Getting ready to begin "Finding Christ for Christmas"!

Today I am thankful for a house that is not new and that needs a new paint job. Embrace the sentiment, it won't last long. Often I wish I could decorate and that my house was more of a show piece and not such a lived in home. With six children, basically every part of my house is practical. I have little room or money to spend on decorating. Plus, why bother, things just break in between the wrestling and tossing balls (yes, in the house).

But this morning as I hung 25 stars (that will lead us to Christ) with shipping tape on my wall without a care to my paint job I decided this is a good house. It allows me to have a work place to raise children. It allows me to not be stressed or worried over every scuff or nick. It allows me to hang stars with shipping tape and not worry Corey will freak out over ruining the paint. It allows me a classroom to teach which ultimately is my job anyways, is it not?

Tonight for Family Night we are going to decorate the tree with the pictures of Christ and then I am going to have the kids write down the 5 presents they want most (just a list, not a guarantee they are going to get those items of course, I know on the top of Justine's list will be a dog) and I will seal them in a letter to Santa. Then we will not discuss presents and all the things they constantly tell me they want any more in the next 25 days. I am going to ask them to pretend that there will be no presents Christmas morning. I am hoping that since they know there will be that they will have that assurance in the back of their mind and they will be able to pretend. I am going to try to help them imagine that Christ is the present Christmas morning. That His love and Redemption and Sacrifice and Birth is our present. I am going to try to have them keep that in mind the next 25 days. On the 25th day with a lesson everyday, our sheep and hopefully our hearts to the very core will have traveled to Christ...

I am frustrated by blurry pictures but don't have the time to deal with it right now. Here is the beginning of our journey at star number 1!

Love my mistle toe I got on clearance last year!

The stars do a big journey down a hall in the living room and in the kitchen.

Here is where we end up Christmas morning!

Wish us luck!

Shoot, it is starting again. I can't decide whom I love more, Jacob or Edward.I guess I'll stick with Team Edward still!

The other day I saw New Moon with Justine. (Kassidy already got to go to the premiere. She only had two hours of sleep that night but it was worth it for her to be part of the New Moon craze.) Anyways, I loved it. I know... it is embarrassing to admit.... but it is a great little love story.This movie I was much happier with the actress who plays Bella. Last time I just thought she was a bad actress. But this movie she did an excellent job of being emotionally tortured through the whole movie. I actually felt pain in my heart for a little bit. I still adore the character who plays Edward although his mumbling starts to frustrate me ( I so need subtitles) and Jacob is just perfect in every way (aside from a few .bad acting moments). But I am still team Edward. I really like him.

There were a few SUPER cheesy parts...Them running through the woods in the future was just SUPER stupid! And I really wasn't thrilled with the last line on the ending. But over all I thought it was a really good movie. To people who have not read the books it may not seem that exciting but it followed the book perfectly. I don't know why I even feel the need to critique the movie like I am some sort of movie expert but that's what I think. I can't wait to see the next two movies.

While we are on the subject of Twilight, the whole topic gives me incredible hope. Since the time I was a kid I ALWAYS wanted to be a writer. Sometimes when I watch movies or read books, I think if they would have just said a few things differently or added more to this line it would have been just that much more... I have always loved writing. So I was reading on the blog of the girl who wrote Twilight and she wrote something that really gave me hope...

"The Writing: I know the exact date that I began writing Twilight, because it was also the first day of swim lessons for my kids. So I can say with certainty that it all started on June 2, 2003. Up to this point, I had not written anything besides a few chapters (of other stories) that I never got very far on, and nothing at all since the birth of my first son, six years earlier.
I woke up (on that June 2nd) from a very vivid dream. In my dream, two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately. For what is essentially a transcript of my dream, please see Chapter 13 ("Confessions") of the book.
Though I had a million things to do (i.e. making breakfast for hungry children, dressing and changing the diapers of said children, finding the swimsuits that no one ever puts away in the right place, etc.), I stayed in bed, thinking about the dream. I was so intrigued by the nameless couple's story that I hated the idea of forgetting it; it was the kind of dream that makes you want to call your friend and bore her with a detailed description. (Also, the vampire was just so darned good-looking, that I didn't want to lose the mental image.) Unwillingly, I eventually got up and did the immediate necessities, and then put everything that I possibly could on the back burner and sat down at the computer to write—something I hadn't done in so long that I wondered why I was bothering. But I didn't want to lose the dream, so I typed out as much as I could remember, calling the characters "he" and "she."
From that point on, not one day passed that I did not write something. On bad days, I would only type out a page or two; on good days, I would finish a chapter and then some. I mostly wrote at night, after the kids were asleep so that I could concentrate for longer than five minutes without being interrupted. I started from the scene in the meadow and wrote through to the end. Then I went back to the beginning and wrote until the pieces matched up. I drove the "golden spike" that connected them in late August, three months later. "

I know that is a little long but wasn't it interesting? Did you read the part that said she hadn't written anything in like six years? I can so relate to her story (minus-having a dream about my story, writing best sellers that turn into hit movies, and becoming totally rich). I haven't written in forever either. Is there hope for me to come up with something good? In my dream of what I want to do when I grow up I totally LOVE the idea of sitting at home being a writer. When I visualize that in my head it just looks like a really good picture, don't you agree?

