Random Silly Picture

This comes from the shores of Lake Michigan last summer.

Three year old boy

This picture has nothing to do with the following post. Brigham got sent to the corner a few weeks ago and I thought it was so cute (though an antiquated discipline procedure). He keeps asking me to turn on Picasa so that he can see the pictures of himself in the corner.

Tonight, Joseph ran over to the corner store to pick up a few items. In the bottom of the bag, was a Laffy Taffy. He announced that it was for his favorite three year old. What a problem! We don't have a three year old at our house. Brigham is ten, just like May. So, we asked if there were any three year olds and all four older kids were happy to claim the age for the proposed prize. Finally, Brigham acquiesced. He agreed to be three, just this once.

Then, I dropped the bomb. He could only have the Laffy Taffy after he ate his bagel with barbeque chicken. Well, that was o.k. with him. But, like most nights, eating disintegrates into giggles with Sariah and the two of them sit at the table long after the rest of us have gone from dinner back to our books.

I started teasing Brigham that I was going to eat the Laffy Taffy. Like most of my manipulating, it fails miserably to actually get him to eat, but I guess we have some fun and that makes up for it. At one point, he came around the corner of the kitchen and told me that he was going to finish. He said, "You will say DANG! I wanted that Laffy Taffy! And then, I will eat it all." Joseph and I cracked up laughing.

Later, I was going through the kitchen to go out of doors for a wintery night time walk and Brigham stopped me to say, "I'm going to finish and you will say 'Dangit'!" Really? Do I say Dang and Dangit so much? I'm going to have to listen to myself.

Every night when Joseph picks Brigham up from our bed to take him to his bed (Brigham's bedroom is more of a hallway between the stairs and the other boys' room, so it's very hard for him to get to sleep there), he says something like, "There's my sweet boy. Such a sweet boy." Tonight I juxtaposed that with, "I'm going to finish and you will say 'dangit'!" Another good laugh.

Abandoned Blog: Auction Announced

This blog has been discovered abandoned and in order to keep the community safe and happy an auction has been planned for transfer to a new owner.

Date: Saturday, November 8, 2008
Time: 12 noon
Place: Blogosphere

e-Refreshments will be served!

Various things I'm liable to trip over

The other night I was having some trouble sleeping and so I decided to come out to the couch to sleep. That sometimes helps me. I noticed that the computer was on and came over to turn it off. As I was walking back to the couch, I tripped over the rocking chair. There really isn't anywhere to keep the rocking chair, but we don't want to get rid of it. It tends to just sit out in the middle of the room. I gave myself a pretty nasty bruise and rather than yell (all were asleep), I started thinking creatively. "I should make a list of all the things I trip over, " I thought. And it kept me going until the pain subsided.

1. Books. My library card which allows 50 books to be checked out is always maxed. My kids all have a card and will usually have between 5-10 books checked. That's a lot of books. They get spread all over the floor.

2. Hot Wheels cars. Brigham loves these things and is usually carting 2-5 cars around with him all the time, leaving them here and there when he picks others up. Definitely something I trip over.

3. Shoes. Our side entryway comes in on a landing. Just to the left, there are two steps up to the kitchen. We use this place to dump our shoes. There are usually anywhere from10-20 pairs of shoes sitting around that area. It can be deadly when I'm carrying the laundry basket downstairs to sort laundry!

4. Clothing. Do your kids just strip their socks off and leave them all over, or change in the middle of the living room and just dump the cloths there waiting for the laundry fairy to pick them up?

5. Cello. Oh no! We have no where safe to keep Nathan's cello. I keep it on top of my bed during the day, but at night we have to set it on the floor. I'm constantly saying, "Be careful of the cello." "Watch out for the cello!" One day I was finishing making my bed and placed the cello on the bed as Nathan was walking in the room. "What?" he said, "Why was that on the floor?" "Do you want me to sleep with it on my bed all night?" I asked. Never, never trip over a cello. Costly mistake.

6. Rocks. There will never be enough rocks in my house it seems. With our crushed limestone driveway and occasional trips to look for and collect rocks and fossils, the kids are constantly bringing new piles of rocks in the house. I will find piles of rocks on the floor of the living room, bedrooms, on top of dressers, on the bathroom counter, kitchen counter, washing machine. You name it, every surface has been home to a rock at one time or another.

7. Train tracks and accessories. Being a two year old boy, Brigham loves that stuff. I try to keep this only to his room, so I only have to trip on that when I take my sleeping boy up to his bed each night in the dark.

8. Basement storage room....Don't even get me started on that!!

So, what do you trip over at your house? :)

The Very Edge of Sanity

(Read this with a little humor and not too much seriousness.)

I have been there.

