God Bless America!

While I often take it for granted, and am discouraged by the lack of morals in today's society, I am so grateful to live in the United States of America, the land of freedom and opportunity.  Yes, freedom to choose brings opposition, but there must be opposition for us to appreciate the good.  I feel truly blessed to live here, "where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me..."  And this be our motto: In God Is Our Trust!

Why I'm posting right now....

It's been ages since I posted, because I've been busy studying for my recertification exam coming up this summer.  Sunday, the one day I don't study, is usually filled with my duties and responsibilities as Young Women President, and family time.  Today, however, The Mr. just returned from an overnight shift at the hospital, and offered to read books to the children for as long as he could keep his eyes open.  When I went down to check on them a few minutes later, this is what I saw (ignore the mess please!):

(The white flower to the left of The Mr's head is Angel's hair bow.)  My entire family - asleep.  Wow! Time to blog! :)

Portland Museum of Art and McClellan House

The children try their 'serious' faces, keeping with the period.

The children 'pose' in their period clothing.

This past week, we visited the Portland Museum of Art.  While it contained some beautiful pieces, it is not likely a place we will visit again.  We were followed around as though we were criminals!  Though The Mr. and I were both there, and our children were very well behaved (walking quietly with their arms behind their backs, whispering, etc.), there was always at least one 'guard' following every move we made.  It was quite disconcerting.  And unexpected, given the fact that Angel's Kindergarten class took a field trip there earlier in the year.  Perhaps I'm just used to attending museums in Utah, where people are more accustomed to children.  Is this normal?

I was also somewhat put off by the nude sculpture in the very front of the museum.  I understand some people enjoy the 'beauty of the human body', but it is not the style of art I enjoy, and I don't appreciate it taking the 'front and center' display of a museum.

The one room we DID enjoy, however, was the "children's room" in the McClellan House.  They had some toys and nice activities for the children to enjoy, and it was a welcome reprieve from the much more rigid security of the rest of the museum!

Bradbury Mountain

With Angel out of school and The Mr. home from work for a few days, we decided to take advantage of living in such a beautiful place and actually vacation in "vacationland"!  If the rest of the East comes all the way up here every summer, we figured we would go see what all the fuss was about! :) (By the way, our camera is in the repair shop again - so enjoy my lovely cell phone shots!)


We decided to visit "Bradbury Mountain" (really, more of a hill, but it was still beautiful!)  We went up Tuesday and found that the campsite we had reserved was INCREDIBLE!  Most of the campsites were small and close together, right off the main road.  Ours, however, was down a wooded trail and was so private and secluded that we honestly felt we were the only people for miles!  It was amazing!  (I wish I'd taken a picture....it was that great!)

We set up camp, made foil dinners and then, of course, roasted marshmallows for s'mores.  I think the last time we went camping was before Wiggles was born, so at least 3 years ago.  Which essentially means the kids had never really experienced s'mores (at least that they could remember).  It was so precious to watch their eyes as they tasted the gooey goodness for the first time.  They couldn't get enough!  (By the way....behind the children is the path leading to the campground.  Behind the Mr. and I was just forest.  Can you appreciate how secluded we were? LOVE it!)




We told stories around the campfire and then cozied up in the tent.  Angel had a hard time falling asleep, because she was worried someone would "come steal our stuff since it's just out in the open, and not locked up inside."  But we finally convinced her to go to sleep when she realized we hadn't brought anything valuable anyway. :)

The next morning we had a tasty breakfast of eggs, french toast and "rocks".  Really, I had decided to try some purple potatoes for the first time, and didn't realize that they were actually a very dark purple all the way through.  When The Mr. was cooking them over the fire, Grins asked, astonished, "Dad! Why are you cooking rocks?! Do we HAVE to eat that?!"  Fortunately, it was all delicious.

When we had finished breakfast, we decided to bike up the mountain.  (Remember, it's really just a hill!)  We went over to the State Park and looked at the various routes available - and decided on the "easy" biking trail.  Unfortunately, in order to get to the "easy" trail, we had to bike for a mile on an "intermediate" trail - but we figured we could do anything for a mile!  So, with each of us on our bikes (mine without brakes) and Wiggles on The Mr's back, we set off.