There was a time when I wrote and wrote. I remember in college I had been writing a fiction story as an assignment for Creative writing class. In another class we were having a tour of the INEL. I spent the entire tour scribbling notes and thoughts down on some crazy piece of scratch paper I had found. The people giving the tour must have thought I was really interested but I just was coming up with so much good material for my story I had to get it sown on paper write then. The church magazine, THE ENSIGN, was going to publish my story but decided since it was fiction it was just too sensitive of a topic. I still want to find that part of me again. I loved that rush of just having all the right words for a great story. I haven't written in years. And years and years. But I have plans to try it again though. As my babies get older I can feel my life coming back to me. Although I always want more babies, it is sweet relief to get the gift of time back.

Did you guys see the cutest movie, Julie and Julia? It was such a fun movie. I loved the parts where they were talking about the beauty of a blog is you start writing one and there it is, out there in the world for people to read. You are a writer! The movie cracked me up. Weren't those some wonderfully sweet supportive husbands? My heart broke for Julia those times when she was sad about not having a baby.

I am excited to start working on my writing again but it also terrifies me because I think it is probably super hard to write something that actually gets published and I am not sure I have the follow through it takes or the belief in myself to keep at it.


I'll just have to get to work, I guess, and see where it goes...

Now if I can only have a dream that out lines the whole idea for me, that would be great. I think I will go to sleep now. Good night! Wish me luck!

Really communicative blog about communicating! I love friends!

I just love people so much, I rarely find a person I don't enjoy. I have met so many awesome, incredible people, I wish I had time to just hang out with people all day. I want everyone to be a part of my life, there just isn't time. That is one reason I have loved Face book and blogging so much. It immerses me in people and communication and I love that. I love that I can read another mom's blog whom I have never met and cry over her pain. I love that I have been able to see what all my friends from growing up have been doing and how they have changed. I love and need communication of any kind. (Although the only reason I started face book in the first place was because I felt so out of the technological loop. I don't even know how to work a cell phone. So I have been very proud of my blogging and face book abilities.)


Anyways, I have had different friend ships at different times, as I am sure we all have, that have been unforgettable. What a gift they are to help get through this earth life. Because I am such a social person, how desperate I would have been without them.


One group of people became my friends about 6 years ago when we started working on "founding" a charter school together. (Yes, believe it or not by my spelling, grammar, punctuation and high school/college GPA, I love education). We were just random people thrown together for one cause. A few have joined our group here and there. We aren't exclusive but most don't enjoy us long enough to stick around with us. One of the few that could stand us (or maybe not) has since moved, luv ya, Megan,

(Megan- coming to visit me and my new baby...Luv Megan! She is so sweet and special, for reals! I really miss her!)

and another who has stuck with us makes us laugh in our times of need, luv ya, Christina !(Pictures below, she has stuck with us because she is too scared to leave us, we have threatened her!). We have sort of "grown up" together for the last few years. I know that sounds weird since we are all grown ups but we have just been through a lot together and learned a lot together. We have had babies together, gone through heart ache and illness together, and laughed and had much joy together. We have had many philosophical discussions and many a stupid moment such as "What do you call those people who blows the whistle?" and "I could never be Helen Keller, I can't read lips." We have all been loved for who we are and we are all very different people. It is so nice to be at "home" with these people. "It isn't good to be alone," (my turn on earth singing in my head, thanks Viki), and although husbands are wonderful, God really knew what he was doing when he gave women other women. We desperately need each other. Or at least I do! My husband can't figure it out. How do women think of something to talk about ALL the time. Men and women are definitely created different and women just need other women. Do you really think the old fashioned quilting bees were really about making the quilts (well, maybe a little)? No, they were about companionship between the women. Time to talk and share with each other. Sometimes if I don't get out my sorrow, stress, joys, etc.. verbally I feel as if I might implode.

The latest classic I read was about Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher and life long companion. It talked a lot about communication and there was a thought in the book that Annie said that just resonates within me.

"What a marvellous thing is language! How seldom we give it a thought! Yet it is one of the most amazing facts in life. By the means of the spoken or written word thought leaps over the barrier that separates mind from mind, yet this miracle excites no comment.. With simple little words we open hearts to each other. To think and speak, to have ideas and write them, to make plain to others, to talk with strangers, to learn from acquaintances and the newspaper what our contemporaries are doing, to continue to communicate with the dead through the printed word, to keep their memories alive- surely this is the marvel of existence."

