Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Thank you for all you do.
I love you!

General Conference

Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Photo: Jason Olson, Deseret News


Isabelle's portrait of President Monson

This was one of the best General Conferences in my recent memory. Several talks resounded in me with great impact. Here are a few of my favorites, accompanied by quotes I scribbled down while listening:

Elder Uchtdorf
touched upon the multi-faceted pioneer heritage by which Church members around the world are blessed. He emphasized that we all may not come from ancestors who crossed the plains to Utah, but we all have pioneers in our heritage whom forged a path of faith for us. He made mention of a noteworthy pioneer in his family line, Martin Luther (wow).

"We honor and respect sincere souls from all religions, no matter where or when they lived, who have loved God even without having the fullness of the gospel. We lift our voices in gratitude for their selflessness and courage. We embrace them as brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father."

Elder Uchtdorf defined the ultimate heritage as "Faith of Our Father"...our Heavenly Father and his plan of salvation. His talk touched me, as I've been thinking now and then lately of the goodness and example of certain non-LDS women I know.

Elder Holland
gave a very compelling talk addressing the erroneous view that LDS people are non-Christian because of our belief in modern-day prophets who communicate with God. He said that

"continuing revelation does not demean or diminish existing revelation, such as in the Bible...one of the great purposes of continuing revelation through living prophets is to declare to the world, through additional witnesses, that the Bible is true."

Elder Holland spoke opened my thoughts to this topic in a way that hadn't happened before for me, personally. He also said that

" Since it is evident that there were Christians before there was a New Testament, or even an accumulation of the sayings of Jesus, it cannot therefore be maintained that the Bible is what makes one a Christian."

Interesting indeed. He also noted, before delving into the planned topic of his talk, that he could see the settling of the prophetic mantle--almost before our eyes--by angels upon President Monson. When Elder Holland said that, I had to smile because I had the same impression yesterday as I watched President Monson's face as he was sustained; I thought, as I watched his face soak it all in, what a great and humble man he is. I wondered how it must feel to be given such a responsibility and I wondered about the whisperings of the Holy Spirit to him at that moment.

Elder Bednar
delivered one of the most powerful talks I've heard in recent memory. He's amazing. He spoke of "Asking in Faith" as a principle that can help prayers become more meaningful, and gave four examples. Those four little examples left me reeling with the sheer detail and profundity. I plan to refer back to my notes on this one. For instance, here is a short little quote that packs quite a punch:

"To ask in faith means not only to express, but to do; the dual obligation to both plead and perform, the requirement to communicate and to act."

Okay, wow. Talk about an illumination of the scripture "Faith without works is dead."

He emphasized over and over that prayer becomes meaningful when we focus not only on what we need to know, but also on what is needed to be done.

"Faith in Christ leads to righteous action; it enlarges the power within us whereby we are agents unto ourselves."

I took 3 pages of notes during Elder Bednar's talk, feeling all the while that, for me, this is a landmark talk which I will be referring to over & over throughout my life.

Elder Ballard
gave a talk which I felt also to be a landmark talk, in a very different way. His message was less intellectual and more emotional: kind, loving, humorous, touching. I am sure women around the world want to give Elder Ballard a big, grand-daughterly hug today. He spoke about the role of motherhood, particularly to young mothers.

He told a hilarious story from his own life--an experience of his when, after 10 years of serving in the bishopric & enjoying church from sitting up on the stand while his wife toiled on the back row with the children, he took over his wife's duties with the 6 children as she she sang one Sunday with the women of the ward.

"I've never been so busy in my life! I had the hand puppets going on both hands, and that wasn't working too well. The cheerios got away from me and that was embarrassing. The coloring books didn't seem to entertain as well as they should. As I struggled with the children during the meeting I looked up at Barbara & she was watching me and smiling."

Among many things, he said that
* There is no perfect way to be a good mother, because each situation is unique; each has different challenges, different skills & different abilities, and certainly different children.
* What matters most is that a mother loves her children deeply and...prioritizes them above all else.
* Learn how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life; it is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us.
* We should seek--with the help of the Lord--to teach them all we can before they leave our homes.

I am always grateful for reminders to make the most of the short time I have with my children (even though some days seem to stretch on for an eternity), because I just know I will feel wistful when they leave, wondering how in the world life passed by so quickly.

Elder Ballard expressed an understanding of the "moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony and frustration. Mothers may feel they receive little or no appreciation for the choice they have made. Sometimes even husbands seem to have no idea of the demands made upon their time. As a church, we have enormous respect and gratitude to you mothers of young children. We want you to be happy and successful in your families, and to have the validation and the support you need and deserve."