I knew we were in trouble when the trail started with multiple rubber 'hurdles' (for lack of a better word) in the path.  (Apparently they are designed to prevent erosion - but they are quite difficult to get a bike over, particularly if you are a child!)  There were also lots of steep inclines, large protruding roots and stones, and even some places in which we had to climb over large boulders!  The kids kept pleading "We can't do this! Can we turn around and go home?" to which we would reassure them "Don't worry! This is the hard part!  We're almost to the easier portion of the trail, and then we will have so much fun!"  We continued up the rocky, difficult trail, which seemed to get increasingly steep and difficult as we progressed, just waiting for the blessed "Tote Road" - the 'easy' path.

Imagine our dismay when, upon arriving at the Tote Road, we realized it was not, in fact, 'easy' at all.  For the Mr, a seasoned mountain biker, it was easy.  For me, it was quite difficult and, at times, scary.  For the children, most of it was impossible and terrifying.  The Mr. and I did our best to cheer them on, helping carry their bikes over the most treacherous parts, and encouraging them to push their own bikes most of the way up.

Despite their repeated "Let's go back!" pleas, we kept reminding them that, because we were on a loop, we had actually come further than what lie ahead.  Turning back would have been more difficult.  And so we pushed on.  For much of the way, the children were very brave, even getting on their bikes for the smaller inclines with smaller roots and stones.  (There were no smooth or flat parts as we'd promised.)  At other times, we would tell stories of pioneers who climbed mountains with bare feet in the snow...which seemed to offer little in the way of relief to the kids, but kept them somewhat occupied enough to stop complaining momentarily.  

Poor Wiggles; though she was fortunate enough to be carried on the Mr.'s back, she had an incredible bumpy, "Scary!" ride for much of it, as the Mr. would often quickly ride ahead to check 'how much further' or ride back to get something we had dropped.  "Bumpy, Daddy, Scary!" she would scream, the poor dear.   The screaming must have worn her out, though, for she actually fell asleep towards the end!  We eventually came up with the idea of earning a prize if we could make it to the top.  The children suggested ice cream, and we thought that sounded like a marvelous idea!  We vowed to get them each an ice cream cone as soon as possible!  (Note: I didn't manage to get any pictures of us biking.  I could have sworn I snapped a few, but looking back over the photos, I can't find any....apparently I was too preoccupied with just getting through the adventure to bother photographing it!)

Finally, after a seeming eternity (but in reality, nearly 3 hours), we reached the summit.  We sat and enjoyed the breathtaking view.  Incredible!  And miraculously, once we reached the top, the crying and complaining immediately ceased.  The children were mesmerized by the beauty of it, and the Mr. and I could sense their feeling of accomplishment; that they had made it to the top....carrying a bike, nonetheless!  What troopers!

We stayed up at the summit as long as we possibly could, (well, until we ran out of food and water, and Wiggles needed a diaper change), not wanting to face the mountainous landscapes again.  While there, we enjoyed the local wildlife (frogs and insects), and a few rounds of hide-and-seek, forest style!  Then, already well past lunch time, and quite exhausted from the trip up, we decided to try a different route down.  The Mr. rode our bikes, one at a time, down the 'black diamond' path (I can't even imagine what a 'difficult' trail was, if the "Tote Road" was easy!), and then ran back up the hill, first for my bike, then again for the kids'.  The children and I hiked down a steep, but shorter, trail.  (Note: despite her previous concerns about people stealing things, Angel was more than willing to leave her bike unattended at the top of the mountain to avoid carrying it back down!)

We reached the bottom, glad we'd all made it safely, but not looking forward to repeating the adventure any time soon!  Surprisingly, the children had enough energy remaining to play at the playground while the Mr. and I took a moment to sit and recover. Whew!

We finally returned to our campsite and enjoyed lunch, some games, and some rest.  After dinner we made it into our tent just in time to hear a storm roll in.  What felt like small rain drops sounded like popcorn popping on our tent, and lasted all night long!  We were so grateful for a tent to keep us safe and dry!  The rain continued into the morning, but our eagle scout of a husband/father still managed to make us a nice, warm breakfast, despite the rain!  What a man!

With the rain persisting, we decided to pack up before it got worse.  The kids rode their bikes around the campground (flat, gravel roads! Delightful!) while the Mr. and I cleaned and packed.  Though it was cold and rainy, and still before lunch, we stopped for ice cream on the way home!

