Dugan Christmas Party

For the past nine years we have gone to the skating rink for the annual Dugan Productions Christmas party. The kids love it. All of the children receive a little stocking full of quarters to play the arcades. Mine, however, use every last one on the Claw. Melody is quite the professional at winning stuffed animals. That night she won five!

Everyone enjoyed the pizza and sodas, cookies and candy, and the kids had a blast skating the night away.

We feel so blessed to be part of such a family-friendly corporation. Mr. Dugan is a very generous man and we appreciate him and are thankful for Jimmy's job!

My Best Boy

Five years ago today, shortly before dawn, I was in a corner of my bedroom sitting in a pool of warm water. Jimmy was kneeling beside me with love and anxious concern in his eyes. My mother was a few feet away looking on in pride and understanding. I had a midwife nearby and the only light in the room came from the amber glow of a bedside table lamp as soft and soothing music played in the background.

I remember the seering contractions. The burning. The pushing. The feel of the wrinkles in the rubber pool beneath my fingers as I scratched and clawed at its bottom. And then, finally, the instananous relief. The unmatched ecstasy like no other experience in the world is the moment a mother is delivered and a baby is born. Five years ago today that jubilation was mine. My boy. My son. My Roman.

Happy Birthday, buddy. I love you.

Tea Party

My amazing daughters surprised me with a *tea party* two weeks ago complete with a VIP chair sign, crackers and cheese, apple juice, and hot chocolate. Two of them eve dressed up in their Sunday best and adorned themselves in my jewelry and makeup. It was a complete surprise and I was overcome with their kindness! Moment like these make motherhood feel like royalty!

"What did you do today?"

A conversation with my beloved went something like this just a few minutes ago.

 

Me: "Hey...um...when do you think you will be home tonight?"

 

J: "In around an hour or so.  How was your day?  What did you guys do?"

 

Me:  "I woke up, made two batches of homemade muffins, cleaned up, had prayer and taught a science lesson to the kids, did math, phonics, grammar, reading and spelling with Leah.  Worked with Melody on Math, spelling, reading, English, and writing.  Made lunch for the kids.  Cleaned up.  Did Math with Hali and graded her reading, spelling and English.  Rocked Teagan because she was fussy.  Read her three stories.  Vaccumed, swept, did a load of laundry.  Washed dishes.  Read to Teagan again.  Put her to sleep.  Exercised.   Took a shower, finally and then leaned up after the kids made cuneiform hieroglyphs out of clay.  I'm exhausted."

 

J: {Prolonged silence}  "I'll be home as soon as I can."

 

He's such a smart man!

 

 

 

Halloween Proof

We went to my sister's for their annual Halloween party last weekend. We always have so much fun eating frito pies and laughing as the kids go through the giant haunted house and run around like crazy monsters and goblins!

MMMM MMMM Muffins

Wanna know why I loved homeschooling today?  Because I got to sit at the table with my kids at 8:30 in the morning eating fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip muffins and sipping hot cocoa as we watched the snow flutter in the front yard.  Homeschooling or not, you should try these muffins.  My kids were raving about me all day...well, at least for five minutes of it. 

 

 

Sour Cream Chip Muffins

(coutesy of my Taste of Home cookbook)

 

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup sour cream

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips

 

1.  In large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, b. soda and salt.  Combine the egg, sour cream, butter and vanilla in separate bowl.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  (Yes, it will be thick.)

 

2.  Fill greased muffin tins or lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean  Brace yourself for deliciousness and lots of compliments. 

 

 

 

Mama Nutisms of the Day (so far)

{Spewing water from my mouth onto the dining room floor}  "ACK! WHO PUT JUNK IN MOMMY'S WATER?  ROMAN!!!!"

 

"No, Roman!  You can NOT make a snowman in the house.  Take the snow back outside!"

 

"Kids, let's play a game.  Just pretend Mommy does not exist right now, okay?"

 

"How did Teagan get the bubble bath?  There is a ginormous lake of pink goo in the hallway!"