Isn't that so interesting? Think about all the different ways we get to communicate that we take for granted, music, writing, reading speaking, texting, face booking, blogging, emailing, television. It is just interesting to think about. I am so grateful for the sounding boards I have in my life. I have many a dear friend, (and parents, what a gift!) I can call and communicate with that helps me grow and survive and thrive. Thank you.

A few weekends ago I got to go on a little retreat with some of the charter school buddies I told you about. We went to a cabin for two nights. Some scrap booked, (Me, Me, Me, Me, Me, I got so incredibly much done) some knitted, some crochet, some made jewelry, some talked, and some held the baby. But mostly we talked and ate chocolate and had a great time renewing our life energy. I was alerted through face book that I had sick children at home. Knowing I have a perfectly capable husband at home I didn't worry. In fact I secretly (okay, not so secretly) smiled to myself and thought "Give him Heck!" You know how you always want your husband to understand what you are going through as a mother. Unfortunately they were sick enough they slept the whole time so I think he needs a redo!

Here are some pictures of my little angel friends and our fun cabin retreat where by the way I got to realize...Hey, I am a real person! It was great to just spend some "me" time and work on projects that aren't being destroyed 5 minutes later...(aka....the house). I got so much scrap booking done, it was such a feeling of accomplishment!

(Heather-missed going to the cabin but still one of my friends from starting the school )


Christina, getting a little tired! We stayed up way to late!- We all had ample time to get our baby fixes in! He is a happy little guy!

Christina and Linda! Christina knitted yak herding hats and Linda scrap booked.



Shay knitted slippers, and managed to not get us killed when we slid off into an enormous snow ditch! Poof! It was so soft and gentle! She did a great job and just remained so calm.

Terri scrap booked about 4 pages the whole time we were there and then left all her stuff out in one big mess and bonded with baby Miles the rest of the time.

bonding...

more bonding...

more, more bonding! (aren't you so jealous of her long legs? I could never lay a baby down on my legs like that!)

yep, still bonding...it's not even her baby!

and more bonding... How can you help it with that sweet little squishy pumpkin pie cutey face?

Making those crazy popular hugely beaded watches

Linda realized she found her new hobby!

Camy came up with nothing to do but relax and talk!


Discussing beads

I'll be dead for posting this one! This is the real mom. She slept here for all of about 10 minutes and then we had to get back to talking, eating and crafting.

Dyeing hair

I sincerely pray that you all have such friends in your life and if you do not, call some buddies or just some girls who seem in need and start a girls night out group. (I'll come! I need more friends! ) It will be worthwhile. I promise. Don't we just need each other so much? There are probably women right around you looking for some friends! Let's be there for each other!

Girl Power!

(okay, I pushed it a little too far there with that, sorry...)

Project: "Finding Christ for Christmas" is in the works!

I am very excited to report I got my Christmas village up and my sheep made! I am starting to feel an ounce like my old self where I actually get stuff done BEFORE I am in a panic to do so. I used to be ultra prepared but a lot of that has gone by the way side. I hope to get it back though.

I NEVER put the Christmas decorations up early. I get tired of the extra clutter in a house that has a lot of people in it! But this year I feel like if I am going to do my "Journey to Christ" I need to get it all out of the way so I have time to focus. It seriously takes a lot of effort to get one thing done these days. So although the rest of the house is a mess, my village is up and twinkling, and my sheep are made and laminated. Below are the not so good of pictures of them. They apparently are not photogenic because trust me, I tried...I think they are HILARIOUS!!!!!!!! You may notice that one is missing. Someday I'll clue you in as to why!

Sunday left me highly amused!

There is a lady in my ward at church who moved in about 1 year ago. I love her to death. She is a TOTAL crack up! Shortly after she moved in I heard her maiden name and that she was from Colorado and I realized she just happened to be my brothers friend's (and my friend) older sister from when I was growing up. I felt amazed that I put the connection together! Like I said, she is a riot! Today in our marriage and family class we were talking about strains on marriage and the teacher (I love, love, love, her (DeAnn) as well, took the whole class just because she was teaching it) talked about how not being able to have children was a strain on marriage. When children don't come, or children that come to fast. And Alaine spoke up and said "or children that come to loud." I busted a gut over that! It is so the story of my life! We have a super loud family. You can hear us on the inside, from the outside, of our house! Talk about embarrassing...and trashy.

After a full hour of fighting two little people all sacrament meeting long I was worn out. So when Bo wanted to be dragged to class (literally) and I told him no and he decided he would then walk on his knees the whole way while still holding my hand I decided that was better than nothing and went with it. So here we are going down a very long hall, me walking, him kneeing, Bro Empey saw us and said "always praying, just always praying." referring to Bo on his knees. Cracked me up. Then Brother Carter came along and grabbed Bo's other hand and we, together, carried him off to class.