All in all, a delightful family vacation, and one we will always remember with fondness, how, as a family, we overcame our obstacle, and climbed that mountain together!

Clam "Chowda" - nothing "finah"

I normally post recipes on my other blog but, at the request of my dear father and darling Grandparents, I'm posting my favorite clam chowder (pronounced "Chowda" if you live in Maine) here today.  I've always loved chowder, and that is, of course, one of the perks of living on the coast!! :)  Enjoy!  LOVE AND MISS YOU GRANDMA, GRANDPA and DAD!!!

"My Best Clam Chowda" (courtesy of Kim Wheeler)

Ingredients

• 3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart half-and-half cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
3. Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Puppies

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours invited us over to see her friend's puppies.  The kids LOVED them!  They kept begging us to take the puppies home with us!  Each child picked out a different favorite puppy - but my favorite was Wiggles' love/fear relationship with her puppy - she loved snuggling with him, but was terrified any time he tried to lick her, or basically any time he even tried to move!  It was hilarious!  It's too bad I'm not a 'dog person' - I think my children would really enjoy having one!  Maybe someday....(when my kids are old enough to poop scoop!) :)

Love is in the air

This morning I walked into Grins' bedroom to find him dressing in his suit.  I asked why he was dressing up and he replied "I'm going to marry (Angel)!"  A few moments later I found Grins and Angel together in the front room, with Grins trying to fit Angel with a 'veil'.  They then said "Clap for us - we just got married!"  (I later asked Angel why she already had a baby at her wedding, and this was her explanation: 'I adopted her from one of my friends, because she was my friend's ninth child, and my friend said that eight kids was enough.  She didn't want to take care of more than 8 kids.")  Where does she come up with this stuff?  Hilarious!

They are so adorable, entertaining, inventive and fun!  I often wish I had no other responsibilities than to simply sit and watch them and play with them all day long...what a wonderful life that would be!  I am very glad, however, to have my kitchen in the center of my home, which enables me to watch them almost all of the time (since the kitchen seems to be where I spend 95% of my time....if I installed my washer and dryer in one of the cupboards, I might never leave the kitchen!)

My children bring me more joy than I could ever have imagined.  I can't think of anything which brings me more happiness than watching them love one another and peacefully play together.  Life is good!

Mr. Photographer

I picked up my camera this morning and, lo and behold, there were 27 new pictures on it that I didn't take.  Grins has apparently been busy.   It is always fun and interesting to see life from the view of a 4 year old! There were about 19 of a candle, and it took me a moment to figure out that his shirt was reflecting on the picture of Angel as a baby.  Overall, though, I was entertained by, and impressed with, his pictures.  These were my favorites:

Grins saves the day

Today was somewhat difficult for me. The Mr. hasn't been around much for the past several weeks, and then he had TWO days off in ONE WEEK! IN A ROW! Pretty much unheard of in our family lately. So, we took a little trip down to Boston, saw the temple, visited some friends, watched a parade, and, most importantly, spent time with our ENTIRE family. BOTH parents. It was lovely (for me) to have an additional set of hands, a stronger (and more revered) voice, and someone to prevent the children from destroying the house while I showered! And, because of how thoroughly I enjoyed having the Mr. around, his return to work today left a more noticeable void than I'm used to - sort of like waking up from a fantastic dream and realizing you're really in jail. (OK, maybe not that extreme, but you get my drift.)

Anyhow, I hit an all time low this morning when, while Mr. Exterminator was explaining how he was planning to eradicate our carpenter ants, I suddenly noticed white, greasy footprints all over the carpet in the front room. After tracing them to Wiggles' room, I opened the door and found Grins and Wiggles covered with diaper ointment. Have you tried washing that stuff off? Pure grease. Non-removable. Fantastic. Lucky for them Mr. Exterminator was still in the house, so I used my very calm Mommy voice. But it seemed to set the tone for the day.

(Self Portrait, by Grins)

Fortunately, though, Grins managed to save the day later on, with his adorable little remarks.

First, he told me that "I can't wait until I get to Heaven and get resurrected, because then my body will be perfect, so I'll be able to eat 100 candy bars and not even get sick!"

Next, after waking up from his nap in a foul mood, he followed me around the house, screaming. I kept asking him what he wanted, and when he finally calmed down enough to answer, he said "All I want is for you to hold me!" (Does it get any sweeter than that?)