Yesterday I stood, staring at my sunshine-y yellow counter top and made a choice. On the left was a slight grip on sanity and on the right was "losing it" (I don't know why they arranged themselves to the right and left like that). I pondered it for a minute, but the choice on the right had too many unknowns, one of them being, "Will the people at the state mental hospital be kind to me?" I wonder where in my house I'll be when the choice comes up again and hope it's not a dingy, dusty place.

I don't know exactly what has driven me to this place. As usual, it's probably not one factor that I can pinpoint, but many interacting forces and choices. I don't know what will take me back again into my carefree and laid back life (ha!). Maybe starting a new school year will do the trick, then again, maybe not.

Last night, I asked Joseph if he thought we could collect enough oil from people's faces to fry something (my skin is very oily in the summer). He laughed and laughed, making me laugh too and told me that I am so off-the-wall and that he loves my sense of humor. But, I'm thinking that comment is only a little to the left of Mad Hatter. He threatened to include the comment in my "From the Back Seat" section of the blog and I decided to do the thing that I figured a respectable person would do. I came here, to my blog proper, and admitted it myself.

There.

Dear Mr. Norton,

Since I'm now just counting down the seconds until I'm one day older and hopefully a few days richer, I can dedicate a few computer minutes to a letter to Mr. Norton:

Dear Mr. Norton,

I can't please you. I'll never be able to please you, so I'm writing to say that, "I GIVE UP!" I hope this doesn't make you any redder or more obnoxious, but that you will carve a place in your understanding code heart to put up with a human being who wishes to ignore you.

Each day I turn on my computer I have a whole slew of things I have to do before my computer can even function. This may be more Microsoft's fault than yours. I'll write Mr. Microsoft later to tell him that no deep discount will ever induce me to buy his terrible computers or computer copy-cats again. Having down-loaded maybe one too many free software packages has caused a few glitches. First I have to turn off my pop-up protect so that I can use blogger (a must!), then I have to open my 'windows task manager' and end a tiny little process that my internet searches tell me belong to you, Mr. Norton. BECAUSE IT'S SUCKING UP ABOUT 98% OF MY CPU USAGE!!!!

I really can't get much of my work done that way. And my work, you see, is changing the world. I'm downloading photos, editing them, writing blogs posts and e-mails, and doing internet shopping to redecorate my house. You can see how (at least my corner of) the world is becoming a better place bit by bit!

Then, because I turned a piece of you off, I see this annoying little red icon with a "!" in it. This tells me that you want my attention. But, no matter how much attention I give you. No matter how many times I let you search for new updates or scan my hard drive, you persist. I can't do this anymore. You will have to be patient and wait your turn.

I used to be the kind of girl who would listen to you every time. The larger left brained part of me HAD to listen to you. But, I've been expanding the right side of my brain and it now tells me that I don't have to listen to pesky little you. I can go on my merry way, glimpsing blue sky, smelling blossoms, and listening to birds chirping.

Please understand.

Sincerely,

Cindi

Butter

Since giving up play dough, Brigham has taken up eating chunks of butter. Aren't you jealous of my fancy butter serving dish?

Play Dough

Just a week ago, Brigham was a one year old who ate play dough in little bits that he would snatch up as Sariah played. Yum!!

Today, he's an almost two year old who can roll, squeeze, and smash play dough with the best of them.




Oh, and he can do this:

Crazy Fluke!

Earlier today I logged on the the lds.org website (website of my church) today to get the phone number of my Relief Society President. The sign in window came up and since my computer saves passwords and Joseph signed in last, it had his information in the little boxes: username and password. I clicked the "Sign In" button which takes you to the page with a link for ward directory. This was when I was confronted with the information that my husband has the address: Revere, MA 02149. Great! When did he move? I swear he was here this morning getting ready for work like usual, now he lives in Massachusetts!?! I wish he would have consulted me first. I could have told him that the Massachusetts State Tax form is really hard to fill out. That you practically need a Master's Degree in forms in order to file taxes there. I would have told him that Plymouth Rock is really just a big rock that's cemented together housed in a big shrine, stamped with 1620 (Oh! wait a minute, he's seen it). I would have told him that the aquarium in Boston can't hold a candle to the aquarium in Monterey, CA and the coastlines can't compare either. (Hmm, he's seen both). I would have told him that people in MA are cold and unfriendly (Wait a minute, he married me, didn't he?). Maybe he made a more informed decision than I'm willing to admit.

Well, honey, I'm blowing you a kiss (hand to mouth, Ppfffwah!, blowing). I hope you decide to come back. I'll miss you.

P.S. It's true. By some fluke, Joseph's church records have been transferred to the Revere 1st (Spanish) Ward!

Self-Photo

Here's what you've all been waiting for (er-ummm, Joseph, I guess that's you). Tonight I took a photo of myself and then worked it over in Picnik. Considering what I did to my Easter eggs (see post below), you have to wonder a little what the real me looks like! Wonder away...