Thankful for good people to attend church with! And just so the Bush family knows Bo wants his teachers back! (The new ones are perfectly nice and patient though.)

Justine spoke in church today. She was scared to death but I was proud of her doing it anyway!

Also we had the best speakers in Sacrament (along with my kid). The husband had not been a member and she was and they talked about his conversion and how she converted at the same time spiritually. It was really a great day. Until we discussed staying out of debt in Relief Society. That sort of put a damper on things...oh yeah, and cooking from scratch(you know to save money)! That part stunk too.

I do love going to church though.

I've been trying to convince my sons to become doctors but this is ridiculous!

My son just did virtual knee surgery on the Internet. He washed the knee in Bernadine, made the cut, took away scar tissue, drilled a whole in the knee, added a pin,... the whole works!

Does anyone else find this weird?

Finding Christ this year for Christmas

I have been really thinking this morning and the past few days about what I can do to make Christmas about Christ this year. If we took away all the gifts would we still be so thankful and excited about the holiday? I don't think my kids would be. I don't think I would be either. That is just not right. Probably normal but not right. We should just be happy that Christ was born and that Redemption can be ours. Why isn't that enough? How has Christmas become so about other things? How do we always get so wrapped up in things and miss the real picture? I do it all the time. (Like blogging when I should be studying scriptures).

I want our family to find Christ this Christmas. This year I am going to send us on a journey to do so. I have been thinking about it all morning. I don't have it all worked out yet but here is my general plan. I am going to do some sort of Christ centered spot light every day starting Dec. I want to try to make it as sacred as possible so it may have to be during babies nap and I may have to put a movie in for Bo although I would love for him to participate I am not sure he can control himself. It will be nice that my kids are out of school for three weeks (Yeah, I say that now...) because I can have more time to focus on it with no school work etc... I may do these spot lights to candle light some days or maybe go some where or play music, watch spiritual movies... Like I said I do not have all the details worked out yet but I will keep you updated. I want to pour all my energies into it and really try to help my children (and me) gain and increase our testimony of Christ and the real reason for Christmas. I want us to be happy like on Little House on the Prairie (those who know me know I have a thing about them). They often knew they weren't going to get anything for Christmas (except the peppermint stick and tin cup from Mr. Edwards) and yet they were happy for Christmas because of the celebration of Christ being born. Is that only on T.V.? Can I, in a day of so many material things, just so incredibly much of it, teach my children the true spirit of Christmas? I have to try.

I went to the festival of the trees yesterday to watch my 15 year old do her hip hop dance. I am extremely proud of her. She has never had dance experience or exposer or any "moves" really but she wanted to join with her friends. I think that takes quite a bit of guts! She is doing awesome and I am proud of her for sticking herself out there. As I was waiting for her to preform we were watching other groups sing dance. A group came up and said they weren't politically correct. They were going to sing about Christ. They had their kids dressed up like the nativity and at first for some reason it was a little awkward. People were distracted and talking and it was in the midst of so much ciaos and other worldly things but as I let myself focus I really just thought "what is wrong with us? This is what it is about!" Why has not the world stood still for this? The man sang my most favorite song, I think it is called, "I Was Not His Father He was Mine", about Joseph and Jesus. They also sang "I heard the Bell's on Christmas Day". I ADORE that song. I think during these performances is when my need for "finding Christ for Christmas" came to be. We (or I should speak for myself) are so off base. I have to get us on track.

This is going to sound a little quacky but I am going to cut our faces out and glue them to sheep. Our face will be where the sheep's face would be. We are all sheep hopefully following our Savior, right? I am going to put a big picture of Christ on the wall with 25 numbers leading to Him, clear across the top of the kitchen wall and everyday we focus on Christ we will move a step closer to Him. So that is what I am thinking about today. How to make this happen. I always have big plans and not quite so big follow through but I am going to really pray hard about this one and try to have a change in our home this year. Pray for us also.

I am actually super excited about my tree. I convinced Corey to get me a fake one last year after Christmas sales hit. We truly never even get the tree up until the week before Christmas (seriously!) because it takes him time to find a live one plus they die if you get them to early. I hate that! So this year I have my new fake one and I took as many little pictures of Christ as I could find and stuck them to pretty card stock with a ribbon tie on it and that is going to be my whole tree. I think it will be wonderful. I will post pictures later. I will keep you update on how it goes. Send me any good ideas! I will need them! Just got the sheep printed out. Now I need to find pictures of our faces to fit on them. Corey would think I have lost my mind except he is used to me doing crazy things like this.

Send me your great ideas!

My dad is a quirky little dude...