Then, while the Mr. and I were out digging dandelions in our front yard and Grins was playing baseball, he accidentally hit a ball which hit the Mr's face. Feeling bad (but not bad enough to apologize, apparently,) he said "Daddy, when someone hits you with a ball in baseball, you get to walk to first base. So I just gave you a base. Isn't that awesome?!"

But the icing on the cake was what he told me as I tucked him into bed this evening: "Angel went with Daddy on the School Bus on her first day of school. So she was lucky, but not the luckiEST. She should have picked you because you're even a little bit better than Daddy. But actually, you're both pretty great!"

What a sweet little boy! How did I end up with such darling children!?!

Alarming!

This morning at breakfast, Angel said "There are lots of people at my school that are much skinnier than I am.  Isabelle's a lot skinnier than me."

Immediately my heart started racing and I broke into a cold sweat.  (I must confess I have a bit of post-traumatic stress over having witnessed my sister struggle with an eating disorder for much of her life!)  How could my 6 year old daughter already be worrying about her body image?!  Especially when I am SO careful about this issue in my home! (no barbies, no Disney, etc - is it any wonder our children have body image issues in our society? ick!).

I spent the next half hour discussing that 1) More important than being 'skinny' is being healthy, and Angel is a very healthy girl - she eats lots of fruits and veggies, exercises a lot, etc.  So she should not be concerned with her body.  2) FAR more important than our outward appearance is who we are on the inside.  We spoke of how, some of our dear loved ones are not 'skinny' but we LOVE them because of their kindness, love, and because they are so much fun to be around.  I asked "Would you rather be friends with someone who is beautiful, but not nice, or someone who is not beautiful, but is very kind?"  Of course she chose the kind friend.  And then, to my relief, she said "I'm beautiful AND kind!  I'm the perfect friend!"

So, while she is noticing that everyone is different, at least she is maintaining her self-confidence, which will serve her well!  I hope this continues for a LONG time! :)

Homeschooling Dilemma

I've been sitting on the fence with regard to the whole "Homeschool vs Public School" debate for a few years now.  It is a serious decision towards which I have given, and continue to give, a lot of thought.  But, now that I have one (almost 2!) school age children, a decision must be made!  I can't sit on the fence forever!  A friend asked me the other day why I want to Homeschool, and it got me thinking - I should make a list about what I like/dislike about each option.  Perhaps this will help move me along in my decision making process.  And I hope to have some input from any readers willing to share their opinions on the subject! :)

(Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect toward anyone else's decision to Homeschool or Public School - these points relate only to my own children and circumstance.)

Why I WANT to Homeschool:

~To keep my children more 'unspotted from the world' (James 1:27) - There is SO much evil out 'in the world', even among young children now, that I LONG to keep my children from.  I know they will be exposed to it eventually, but I would love to be able to 'shelter' them while they are so young.
~I MISS them when they are gone!
~The FAMILY is central to God's plan, and as such, I feel strongly that we should spend as much time together as a family as we possibly can.
~My child (at least Angel, so far) is gifted, and I don't feel she is adequately challenged in the public school setting.
~I want my children to be educated in more than just 'academics' - I want them to be well versed in the arts, home economics (sewing, cooking, cleaning), agriculture (farming, animals), etc.  This is more easily accomplished in a Homeschool setting, as public school is much more time-consuming.
~Teachers don't love my children in the same way, or nearly as much, as I do, and are often not as gentle as I would be.
~Help surround my children /associate with people of similar values (most homeschoolers are Christian, or at least religious, educated, and have the utmost concern for their child's well-being.)