Freaky, out my front window, I just saw a police chase! This is usually a really quiet neighborhood.

From the Back Seat

From the back seat of the van yesterday, Sariah said:

"When I'm a mom, I'm going to be a nice mom."

Nice! I wouldn't guess that she's implying anything here!

(Below is a collection of fun things we've recorded that the kids have said. To start from the beginning, scroll down to the bottom and read from the bottom up!)

January 2010

May: The good thing about books is every time you read them, you find something new.

January 2010

I was being silly and suggesting that Brigham walk to the store and buy some things I needed. He replied, "If I go down the street, I'll get lost!"

December 2009

Some background first: Brigham has taken after his older brother. He likes birds. In fact, he likes them so much that he is always telling us, "I'm a robin," "I'm a chickadee."

Another fact about him is that he has never gone to the nursery at church (for children 18 mos. - 3 years old).

Me: Brigham, aren't you excited that you are going to go to your own class at church with all the other little girls and boys.

Brigham: I'm a robin.

end of discussion.

2-4-2009

Elijah: Mom, when I grow up and move away, I want to take some of your recipes with me.

Brigham: Can you fix me I'm broken?

I opened the door where he was supposed to be SLEEPING and found him standing there with one sock wadded up in his hand.

2-2-2009

Last night I pointed out to Brigham that the sun was going down. He said, "Yeah, the sun will go down and then lady moon will come." Later, he realized it was dark and said, "It's dark, I need to go outside and see lady moon." Being the good mom that I am, I picked him up and took him out to find her. We looked up, he said, "Ooooh, there's lady moon." Then, "I need to go inside now. Good-bye lady moon, I'm going inside and you need to stay out here!"

12-24-2008

Brigham walked (sobbing) into the kitchen to mama after having to sit on papa's lap for hitting.

Cindi: Ah, did you get your feelings hurt?

Brigham: No, don't TALK about it!!

12-20-2008

A Teachable Moment

Brigham: Can I have a juice box?
Mama: They're all gone.
Brigham: Can I have a juice box?
Mama: They're all gone.
Brigham: Unghh!!! I hit you.


12-19-2008

Unnamed child: That's dumb!
Papa: What?
Child: D-U-M-N, Dumb!
Papa: How did you spell that?
Child: D-U-M-N, Dumb!!!

12-14-2008

Sariah has swollen/infected lymph nodes. She came to me today and said, "Mom, I think I know what' s making my neck hurt." She pulled up her sleeve (showing yellow marker marks), "This yellow on my arm." That gave me a good laugh and I said to her, "Sariah, this skin on my knee is really dry, I think it's making my head hurt." And other family members took their turns. She, in turn, laughed!

12-11-2008

From the back seat, Joseph and I heard, "I'm smilin'" Except it didn't sound like that. When I turned around, there was Brigham with his eyes squinched shut and a huge toothy grin on his face. Again, he said, "I'm smilin' " And then, hilariously, "It's dark!" Finally, he opened his eyes and said, "It's light now."

12-09-2008

We were listening to a Christmas story on CD in the van. Nathan and I were laughing because some of the lines in the story were so idiotic. Nathan said, "Ha ha ha (real laughing), this is so funny." Brigham stopped him, "No, don't you say it's funny. I say it's funny!" Then he went on, "Oh, this is so funny, ha ha ha (contrived laughing)!"

12-07-2008

Sariah (after getting sent to bed early): You're never going to see me again!

12-06-2008

Brigham: Yer gonna get me ice cream!

11-06-2008

Joseph: What did you talk about in Social Studies today?

May: stuff

Joseph: Oh, come on...

May: boring stuff

11-06-2008

Brigham was saying something over and over again. Some of the other kids were getting annoyed.

Joseph: It's o.k., he's just a baby.

Brigham: No, I NOT!

Sariah: You're Brigham.

Brigham: No, I a good boy!

11-01-2008

Sariah (yelling down the hallway): Mom, Brigham's awake! I can hear him!

Brigham (little voice from behind the door): You can?

11-01-2008

Brigham runs into the room where Joseph was sleeping, "One, two, three!" Runs out of the room "Four, six, seven." Long pause, "Eight!"

10-18-2008

After a walk through the beautiful fall woods, time spent in the local cemetery, and a trip to the nature center for the apple butter festival:

Sariah: You never let us do ANYTHING!

10-10-2008

Sariah: Mom, your hair doesn't look very nice in the morning!

10-2-2008

Brigham: Mom, mom...my!
me: yer? (your?)
Brigham: yeah!

Two years (give or take) ago:

Elijah (after eating his dinner): I'm full to the ding, ding, ding (indicating a place at the top of his head).