I felt so gratified to hear my oft-felt sentiments repeated aloud! I am so blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home mom; it's how I want to raise my kids. But it's not always easy. And to have it stated over the pulpit that an apostle of Christ understands we mothers often feel these emotions brought such a powerful sense of validation--and also a powerful, comforting sense of understanding and love. (later in his talk, Elder Ballard gave suggestions to husbands for what they can do to support their wives. Hearing THESE was also validating!)

Elder Ballard went on to pose & answer 4 questions of how to improve our mothering experience, but I want to be sure to record the first question in particular, if only for my own reference. He asked, "What can you do as a young mother to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?" and answered by saying, "Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. Do not rush past the fleeting moments." Then he quoted Anna Quindlen (a favorite author of mine):

"The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass, on a quilt, in the shadow of a swing...and I wish I could remember what we ate and what we talked about and how they sounded and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing--dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more, and the getting it done a little less."

Ouch.

"I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone."

She described how I know I will feel years from now, in my perfectly clean house--with none of Mimi's lipstick kisses smeared across my full-length mirror, none of Isabelle's little scraps of paper scattered throughout the house with drawings of our family/kooky animals/love notes, and none of Max's airsoft bullets buried in every square inch of my carpet. I'll finally have a clutter-free house and wonder WHY it was so important to me and WHY I didn't glean joy out of all the happy kid paraphernalia. I know I will feel this way.

My jaw dropped when Elder Ballard said we should "recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in MOMENTS." That is my word for the year! (see post here) Wow. So I really soaked up this talk and (sssshhhhh!) even got a little weepy. I felt it was aimed just at me, to help me in how I've want to improve and the goals I've been working on.

This was one of the best General Conferences for me in recent memory. I love sitting at home, all together, and listening to the prophet and apostles.

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Tonight with the kids we watched the dvd "To This End Was I Born," and I was surprised by how closely they paid attention. The movie portrays the final hours of Jesus' mortal life. It also portrays His ministry in the spirit world and His Resurrection. Mike stopped the movie intermittently to explain the doctrine, what exactly Christ was undergoing and why--and I was surprised by my kids: Max knew the story precisely, Isabelle asked deep questions and Mimi was quiet and riveted.

As the movie depicted The Last Supper, Mimi said, "I just love Jesus. I love Jesus so much." My heart just warmed! What a sweet baby girl. And I am always in awe of the depth of Max's understanding. Isabelle's furrowed brow, deep in concentration, made me happy to see that she is soaking up the gospel and wanting to learn. She doesn't feel very well tonight, so she was a little subdued. But I could see that she was struck by the enormity of the Easter story.

I have such a strong testimony of this gospel and the plan of salvation. I know that the Savior came to Earth to live and die for us, so that we may find our way back to our Father in Heaven. I am thankful for His atoning sacrifice. I am overwhelmed this week with gratitude that He would suffer for me, so that I can someday be made whole--in spirit and in body. My heart has been full this week as I have been thinking of Easter and why we celebrate. What a reason for celebration! I often wonder about Celestial celebrations, and what it must be like on the other side of the veil during these holy occasions.

I have had a few experiences where I have felt very close to the veil, and I would like to challenge myself to more consistently pursue the Spirit so I can be worthy of that closeness to the Savior that I've felt at other times in my life.


Excerpt of talk given by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (his final testimony), delivered Saturday April 6, 1985.
Film: "To This End Was I Born."
youtube clip found here.






Music from the cd "The Missionary Project"
youtube clip found here

The Week in Review

Monday
* My mom was here visiting & we went to school lunch with Isabelle. It's fun to see how much this means to her--especially with Grannie as her lunch guest!

* I spent that evening running around getting supplies for Wednesday's combined Young Women activity, which I was in charge of. I'm 1st counselor and I'm not in the groove of YW yet. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

Tuesday
* Mimi had dance and then my mom & I zipped off for a brow appointment at Nordstrom. Mimi & I admired the shoes, looked at lipstick (she insisted on applying a bright orange) and rode the escalator a few times while my mom was the recipient of brow magic.

* Yet more running around for Wednesday's activity.

* Max had scouts & I skipped book club and took a sleeping pill. I'm in the midst of a rough year & sometimes a girl can fight only so hard to stave off depression! Thank goodness that Unisom is pregnant-safe.

Wednesday
* Watched my friend's girls during the afternoon & got stuff organized for the big activity. Made a mental note to keep activities simple with the Young Women. But is that even possible???

* My mom went and fetched Cafe Rio salads (yum--thanks, mom!) and made copies for me (bookmarks for the activity).