 

"Teagan!  What is in your mouth?"  Pop.  She spits out a blue marble.  Pop!  She spits out a purple marble. Pop!  She spits out a pink marble.  "Teagan, we do not eat marbles in this house!"  {Muttering under my breath, "We just lose them!"}

 

I assigned Hali the task of teaching Roman his ABC sounds and two-letter blends.  So, when it was time for his lesson I called out, "ROMAN!  It's tutor time!"  Apparently he interpreted that as me having called out, "ROMAN!  It's tooter time!"  And I got nothing but laughter from my boy for five straight minutes. Hali-- rolling her eyeballs-- replied, "Can't we just call it teaching time from now on?"  

 

Mama Nutisms

While I get up every morning feeling happy to have my children all home with me and excited to start a new day of teaching and learning together, I have to admit that some days can get pretty hectic.

 

This morning I was trying to teach Hali multiplication while entertaining Teagan on my lap and intermittently giving Melody advice on her writing assignment.  Roman and Leah were scootering in the dining room while chasing eachother in and out of bedrooms all the while Leah was screaming and slamming doors.  I did what any Mama Nut would do.

 

"LEAH!!!!"  I (not so) calmly said as I opened the recently slammed door she was hiding behind.  I had caught her attention and really wasn't sure what to say next.  So, I just tried the honest route.  "Do you want mommy to go away to a place for crazy people?"

 

She returned my grumpy look with one of surprise and--was it fear?  "No."  She simply responded.

 

"Okay, then.  Please stop screaming."

 

She nodded her head and I closed the door behind me as I left her in the bedroom.  I didn't hear any more screaming all morning. 

Trish

Anniversary Compromise

We recently celebrated our 11th Anniversary. Although Jimmy had big plans (and high hopes!) for us to go to a bed and breakfast and spend the day soaking in natural hot springs we ended up settling for more company and less romance.

We took the kids up to a lake in the mountains. The leaves were amazing, the lake was gorgeous! We had a picnic (with food purchased from a nearby health food store FOR FIFTY DOLLARS JUST FOR LUNCH. Yeah, I'll never do THAT again. Subway here I come!) and went for a hike and Melody rescued a dragonfly who was stuck in the swamp and Jimmy collected cattails for the kids (hello, MESSY) and the kids and Jimmy skateboared/scootered/rip sticked around the parking lot by the lake and I snapped pictures the whole time.

It was a wonderful day that ended with chocolate covered strawberries and....stuff that included a lot less company and a little more romance. *Wink* We're all about compromise around here!

Forgotten!

Sundays are our family's most hectic day. In the rush and madness of getting everyone ready for church I often forget to make sure my son's socks match or that we have a sippy cup full of milk. On the way home from church we forget things sometimes, too. More than once we've had to pull over on the side of road and watch as Jimmy scrambled to recover papers and scriptures that were left on top of the van and forgotten about as we drove away.

Today we were on our way home from church again listening to the beautiful singing squabbling of our dear daughters. "Mel, stop!" "Leah, just look out your window and ignore her." "Hali, don't antagonize your sisters."

Pause.

"Where's Roman?"

Melody, who normally sits next to him in the back seat, looks over in instant realization and her mouth drops open. Hali gasps. Leah stares. Jimmy swerves in an instant u-turn. We had forgotten our only son and left him at church!

As we hurried back a million questions ran through my mind. Did he notice we were gone? Was he still playing on the lawn at church? How in the world did we manage to completely forget our boy and drive away?

As soon as we reached the parking lot Sister O. waved to me and pointed towards her van. I looked over and there in her back seat was my sobbing, blond-haired, unmatched-socks boy who leaped out of the van as soon as he saw me. I picked him up, kissed him, and thanked the heavens that it was the church parking lot we left him in instead of somewhere worse.

Help me feel better. Have YOU ever forgotten any of YOUR children and

drove away without them?

Mountain Lions and Picnics and Sodas...oh MY!

We went on a Field Trip yesterday with our local Home Educators Group to one of my favorite little tows 45 minutes away and had a blast! We first perused the Mountain Lion Exhibit being sponsored at a college. Of course in the hustle and bustle of shepherding five children out of the van and into the building I forgot the camera. But the kids and I (and the entire group of more than 25 kids and their parents) thoroughly enjoyed the mountain lion "bone clones" of their skulls, the fifty million times Leah pressed the buttons as we listened to the blood curdling mating calls of female mountain lions and other sounds they make, and looking at the taxidermied displays. Roman wanted to know how they died. Apparently they were roadkill.