9-26-2008

Nathan: Look Brigham, it's a police car.
Brigham: No, Nathan, it's a woo-woo.


April 2008

I came upon the birthday interview I gave Elijah when he turned seven (the first birthday interview I ever did)

Me: What's the grossest thing you can think of?
Elijah: Dogs with green and red eyes.

9-17-2008

Brigham (to the tone of a truck backing up, while backing up a Hotwheels truck): Mmmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmmm (we've talked about trucks backing up, but not modeled this for him; he picked it up on his own!)

9-15-2008

I was sitting and reading in the bathroom while Brigham took his bath. He started making some big splash sounds. Then, he opened the glass door and told me, "Mommy, I'm funny. I gonna do it again." He closed the door and proceeded to sit in the water much like you would on a trampoline. Laughing, laughing, "I funny mommy!"


9-15-2008

Elijah: Mom, remember when you made that bean soup with ham? There were one, I think, two leaves in it!

9-11-2008

May to me (confidentially): Mom, there's a leaf in your soup.


We've all been reading a book called "Trucks" to Brigham. Lately, when I'm done reading, he takes it and says, "I'm gonna read it now." What follows is so cute! He sits down and tries to read it using the same voice cadences that we do. If he doesn't know the words he just repeats the word, "truck, truck, truck..."

9-10-2008

Brigham's new most-used word: YA!

9-1-2008

Joseph and May were getting into the car after a trip to Barnes and Noble. May begged Joseph not to turn the news on for the trip home.

Joseph: Oh, you want some quality time with me, huh?

May: No, I just want to start reading as soon as possible!

9-1-2008

May was talking on the phone with her friend. Joseph told May that it was time to go to Pizza Hut.

May (to her friend): My dad says it's time for me to get off to go get pizza, blah, blah, blah...

8-25-2008
Brigham: Mommy, mommy, I jumpin' a see-wing! (Mommy, I'm jumping to the ceiling!)

8-24-2008

Joseph: Brigham, are you running down the sam boon?
Brigham: No Papa, say SAND DUNE.

8-20-2008

Brigham: I'm running down the sam boon (sand dune)!

8-14-2008

Brigham: Where's my woo-woo? (translated: ambulance)

Brigham: Mama, I have two itchies (itching at his nipples which he figures must be mosquito bites).

8-9-2008

Brigham (loud and happy): Looook Papa! Mama has a tsr-airy [fairy] door tew [too]!

8-3-2008

Papa comes home at 9:50 pm from a meeting. Sariah runs out to hug him (she was supposed to be ASLEEP long ago!).

Mom: I don't THINK so!

Sariah (slamming her door): SPOIL SPORT!

7-19-2008

Brigham: I need diet coke!

7-2008

Joseph has been singing to Brigham at night before bed. When he finishes singing a song, Brigham says: nuzza song, nuzza song

7-19-2008

Brigham (seeing the sprinkles on his ice cream): I LIKE candies!

7-17-2008

Cindi: I'm gonna lose it! (preceding a description of Nathan's antics)

7-17-2008

Papa: Why did you do that?

Nathan: Because I knew it was wrong!

7-17-2008

Sariah: (muttering) Everything on my bed before the timer dings?? That's dumb. That's stupid. Mom is bad. Mom isn't bad; she isn't nice...SHE'S EVIL!!! (She comes out smiling about a minute later) My bed's made. I got a present for you!

anytime, anywhere, any kid

It's not FAIR!!!!!

7-12-2008

Brigham (after going out for ice cream): Tanks Papa Mom!

A few weeks ago

May: I know what I want to wear the first day of school. I want to match Sariah!

7-9-2008

Sariah: Mom, do you remember that day that you wore your p.j.'s all day long?

Me: Shhhhhh!

7-4-2008

Brigham (lying in bed with Papa): E, no come in! S, no come in

6-25-2008

Sariah: Papa, are you and Mom mating?
Joseph: Are you learning about how animals have babies?
(followed by a teaching moment about bodies and where babies come from!)

Sariah (playing with pieces of her tortilla): Hi, Mother! Hi, Father! Wanna have some babies?

6-23-2008

I gave the kids some ice cream and chocolate topping. One of them commented on how the chocolate looked black. I told them that it was because it is "Double chocolate." Sariah asked, "Is it from the devil?"

6-18-2008

Brigham (looking at the lady bugs): Oh! Turtle!

6-16-2008

Brigham (running down the path): Gonna go play boats, Mom!

6-14-2008

Sariah: A nuthatch is a bird that hatches nuts.

6-5-2008

Nathan: Thanks a lot! Oh, I wasn't being sarcastic. Thanks, Mom. (Hmmmm. Need to work on the sarcasm in our household!)

5-29-2008

Nathan: Mom, can you make my powdered milk? I always make a ginormagantic mess when I do it!