* The activity went very well; the girls all seem very sweet and on the right track. No major issues to worry about that I can see--it will be a pleasure to be in the program with them. We did a "PJ'S Night"...Snacks that start with "P", Journal, Scriptures. We decorated journals and marked scriptures that correspond with the YW values. It seems simple, but I went overboard with the details. I tend to do that because I like to throw parties, but I need to remember that parties can be fun without all the froo-froo.

Thursday

* Went out for Nacho Therapy with the girls (for Wendi's birthday). I had the blues all day because my mom left, so this was a good outing. (And why can't I remember my camera???)

Photo taken as Grannie was about to leave. Please note Isabelle's feeble attempt at a smile. Mimi's face speaks for itself. We love you, Mom!

Friday
* Mike, Max, Isabelle, Mimi & I went to "Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," directed (and basically produced with magic and enchantment) by my BFF Kara, jr-high-teacher-extraordinaire. The kids LOVED it! So did I. Mike said on the way home that he never remembers that level of production in junior high. It was like Mini-Broadway. Kara is amazing.

* Afterward, Kara's daughter--part of the cast--took Mimi on the stage to see the cast up close and she came back with stars in her eyes. Mimi was so funny during the play; she was riveted! She was shaking her shoulders to the beat, asking, "can I do this when I'm bigger?" (be in a musical) During the finale she asked Mike several times, "Can I go up there?" (Meaning onstage to dance during the big finale) She wanted so badly to run up onstage and be part of the huge finale number!

* I've had the "Go, Go, Go Joe!" song in my head, non-stop, for 24 hours straight.

"Go, go, go Joseph you know what they say
Hang on now Joseph you'll make it some day
Don't give up Joseph fight till you drop
We've read the book and you come out on top."

If I were a vindictive sort of person, I'd cue the music on a playlist so YOU ALSO would have this song stuck in your head.

Saturday
* Mike & Max went shooting. I prayed hard for Heavenly Father to assist the man-supervision.

* I took the girls to see my niece's "big girl" (Mimi's term) dance competition. These Jr High girls can shake it! Mimi soaked up every minute of the dances. She turned to me at one point and said, "Mom! Did you see that move?!" and mimicked it. Hilarious! She's a showgirl.

* Left at 5pm to go to dinner with my Visiting Teachers and the other girl they visit. (I wonder why I still refer to myself and my contemporaries as "girls?" We're well into our 30's!) It was a good time. I really, really love this ward.

So! These are the highlights of the week, to the best of my memory. I really should make an effort to journal my day as it actually happens so, as my mom puts it, "I can prove that I was alive."

Including my nighttime forays on Mon & Tues to gather supplies for Wednesday's YW activity, I went out every single night this week. Oh, except Tuesday night--when I gulped a sleeping pill to escape from reality. But really, that is too many nights away from home and away from the kids' nighttime routine. I like to be home at bedtime and facilitate a structured bedtime; I feel like this is really important at this stage in my children's young lives. Not only that, but it's important for them to have me there--snuggling on the couch reading books, having a minute or two of scripture time, tucking them in, smooching them goodnight, etc. Busy weeks like this make me want to slow down next week.

I say that every single week and it never happens. Sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***Added later, in response to crazymama's comment (accompanied by evil cackle):

Sheepish

Here is the breakdown of Thursday:
10-noon: Volunteering for Take Home Reading at school
noon-1:30: At hospital with Mike and his 2 pints of lung-sludge
1:30-2:30: Picking up food at Cafe Rio for Bubble Boy. Comfort Food makes it all better, right?...
2:30-3:15: Couch-time, talking with Mike
3:15-6:00: Picked up Max from school, took him to get his hair cut, grocery shopped, stopped at Wal-mart (Max talked me into it, to look for some #$^%&* game he's been saving for), stopped at Sonic for Mike's fav limeade, came home exhausted. I was in-&-out of the car all day, going here, going there, heaving my not-so-nubile self to and fro without cease. I'm finding that going non-stop is tiring when pregnant. Go figure.

So. I spent the morning (10am-noon) exchanging the books for the Take Home Reading program at the kids' school, at the end of which I got a call from Mike at the hospital, having been there from 8:30 'til noon, telling me the doctor was about the drain his lung. (Here are a few verbal memory-triggers: pneumonia, fluid-filled lung, Bubble Boy...)

Mike: "They're going to drain my lung now if you want to come."
Crystal: "Ok. It'll take me about 15 minutes to get there; do you want me to come?"
Mike: "If you want. They're ready to do it now."
Crystal: "Just start and I'll finish the books and be there in about 45 minutes."