Why I WANT my children to experience Public School:
~There are certain things that Public School offers that I, personally, can never teach my children - to respect/honor/follow/obey another adult or leader, for example.  Making their way in a large group.  Being exposed to a huge variety of people from different ethnicities, social backgrounds, cultures, abilities (eg - Angel has two special needs children in her class - this has been a huge learning and growing experience for her to interact with them on a daily basis; an experience I couldn't have afforded her, short of adopting or giving birth to a special needs child.  And, while I know homeschoolers do meet lots of different people, most homeschoolers are Christian (or at least religious) and with very similar values, so there is not nearly as much variety in their 'circles'.
~Along these lines, in addition to learning acceptance of others, I want to allow my children opporunities to 'let their light shine' (Matt 5:16) and to be an example to those around them.  After all, Christ spent his time among sinners and publicans, because that is where He could do the most good. (Matt 9:11-13) Obviously this is possible in a home schooling environment as well, but, in my opinion to a lesser degree, when those around them have such similar values.  I believe that every Christian family pulling their child out of 'secular' or public education is wrong, and would be devastating to our society at large.
~My purpose in parenting is to teach my children to think/act/choose for themselves.  I would rather have them 'practice' making their own decisions on 'small' things in Kindergarten (ie - whether or not to share a toy or tell a 'potty' joke), than be near them much of their lives and then 'throw them to the wolves', as it were, when they are an adult, and faced with much more serious and significant decisions.
~Where I tend to 'coddle' my children, teachers are often more demanding and expect more from my children, holding them to a higher standard or helping them achieve more.
~I LIKE being the 'kind mother', and would have a very difficult time playing the role of teacher/principal/disciplinarian and demanding excellence/etc in academics.  It has been nice to have Angel be challenged at school, and then come home to relax, 'let her guard down', and just be loved by me (the 'nice mommy').
~Along these same lines, "absence makes the heart grow fonder".  When Angel is with me 24/7, we sometimes have a tendency to 'butt heads', so-to-speak.  She likes to 'push my buttons' and, admittedly, I don't like them to be pushed.  Our relationship has improved dramatically since she started school, as she misses me while at school, and, since our time together is limited, we truly enjoy it and try to make the most of every minute.
~Though I consider myself 'educated', I am not trained in education.  I am often astounded by teaching techniques/ideas/etc implemented by Angel's teachers.
~Also, unlike her teachers who devote hours to developing and planning curriculum, while running my household, serving in the church, and tending to the needs of my individual children, I don't have nearly the time they put in, and I fear I would fall short in providing them the education they need.
~"The Glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth" (D&C 93:36) - I value education very highly and feel it is of the utmost importance for my children to learn as much as they can, and have as many learning and educational opportunities as they can.  I never want to feel that I 'short-changed' them or didn't provide/offer them as much as I possibly could.

It strikes me, as I'm writing this, how truly blessed I am to have so many wonderful educational opportunities and resources available, literally at my fingertips, for myself and my children.  What an amazing world - and time and place - in which to be alive!  I suppose that, when I really think about it, either option would serve my children well.  Aren't these the most difficult decisions; those made between two good choices?  But how grateful I am for so many wonderful options!

This girl....

....makes me LAUGH! SOOO much! I think that is her sole purpose in life. In fact, if I am ever concentrating and have a serious face, or am upset or less than patient with the children, she never fails to say (or rather, command,) "Mommy, have a happy face! Put a smile on right now!"

Today, she came up to me and pulled my ear down to her mouth, then excitedly whispered, "Maybe we can thump (jump) on the thwampoline! I want to!" as if it were a big secret. In the middle of cleaning the kitchen, I suggested she go out to the backyard and I would come out momentarily to lift her onto the trampoline.

When I came out, she had found the "cat pool" (the name our children gave to the small wading pool due to misunderstanding the term 'kiddie' pool....and it somehow stuck). She was standing and splashing in the wading pool, her jeans, socks and shoes soaking wet. I gasped, then abruptly lifted her out. When I set her down, her feet squished as she walked - and then she exclaimed, "I'm draining now!" Could she be any cuter?!

Snuggles

I LOVE how much my kids love to snuggle! On rainy days like today we spend hours on my bed, reading books, having tickle fights, and cuddling. These pictures say it all.

General Conference

Twice a year we watch General Conference on our computer (since we don't have a TV). Since it is such a meaningful and important event to the Mr. and I, we try to make it extra special for the children, in hopes that they will appreciate it's importance.

We began by having a Family Home Evening the week before about King Benjamin teaching his people from a tower, and the people pitching their tents faced toward the temple to hear his words. Then, in preparation of Conference Weekend, we 'pitched' our (play) tent in the computer room, with the door to the computer. The kids really enjoyed this!

Saturday morning, we made Bunny Buns together, and prepared our "Conference Snacks". In the past, our children have referred to General Conference as "Candy Conference" because we often play 'Conference Bingo' with M & Ms, skittles, or smarties. This year, in an effort to reduce the amount of sugar consumed, I opted to go with bowls of various snacks, some healthy and some not-s0-healthy. Each bowl was labeled with a word/topic, and each time a speaker mentioned a particular word/topic, we were allowed one of the snacks from that particular bowl.