After a nice picnic in the park where the kids got to release lots of pent up energy, we headed dowtown to a local soda bottling factory. To say the kids were entranced is an understatement. I had to drag Roman away from the bottling machines as he would probably still be standing there mesmerized by the swoosh-swoosh-swooshing of the Rootbeer as it poured into the bottles and the CLINK as the caps were sealed on. Afterwards the kids were allowed to pick out their favorite soda selection and then we headed back home.

It was a long, full day. Teagan was so tired that she fell asleep in the shower at 6:30 that night. Which is why we are both up at 5:30 this morning. But, I digress. It was a great day.

Air Show

We took the kids to the Air Show last weekend. For 25 bucks we spent the morning perusing the airport lot wandering aroud checking out all kinds of planes, watching them 'do tricks' in the air, and wondering how Fuddruckers can really get away by charging $6 for a hamburger.

Hali and Melody were pretty fascinated by the whole ordeal. But Hali was also pretty tired of Mom snapping pictures every 10 seconds.

Teagan wanted to take the "kitties" home with us.

Leah wanted to get inside and ride one of the airplanes.

For an extra 300 dollars she could have.

Hali and Melody could not believe "how cute" it was inside this airplane.

You have to admit, it DOES look cozy. Uno anyone?

How did Teagan like the show? Well, to be honest, she was so excited that

it really blew her hair back!

Soul Purpose

We are in the middle of our second week of homeschool and I've received several phone calls from curious friends and family members wondering how I'm handling it.  The answer?  Honestly? 

 

I am happier now than I have ever been in my life.  I wrote a while back about Soul Purpose--you know, finding that 'thing' you were meant to do in life (or one of the several)-- and I feel like I have surely found mine.  

 

Although we have just been doing this for a short while, I can feel changes taking place inside my children, myself, and our home.  I feel closer to my husband as he is my biggest and best supporter.  I feel closer to my children as I spend so much more time with them than I ever have before.  And I feel closer to becoming the person I know I was meant to be as I work through the challenge of digging deep for the patience, knowledge, and inspiration I need to carry out this daunting task. 

 

The most common reply I get from moms when I tell them I am now teaching my children at home is, "Oh!  I could NEVER have the patience for that!"  And I really want to respond, "Well, patience is learned best by practice!"  And boy am I getting in a lot of practice!

Home Education, Day Two

{Big Breath}  I checked the girls out of school officially this morning.  The sentimental side of me wanted to hug the secretary when I left, but I got a squeeze in with the music teacher who is a friend of mine anyways. 

 

With all of our supplies heaped on the kitchen table we dived into our studies this morning.  I'm still not sure which method or curriculum (if any) our family will adopt but I feel confident that we will eventually get things all figured out.

 

The support I am getting from bloggy friends and IRL friends and family has been encouraging.  I'm sure many people disapprove of our choice but so far all of them have kept their doubts and skepticism to themselves.  I appreciate that because from moment to moment my faith in myself is shaky.  But my love for my kids and my desire for them to become bright, happy, healthy, family-oriented, faith-filled adults is steady and sure and that is what I am clinging to right now.

 

 

 

 

This I Know

What a whirlwind weekend!  Do you ever have a thought come crashing down upon you so suddenly and instantenously but once it settled you realized that you knew it all along?  That happened to me this weekend.

 

Jimmy and I have received a powerful confirmation that it is time for us to take our children out of pubilc schools and educate them at home.  Phew.  There.  I said it.  I know this notion is absurd to many of you and frankly the idea of implementing it in reality is both overwhelming and exciting at the same time. 

 

When the idea of homeschooling, of really actually doing it, began to feel like it fit right...kinda like a pair of jeans that I never thought I would wear but actually, when I tried them on, fit just perfectly and made me feel beautiful.... 

 

{Sigh.  If that were only the case.}  Ahem.  But I digress.

