Meltdown

Yesterday was Cache's Priest Ordination (yes, he's grown. . . again)and Greta's blessing day. Look at the dress my mom made for Greta. It truly was so very beautiful. (and it met my specifications of not being too long and flowy and had a subtle splash of color. I just loved it; thanks, Mom.)Good things about the day: The blessing dress fit (whole other story). Greta looked so very beautiful and I was reminded how thankful, thankful, thankful I am to have her in my life. Greta was given a beautiful blessing; as was Cache. I was reminded how very blessed I am. Lots of family was there (and they helped with Tess during sacrament meeting). The weather was very nice. We had a nice quiet spot for lunch (the equestrian park) with a pavilion and power to keep food warm and cook tortillas. (that took a lot of pressure off of having it at my house) And we had enough food. Greta didn't have a blow out in her blessing dress! All good!

However. . .

The blessing day is always and inevitably my worst postpartum day. And Greta's day won the grand prize. There was a sobbing-uncontrollably-on-my-mom's-shoulder kind of meltdown in front of everyone. It wasn't pretty. And I'm not proud.

It had been a VERY hard week with Tess. I hadn't slept good the night before. (Tessa issues) I didn't have time for breakfast. The meat didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. Greta needed to be fed TWICE in the time when I really needed to be overseeing the happenings with the meal. We ran out of paper plates. I'm really not good at these hostessy kinds of things in the first place. And then the river just started flowing. . . .

Did I mention I was emotionally spent?

I'm better now (Tom, time, sleep, my mom taking Tess for a few days and nice emails have helped tons). In our conversation last night, Tom commended me for keeping the severe blessing-day meltdowns to 40%. (On Caleb's day I burnt the roast.) "You're under 50%, my dear, and that's great!" Bless him for keeping me around through the good, bad and the UGLY!

(maybe more pictures later)

In Celebration of School Getting Out. . . .

If you are local (or not!), stop by on Friday for free rootbeer! In the past it has always been BYOC (bring your own cup), but if you don't have one, we'll provide! I anticipate it being done between 10:00 and 11:00.

INTO the mouth of babes. . .

Within the last month Tess has been caught putting several non approved things in her mouth:
My vitamins
Extra fluoride vitamins
Bum cream
Hand cleaner
Contact Solution ("Mommy, my drank your contacts!")
Baby spit up ("Mom! my tasted Greta's milk!" She said real proud after licking Greta's face. . . nice.)

Who knows what else has been sampled that has not been caught or confessed. . . How many times do you think I can call Poison Control before they send the authorities over to check out the safety status of my house???


{Wish it were just as easy to get her to down things she should!! }

Container Give Away

Tom gets these lovely sectional containers at work and brings them home to me. . . they are so handy but I can only use so many. Extras are stacking up so I thought I'd try to find other loving homes for them.

I've got a few different types. I've photographed them with coins so you can get the idea of their sizes.

These clear ones have an attached lid that latches. They are a bit hard to open, but it makes them child proof, which at my house proves to be a VERY good thing! (or you can sand the latch thingys down a bit and they open quite a bit easier, I've done that on a few of mine) This 'egg' type container has a removable lid that snaps off and on. These last two have clear lids, but in order to keep them secure you need a few rubber bands. (I only have a lid for one of the #3 containers.)Teacher ideas I've thought of:
Times Tables: Give your student a certain number of objects (say 24) and have them put them in the holes evenly and record how many different ways it can be done (4x6, 8x3 etc.) A very good visual for beginning times table/division students.
Sorting: Gives a few more homes for sorted objects than a muffin tin. It makes it possible to sort with many sorting rules instead of just a few: small red buttons with 4 holes, small red buttons with two holes etc.
Graphing Just a good visual way to teach graphing.
All of these would make good rainy day, free time or center games.

For scrapbookers they are good to hold stamps, buttons, trinkets, chipboard. . . you know all of those little embellishments one collects.

If you are neither a teacher or a scrapbooker but you have need for them, you are more than welcome!!

Almost all of them have sticker labels on the lids, but they can be removed with a little Undu. Take one, take all. . . if no one seems to want them, feel free to let someone who would be interested know. If by chance they are all gone and you want one, let me know, Tom has opportunities on and off to get more (container 1 is the easiest for him to get). Leave me a comment as to what you want (so others can see what is still available) If I don't already have your contact info, then send an email to chart@utwire.net so I can get it to you.

Safety Monitor Failed Again

Yesterday we were getting dinner on the table. . . Tom was in and out of the house grilling steaks and we thought Tess was out in the back yard playing. It had only been 5 minutes or so before we realized she was missing. She was not in the back yard anywhere. We wondered if she was in the house and we just didn't know it. We searched the entire house twice. No Tess. I started to panic.