About 5 minutes after hanging up the phone, I stopped in my tracks and thought, "WHAT? I'm so lame! He probably wants me to be there!" I called to find out where to locate him, but no answer; obviously, they'd already begun. I spent the next half hour sick to my stomach and feeling like a big jerk. When Mike called, I'd been so distracted with the #$^%& books and leaving them mid-process. And--in my puny defense--he was being a typical man-talker. If that had been ME about to undergo some surgical process, I would've said, "Please would you come be with me? I'm kinda freaked out."

So he calls me back after they're all finished and tells me where to meet him and that the Dr. still needs him there, etc. Now that I actually know WHERE to find him, I rush off to the hospital and when I get there he looks terrible. And tells me it was really creepy and he passed out. (and they sucked 2 pints of what looked like swamp water out of his body. blech)

Yes. I win the Wife Shmuck of the Year Award.

The Grande Dame of Good Mail

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a certain girl in blogland is the Queen of Good Mail. (how'd you like my butchering of Jane Austen?) If that is so, my mom is the Grande Dame. For years, I have received letters and cards with thoughtful pieces of this-&-that enclosed. She has randomly sent packages, which never fail to pop out of my mailbox as a complete surprise, to me and--even better--to my kids.

Thanks, mom, for that unfailingly consistent demonstration of love throughout the years; beginning, I remember quite clearly, with a box of cookies my freshman year of college as a tangible reminder that I was loved. I'm not sure you realize how appreciated each mailbox surprise is when I greedily snatch it out.

Here are my latest packets: A cute valentine with photos of moments from 2007.


And a Valentine package for my kids containing BOOKS! They ripped open the box and grabbed their books with gusto. Each of the kids loved your choices. And look! The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.! Max will love it. ("Night At the Museum" was a rip-off of this book, I swear.)

Jammies for Lima Bean. Fuzzy jammies. Delightful!
And then today I was surprised by a cute little bundle of goodies for Lima Bean; superhotmama (private blogger, dangit!) sent (gasp!) handmade goodies: a one-of-a-kind little beanie elephant and a Taggy Blankie. And. Do you SEE the ward cookbook??? Do you see it? This is the best ward cookbook I've ever laid eyes upon--no kidding. Thank you so much, Janie. I can't wait to see Little Lima Bean with Taggy. My kids are all very tactile and love to twirl their hair, slink their blankie corners under their fingernail (a certain fingernail, at that), and snuggle up to fuzzy animals. It is a foregone conclusion that Lima Bean will have his own little tactile trait, and he is certain to love this colorful Taggy and elephant.
Earlier last week, a valentine arrived from Carlo--a.k.a. Carolynn--and it made my day.

Going even further back, in early February I got a thoughtful little note and welcome dose of DARK chocolate (my fav) from Laurie. This was for no reason in particular--just to say Get Well. I think dark chocolate is the only flavor that is strong enough to penetrate Flu Tastebuds. Thank you, Laurie! You're a sweet friend.

Here is a little packet that I tore into. Literally. I saw that it was from Anne and clawed my way into it in order to get to those cd's. FOUR of them! Now here, ladies and gents, are some tunes that will get even a 5½ month pregnant lady exercising.

And now. I want you to look very closely. Among the various goodies in Michelle's envelope was nestled a tiny silver box in the shape of a star, which I plan to fashion into a pendant of some sort. It is an enchanting little item and I love it. Thank you so much, Michelle, for braving the bone-chilling cold of Canada to forge your way to the post office!


So, Mom. It seems your tenacious and creative usage of the USPS has caught on! Good Mail circulates the globe, and you have always been The Grande Dame of it.

Somebody Shoot Me

So. It's 5:35am and I've been WIDE AWAKE since 4am. I blame this on watching "Lost," which I vow to never watch again. That show makes me tense. Obviously. I have been in-and-out of sleep all night, never to enter that blissful REM stage. Am I fated to be an insomniac my entire life? I did not take my beloved 1/2 sleeping pill tonight, though, which was a mistake. Besides, once I was awake for 10 straight minutes, I became ravenously hungry. This happens quite frequently, actually. I'll toss & turn and wake up just enough at night to be conscious of my growling stomach. At 4am. Yes--it actually is growling. Making a baby evidently requires a lot of energy. And food.

I haven't had much time since Tuesday's ultrasound to sit down and post--and I've wanted to scan the CUTE little pictures of the baby. Yes! There's a real, live baby in there. I have actually been wondering, since I haven't felt it moving very much.

And I've been a little down in the dumps because I'm not Isabelle's primary teacher any longer. *sniff* When I came home & told her, she broke into great, shuddering sobs--poor thing--which made me start to cry, so we sat on the barstool and cried together. I will have to pay some special attention to her in the next few weeks. I would usually be pretty excited about my new calling, but dangit! I was very attached to my cute, perfect little 8-yr olds. I accused the 2nd counselor of releasing me because I passed out chocolate to my class all during sharing time last week. And we are on the front row. But they are so perfectly reverent that they deserve chocolate to reward them!