He'll probably be annoyed by the term "little" as he may be little but he is strong! He was a champion wrestler in college. The man can still do a head stand in the middle of a room. It is astonishing. He has always done his "calisthenics" every morning. He also jogged 1 mile every day. Growing up he raised rabbits (yes, and ate them) and every jog he would jog to a nearby field and pick too bushels of fresh alfalfa for the rabbits. It was quite a sight, him jogging with two bushels of alfalfa in each hand.

I also mean quirky in the lovingest way. I take after him in all my quirky little ways, as well. My dad's mind is that of a genius. Truly. It is open to all sorts of ideas. Like eating all sorts of new things such as weeds, flowers, roots, fungi. He holds know prejudices the way most people do. If it is edible he will eat it. When the squirrels began invading his yard he ate them as well. And enjoyed them!

It is not uncommon to have an outing delayed because he wants to check out the rocks or fossils in the rock floors or walls. Take Edwards Movie Theatre for example. Fossils, in their walls! Civic Auditorium...Fossils! He has a love affair with rocks. I don't even say that as a joke.

I always feel safe around my dad. As a kid I would be traumatized at night (I am a wimp, remember?) while trying to falling asleep if he ever went to bed before me. I hated that. I liked knowing he was up still in case anything happened. You know...intruders, aliens, ghosts, whatever the case may be. It is good to have a dad. Still to this day I like it if he will go camping with us because I feel safer knowing he is there. I am sure that is some mental things because I have a strong manly tough husband but there is something different about having your daddy around.

My dad is a great sport. He will always dress up for spooky dinner, he will always treat us if we go somewhere, he will always tell you what he thinks (I really do like that), he will always catch spiders and let them go outside, he will always be good for a chat on the phone, and he always pays the kids a dollar if they will eat squirrel. Good guy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

I think this is the cutest picture in the whole world! My dads a whistling of course!

Going to a daddy daughter party for church dressed up in the 50's. I remember being happy we were holding hands.

STUPID, DUMB, ANNOYING, RETAINER!!!!

Okay, this microscopic retainer is taking far too much of my energy! (Why does it It look so small and feel so big?)

• My teeth hurt
• they are in a different position so my bite is strange
• My tongues cannot not touch the thing every two seconds, and I mean every two seconds!
• My daughter is still smirking at me every time I say my S's. (Or don't say them, I should say.)
• I can't say my S's. Did I mention that?
• I feel claustrophobic, like I want to freak out and yell, "get this thing off!"

I am just not good with ailments. I do not like to be discomforted! I thoroughly feel sorry and regretful I didn't have more compassion during the time my daughter had her braces. I am not a sympathetic person unfortunately. I'd really like to change that about myself.

I also feel sort of bad I made my kid get a full set, top and bottom, of permanent retainers, even though she just wanted the kind you wear at night. But a couple of times forgetting to wear those and your teeth can shift and your whole time in braces... down the tube. So I forced her. Against her will. Is that so wrong?

50 dollars later and the gap is gone...now I have a lithsp! (The cute orthodontist told me to spell it like that)

Not my mouth but this is what is looks like only just on two of my teeth.

I feel so weird! This is the very first vain alteration to my body I think I have ever done! I feel like I had plastic surgery or something! Now I had a little metal (yucky) retainer keeping those two front teeth together. The orthodontist literally took his fingers and smooshed my two front teeth together while they got the permanent retainer on and got the glue to dry. It sort of hurt and I thought my teeth might break off but apparently we have ligaments in out teeth.


It all seemed fine until I spoke and now I have a lisp! Can you believe that? The tech assured me it would go away in a few days and when I told the orthodontist I have a lisp, he said, "what? I can't hear you". Hilarious. (said with sarcasm)


Actually, I really love this orthodontist and his office so if you need a good orthodontist let me know! They mail me jamba juices for referrals!

Hee hee, hoo hoo, Hee Hee, hoo hoo

That is the breathing exercises I was doing in the back seat of the car during my first "parent ride along" with Kassidy and her driver's ed teacher. It was a little crazy to be sitting in the back seat with my kid driving! All in all, she did excellent but, I was a little terrified one or two times. Mostly when the teacher had her speed up and do 70 on the free way! Then, did you know when you are going to get off the ramp you should continue to do that speed until you are all the way onto the ramp! That gave me a mini heart failure because she was getting off the ramp and not slowing down. All in all she did great and it is really exciting to have a daughter maturing into a woman. I know that is cheesy, but it is true and neat. She is an awesome, responsible, sometimes grumpy kid! Love her!

Have you all checked out this crazy pig at bear world? We have about three pictures of him over the years just like this.

He looks like he is no longer with us, but I assure you he is.