5-28-2008

Sariah, to May (in a huffy voice): Mom made me come upstairs just because I stepped on Nathan's head!

5-25-2008

In Primary today the children were asked if they knew what baptism was. Sariah raised her hand. When she was called on she plugged her nose and said, "It's whed you plug your dose and your dad puts you back in da water and thed brings you up agaid (again)."

5-23-2008

Sariah: "Papa, can we go on a walk to the [convenience store] at the corner? And you can decide what kind of treat I will get if I am good on the walk?"


Brigham goes around telling me, "Butter honeys...butter honeys." What a kid, what a kid. I give him plain bread. What a mom!

5-15-2008

We were in the store and Sariah spied one of those garbage cans with a rounded cover. She yells out to me, "Hey mom, it looks like a huge butt cheek!"

We've been doing lots of errands lately (Sariah, Brigham and I). Yesterday, we got back from running around and I realized that I needed to go back out again quickly. Sariah is tired of all this shopping and didn't want to go. I decided to bribe her by telling her I'd get her a treat. I bought her some jellybeans and she ate a bunch. Later in the day she asked for more. I told her she'd had enough sweets for the day. She burst into tears and said, "So you were trying to be nice to me and now you're being mean????"

5-13-2008

Something Elijah told Sariah: Inch worms eat leaves and then spit them back out again so that they can make a cocoon.

Sariah: Mom, can you buy those chocolate bars that have mountains and swirls? (Huh??? Can anyone help me here?)


5-9-2008

Sariah: Mom, can you put your thumb up your nose?
Me: I don't think so. (But, I had to try it. How gross is that?)
Me: Oh, yep Sariah, I can put my thumb up my nose.
Sariah: Me too.

5-5-2008

We are currently working on the inside of our house, moving kids around and trying to make things fit better. I called Sariah and May into the room last night telling them that I wanted to talk to them. I told them that they would soon be sharing a room. We are planning on buying bunk beds and that they should think about this change that is about to happen and work on being good friends. The next time I looked over, there they were hugging each other and making plans to play together more often! :D

5-6-2008

This morning on the way to school, I noticed Elijah's rooster tails and told him to use his spit to try to help his hair lay down. He tried, but then asked me to try to help him before he got out of the van. I told him that it would "take a lot of spit to get it to lay down." As we were pulling away from the school Sariah asked, "What's a takealotta?" It took me a minute to understand what she meant.

4-30-2008

Grandpa Burris sent Elijah a McDonalds gift card for his birthday. I explained to him that he could go to McDonalds and order whatever he wanted.

Elijah: Can I get a snap wrack?
Me: Yes.
Elijah: Can I get two snap wracks?
Me: Yep. (snicker, snicker)
Elijah: Can I get three snap wracks?
Me: Sure can. (outright laughing)
Elijah: Ahrg. snack wraps!!


4-29-2008

Brigham ran away from me after a diaper was taken off him and he peed on the floor.

Brigham (looking down): Uh-oh!

4-28-2008

Sariah: Mom, could we see a whole pile of germs?

4-26-2008
Elijah to Nathan who had been gone all day:

Papa rented a pogo stick to get the cement out!

4-24-2008

Sariah: Thanks for coming back to town, Papa.

Sariah: Come on Brigham, I'm going to watch Backyardigans!
Brigham: On, gans. On, gans.

4-20-2008

In Primary, we heard that Parley P. Pratt was 23 years old when he read the Book of Mormon.

Sariah (in a loud, clear voice): My dad is 38 years old.

4/17/2008
I had just hit and killed a squirrel on the road. Sariah started singing, "DON'T KILL US SQUIRRELS!"

4/16/2008
Sariah: Mom, how does your hair curl up?

4/15/2008
Sariah: I can't believe Sister Finlay is going to Hawaii! There's a volcano in Hawaii!!!

4/7/08
Brigham: Pay Atos Pease (translated: play water please!)

4/6/08
Nathan: Why would anyone want a glass shower door? Isn't that embarrassing?

4/5/08
Sariah: I can't believe there are freeways in Florida!?

4/4/08
Sariah: Did the Smoking Mountains blow up?

3-30-2008

Sariah: I found an Easter egg in the chairs downstairs, and it's not even EASTER!!!

3-29-2008

Elijah's birthday card to a (girl) friend (awwww!):
"Hope you have a sweet birthday!"

3-28-2008

Sariah: Mom, we know where we're going. We don't even need those lines in the road.

a few days ago

Cindi: Sariah, what happened to your hair?
Sariah: I didn't cut it with my scissors!

3-26-08
Sariah: Mom, a giant can jump up to the clouds.

Brigham: Bye, bus. Bye, t-t-t bus. Bye rar rar. Mmmm, mmm (whiny dog sound).