Tonight I came home absolutely exhausted from helping at school all morning (take-home reading), running to the store to get supplies for the HUGE salads for the teacher luncheon, running home & making the salads, running to the luncheon & making 4 trips to my car to bring in all the salads & crockpots, waiting for 90 minutes at parent/teacher conferences (which is more exhausting & brain-deadening than unloading my car, I swear), and then loading all the luncheon crap BACK into my car. Normally, this would be all in a day's work--no sweat! But I find my stamina is seriously reduced since being pregnant. And it feels so weird not to have the energy to knock off my overplanned lists every day.

I wish I could say I went to the gym at 5am, since I could not sleep anyway, but no. Forget it. I am exhausted. So the potato look (that's my body shape at present) is probably here to stay 'til about September '08. Sexy!

Tomorrow's agenda:
* do something interactive with Mimi in the morning (oh please, for the love of all that's holy, let it not be Polly Pocket)

* get brows waxed at 11:30, returning home a happy woman who instantly feels prettier due to said brow-shaping

* sneak in a nap because Mimi will need me to lie down with her to persuade her to nap

* scan ultrasound pictures and try (but probably not succeed) to load the ultrasound video on my blog, thus announcing to all and sundry what gender of Lima Bean is in there!

* throw together some food that passes as dinner

* wish that I were going out on a date with Mike

* go to bed early, instead

I'm off to go drink the rest of my slimfast (best midnight snack ever) and watch food network! It's 6am. WHAT THE CRAP?!

Rip Van Sprinkle


This week I feel like I walked straight out of the pages of Washington Irving's story. Life has been a-whirl outside my door while I've been caught in a time warp inside. But! We're all finally on the road to recovery (with the exception of Mike, who is The Bubble Boy for now).

Tomorrow is a big day; the suspense will end on two counts:

1) IT'S ULTRASOUND DAY! Mike and I are taking the kids with us to see it because they are all old enough that I think it will be a fun memory for them. We can't wait. Isabelle, in particular, has been counting down the days for about 10 days now. I went to help in her classroom today and her teacher said to me--first thing--"So I hear tomorrow is the big day at the doctor's," with a bemused look on her face. Sister Bear has been excited to give her teacher all the baby's milestone announcements: This week it's as big as a red pepper (her favorite vegetable--she loved hearing that particular comparison), this week it's growing a spine, this week it's got the fingers all the way grown, etc, etc.

2) I am going in for an interview with the 2nd counselor of our bishopbric to, presumably, get a new calling. For the ending of this suspense, I am not so excited. I love my present calling of teaching the 8 year olds in primary--especially because cute little Isabelle is in my class and it's her baptism year. I have only been in primary a year and I am hoping not to be released because I will really miss it. I've especially loved watching my own children in primary. Mimi is so exuberant in her front-row seat with the Sunbeams. She waves her hand high in the air to answer any and all questions, not having a clue how to answer most of them. She's bounded up to the podium a few times to say prayers, recite Articles of Faith and give impromptu testimony on Fast Sundays. It's been so fun to observe this part of their little lives. *sigh*

I also plan to post a montage of my favorite pictures and quotes of President Hinckley later this week, for my personal rememberance and for my kids to look at later. Because we've all been so sick with flu, I've not yet felt up to compiling my thoughts and feelings in a coherent manner. We just watched the funeral tonight for Family Home Evening (thank you, tivo!) and there are a few cute little things I need to jot down about that that I'll want to remember later. I think I'll do this tomorrow.

This is a busy week for me--in a good way. I've got the ultrasound appointment tomorrow, get Max to-and-from Scouts, a church appointment in the evening, helping with the Teacher's Luncheon Wednesday & Thursday, babysitting swap at my house Wednesday, doing the take-home reading Thursday and all of the regular schedule in between. So--goodnight!

Beloved Church Prophet, President Hinckley, dies at 97

President Hinckley's Testimony:

"I hope that all of you will remember that on this Sabbath day you heard me bear my witness that this is God's holy work. The vision given the Prophet Joseph in the grove of Palmyra was not an imaginary thing. It was real. It occurred in the broad light of day. Both the Father and the Son spoke to the boy. He saw Them standing in the air above him. He heard Their voices. He gave heed to Their instruction.

"It was the resurrected Lord who was introduced by His Father, the great God of the universe. For the first time in recorded history, both the Father and the Son appeared together to part the curtains and open this, the last and final dispensation, the dispensation of the fullness of times.

"The Book of Mormon is all that it purports to be—a work recorded by prophets who lived anciently and whose words have come forth "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations" (Book of Mormon title page).