Here is a "WHAT THE CHICKEN?" moment for you:

Don't you find it nutty that there are actually people on the road who find it funny to swerve at the kids whose cars have driving students marked on them? Does that just seem like a very foolish thing to do or what! The teacher had to actually get signs that go on the side of her car instead of the cheese wedge on top because it was less of a sign saying, "student driver, harass me". As we were driving along an older guy was right next to us. We all look over because he was lingering so close to us and he was laughing and smiling and even pointing at us. What the chicken? I don't get it. He wasn't even a teenager or anything. He was a adult man. Laughing and pointing at us. Weird!

Also for those of you who must debate me, I re-asked the teacher, and when you are swerving and we have all been told to "turn into it", that is actually false according to the training the drivers ed teacher received in her driver's ed instructor training at ISU. You do not turn into it. You turn your wheels to the target of where you were trying to go. Makes sense to me!

My newest ailment! I seem to have a lot of them lately as I get older (grimace) and I am not liking it! I am not going down without a fight!

I'm as horrified as the rest of you to learn that, indeed, I am getting a gap in between my two front teeth. At first I could tell my teeth had changed a tiny bit because my bite seemed little different and then I start noticing that i could floss a little too well in between my top two front teeth! It has put me in a bit of a "what the chicken" mode! I have always had great teeth! Sorry but it is true. I never even needed braces. When I had my teeth cleaned the other day the dental technician even said how frustrating it was when you had braces and then only to end up with a gap. She thought I had had braces! I have always had good teeth. They say nursed babies will likely have straight teeth. I was not nursed so I don't know what's up with that.

God knew I could never handle metal in my mouth. I have an odd sensitivity to metal. I can literally taste it. Corey never believes me so we often have "the taste test" where he will try to trick me by rubbing my fork on tinfoil (eeeewwww, sorry for that) and then try to make me decide which one has touched the tin foil. I always pass the test. Any ways, I could never ever have stood braces. All that metal in your mouth, yuck!

My mother has a tiny little gap. But she has always had it and it is a part of her. I have never thought it looked bad. Apparently my newly widening gap is genetic (thanks for that). But it is not endearing when it has never been a part of me. Now that gap is only currently about 1 mm apart. The technician stuck her little tool in between to examine the gap. I found that an invasion of my privacy! I just thought that was rude! So I guess I am making an appointment with the orthodontist to see about a permanent retainer. Although I have about 2o million other tings I'd rather spend the money on I feel like I better fix it while they can easily. I'll let you all know how that goes.

Here are my teeth pre gap:


pretty good, eh?

Post gap: (I know, fuzzy picture, but you can see a little shadow starting to form.)

What's up? See the little hint of a gap beginning? It will eventually look like this:

Just kidding. This is my poor kid's mouth. See any braces in his future? And whitening strips?

My little Egg Mcmuffin mommy

My mom is an Egg McMuffin mommy! She HEART'S McDonald's. They know her by name there. When I was growing up we ate Egg McMuffins all the time! Every free Saturday we would go there and then to shop at K-mart. Good memories. I was in early morning seminary and she use to walk the church building. After she dropped me from seminary to school she went to McDonald's for her Egg McMuffin (and diet Pepsi of course). She just really loves Egg McMuffins. That's all there is to it!


I grew up and had my own family. When she had her foot surgery and my dad was out of town she was concerned who would take care of her McMuffin fix. I was to be her Egg McMuffin deliverer. One day I had to go to two McDonald's to provide, but I would not fail my Egg McMuffin mommy. Not after all she has done for me. One day I bought her two so she could save one for lunch. That made her happy.

My son goes to speech every Thursday and I go donate plasma right after. Because we are out the door early, we too, must stop at McDonald's. I too, have become an Egg McMuffin mommy only I like the sausage instead. I am a Sausage McMuffin with Egg mommy (they are cheaper). My two little ones know what to expect every Thursday. My baby (to much chagrin, I am one of those people who call the baby, "the baby", no matter how old they are.) can eat a whole one to herself, and faster than her brother. She is a chubba-rama! She has eaten one to many Sausage McMuffin!



My mom is also a Humanitarian of the World mommy. She has sewn, knitted, colored and crochet items for the Humanitarian center, which for those who don't know, is a center in Utah where LDS church members from all over the world, send items they've made, bought, etc... so the center can distributes them all over the world to places in need. Some examples are, after hurricanes we have sent hygiene kits (zip lock bags with tooth brushes, soap, washcloths etc...). There are women taking home babies after birth in newspaper (Break my heart into a million pieces) so we send new born kits (blankets, diapers, socks, pajamas etc... ). There are children in orphanages staring at blank walls so we have sent in sewn mural type things. Often times the things from the Humanitarian center are the first to arrive disasters because they are prepared in advance for when things happen. It is an ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE PROGRAM. IT DEEPLY TOUCHES MY HEART. It is an enormous aid to the world and I am proud to be part of it even though it may be through a very small way, here and there. My mom has made booties, hats, scarfs, school bags, quilts, stuffed animals, canvas blocks, colored pictures, file folder games, "leper" bandages. Over 1,000 items! She delivers them to our local Deseret Industries and then they deliver them to Humanitarian Center in Utah. Awesome!

