it's everywhere

I looked around my house this morning.

There were annoyances in every room.

Hailey's laundry that I lovingly washed dried and folded was still not put away.
The boys room was a mess.
I almost tripped over a basketball on the stairs:

There was caravan of vehicles on almost every surface:

An empty sippie cup lay abandoned on the kitchen floor:

Breakfast sloppily consumed, but left for me to clean:

Books strewn around the library floor:

shoes laying in the middle of the playroom:

Breakfast toast on the library couch:

And a backpack plopped by the front door and left there all night long:

I started to get annoyed.
Kids: Professionals in the art of mess making.
Does it even cross their minds to pick up after themselves?

Then I stopped.
Took a deep breath.
Did some meditating. (not really, but wouldn't I be so much cooler if I had?)

And I realized.
I remembered.
All that mess means childhood is alive in my house.


And that is something I am grateful for.

Yesterday, just like everyday

Yesterday, Brian was my hero.

Yesterday Brian did stuff he really didn't want to do.

Yesterday, he did stuff he really didn't have time to do.

Yesterday, he said he would handle some things I didn't have the ability to.

Yesterday, he came through for his kids.

Yesterday, he came through for his wife.

Yesterday, he came through for his business.

Yesterday, he came through for his church.

Yesterday, just like everyday.
He amazes me with his abilities, with his talents, with his selflessness, and with his kindness.

He's pretty much a rock star.

In a good way, not in the "I snort cocaine backstage" way.

saving the world, one party at a time.

We had a party. 

It was a party that helped all mankind.

No really.

See, we had some super special capes handy.

We took those capes and turned some adorable children into adorable super heroes, 

And we trained them.

We worked on their freezing abilities (red light, green light)

We tested their super strength. (by wrapping them with toilet paper)

We practiced their super breath. (by blowing bubbles)

We perfected their powerful punching skills (on punching balloons)

And they detonated bombs (balloons) and disposed of kryptonite (spray painted rocks) and thwarted the evil plans of the villains.

Then they captured those villains and practiced their web shooting with them.

They replenished their powers with special food.

Hero H2O:

Power Popcorn

Hero Sandwiches, and Power sticks and Fantastic fruits.

And super hero cupcakes:

We sent the superheros home with their new identities and some super secret powerful gum balls, guaranteed to give them the sugar rush their moms are all thanking me for:

And we sent them back into the world, ready to save mankind.

From day one

From this:

To this:

In the blink of an eye.

From day one, I knew this child knew exactly what he wanted.

From day one, he wanted to speak to the world.

From day one, he was making us laugh.

From day one, people were saying this child has personality.

He is a light.

He is our family's gravity.

And he is five.

I love him so much I could squeeze the life out of him...

but that would be a little counter productive.

So I will just kiss him over and over all day long.

We are all safer that way.

Today...

Today...

 I am thankful for recent sunshine giving my children something to do again.
There's been lots of rock hunting,
Sidewalk art:

And Chinese jump roping, sans rope:

Today....

I am busy gathering pictures to make a spotlight poster for this birthday boys class tomorrow:

Today I am completing all the details for the worlds greatest super hero training camp happening here tomorrow in honor of the afore mentioned birthday boy:

Today.....

Jonas and I will be wrapping up the work on his state report, which has taken FOREVER and a day. We will be so glad to see that one done.

Today....

Jonas will also be in a permanent state of red, thanks to his attendance to his maturation program. (See, I told you he is growing up.)

Today....

I have big plans to play battleship with Caleb.

And to eat left over pizza for lunch.

Today...
I will blow up make some balloons bombs to be popped detonated by superheros in training.
I will make kryptonite to be strewn about the lawn and temporarily weaken those superheros.

I will make fruit kabobs.

And some top secret superhero files.

It's going to be a good day. 

Children growing up, turning older, and having fun.

I told you spring rocks.

Things I know for sure: 8

Random things I know for:

1. Jimmer Ferdette has become a part of our family.
2. The best honey mustard resides at Goodwood. (Yes, the chicken is secondary to the honey mustard)
3. Fry sauce should be a national phenomenon.
4. I need some more shoes. (These and these and these would be nice.)
5. After killing 11 spiders in my house in one day, it's time to call the Spiderspray guys.
6. Jonas has suddenly grown up 2 years in the last few months, and I am not sure how I feel about it.
7. You know you are reading a good book, when you are nearing the end of the book and find reasons to put it down, because you want it to last. (Am I the only one that does this?)
8. The line I pull my car into at the bank, is always the slowest.
9. Having a child at this age, can really cause you need a night out:

10. Friday really is the greatest day of the week, especially a Friday where you get to start an entire weekend of birthday festivities. Bring it on!