"The priesthood has been restored under the hands of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John. All the keys and authority pertaining to eternal life are exercised in this Church.

"Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, the great Prophet of this dispensation. This Church, which carries the name of the Redeemer, is true.

"I leave you my testimony, my witness, and my love for each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

President Gordon B. Hinckley
April 1, 2006, Sunday morning session of the 176^th Annual World General Conference

'Twas the Weekend Before Christmas

What a whirlwind around here lately!

Thursday the 20th

was the day of the school parties, so Mimi & were at school all morning doing the Take Home Reading... ...then all afternoon for the 1st and 3rd grade parties.

{my cookie station at the 1st grade party}

It was really fun, but my migraine was looming right behind my eyeballs, just waiting to become a full-blown menace again. And it did come back, due to the 3rd grade party--what a bunch of wild hooligans!

{cookie station at the 3rd grade party; pro-frosters, compared to the 1st grade}
{Max & his favorite buddy Zack during the class gift exchange.}

They were actually very cute and well-behaved....but typical, rowdy 3rd graders. It's nice to see Max in his classroom environment, looking happy and well-adjusted. He won the drawing to taking home Clyde, the class turtle. So Clyde the tortoise is our houseguest over the break. He's actually got quite a lot of personality, which I didn't expect from a reptile. But we've had more than the usual quality time with Clyde and feel like we know him quite well; he was also our houseguest over a 3-day weekend in October, so we're old friends.

Thursday night after all the school merrymaking, we watched the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional--which I purposely waited to watch until later in December so the kids would get a good powerful dose of the Spirit right before Christmas. I gave them each a Santa Clause pez to play with & munch during the devotional (bribery to keep them concentrating). I had a moment's qualm that the Santa Clause pez was cancelling out my efforts to focus them on the Spirit and Baby Jesus, but they listened really well, so.... whatever works.

Friday the 21st
was another big day. Max & Isabelle both have December birthdays, back-to-back on the 29th, and I've just never been able to muster the enthusiasm to give them a friend party. There is just so much going on in December that just the very thought of a birthday party before the school Christmas break puts me over the edge. But I decided this was the year to take the plunge, and I'm so glad we did it! I kept it very low-key and easy. (Actually, last-minute and thrown together.) They each invited two friends and when everyone arrived, we left and took the party to this big warehouse lined with trampolines. (don't want to name the business on my blog) There were even trampolines up the sides of the walls! Perfect. I paid for one hour, thinking they'd want to stay longer & I'd pay for a second hour later, but they were all totally exhausted and ready to go home after the first hour. So including the time when the kids played at my house before we left, the party was just under three hours and I wasn't frazzled at all. This is the way to do a birthday party! Take it somewhere ELSE. Next time I will pay a little extra and rent the birthday room, so we can also have the pizza, drinks and cake on location. (it seems my footage of Max & friends was only on video, which I do not know how to download from my camcorder.)

We rested up for a while (even though the kids insisted they weren't tired...uh-huh...) and then went to The Nutcracker, which was fabulous! I think the live orchestra makes it an event. We stowed Max away at his cousin's house and Mike & I took the girls. Mimi was wiggly--no surprise there--but loved it beyond measure. Isabelle also loves The Nutcracker and considers it her Christmas tradition. I was hesitant to spring for tickets, but in the end was very glad we did. And we'll be eating ramen or beans & rice next month to make up for it! Today, Saturday the 22nd, has been blissfully uneventful. I had planned to get a jump on the wrapping and make neighbor treats, but nope. I went to buy soup for our Shepherd's dinner (thanks for that great idea, Wendi!) and napped. Yes, it's 5pm. I think I will do a few treats now. Maybe. Zzzzzzz.....

The Day So Far

Today we all rushed out the door by 9am to get to the Annual Christmas Sing at Max's & Isabelle's school. It was so cute! Max even sang. He was supposed to wear a Sunday dress collared shirt but was balking, insisting that he'd "look like an idiot." So I made him a deal: wear what you want if you'll just SING, for heaven's sake. It worked, evidently. No pictures, just video--which I have yet to figure out how to load from my camcorder. ( who's the idiot?...)

Then I bustled to the post office to get stamps and then to the grocery to pick up a few things. I hate going to just get a few items! I'm a fan of the once-a-week trip. By the time we got home, I thought I was going to pass out I was so hungry. I've found I need to eat once an hour--I'm absolutely RAVENOUS once an hour! I've forgotten how much hard work my body is doing to knit together a human in there!