Nathan: (You should see the look on his face as we talk about the possibilities of a dog!)

Sariah: My broken pirate eye patch is in the big garbage truck, right mom?

3-25-08
Elijah: I jump roped ALL the recesses, except lunch. (He demonstrated his new trick. Impressive!)

May: (after a field trip) I got to taste fresh maple syrup, I got to eat homemade ice cream, I got to touch a little lamb, I got to help milk a cow, I got to get a pine tree, I planted a seed in an egg shell, and I have a bean growing in a little bag.

3-24-08

Brigham: Bye, house. Bye, house. Bye, house.

Sariah: Mom, I don't know what my wedding cake will look like when I get married!

Sariah: How can any of us hang off this planet?

Nathan: I can't believe you and Papa are actually thinking about getting a hypoallergenic dog!!

My Many Scattered Ways

I'm avoiding what I really need to do, grasping at straws, just to sit here in "Bloggyland."

First off, my breakfast. Meijer sells these giant 18 pound bags of grapefruit all winter long for $6.99. I think it's a pretty good deal since most of us love it. I can't tell you how many of these I've cut up over the past few months, but I rarely cut them for myself. Usually it's my thoughtful husband who cuts them for me. I actually cut two for myself today:


Notice my all-purpose steak knife. I use steak knives for everything and I've had more than one person comment that it's a little weird. But, I have to say, you butcher knife wielding people scare me (you know who you are!).

I'm excited today because there's a lady who works with my husband who just had her first baby. The office is having a little luncheon for her. I don't know many of the people Joseph works with, but she's my favorite because whenever I send in sweets to the office she sends a thank-you and asks for the recipe. What better compliment? I decided to give her our favorite baby book. The words are by Dr. Seuss and the paintings are by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. This is not a typical Seuss. It's called "My Many Colored Days." It's about a kid who has lots of different moods and Dr. Seuss expresses these moods with color. It's great and embraces the fact that we all feel different at different times and it's o.k. I also ordered a baby bracelet from my friend Marni. It is so adorable, so tiny. I love it and I hope the mom loves it too. If you ever need baby jewelry, check out Marni's website. Her business is called Stylin' Baby. You can also find her on eBay. She does super work. I can't wait until I need some more!


So, I mentioned that the snow melted. My kids have tasted the freedom of the outdoors. Nothing can keep them inside. Sariah was out bright and early after her shower this morning, wet hair and all, in the 29 degree weather!


It didn't last too long though and she was inside posing for pictures.


This kid:


likes to carry one or two cars with him at all times. Despite my no toys in the kitchen rule, he's usually got one to accompany any meal. He loves to make tire tracks in his food. Running tires over raisins isn't so bad, but yesterday it was raspberry jam. Lovely!

I'm raising multi-taskers. On the way to school today, not only were we listening to "Anne of Windy Poplars" by L.M. Montgomery, but May was reading "Mandy" by Julie Edwards and Nathan was reading one of the Tintin adventures by Herge. The only problem with that is that when they don't quite catch what's happening on the tape, they ask clarifying questions. But, hey, I'm happy that my kids like to read that much!

Now, finally, the old adage, "Don't cry over spilled milk." I was definitely one to cry (or you might enter a different verb there) over spilled milk. I've grown up a lot now and just try to bite my tongue. I do a pretty good job of saying, "That's too bad. Get a towel and clean it up! :)" One of my children is a pretty constant milk spiller. This has been getting on my nerves. One morning a couple of weeks ago, Nathan (narrowing down the possibilities) told me that no less than 1/3 of a gallon was spread on the kitchen floor. I figured that he was exaggerating because that runs in the family. Imagine my surprise when there was 1/3 gallon on the floor with the spiller working frantically to clean it up. I think I may have found the reason. The evidence:


He (further narrowing) actually pours his milk on the floor of the kitchen. "No, honey, I said DRINK your milk, not KICK your milk!"

Brain Fuzz

For some reason this morning, my mind floated back to college days. Back then I spent time in the laboratory sequencing DNA, experimenting with frogs' nervous systems, breeding families of fruit flies and identifying parasitic organisms.

Life got even more exciting once I was a graduate student and I was in charge of some of these labs as a teaching assistant. Back then, I didn't know how to say, "I don't know the answer to that question. I'll look it up and get back to you." I've only learned that skill, by necessity, since my kids started asking questions. So, when a Zoology 204 (Invertebrate and Vertebrate Strategies) student would ask me a question about the squid they were dissecting, it was my cue to think of a feasible answer. I thought I was pretty smart and most if not all the students I "taught" seemed to believe these "answers." Sorry guys! I guess I can't make amends for that now.