 

When the idea of teaching my kids at home began to solidfy we decided to pray about it.  Really.hard.  Throughout the course of two days we received a crystal clear answer that we needed to do it.  And once I was filled with that energy and comforted by the uninterrupted surge of rightness that consumed me I realized that I had actually known the answer all along.  The course I am about to take is one that has been laid out for me from the beginning.  Prepared.  And now complete and ready.  And I'm about to set foot upon it and venture on my Journey.

 

Don't think for a second that I'm not fully grasping the chaos and clutter and constancy of kids that will now be mine.  I get it.  Don't imagine that I am fooled into thinking that this is going to be easy and that we are not going to struggle and perhaps feel overwhelmed and irritated with eachother throughout the process.  But I have something to carry with me along the way and that is knowing--KNOWING--that this is the right thing to do and being able to move forward without looking behind.

 

Let the journey begin. 

Don't Judge. I was just curious....

Have you ever wondered what the conversations of your kids are like when they are on the phone?  I have a 10-year-old who--very much like her father--is not a phone talker.  But she has this adorable little girlfriend who calls her everyday.  I have always been curious what in the world little girls talk about on the phone.  I may or may not have eavesdropped on their conversation today.

 

If I had, however, eavesdropped this is HYPOTHETICALLY what MAY have transpired:

 

Hali: Hi, C..  Hang on while I go find the cordless phone so I can watch TV while you talk.  (No, I am not kidding.)

 

{Hali enters my bedroom looking for the cordless. I, of course, am asleep on the bed.  She cannot find the phone.  That may or may not be because it is underneath my pillow. }

 

Hali: I can't find it. 

 

C:  {Giggle giggle} So what are you doing tonight?  Maybe you or I could come over.

 

Hali: {crunching noises}

 

C:  What are you eating?

 

Hali: {still crunching} Fri {crunch-crunch} tos.

 

C: Oh!  That sounds cool.  {Giggles}  That is a really cool sound.  I have so many bruises on my feet.  There's one and then another one and, oh!  Another one!

 

H:  {Crunch}

 

C: So, do you like Ashley?

 

H: {Crunch}

 

C: Hali, are you there?

 

H:  Huh?

 

C:  What are you doing?

 

H: Watching iCarly.

 

C: Oh.  I hate iCarly.

 

H: {Crunch}

 

C:  Um...so do you like that Angela girl?

 

H:  What Angela girl?

 

C:  You know!  Angela!  In our class!

 

H:  Hang on.  I gotta get some water.

 

{C .giggling and singing to herself while waiting for H to return}

 

H:  I'm back. 

 

{About 5 minutes of silence.  I may or may not have been about to hang up until I heard...}

 

H:  Hey, C.!  Stephen is wearing boobs!

 

{What the...?  Boobs?  Did that word just come out of my Hali's mouth?  What the heck is she watching???}

 

H: {Gasp}  Soandso is about to kiss Suchandsuch!  {Hey, I don't watch the show and forgot their names!  Hypothetically.  IF I actually were eavesdropping.}

 

Mom:  HALI!  WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING??????   TIME TO GET OFF THE PHONE.  I NEED TO CALL SOMEONE!

 

H: C., I gotta go. 

 

C: Why?  I just called you.

 

H:  I know but my mom said I hafta get off.  I gotta go.

 

C:  {Huffing}  Am I on speaker phone?  If I'm on speaker phone I will never talk to again or be your friend for the rest of my life.

 

H:  Bye, C.

 

C: Bye.

 

 

And now I may or may not be wrestling with the fact that I want to tell my daughter it is rude to chew and crunch while talking on the phone.  And it is also not very polite to ignore the other person on the phone and watch TV while they are talking to you.  But if I did that she would know I was listening on the other phone.

 

Hypothetically, of course.

The Quest to Request

Since I'm home with my four and one-year-olds all day long I have a lot of time to read "BOB" books, play blocks, teach the alphabet and play in the park. What I don't have a lot of is adult conversations where I can pose the question, "What do you think?" Granted, I could ask my four-year-old what he thinks about my mind meanderings, but I have a feeling the answer would be something in the neighborhood of, "Huh? [pause] Can I go play Wii now?"

I have a fourth-grader this year. She's my oldest. I love her teacher. A lot. But I personally hand-picked her so I guess I'd better like her! I was lying in bed today thinking about her upcoming fifth grade year and wondering what teacher I should request for her when I realized that I did not know a single fifth grade teacher. Then the thought occurred to me that I could go and observe each fifth grade classroom and decide from there who to send her to. And then I had a memory.