Just at the point of figuring what step to take next there was a knock on the door. It was one of our neighbor girls with Tessa in tote. "She was in our back yard." she said. OH!

How??? Our back yard is completely fenced and both gates were shut. . .Tom had checked. And then I knew. We had a loose slat that I noticed on Saturday. When I saw it, the thought came to me that Tess might be able to get out of it but I dismissed it. Come on. . .a 5 1/2 inch slat? Tess is little, but not THAT little. And it wasn't open enough so as to beckon a little trespasser. . .just a little loose. Besides we were extremely busy on Saturday.

Not only was she little enough to fit through, she figured out that she could get through. . .These kinds of things send fear straight to a mom's heart.

Thankfully once she got to the other side she went right to play on new (to her) toys instead of out their opened gate to the road or wandering through the neighborhood. I'm thankful that when Tessie's safety monitor (me) fails, guardian angels step in. And I have to keep learning that when those little thoughts come I need to heed them immediately. I'm a slow learner. Until then I keep praying those angels don't ever go off duty. It is a full time job with that girl from both sides of the veil.

The rest of the day she begged and begged to go in the back yard. Any question as to what she wanted?? Freedom from my clutches was just too sweet. The fence got fixed first thing this morning.

A Happy Mess

I don't love messes. . . however, they are inevitable with a big family and I really try hard to not let them overwhelm me or make me grumpy. Here is, however, a mess that puts a big grin on my face:Glad that the kids are willing to come to scriptures everyday (and on Sunday, you get popcorn or some other treat!)

Watch next week for some give-aways. . . I'm envisioning them desirable to teachers or scrapbookers, but anyone is welcome to lay claim on them. . . they will be first come, first serve.

In Case You Were Wondering. . .

These are "ipod ears".

As in, "Dessa needs some ipod ears." she says enthusiastically while nodding very fast.

Family Home Evening Treats

I think treats for family home evening are VERY important!! :) For two reasons: when people are hungry and know they will be fed, they are teachable; and because it provides memories and tradition around something important to me. So I try very hard to provide varied and good FHE treats. However, I am a busy mom and Mondays don't often lend themselves to spending a great deal of time on a treat. So I am always in search of quick and easy things to throw together with things I have on hand. (Of course I also try to have things on hand that don't require any kitchen time like Oreos, Rootbeer and ice cream for floats, sweet breads in the freezer etc. And I don't object to running out every now and again for a Frozen Yogurt or Sonic etc. But that can't happen every week.) So I am trying to compile a list of such recipes so that on a frantic Monday I don't have to reinvent the wheel (my memory is not quite what it used to be, sad to say!).

Oatmeal Bars (might I recommend that you DO NOT sample the batter because you will want to end up with a few bars because they are good too!)
Granola Bars
S'Mores
Rice Krispies
White Chocolate Popcorn
Peanut Butter-Chocolate-Ritz
Frosties
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dump Cake
Slushies/Popcorn (couldn't find a recipe to link)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup (or so) water
1 pkg. Kool-Aid
Ice
Blend in blender until slushy.
And we always have popcorn popped on the stove with this. . . makes it much more of a treat than the microwave variety.

So, what are your favorite quick treats? I'd love my list to grow!

Nourishment

A couple of years ago my sister and I were discussing the food we eat and how much of it is treated with hormones, insecticides etc. or is filled with preservatives and lots of other contaminates our bodies don't really need. She mentioned that when we say a blessing on our food, it is no small thing we are asking for when we pray that the food will "nourish and strengthen our bodies". We really, really need that blessing for our health and well being.

This came to my mind the other night at a stake meeting when it was presented that we needed to nourish, uphold and protect families. The stake leaders presented that along with defending the family we need to nourish our own families. The leader presenting the ideas on nourishment likened it to feeding our families and how if we prepare food for our family but they don't actually partake of it, it doesn't do any good. She also mentioned the need for prayer in our lives to give us the power we need to nourish our families. The almost redundant phrase in my family's blessings on the food was brought to my mind (that the food will nourish and strengthen our bodies and give us the strength we need). It was an aha moment for me. Should we not also pray before scripture study that the words will 'nourish and strengthen our spirits'? And then in the same way that the blessings on our food help us get the most out of the food, our scriptures study can have that same nourishing and strengthening power for our spirits. . . . which we greatly need in our world filled with contaminates and harmful influences. I've always known we should couple scripture study with prayer, but it became much clearer to me with this simple analogy.