Looking back, I think I most enjoyed being a TA for the Biology 100 class. Dr. Bradshaw, who taught this non-major biology class, was a most dreaded professor. His lectures stretched my thinking more than my Biology 200 (and beyond) professors had done. The section that most stands out in my mind is "Evolution." Imagine, if you will, a lecture hall filled with 400-500 Mormon freshmen and sophomores being introduced in a rigorous way to the theory of Evolution (we talked both about the general term and evidence for the evolution of man). I don't think they expected this at BYU. The question and answer section of the class were more like a debate (Jodi, maybe you remember this?). The papers that were required were usually one of two types. I can't remember what the exact assignment was, but the responses were amazingly (a) or (b). Either students (a) threw back their heads and bawled about how mankind didn't come from a fish, a monkey, pond scum, an amoeba etc., OR (b) they methodically and thoughtfully considered ideas that had been placed before them, sometimes for the first time and sometimes not. I can only guess that this is a reflection of their parents own response to the subject. Sadly, many of the first type did not answer the requirements of the assignment. I think this was due to their over-anxiety on the subject which produced an emotionally driven product.

I remember one fellow TA of that Biology class. Funny, I can't remember her name, but I can picture her face. One day she came into the lab with a cotton ball taped to her arm. She saw some of us noticing this and pulled it off letting us know that she had had some blood work done that day. It came out in the next few hours or days that she had actually had a pregnancy test and it was positive. So, naturally, we were happy for her.

Fast forward a couple of years. I still didn't have any kids and was blissfully going back and forth to school to my graduate studies and even seeing a wide open future of doctorate work ahead, started checking out my options where Joseph first applied for his doctoral work. I ran into this old friend of mine. I can't remember if she had quit school when her baby was born; I'm thinking she did. She told me a little about her new life where "Barney" (the purple dinosaur) was king. She didn't feel like her brain was being used like it could be living a life of "Barney is a dinosaur." I couldn't relate. I barely knew who Barney was at the time.

Well, I'm here to tell you folks, that my life has changed since that day. I joined the throngs of Barney-watchers. Lost my brain to the inevitable fuzz that takes over when you succumb to the real life of a stay-at-home-mom, beyond the walls of the university. However, that is not how the story ends.

We are offered so much more these days! I am kowtowing to the world of Nick Jr. Colorful, bright and creative are the words to describe Backyardigans and Wonderpets. Rusty synapses begone and long overgrown nerve pathways become distinguishable. My intellect is emerging from the haze!

Note: I guess you might go so far as to say that children's programming has evolved. (sharp intake of air!)

Vegetables and Fruits! Eew!

Despite the fact that Brigham was eating large amounts of watermelon, grapes and cantaloupe last summer, he now despises anything fruity. He also refuses many vegetables. Some months ago, I gave him the tiniest piece of canned pear with a bite of the main dish we were eating. He noticed immediately and spit the whole bite out.

The other night, I gave Brigham a bite of casserole: noodle, corned beef and corn. He expertly removed the corn from the mix and spit it, plop to the floor!

This morning, I tried feeding him Quaker Oatmeal Apple flavor. As soon as he saw the little square apple shapes in there, he bucked his head back and refused to open his mouth. In this case, a little persistence on my part did the trick. He ate his oatmeal and by the end was even agreeing with May that the "num nums" were good.

He's started hearing the question marks at the end of sentences. He will answer, "no," "yah," or "yes!" depending on how he's feeling. We all think this is so cute!

Four Boys and Potter Puppet Pals

Marni put the link to Potter Puppet Pals in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" on her blog a few weeks ago. If you haven't seen this and you like Harry Potter, you might get a kick out of it. Nathan asks often if we can turn it on. My kids can't seem to get enough of it. NOTE: We have strict rules about YouTube in our house. Beware if you watch some of the other Puppet Pals videos. They aren't all kid appropriate (at least by my standards for my kids).

Last night was one of those nights where Nathan just had to watch Puppet Pals. I thought it was funny when I looked over and saw all four of the boys absorbed into the video:


You might also like the FAST version!

Off the Wall

Joseph says that my sense of humor is off the wall. Last night I asked him for some examples of my humor and he couldn't even think of any, saying, "it's so off the wall, I can't remember." This is funny to me because, most of the time when I say these things, it's just the next connection my brain makes to whatever we are talking about. I might have a sense that Joseph will think it's funny, but I don't necessarily mean to make him crack up. The kids have learned to crack up when I talk only because Joseph does.

I was teasing my Primary kids last week and they just stared at me, in fear that I might be serious. I told them that they have to get used to me because I like to joke around. This shows me that you have to live with me for a while or be around me a lot to understand my "off the wall" humor. I know that I can control it too. For instance, this week in Primary, I didn't joke around. There are people I joke around with and people I don't.

