is that too much?

I hate trying to find balance. I need to re-read "Confessions of an Unbalanced Women" it's a good book. I can already see self esteem issues with some of them and it hurts. I am sure they aren't blind to my own issues with confidence. How do you teach them to be more than you are?

Today while shopping Jesse looked a bug zappers. Looking at the box I could almost hear the sounds of my own childhood. sitting out back on the patio when our house was new and listening to the poor mosquito's snap, zap, pop before they could come and bite us. I was 5 when my mom and dad built their house. I can still remember how excited we were when the house was done and we got to move in. How happy I was knowing my grandma was just down the street. I can also remember how scared we were the 1st few nights with all 7 kids being upstairs and my mom and dad seemed so far away being downstairs. We all slept in one bedroom together until we finally decided this new house wasn't going to be so bad. Years later we would all be fighting to be the one that got a single room by themselves. I remember laying on the trampoline looking up at the stars and making silly little wishes as the bug zapper zapped away in the background.

I am going to buy a bug zapper so that some day my kids will stand in the store and be flooded with memories too. I hope they remember the excitement they had for their new house that is just across the street from where their grandparents live and only 3 - 7 miles from the other grandparents. I hope that one day they will be grateful for what they learned by having to share rooms with brothers and sister even if now they do have a single room by themselves. And I hope they will have lots of great memories looking up at the stars and making silly little wishes too. Because even the thought of the sound of a bug zapper can make you realize that childhood is but a flash, snap, pop, zap. . . and all you take are the memories.


By the way the mosquito's are out of control already and I really am buying a zapper, and because Samantha is allergic. I know a zapper is like pouring a thimble on a barn fire but it at least makes you feel like you are doing something to fight in the battle. LOL

I hate preschool graduation!! and Anyone know a good Vampire for Hire?

Oh come on you know you hate preschool graduation too, admit it. Yea they are so cute up there singing their little songs and being so proud of themselves for all that have learned. And yes they are so excited at the prospect of going to kindergarten and yet, THAT is just the problem. That "wonderful" little graduation certificate is nothing more than a handwritten tombstone of their baby years. It is like putting it into stone that your baby is not longer a baby and will never again be your baby. I HATE IT!!!!! OK so yes he has been growing every day since he was born and I know he gets bigger all the time, but you don't think about it everyday about how much they are growing and about how little time you really have with them to be little. But that dang graduation is like this big "look at me I'm big" event, now off I go to the next thing.




But I go and, I suck it up and, I smile and, I tell him how proud of him I am and, about how cute he is. But inside it is killing me knowing that this is his last day ever of preschool and that you just can't stop time. And then today while trying to shower I lost it. Oh yeah major bawling! I guess, at least I could get it all out there, and not in front of the kids and the tears can just run with the water down the drain just like time does. And I have a few more months to relish my little boy before that big yellow monster with the 4 wheels comes to swallow up my baby next Aug and take him off to big kid land. Because no matter how I want to pretend it isn't so, the truth is once they go to "big kid school" they do become "big kids."

Damn that yellow bus! Yes damn that yellow monster that gives them passage to kid land. Picture me standing in the rode yelling at the bus "STOP! Please bring back my baby!!!! It's not fair!" Because every mother every where knows that the kid they are, the beginning of kindergarten, is a whole new person by the end. What is it about this year that makes it such a difference and it doesn't matter even if they don't go to kindergarten there is a major difference between a 5 yr old than a 6 1/2 yr old. That is the year they really go from snuggle bunny baby to I can do it myself big kid. And they are not the same little kid anymore. My sister told me once that the kids you have now you will only have for a short time because once they grow past that stage that kid is gone and is replaced by a different big kid and so on and so forth...




Case in point.....

I miss these little kids!!

2001

Because this ........... has been replaced by this




And this....... by this
(current photos taken by my SIL at http://newlinephotography.net/ she is fantastic!)

You know they are still so cute and adorable and I love them for who they are today, right now. But those little kids that use to play in my garden and go to preschool are not here anymore and it is sad to me. I miss them!! I miss those little kids, and I am not ready to miss the 2 little kids that I have playing in my garden and going to preschool right now.

So if anyone has the phone number for the Cullen Family please send it my way. I need to have one of them bite them so that I can keep them little forever. LOL But, actually reading the Twilight (love it!) Series I have put some thought to it. Isn't Gods plan great? Aren't there just so many reasons that God did not put a fountain of youth here? or really give us Vampires that can stay young forever? Or magic potions? Because if I knew where to find that fountain of youth I may in one rash and very selfish moment just grab my kids and throw them in it. But then I would regret it because no matter how much you love them and adore their Innocent little selves you really would never take the rest away from them. Really, would I really want to have him miss his 8th birthday and baptism? OR getting to be twelve and getting the priesthood? or his 1st crush and 1st kiss? Would I really want him to miss the joy of learning all the new things you learn as you grow? His mission? and most of all would I ever ever ever want him to miss out of becoming a dad and finding out just how much you can love a little one of your own. Because that my friends, is Divine. There is nothing I could ever want more than to watch my kiddo's grow and grow and grow and to live healthy and happy lives....... though if I had the opportunity I may just actually slow it down.... If I could..... I think I might slow it down, but I would never ever really stop it from coming. Even if I will miss the kids they have been and are right now.