When I was in fourth grade I remember the class being interrupted briefly as a mom was escorted into our room and the secretary explained that this is Mrs. So and So, her son would be coming to our school and his mother was going to "observe" all the classes. As a 10-year-old I remember thinking, "Wow! This kid must be from a really important family! Maybe he is a prince from another country or something!" The idea of a parent "observing" a classroom to determine which one was the best one for their child was completely foreign to me. I don't think my parents did this or even knew about that option. But I never had a teacher I didn't like.

So, my question today is, What do you think about requesting teachers for your child? Do you think it's too controlling? Too helicopter-parenty? Or is it just being an active participant in your child's education and doing all you can to ensure your child has the best possible chance of succeeding? Do you make requests for your child(ren)'s teachers? Has it always seemed beneficial? Leave me a comment (I accept annonymous, too!) and let me know what you think!

All I Needed To Know I Learned From a Lemonade Stand

My girls had a lemonade stand this summer outside their grandparents' business in a small town. I was not totally excited about the idea at first. In fact, I think Grandma was the mastermind behind it and then told them to "work out the details with your Mom." Thanks, Mother.

So the date was set. We talked about what they wanted to sell. Just lemonade? Of course not, they told me.

"Cookies, too! Thirteen different types!"

"And fudge! And cupcakes! And pickles! And hotdogs!"

Again--thanks, Mother.

Actually, they ended up selling popcorn, cookies, pickles and lemonade. And in just a couple of hours they actually made some pretty good money. But that's not all we took away from the experience.

All I Needed to Know In Life

I Learned from a Lemonade Stand

1. You don't have to be perfect in order to be understood. (they had three signs with three different spelling of their liquid sugar: lemonade, lemonaid and Lemon-Aide. Everybody knew what they meant--and most people didn't know which was the correct spelling!)

2. Sweet is better than sour. (Way more cookies sold than pickles!)

3. You can't just wait for an opportunity to come to you. You've got to go looking for it. (They stood next to the curb with their big white aprons and bright signs, yelling: BAKE SALE! COOKIES! LEMONADE! PICKLES!)

4. Show appreciation to those who are loyal. (There was a man from the feed store next door who came back three times for cookies. Mel was so happy and flattered she sent him back with free bags of popcorn!)

5. Sometimes you gotta brave the heat in order to get what you want. (And boy was it hot out there!)

6. Mom's and grandparents rock. (No explanation needed.)

7. Life isn't always fair but you gotta take what you get and be thankful. (Three kids were working the bake sale. Not all of them worked equally hard or contributed as much but the money was split equally three ways. )

8. It's okay to eat the fruit of your labors and enjoy it. But don't eat too much or you'll lose your profit!

9. Be the best you can be and let your product speak for itself. (Hello, the man came back three times AND told his friends about the cookies who also came and bought some.)

10. Hard work is satisfying and rewarding. But it's still hard work!

Why I Keep a Journal for My Kids

When my kids were really young I decided to start a journal for each of them documenting my thoughts and feelings for them as they grew up, as well as funny or memorable things they said or did. I was reading through Leah's journal today and came across an entry I thought was so funny I had to tell Leah about it. It was written just after she turned three and she's six-and-a-half-years-old now. After I read it to her she couldn't quit laughing and had to tell her big sisters the "hilarious" thing she said three years ago.

July 17, 2006

I wish your hair would grow as fast as you do, Leah! You are such a little character, always saying or doing something cute. Recently you overheard me telling Hali about the eggs females have in their body that will someday make a baby. Well, a few days later you awoke from your nap with a tummy ache. You came directly to me while rubbing it and said, "I think my baby is trying to crack out of my egg!'" It was so funny.

THAT is why I keep journals for my kids and why the idea of blogging is so appealing to me. Who would want to forget that?

The Family

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.

The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.


We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan. Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.

“Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3).

Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness,

to provide for their physical and spiritual needs,

and to teach them to love

and serve one another,

observe the commandments of God,

and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.

Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.

Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.

Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets. We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society. "

(The Family: A Proclamation to the World)