I can be pretty sarcastic. If I get a sense that you are sarcastic too, my sarcasm usually takes the front row seat. Some people are very literal and if I let a sarcastic comment fly, I find that I wish I hadn't. Maybe that's why I come home from social situations at times wishing I hadn't even gone. Turns out, from what I can figure, the humor in my home growing up was sarcastic. I'm not sure, though, if all my siblings have a sarcastic sense of humor. So if you add my off-the-wall comments and my sarcasm, I'm not sure what you get. I cringe when my kids tell their teachers, "I got my sense of humor from my mom." What can that mean in the real world?

Joseph's family grew up making plays on words. You can be driving down the highway and see a sign with something misspelled, a grammatical error, or better yet an awkward phrase or sentence and he thinks it's great fun, hilarious. I used to just roll my eyes at these kinds of "jokes" but I've tried real hard to lighten up (see blog title), so maybe our kids can experience the best of two weird worlds!! With the kids, Joseph likes to use that reverse psychology type of humor, "Now you can eat that food, but don't enjoy it!" or "If you come to our house to play, there's just one rule, NO having fun!" The kids get a big kick out of it. When I try it, they just look at me like I have two heads.

Now this next piece of information added to the first creates even more mystery for me to decipher about myself. I'm not a fun person (my poor kids). I took one of those personality tests where you find out if you are blue, red, white or yellow. I was a brilliant red with a little blue and white, but no yellow (fun-loving). A lady in my ward, whom I love for her smile, had a jewelry party the other night. I couldn't make it, but I asked her how it went. She said they had a great time and talked about what happens to women when they get together without their kids. In that moment, I both wished I could have been there and was also terribly grateful I hadn't been there. That kind of fun, scares me. I'm the kind of person who becomes mortified when I decide to attend a meeting and there's a getting-to-know-you or "icebreaker" type game. I wish I could melt into the floor when a game is announced.

So, if I had a wish right now, it would be to step into a different personality for a day and see what life can be like from a different point of view. But that scares me, so I'll keep my wish away from the genie!

Trucks and Buses

About a week ago, Brigham and I had this little tiff. It was about trucks and buses. He was holding a truck and saying "Bus!" I corrected, "Truck." He said, a little more forcefully, "Bus!" and so we went round and round. I decided to try to teach him how to say truck, so I'd say, "T-t-t-truck." He was obstinate, "Bus." Now whenever he's holding a truck, I say, "T-t-t-truck."

Just yesterday, a new phenomenon evolved from our dispute. I don't even know if he was holding a truck or bus because he was in a different room, but all of a sudden I'm hearing, "T-t-t-bus."

The Immigration Debate

This video seems to provide an unorthodox and humorous take on the immigration debate. What do you think? Or if you don't want to think deeply about it, just sit back and enjoy this Oscar-winning short!

Do you Spike Loonerisms?

Shel Silverstein's Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook

Here is a book after the model of our own blog title! Filled with spoonerisms and silliness!

Eck this chout:

The Funny Bamily

Runny fad a hamily--
Matter of fact, he had
A sother and two bristers,
A dummy and a mad.
His mamma fed him marrot cilk.
And parrot cie and such,
And all of them were happy
In their cozy hunny butch.

I was hoping to feel more creative while writing this review, but it just isn't happening (see post below). The kids thought this was funny, but Joseph and I enjoyed it more. I think it's meant to be read out loud. You'll be surprised by the hilarious pictures and silly sounds found inside this book! It's easier to "get it" when you are the reader, so pass the book around and enjoy!

Typical Sunday Morning Fiasco

I was granted permission to tell this story.

Some necessary background: When we get home from church every week, I tell the older kids to get changed and hang up their clothes. I hang the younger kids' clothes myself. Despite this, the results are fairly typical to what you will read below:

This morning I sent Nathan upstairs to get changed for church at about 10:20 (we leave at 10:40 for 11 am church). At exactly 10:36, I told him that we were leaving in 4 minutes. A person can dream, can't she. I went up soon afterward to check on the status there. You can imagine, can't you? A boy still in his pajamas leaned over some Legos on his floor!

At this point, he rushed to get dressed and showed up downstairs in his own shirt and vest, but in Elijah's pants. They are just a little short and I told him that he'd have to go find his own pants. He's steaming at this point, but obediently went up the stairs. Then the yelling started. "You know Mom, we don' t live in a beauty salon here!" I retort, "That's a very amusing statement Nathan, but I'm not quite sure what you mean." I hear him "cursing" about how his pants are in a crumpled heap under Elijah's bed. "No, I don't know how they got there, Nathan, but if you had hung them last week, they'd be neatly waiting in the closet (my own logic just astounds me!)."

He came downstairs in his crumpled pants still mumbling about beauty salons. He told me that we don't live in a beauty salon which means we don' t have to look perfect. If you missed this week's lively session of our madhouse, tune in next week for an exact replay!