And that is why even though I know I should take my "economic stimulus" check and run to the bank with it and stash it away for a rainy day, but NOPE I am doing to Disneyland because Memories last forever but time with my little kids is only a moment and I intent to dwell and bask in it while I can. Because yes I am going to let them grow up but I can still kick and scream all the while........ can't I?

Crafty Goodness and Girl Fun

OOH LA LA!: OK so I am like what almost a month late? But I really wanted to post these pictures because we had so much fun back in April at Scrapbook USA in SLC. We have this little group that gets together every time the expo runs and we keep adding people each time too and that makes it even funner. :) We are loving this tradition. This time we stayed at my house and I loved, loved, loved being the host, since I finally have some room to do it. I know you totally missed sleeping on the love seat huh Amy? I kicked the kids out of their rooms and they slept in the bonus room for a few nights so they were loving it too, thinking it was an extension of spring break. (we got home from spring break Thursday night and the girls started arriving Thursday night too so it was pretty much an extension of spring break) And then we took over the bedrooms and house. It was great. Poor Jesse.

This was such a great way to beak in the new house and I loved taking some time off work to just hang with the girls. Here are the pictures so that I have proof that I actually did get some crafting time. WOO HOO!!!

My total favorite purchase this year was these card kits from Creating Keepsakes. LOVE THEM! I bought a lot of them since I planned on using them as gifts. I am not creative but I love to create and this is a super cool way for me to go. Any time it is pre-thought out is good for me. And each kit makes 75 cards so I was uber impressed. Wishing I could get more actually.

Here are some of the other cards I made that weekend and the bags that I put the cards in for the teachers. These cards were from kits by My Minds Eye. Super Cute Huh? Then the night before mothers day I thought of an even cuter card holder so my mothers day gifts were mondo cutsie. I will try to find the picture and add it too the bottom.

After the expo and after we had shopped till we dropped we stopped of to eat. I took Samantha with me to the expo and she had a blast I found her a great kit that had a 12x12 book and all the matching papers and sticker and etc. for $15 she was in heaven but she got sooo tired and said she couldn't shop any more (after like 3 hrs) and since Nikki was leaving early she was nice enough to take her home. It is along drive that was very nice of her. Here are the ones that when to eat. Subrina, and her Niece, Trissy, Amy w/Trissy's little girl, Marylnn with her tiny baby, And Heidi.
Here is Marylnn and her tiny baby she wasn't even 6 weeks old but ML brought her and came and had fun anyway. We all loved taking turns holding her, and I think mommy had a fun time, and that she really needed the mommy break too. There is no therapy quite like girls nights especially sleep overs, right? Especially for a mom that just had her 3rd baby. It is exhausting.
And here we are just hanging out, scrapping, crafting, playing and eating. I actually had room for 5 fold up tables I was shocked. It was nice we could all fit together in one room area. It was smoochy but nice.
I don't know what possessed us but we were nice and let the kids hang with us this weekend too. Well on Saturday night for a bit anyway. Here are some of my kids and Nikki's kids. Yeah they are bored can you tell? NOT! They loved it. I have to admit having the extra kids around was actually easier because all of my kids had someone to play with. Well, except for Will, but her just loves the chaos. Very true too he never is hard when I have him in a big group. It is when we are trying to deal with him at home in the quiet that he turns into a monster. Strange o kid.
Garyn and Kenzie. They had a blast running around and playing. Now don't they make a cute couple? Yeah, I am thinking Subrina and I should arrange a marriage.... LOL I am sure the will love to hear that in 20 yrs. But he already knows I am nuts.

As you can see it was a pretty successful weekend. Lots of fun and lots of crafting. My kids made tons of scrapbook pages and Samantha's looked better than mine. Another of her many talents. She just can do anything. No fair. Jaden thinks she hogged up all the family talent but he has talents they are just not the kind you can see or win awards for. But they are still very important and useful. I felt the same way growing up I was smooshed in between 2 brothers that were 4.0 students, with lots of abilities. But they (and they will disagree here but it my blog so hahahaha) they were smart nerds and I was social (lucky to graduate too busy dating) so I just pretended I didn't know them even though I was impressed will all that they could and still can do. They stole the talent jeans in our family. Mean of them huh? But really, they did leave me the grand copy-cat, crafty jean and the party planning jean so isn't that all the talent I need? ;)