So that was my mom-morning from 9am-12pm. BUT! I did drag myself out of bed at 4:50am to go the gym. I could not allow another day to go by without a workout. I have been a total slug. (i haven't worked out for 10 straight days...shhhh) I haven't missed more than 2 days in many, many months! The blame lies strictly with the Hallmark Channel. I've been staying up late & watching cheesy Christmas specials after the kids go to sleep. Well, and FoodNetwork Christmas cooking shows. Delightful! So today felt good. But I'm hammered; I didn't get to sleep last night until 11pm.

Now Mimi has her favorite friend over to play; it's my Wednesday Watch Day. I love our babysitting trade!

Watch for a yummy recipe post later!

Naptime. They can jump around me on the couch. Zzzzzzzzz.....

p.s. I need ideas for easy Christmas Day dinner! We're doing a huge feast on Christmas Eve at Mike's parents' house, but I want Christmas day to be low-key and easy, but still a little special.

* WHAT SHOULD I MAKE?
**WHAT ARE YOU MAKING?

Can't Sleep

What's a pregnant girl to do when she has insomnia? I'm on a "no drugs" policy, and I need my sleeping pills! I'm worried that this may be the start of one of my week-long insomnia marathons. If so, at least I can count on Cecily to be up into the wee hours. (I'll be calling you, friend!) She seriously keeps vampire hours. Cecily, if you're reading: Are you one of the undead?

So today was a marathon day; we all left the house at 12:30noon-ish and got home at 11:30pm. Poor Max was so upset. He's such a little homebody and kept saying, "Can't we just go HOME?" Mimi's Christmas dance recital was today and ended around 2:30pm. By an amazing stroke of luck, I scored tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert and Mike's parents offered to watch the kids (thankyouthankyouthankyou). So we drove to Grandpa & Grandma's, visited for a while, then left for the concert. (It was amazing; more about that tomorrow) Watch Music & the Spoken Word tomorrow! (Sunday) The King's Singers were guests at the concert and they will also be on Music & the Spoken Word.

By the time we got home, it was 11:30 and the kids were burnt out! And poor Max. He gets the nervous shakes if he's away from his stuff for too long. He has to be able to obey the impulse to compulsively create a kooky craft--or at the very least, to sit down for a manic lego-building session--and feels adrift without his supplies nearby. He feels secure with his own belongings, his own cozy bed, his own dvd's or his own computer nearby.

Mimi, on the other hand, was in heaven with Grandma's 4,554,312 Polly Pockets to play with.

Isabelle was evidently having a blast raiding and pillaging Grandma's rather, ahem, extensive toy collection.

The last few days have been barren of baking & I'm going through withdrawals! So here's what I have planned:
Monday - chocolate & caramel pretzels; graham cracker houses that night for FHE
Tuesday - Haystacks
Wednesday - Toffee
Thursday - My secret batch of sugar cookies, not for kids! Only for me to decorate!
Friday - Fudge (to give away this time)

I'll also be making & posting some easy recipes that are holiday staples in my family: "Thanksgiving Punch" and the famous red jello. I'm also going to try to get around to doing a post on Nanimo Squares, the most decadent treat in the universe.

Who wants to come help me, said the Little Red Hen?

Tomorrow my lesson in Primary will be so fun! Here's the plan:
*Set out my Nativity-oriented Christmas books and let them each pick one for me to read aloud while they sit on the floor and eat treats.
* Watch some of the church Nativity dvd
*Make their sheep (they are going to be shepherds next week, travelling to find the baby Jesus)
That's probably all we'll get to, even though I'd like to do a flannel board activity. Do any of you even use flannel boards ever? I pulled it out last week and all my kids said, "What's that?" I said, "A flannel board, DUH."

I guess I will go read Mike's gun mail-order catalog. That ought to put me right out. Why didn't I think of that before? Good nighty-night!

(Call me, Cec. I'll be up.)

Eh, So-So

Today the highlight of my day was......huh. I'm drawing a blank. Definitely not the 45 minutes of cleanup after making sugar cookies with the kiddos. At 9:30pm. And I thought the actual making of the cookies would be Christmas-y and fun, but Isabelle and Mimi were both very whiny and dissatisfied--I think they are both getting sick. Well, I know they are, but I've been trying to block it out. (In the infamous words of my mom, "Can't they choose to be well?") Max stayed home sick today & I accused him of semi-faking it, but when Isabelle came home with her dry-hack cough I had to admit that he may indeed have a bug. They are, all three of them, walking, oozing balls of mucus.So we made cookies, did the bedtime drill (which included children's Nyquil--yessss), I cleaned up & then did what any sensible, logical, prudent no-nonsense woman would do.

Lit out for Chili's like a bat outta hell.

I met my girls there and didn't even bother with the chocolate shot--I dove straight into steak quesadillas. (Does that count as my free day? If so, how will I survive without my weekly brie-&-pears?)