Though the snacks were a roaring success at keeping the children quietly occupied so that the Mr. and I could enjoy conference, the snacks themselves also served as entertainment for us during one particular talk! One of the bowls, labeled "Temple", was filled with jelly beans. When President Monson began speaking on Temples, the children were excited! They eagerly picked up a jelly bean (and popped it into their mouth) each time he said "temple." But their enthusiasm waned as his talk wore on, and he began using the word "temple" in nearly every sentence. Wiggles and Angel lost interest and moved on to coloring, but Grins dutifully sat next to the jelly beans, listening intently, and stuffing a jelly bean into his mouth each time "temple" was said. A few min utes in to the talk he commented "Wow! President Monson is talking a lot about temples!" The Mr. and I kept watching him pop the jelly beans in, laughing silently together. Finally, near the end of the talk, Grins whispered to the Mr. "Is his talk almost over? I'm getting sick from all these jelly beans! I don't want to eat another candy!" We laughed and explained that eating candy was optional - the purpose was simply to LISTEN to the talks, and enjoy a snack if you were hungry. Poor little guy. I'll have to be more clear on that next time. BTW - I looked back over President Monson's talk: the word temple was uttered some 69 times (in a matter of 20 minutes)! That's more than 2 jelly beans per minute! Poor Grins! :)

In addition to the snacks, I printed some "General Conference Packets" I found online. A HUGE thank you to those who put so much effort and time into these packets! They were INCREDIBLE! Wiggles enjoyed playing with the 'First Presidency Puppets' she made from toilet paper tubes. Grins really enjoyed making a 'General Authority paper doll chain'. And Angel, who loves writing and drawing, especially loved coloring each General Authority's tie. They had a lot of fun with the activities.

We also had a "General Authority Wall": I taped up pictures of the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles, and each time one of them spoke, the children could put a sticker on their corresponding picture. This kept Wiggles quiet for hours, and halfway through, I looked over to discover that she had put a sticker over each of their eyes. Though I worried that it might be a tad disrespectful, I realized that she had not meant it as such, and I was grateful for the time it kept her quietly occupied, allowing me to listen and enjoy the talks!

During Conference, as always, we were truly spiritually fed, uplifted, and inspired to, in the words of President Hinckley, "try a little harder to be a little better". I am so

grateful for the endless hours of preparation and effort that were put into this year's conference, and for modern technology, which allows us to enjoy it all these miles away! We are already looking forward to the next one!

ETA: After watching General Conference, we had a follow up discussion on what we had each learned during Conference, and what goals we would like to set, to work on.  They were as follows:

Daddy - Have a more Christ-centered home.  This means no fighting - I'm setting a goal not to raise my voice for an entire month!

Mommy - "Behold your little ones" - I'm going to spend more time just watching/listening to/playing with/enjoying my 'little ones', and less time worrying about all the details of running a household.

Angel - Pay my tithing every Sunday

Grins - A lady said the kids paid their tithing first.  I want to pay my tithing first.

I suppose this means we need to start the children on some sort of allowance system, so they will have earnings to tithe on! :)

The prayer of the Children....

Just as I'm slightly obsessive about planning my dinner menus, I also tend to stick with a breakfast meal plan, simply because of how much more smoothly things run in the morning when I do. Unlike dinner, however, breakfast offers far less choices (especially the necessary quick and easy variety), and we are therefore on a weekly rotation.

Sunday: muffins or bagels (since we need to be out the door by 7am!)

Monday: oatmeal (Wiggles' all time favorite!)

Tuesday: eggs (sunnyside up for Angel, scrambled for Wiggles and Grins)

Wednesday: french toast

Thursday: 10-grain hot cereal (Grin's favorite) or cream of wheat

Friday: crepes (everyone's number one choice!)

Saturday: waffles (the Mr's request)

While we generally stick to this schedule, both Angel and Grins would prefer to have crepes every day if it were up to them! And, though they enjoy hot cereal, neither of them was in the mood for it this morning, so they petitioned me to make something else.

I would have been fine with this but for one problem: they couldn't agree on what they wanted. Angel insisted on french toast, while Grins desperately wanted eggs. So, I resorted to playing "eeny meeny miny mo, catch a tiger by it's toe..." on their fists, (We take our decisions very seriously around here!), reminding them that the 'loser' had to graciously accept the other person's choice of breakfast. They consented and, ultimately, Grins "won".