Things I know for sure: 7

St Patrick's Day.

Green smoothies,

to go along with green shirts.

Green hair

to go along with a totally green lunch.

Thing I know for sure: this family totally gets into pointless holidays.

Things I know for sure: 6

Wish lists are fun to make.

That's why I don't care that my husband never has any clue about what to give me when he is attempting to give me a gift for my birthday. I know, without fail he will ask me to make a list, and he knows without fail, I will respond with totally unpractical gifts listed like:

A cure for diabetes,
For Charlie Sheen to go away and leave the world alone,
A winning lottery ticket,
For children the happily skip off to their beds when asked.
An invisibility cloak,
And a magic pill for instant weight loss.

Sometimes I make more tangible, but still unrealistic wishlists like:

Two of these:

or something like this for my backyard:

Or that ever illusive item always topping my list:

I make these lists every year, but he knows and I know that I am overjoyed with 

A babysitter, 

A good meal at a good restaurant, 

A movie, (on the occassion they don't all suck)

And a few good books.

We are creatures of habit, my husband and I. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that for sure.

Things I know for sure: 5

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face.  It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy.  ~Edward P. Morgan

The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.  ~James Bryce

A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end.  You live several lives while reading it.  ~William Styron, interview, Writers at Work, 1958

"I love libraries. I love books. There is something sacred, I think, about a great library because it represents the preservation of the wisdom, the learning, the pondering, of men and women of all the ages accumulated together under one roof to which we can have access as our needs require."  Gordon Hinckley

I know this for sure:

Every home ought to have a spot for reading. 

Every home ought to have a special spot for it's books. I love looking at people's shelves. 

You can learn everything you need to know about a person by the books on their shelves. 

Books teach us, enlighten us, speak to us, speak about us, take us places, and make us laugh.

There just isn't all that much in the world better than a good book.

What's your favorite?

Things I know for sure: 4

This is the best cover song I have heard in a long time.

And I am betting you will agree.
If you don't you probably listen to Kei$ha and think that's music.
Or Nickelback.
Or Neil Diamond.
Or someone that misspells words and call it a name (i.e. lil' someone, someone "sparxx").

And in that case, I am sorry for you.

Happy weekend!

Things I know for sure: 3

I like Writing.
English was always my favorite subject in school.
In college I once took 3 English classes in one semester because I loved writing papers.
True story.
I like grammar.
I am not an expert in English and I am not an expert in grammar, but I do know a tiny bit about them.
And I have a pet peeve that pertains to the English language:
When people use words that aren't really words.

I know the following words aren't words. FOR SURE:
1. There is no such word as "acrosst". You don't go acrosst a bridge. You cross it. Promise.
2. "Irregardless". Not a word. It's redundant and annoying. And makes you sound dumb when you are trying to sound smart. Don't use it. Regardless is the word to shoot for.
3. "Anyways". Nope, not a word. It has never been a word, and saying it makes you sound like a 13 year old. Stick with "Anyway", the actual word.
4. When someone is retelling an experience and something happens suddenly, and they say, "All the Sudden", I can't listen to the rest of what they are saying because I get stuck on the fact that "all the sudden" is not a phrase. It's "all of a sudden".  Trust me.
5. "Supposably". You should not be saying this fake word if you are over 5 years old. Supposedly is the word you are looking for.

I know these things for sure. I also know for sure that I am the queen of spelling and other lame grammatical errors on this blog and that is because I am too lazy to proof read the words that spew out of my head and onto the computer.
Seriously, you are lucky I make sense half of the time.

So don't worry I won't hold your grammatical errors against you if you don't hold mine against me.

I ain't lyin..

Things I know for sure: 2

I had grand plans of writing every day this month, but then I got a call from Caleb's preschool. He had thrown up.
At school.
During snack time.
Ya, he's that kid.
The one who will be remembered as the kids who puked all over everyone's cookies and milk.
So I spent all Tuesday nursing the kid with ultra sick tummy.
Then I woke up Wednesday sick.
Puking.
Sick moms are never good.
The dishes don't get done,
junk food gets consumed all day long,
in rooms where food shouldn't be consumed.
Things get spilled.
Toys get spread all over the house.
Counters get covered.

Then people come over and think you are a slob,
and you are embarrassed.