This is my Egg McMuffin Humanitarian of the World mommy:

These are the quilts I have had in my closet for TRULY three years. Our "ward" (that is what our church calls the groups of people and families designated to attend church at a certain time, in a certain building, in certain locations all over the world. We worship and do activities with the people from our "ward") decided to make quilts for the Humanitarian Center. We sent out hundreds if I remember correctly. I had noble plans to teach each of my children to sew and tie a quilt. I had a toddler at the time and added another baby to the family a little while later. Thus the quilts sat in my closet for three years! Sad but reality with 6 children. Many a great idea goes undone. I began to feel guilty over the people who could be using them and I finally pawned the off on my humanitarian mother. She had them done within the week and off to comfort people of the world. (She is also my personal seamstress in case you care to know. She mends all the sewing mends of my life and it is a great asset to have in the life of a mom of 6. I wish you could all have a personal seamstress in your life, too.)

Anyway, I just wanted to declare to the world (or the nine followers of my blog) how much I love my Egg McMuffin Humanitarian of the World Seamstress to family of eight Mommy. She has forever been a great mom and support to my life. And she is super fun, too. And relaxed. And a good dejunker. And non judgemental. And And And... She is all of it!

Also FYI if you have an interest in contributing to the Humanitarian center you don't have to be a member or the LDS church of course! The things they are asking for are easy to buy or make and they have a detailed list of what they need. Just let me know...

What is going on with those little silver candy balls we all love so much?

Is anyone else feeling my pain? Don't you just miss those little silver balls? Can I just say how seriously mad I am about it! Seriously mad! Where have all the "Dragees" (dumb name) gone? It has bothered me for YEARS! Every time I go into a new store, I try to find them. Gone! Can't find them! The other day I see in a magazine that they are on a cake. I get so excited until I see a little astrix by the picture which informs me that they are not for human consumption. What the Chicken? Since when? They were a Christmas staple at my house growing up! I also learned they actually have a real name. A stupid name "Dragees". Blah. Don't like it. Anyway, I decided to do some Internet research, (you know because that is an effective use of my time) and I learn they contain "minute quantities of heavy metal" in them so now they are only for decoration! That is stupid. Who wants to decorate your Christmas cookies with things you can't even eat! I guess other countries still eat them and consider them non toxic but I'm not sure that makes me feel better. How do we send a man on the moon, talk to people on the phone bazillions of mile away, do heat transplant, etc., but we can't make those favorite little candies "minute metal free"?????! Forget doctors, lawyers, and crocodile hunters (oh yeah!). I am hoping someday I will be the mother to the child who reinvents edible "Dragees"! And when he or she does, we are changing the name as well.

And that's how I feel about the subject!

5 things I learned from volunteering at my son's developmental preschool today!

Number 1.Nope!... Still don't like 'em. (kids, that is)

Every so often I go in to volunteer at the preschool to see if that has changed, but alas, it has not. Saying I don't like them is a little too strong so let's just say I don't enjoy them. Up close anyways. They are fun from a far. Meaning when I don't have to care take them.

Something happened to me when I gave birth to my oldest daughter. My love for her was JUST so enormous that it squished all the extra space out of my heart for other people's children. I just don't enjoy other children but my own. It is sad and slightly disturbing, I know. I actually use to LOVE children! I baby sat all the time, I wanted to adopt, I wanted to work with children. But somehow in the process of bearing my own I have shut down interest, patience, and enjoyability for other children. I desperately hope it will come back because I think it is sort of a dysfunctional trait. What mother of six doesn't like children! I think maybe as my own kids get older it will come back. I have a group of close friends and relatives whom I love their children because I love them, but in general...nope, nothing, Nada! I tried. Still don't enjoy them. ...Okay ...there was one cute little girl who I played in the sandbox with but I only liked her because she reminded me of my lovely friend Viki's daughter, Sadie. Cute little sprinkle of freckles across her nose. She was okay.


Number 2.Yea! My son is NOT- The Book Thief!(good book, read it sometime). Last week he came home from preschool with two super nice, hard bound books in his back pack. Really nice books. I was sure he had snuck them into his back pack so I forced him to take them back. Come to find out each child was given one and they were his. Phew! A note might have been a good idea, ya think!