Angel was disappointed but, remembering her promise, kept her chin up and silently walked over to the couch while Grins began setting the table for eggs. I took the eggs from the fridge....and then for some reason, absent-mindedly pulled out the milk and bread as well, and began making french toast. As I looked into my frying pan full of french toast, I finally realized, too late, that I was supposed to be cooking eggs! I laughed and explained my mistake to Grins, who graciously offered, "That's OK, Mommy! Angel got her wish and we can just have eggs tomorrow!" Angel, though, hopped up off the couch and said "Oh my word! I just prayed that Heavenly Father would help us have french toast! And He did! I can't believe it!! He made your brain forget!"

We all had a good laugh. Truly the Lord works in mysterious ways. (Of course, my absent-mindedness is not entirely mysterious around here, but still....) What a precious and priceless moment, to witness the sweet faith of my daughter, and the gentle forgiveness of my son! Raising such wonderful children is such an honor and a privilege! I have such a beautiful life! :)

Upside Down Dinner

Angel LOVES setting the table for dinner. She prides herself on knowing where all of the dishes and flatware go, and on making things look nice. She ALWAYS uses EVERY possible dish in her place settings (cup, bowl, plate, fork, knife, spoon), regardless of what we're eating. And she often writes and decorates place cards for each member of the family and folds the napkins in a 'fancy way' as well. One day she decided to play a joke on me and, when I went to put the food on the table, this is what I found:

Everything was upside down. There is no tablecloth because she wanted to put the tablecloth on top of everything... How I love this girl! She is so creative and makes our home such a fun (and often silly) place! Our family would certainly not be complete without her!

Boys....

I'm still (relatively) new at mothering a son. We often speak of privacy, modesty, etc. Grins is generally very private, often saying "Mom! Can you please close your eyes?" if I happen to be using the bathroom mirror to do my makeup when he needs to use the bathroom. He's become concerned enough that we even moved his sisters into a separate room so he could have his own space.

So imagine my surprise when, earlier today, I noticed he had a different shirt on than the one he started with. I asked "Why did you change your shirt, Grins?" to which he replied "The other one had potty on it." "How did that happen?" I wondered aloud. "When I was going potty under the trampoline, some got on the shirt." Surprised at this (since it hasn't been an issue for at least a year), I reminded him that urinating in the yard is inappropriate on several levels and must not happen again. I then asked him if he had put his soiled laundry in the hamper, to which he replied, "I'll go get it from under the trampoline!" He then proceeded to bring an entire outfit - underwear and all - in from outside. "How did your dirty clothing get outside?" I asked and then began putting it together..."Did you change your clothing outside?!" I asked, horrified. His

response: "No! I couldn't wear wet clothes inside so I took everything off and came inside to get clean clothes."

How did I miss a streaker running through my house? (I must have been downstairs doing laundry.) We spoke again of the importance of modesty, and he agreed to refrain from indecent exposure in the future, though he insisted that, since our yard is fully fenced, he felt he'd had adequate privacy.

Couple this scenario with the way I found him asleep at nap time (above), and I'm feeling a bit out of my league on how to culturally refine my son. Sigh. I suppose I will never completely understand boys or their preoccupation with their bodies and their unique abilities.

Daddy Horsie

When the Mr. is gone as much as he is, the children are certain to make up for lost time when he DOES happen to show his face! I can hardly lift one of them at a time, yet he has the core strength to carry all 3 on his back at once! We're all 'so glad when Daddy comes home!'

I've been meaning to hang this mirror up for weeks now (hanging a heavy mirror is INCREDIBLY difficult to do alone and the Mr. has been MIA for awhile....). It actually came in handy as the children practiced for their performance of "So Long, Farewell" - and lately it has kept Wiggles entertained as I've cleaned up dinner. So perhaps procrastination is not always so wrong!

Clowning Around

Angel's class at school was studying circuses, and they finalized the unit with "Clown Day." Angel picked out her brightest colors and insisted that I, despite my weak artistic abilities, paint her face.

Grins and Wiggles observed and then naturally wanted in on the fun....

and when Wiggles is dirty, you can bet you

will find her mark on at least one other surface in the house! (In this case, the couch...)