And now it is 1:25am. Hmmmm. Tomorrow is gym day. How will I be gymalicious with only 4 hours of sleep? (i'm still loving your word, Jill; I think you should trademark "gymalicious.")

***Will Crystal actually make it up for the gym? And if so, at what time? Stay tuned....

***(also stay tuned for the sugar cookie recipe & tomorrow's
baking delight; I'm homebound with a car in the shop, so the flour's gonna fly!)Perfectly sprinked, a la children

Tidbits de Moi

I was reading blogs tonight, hoping I'd get tired enough to sleep, and discovered that Steph tagged me to reveal 7 random things about myself. Hopefully I'll bore myself into sleepiness....

1. I am very politically opinionated, but don't discuss politics because I hate to argue.

2. I hate to scrapbook. I'd rather poke my eye out.

3. I am a nightowl by nature (and, I think, by genetics), but force myself to go to bed early so that I can get up before 6am to exercise. It's become a habit that I love and that makes me feel good, but two nights in a row of staying up blows the entire habit and I'm back to my true nature. Then I have to re-form the go-to-bed-early habit. (example, tonight! It's 12:48am! Crap!)

4. I've never had braces.

5. There are very few foods I don't like. Sushi is one of them. Blech.

6. I'm a druggie. I take headache medicine and/or sleeping pills every day.

7. I have hostess-phobia. I love parties--at other peoples' houses.

Yawn! Well, that did it. I'm totally bored by my boring self. Goodnight!

Adventures at Grannie's House

I am sitting here with my Cafe Rio tortilla in one hand, trying to figure out how to type one-handed as I scarf (yes, scarf!) my tortilla-dipped-in-house-dressing.

Today was a pretty typical day for me: I gathered up my 60 library books (voracious readers at my house), drove to the library with Mimi & returned them, then drove far out of my way to accommodate Mimi's craving for Cafe Rio rice. At first I was grouchily doing this, and then I began to crave tortillas. We returned home just in time to greet my friend's two kids, whom I watch every Wednesday as part of a mom-switch; she watches Mimi every Monday. We do this to enable each other to volunteer in the 1st grade classroom. (Just typing that out loud increases my volunteerism-satisfaction level...) I called Max's teacher & got myself on the schedule for his classroom, also. So I'll be at school every Monday from 12:30-2:30 and then back again every Thursday from 9:30-11:30 to help with the Take Home Reading program. (volunteerism satisfaction thermometer rising as I type...) I am a big believer in being a part of my kids' classrooms; I like having my finger on the dynamic, both of the teacher with my child and of my child's social interaction.

At 3:30 I met Wendi to get our nails done together, which was a treat. I am usually ready to expire from boredom when I get out of there, but today I was having fun friend time! I was forced to practice my Stuart Smalley Daily Affirmations, though, because Wendi has perfect willowy hands and I have....Man Hands. *sigh* (see bottom clip: 1st 1:45)

I do like my non-dangly earlobes, though. See! Affirmation!

Then I came home and made a delicious dinner for my family, showing my love and devotion via culinary affection. Yep, Ramen. I was tired! It was 5:50pm! Enough said. Tomorrow is another day (Scarlett O'Hara-style).

Here are some more pictures from the Thanksgiving holiday at my parents' house. Below, Max is exhibiting his Rubiks Cube prowess! The kid can solve the cube (with a cheat sheet that gives him a few moves of guidance).

My mom set up her tree and had the kids put on the ornaments, which I considered to be an act of love and patience. Thanks, Mom! They are still talking about it.

Mimi, of course, got to put up all the Barbie ornaments. She kept trying to take them off again and play with them. Again, patience and love.....!


This is official documentation of Sky's inheriting the gene for "Chair Time," my Dad's favorite form of relaxation.
Max conquered the tree! And spent time spying on the neighbor's backyard activities and also fighting the resident squirrel for Tree Time.

The van is loaded and ready to pull out for the drive home. You keep smilin', buddy.

Sis has emotional trauma every time she has to say goodbye to Grannie. It's heart-wrenching to watch and causes ME emotional trauma! There I am, saying goodbye & trying to be a big girl, and then Sis' wails of distress cause me to unravel.

She actually said a well-adjusted farewell this time, but has been crying herself to sleep for three straight nights. Tonight seems to be a bit better; I snuggled in bed with her for a while and we made an agenda of Christmas activities for Grannie's December visit. That seemed to bring her emotions into check. (crossing my fingers)





***HEY!*** I forgot to add that I got up at 6:30am to haul my tired self to the gym! After a night of revelry at Chili's until 12:00am the night before! (exercise satisfaction increasing as I type...)