Number 3.There are a lot of cry babies at preschool...and one of them was me! I have this emotional crappy problem where I cannot deal with certain situation without crying! It is super dooper annoying. I don't feel like crying, or at least not that much, on the inside but I cry on the out side causing others to try to comfort me when I don't really need it! An example of me crying was when my fourth child was called into the principal's office and I had to attend to listen to his transgression. I knew this wasn't going to go well. The principal asked if he would like to stay in for recess 2, 3, or 5 days. Rhett, with his ginormous fat lip sticking out (he was blessed with pouty lips anyways) chose FIVE days of missed recess. Now I had already been crying (Charlie Brown UGGGHHH!) but this sent me over the top into mental patient, freakazoid, scar my child into thinking he has done something REALLY naughty (instead of his constant low grade medium naughty that he aspires to) crying. It was ridiculous. I also couldn't stop crying when we sold our fooze ball table! I started getting all emotional about all the fun times we could have had with it if it won't taking up space in our garage and I start to cry in front of the people loading it up. DUMB!

Back to the preschool, Bo got into a fight with a kid and had to sit in the hall way for time out. As I am explaining to him that the kid didn't steal his yellow chair (there were five others) I start to cry! I am screaming inside of myself...don't you do it, don't you do it! It is ridiculous. Amazingly, I gained composure!

Number 4.For being such a skinny little kid, Bo has super human strength. The kids must know it also because I saw one kid give him a little push and then quickly get out of dodge. A kid who was really annoying (not just because I don't like kids annoying) but really annoying, did something to Bo which I didn't see but Bo was livid! Crying and shaking and lunged at the kid knocking him on the ground backward over his chair that he was sitting in. Great. I feel the tears coming.


I inserted the picture here to remind myself how cute he is.


Yep, still love him. Super human VIOLENT strength and all.

Then when he thought another kid stole his chair, out of the five yellow chairs available, he just mowed him over and right off his chair! Having older brothers has made this kid MEAN...And STRONG. Sad, huh?

Number 5. My son's impulse control (nice way of saying he can't behave)is so wretched he has his own aid all to himself!

After having six children you think I would GET that children always behave better with someone else. Apparently I don't. Everything was going fine. Bo and I were playing together. I was eating play food and I sense this person hovering a little too close to our space. A few seconds later they introduce her to me and inform me that they have had to hire her to specifically take care of Bo the whole preschool time. (Glad I could contribute to the low employment issue in the country)So it felt a little awkward with both of us following him around and he was being naughty for me so I just distance myself and worked with some other kids. She swooped in (grr) (doing her job) and he behaved fine for her! Broke my heart. Almost sent me into a crying fit! Seriously. I had to talk myself out of it. Honestly, she seemed to be good with him and I hope he has someone there who can like him and help him. Unlike the way I would be with someone else's child. She did defend him too when a kid was blaming him for spilled milk, so I liked that.


Anyways, thus is the saga of a preschool volunteers life! One who may not seem emotionally stable. I am though. I promise. sniff, hic... You know, what you do after your done crying (that one is for you, Linda!).

Hope you all had a SPOOKTACULER halloween!

Halloween is my very favorite! I love it when people take the time to make it scarily fun! We live in a GREAT little neighborhood where the kids just run and do old fashioned trick-or-treating. You see teenagers like crazy going as well. At first Corey and I tried to tell our kids they couldn't go after age 12 but all the neighbor teens are still going and they are having clean fun so what the heck! Some great houses included a friends basement tricked out into a spook alley for younger kids, including coffins, mad scientist with different touchable guts, floating ghosts with a fan to make them float, etc...It was AWESOME (Tiffany)! It went all through their basement. Other neighbors had creepy people in the yard to scare you as you approached the house, spiders dropping on your head etc... LOVED it (Myrna). One year a neighbor gave hot chocolate to all the kids...YUM (Tanya). We just live in a cool little place. We live in a place where if you have to go somewhere you can leave a bowl of candy on the front porch for the kids and when you come home no one has dumped the whole thing in their bag. It is awesome here.

We decorated our own house fairly cute this year. After my kids ditched me, I was taking Bo around alone, and when he came to our house he was like "Ohhh" then I asked him whose house that was and it dawned on him it was his own! It did look awesome with all our pumpkins lit (have I mentioned I have a minor obsession with pumpkins and squashes and gourds, I HEART them) and our strobe going and our spider web lit in purple and our light up pumpkin and our scary signs! Did I mention Halloween was my favorite?

Here are pictures of my little spooks!

ARRG! If you want to trick or treat you MUST dress up. You want to play you must pay!

Rabbit 4-H judge!

Anything that involves sword is cool, right?

I have waited about six years for someone to wear this Santa costume! It was hilarious! Nothing has been this great since Nathan dressed as Raggedy Andy, including a yarn wig.

"Bones" Thank you, Deseret Industries!

And, because I just wouldn't be a proper mother if I didn't, I must leak the ever so hilarious and adorable picture of my son dressed up as Raggedy Andy 10 years ago! He may hate us someday for it but there was no way we could resist!