So this I know for sure:
Moms should not get sick.

Things I know for sure: 1

It's March. The month where spring begins and the flowers bloom.

This was taken by Hailey yesterday:

This was taken by me today:

Things I know for sure: God has a sense of humor.

March

March is a fabulous month. The snow begins to clear (and pile and clear and pile and clear), and I start to feel like life is beginning again.
I think/plan/dream about
the garden,
the park,
trips to the zoo,
being able to send the kids outside while I clean,
grilling on the bbq,
summer salads,
and flip flops.

March is when the sun stays out a little longer.
March is when I start throwing junk away.
March is when my closets get re-organized.
March is also when I was born. (you're welcome, world)

It's a good month. One of the best.

So in honor of March, I am going to spend the rest of the month posting on all the wisdom that I have gained in my almost 32 years on this earth. (is there enough space on the internet for that??)
I will call it: The Things I Know for Sure series.
And I will be starting it just as soon as I can think of something I actually know for sure.

Stay tuned....

Final boring week post

Whew. Aren't you glad? The end of the incredibly boring posts, then back to the mildly boring posts.

This week my parents returned home from their LDS mission in South Africa. This was a huge event for our family.
Posters were made:

Their house was cleaned.
Food was replenished to their cupboards.

Balloons were purchased.

It wasn't until we were at the airport, cheering for them as they descended down the escalator, that I was aware of what a big, stick-out-like-a-sore-thumb, crowd we were.
I began to notice faces of the strangers around us.
Only in Utah would you see people totally unfazed by a huge throng of screaming kids and adults cheering for some random elderly couple. And only in Utah would you see people stop and watch and clap and join in on our strange welcome bandwagon.
It made me think about how Utah is cool; with all its strange culture.
It's happy.
It's warm.
and inviting.

And it's my home. 

And I am glad it's my parents' home again...

for a little while at least.

Boring week post # 3

I went shopping with a friend this week.
She needed toothpaste.
I hate buying toothpaste.
The toothpaste isle gives me anxiety.

One promises whiter teeth.
One promises fresh breath.
One promises tartar control.
One promises complete health.

I don't know what I want.

Do I want white teeth?
Good breath?
Tartar that is whipped into submission?
Or Do I want to run and not be weary? (isn't that what complete health is?)

What I want is toothpaste.
The crap you put on your toothbrush to clean your teeth.
Where is that?
I can never find it listed on the 50 different tubes.
So I get anxiety.

Am I the only one?

Boring week post #2

I cleaned my craft room a little while ago. I swept the glitter up off the floor, cleared the table of scraps, and emptied every nook and cranny that was crammed with crap that didn't belong in there.
Then last week I walked in there and looked around. I realized I have a lot of stuff, purchased for a specific project, but never started.
See, I have four kids.
And a husband.
That works, like a lot.
Those are my excuses.
But last week, I got the sudden urge to make something.
So I whipped out the glue gun.
(most worthy projects involve scalding glue)
And the assorted Styrofoam balls.
And the twine.
And I got out the old plastic bead necklaces.
And I glued and wrapped and glued and wrapped.
And I spray painted a little.
And then I was done.
I liked it.
So I put it on my kitchen table.
My family thought they were weird.
But I don't care.
Cause my family is weird,
and I still keep them around.
So the balls are staying too.

Boring week#1

I got told twice last week, that a recipe of mine was good.
I liked that.
Mostly because I am not a fabulous cook, and it made me feel like I was.

"I made your chimichangas last night; they were delicious."

I love that when someone compliments me on my recipes.
I say thank you, but really all they are doing is complimenting on my ability to find a tasty recipe and follow it's directions, feed it to my family, find out that is is tasty and send it along to the next person.
It's rare that you actually compliment the person who created the recipe.
But I take credit all the same. And so do you, you know it!
You also know you want the infamous recipe, so here ya go:


Oven Fried Chimichangas
2/3 C. Salsa
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 cups cooked chicken or beef
2 cups (or more if you have an addiction like me) shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped ( I omit these all the time if I don't have them on hand)
6 - 12 flour tortillas
2 T. butter, melted

Mix salsa, cumin, oregano, meat, cheese and onions. Place 1/2 cup mixture in the center of tortilla. Fold opposites sides over the filling, then roll up from the bottom up and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, until golden.
Garnish with additional cheese (because there isn't such a thing as too much cheese) and green onion.
Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Make it, eat it, love it, pass it along, and take credit for it! You know you want to...