5:01 AM

Two parents soundly sleeping.
The mom vaguely hears a horn honking then suddenly realizes it is close enough to be in her own garage.
She rouses the dad.
He takes off down the hall wondering how a burglar could have gotten into the garage.
When he reaches the kitchen, he flips on the light and discovers a little girl perched on a counter top who had been up longer than just to push the ALARM button on the van keys.
The contents of the mom's purse are strewn everywhere, vitamins from two bottles litter the counter.
He demands, "What have you been eating?"
That is when the mom hurries to the kitchen because she realizes it is the two year old.
When questioned if she has eaten anything, by her own testimony, she is, of course, innocent.
However, incriminating spots on the little girl's mouth and hands indicate there has been at least a taste test performed.
After further questioning the parents assume the best and that only a small sampling has been taken instead of a full ingestion.
All of this was performed in the darkness of the night because the little girl has learned by experience that parents come running to halt her plans when she pushes a chair across the floor to turn on the light.
This time she claimed that she was just going to get some hot cocoa. All by herself.
Sorry Tessa, you got BUSTED! (again)
And the parents were thankful it was 5:00 AM instead of 3:00 like usual.

A Conversation with Tessa

Yesterday while eating lunch I was reading the conference Ensign. Tess was reaching for it so I asked her if she wanted one too. She did so I handed her one. She found a picture of Jesus inside the cover and started talking about it. The spirit whispered, "Pay attention, this is a teachable moment." So I stopped eating and reading and talked to her about the picture. Then the thought came, "Ask her what she remembers about Jesus." So I asked. Without hesitation she said a word that I didn't understand with her pronunciation, but I could tell she knew what she was talking about. I asked her to repeat it and I tried guessing. After a few times I finally got it. The word she used to describe what she remembers about Jesus? Organize.

This is a word she would not know in every day living in our house. So I put my mind to work on it since I figured she knew what she was talking about. In the talk I was reading at that moment by Sister Beck there is this quote: "The purpose of Relief Society, as established by the Lord, is to organize, teach, and inspire His daughters to prepare them for the blessings of eternal life."

Other ways my thoughts have meandered over this:
In the creation of the earth, it was more a matter of organization instead of a matter of creation.

This scripture in D&C 109: 8 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

• • •

15 And that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing;

According to these thoughts and Tess's memory, Jesus is a master organizer. Amazing concept. Amazing that is what she would remember. I'm thankful for whisperings of the spirit to prompt me to make use of the teachable moment because it was me who was taught remarkably.

Teacher Appreciation Bag

I volunteered to put together a little gift bag for teacher appreciation week. It will be given away in a drawing for a teacher at Chandler's school. In my mind it was way cooler than it turned out so I hope whoever wins it doesn't think it is too stupid. It's the thought that counts right?

The container for the whole thing is a little placemat purse. . . a great size for a few library books or I am envisioning a little holder for a homework project a teacher could send home with the kids. (I used to do little writing assignments that the kids did with their families that we rotated within the class and this could house something of that nature.)And since I've been a little into decorated notebooks, I had to throw one of those in. . . .And a few magnets for the chalkboard/whiteboard. Or I used to use them on my metal door frame for no-name papers, reminders etc. Then a book mark. Seemed appropriate for a teacher. . .
A bottle of hand sanitizer. . .can a teacher have too much of this around these days?? I think not!
Some little binder clips. . .again just seemed kind of teacher-y to me! A hall pass made from a box of crayons (Put eyelets in the side and attached a ribbon, filled it with styrofoam and sealed with Mod Podge.) At that point the contents seemed like just a bunch of trinkets so I made a little gift card holder (for Applebees) and threw in a bag of truffles. Hope whoever wins it can get a little use/enjoyment out of it. . .if not, I guess it is all good prize material!

Bag Trick

This is a nerdy post, but oh well, here it goes. . .

My good friend Amy shared this with me years and years ago and I've used it ever since. . . it is so handy so I thought I'd pass it along. It helps you recycle all those bags we get at every store and makes them easy to store and tote in places you might need a bag. I keep some in the diaper bag, my purse, in the van, send them to scout camp with the boys etc.

Basically what you do is fold the bag up like a flag. First you flatten it out and press all of the air out of it. Keeping air out of it is the biggest key to getting them to fold right. So as you do each step, press air out of it and hold it tightly so more air does not get in it.After the bag is flattened, fold it in half and the fourths lengthwise.
Fold the handle part down taking care to keep out as much air as possible.Starting from the handle end, start folding it into triangles until you get to the end.
Tuck the last little bit in a fold.Walla! You have a bag ready to go! Having these little guys tucked away have come in handy way more than once!Happy folding!