Field Trip with The Boofus

I'm a Chaperone today. For a bunch of 3rd graders. Third graders are loud. We're going from Colorado Springs to Denver. On a School Bus. For an hour and a half. Did I mention on a school bus?

I may never be the same.

The best part? It's to the Denver Planetarium. I have my sack lunch. I'm even bringing treats (read: bribery) for my charges.

Send donations to Nan...she'll make sure I get them.

*NOTE: I made it home. My bum is sore from the cardboard seats, and my ears are still ringing from all the happy sounds of very loud 3rd graders. I think I lost 3 pounds just chasing a bunch of them around for 5 hours--so that's good, right?!

I'm going to bed.

On my Honor...

Last night was the Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet.

And because of some really awesome den mom's it turned out really well.

The food was great, the decorations were great, the company was, you guessed it: Great!

Thanks to Boofus' den mom, Wendy, he finally got his WOLF completed and a couple of belt loops: bicycles and computers. He could've gotten many more, but I have a Scout who doesn't have the patience to sit down with me and the book to fill it out. He prefers to do it with his Dad.

Because of Wendy, we got a fire lit under us and got the requirements completed and checked off--and he was so happy that I think earning his Bear will be much easier.

I got to go up and get "pinned" for his Wolf, but it would've been nice to have something to give to Wendy and his other leaders for all they do to help these boys!

I reminded Joseph after we got home that he owed his success to his awesome leader for all of her phone calls and activities that helped him along.

So thanks Wendy & Luraly for being so committed to our boys.

On the way home last night, The Caboose says, "I'm so proud of you, Joseph!"

CREATE!!

I love this!

The death of Killer Po

Back in September, we bought Killer Po for the kids. It came with a 14 day guarantee, that I thought we'd have to use for sure! read this for the full story: http://momza.blogspot.com/2008/09/meet-our-siamese-fighting-fish-killer.html
I was wrong. Killer Po was one tough little fishy. He lasted until today.

Upon breaking the news to the Caboose, she worked up a tear, and said, fretfully, "Now I won't get to train him anymore."

Trying not to laugh, I said, "You trained him?"

"Yes, to swim backwards and flip over. Now I'll never get to train him again." She cracked a smile when I looked at her with all the pity I could muster.

Anyone want a fish bowl?
Which is ironic, because tonight we're going over to look at a black lab to see if it's a good fit for us. I told you I've been missing our sweet dogs...so I think I found an adult lab, fully house-trained, up-to-date on shots, well-behaved and an indoor dog. The kids and I met him last week, we're taking Kent over to meet him tonight on the way to the Blue and Gold banquet.
Maybe we should reconsider after the demise of Killer Po?

Inside the House...

The Boofus is still home sick. He's got an inhaler now. I'm not crazy about that. But if it helps him breathe, then it's a good thing, right? He's finally coughing up the phlegm! He is content to play with his Legos...Nana says he's gonna grow up and be a famous architect someday--I'm bettin' on an engineer though, with a Star Wars' influence.

Caboose is on her first-ever antibiotic--amoxycillin. I didn't realize it until yesterday that she's only been to a chiropractor and a dentist, not a MD before. She is one healthy kid. Well, until this...but she is back to school today. She made Boofus go first so she could watch what the Doc does...once she saw it was safe, she took her turn in stride.

There are alot of "bugs" going around according to the school nurses and attendance clerks--so I don't wonder if it's just us, which is kinda comforting.

I'm ready for Spring. As I walked thru KingSoopers last night, I walked thru the Floral aisle at least 3 times so I could smell the hyacinths...heavenly. If they were edible, I'd eat them. Oh, I tell you...aren't they just so great?!

It's gonna be a beautiful day in the Springs today--around 65o...is it really February?!

Women and Alcohol on TODAY

From the AP, as reported on the TODAY show:

Dr. Nancy Snyderman on the Today show, added her two cents:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

She said, " I think you take it [this report]with a grain of salt."

"I personally will have a glass of red wine with my meals because to me, that's part of the meal."

Funny, I have never considered wine or any other alcoholic beverage as part of my meal. Does McDonald's know about this?? "I'll have a Big Mac Combo, with a salad and red wine, thanks."

What else is on her dinner plate?? Nails, cigarettes, cyanide? Didn't she just say there are "carcinogens" that have been proven scientifically to cause cancer in women? She presents this information like there is dispute over it's validity, all the while, confirming it's

"definitive-ness". Why is she not using her position as "Chief Medical Editor" on the TODAY show to actually Educate with boldness? Why isn't her voice used more as a Warning??

Bummed me out.

What do you think?

What's Cookin' This Week?

How about a Mounds Cake? Dani gave me the idea, so here ya go: 1 coconut cake mix--made per box instructions.
1 can of milk chocolate frosting--in between layers and all over
bag of presweetened coconut--over frosting!

What we're having tomorrow. Chicken Pot Pie.
5 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
frozen mixed veggies
large can of cream of chicken soup
sour cream
Poppin'fresh canned biscuits
salt & pepper to taste
Bake until those biscuits are golden @350o.



What we had for dinner last night in honor of National Pancake Day...with eggs & bacon. There were no complaints. yea!

Manicotti...Monday night's dinner.

1 pkg. Manicotti shells

1 regular size (12 oz.?)ricotta cheese

2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1-2 Tb dried parsley

1 can spaghetti sauce

1/2 c onions

2 TB minced garlic

1/2 bell pepper

1-2 lbs. ground beef (optional-- I had some, Mr. W likes meat, so I put it in the bottom of the baking dish, so whomever wanted some meat could have it.)

So boil the manicotti noodles for about 7 minutes, then take place them on a smooth surface to cool. I sprayed Pam on some tin foil then put 'em on that.

Mix ricotta, cottage and 2 cups of mozzarella together. Add some salt and pepper & the parsley.

In a frying pan, put some oil in a pan and saute onions, garlic and bell pepper together until a little soft, then add ground beef. Then add about half of the can of spaghetti sauce to that mix.

Spray Pam on bottom of baking dish.

Add beef mixture to cover bottom of dish.

Fill manicotti shells with cheese mixture, using a spoon. Use spoon handle to poke it down to center. I fill each end.

Lay filled manicotti on top of beef.

Cover with rest of spaghetti sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake on 350o for 40 minutes. Take off foil and let "set" for about 10 minutes before serving.

I'm not cooking tonight because of the Boy Scout's Blue & Gold Banquet. YES!

Tuesday tidbits

Short blog today. Youngest two are still sick. Back to the doc today. Mr W has his 3rd interveiw with whom he is calling his "new boss"! yea! And it's going to be near 70o here in the Springs. I'll take that.

Oh, and there'll be pancakes in my day today...Fat Tuesday and all.

Weekend Whatsits

On the home front:

Boofus was sick with acute bronchitis. He is still home from school today. His doc prescribed z-pack..which he has been taking, but the coughing is still as crummy as ever. Boofus played with his legos non-stop all weekend long. So while he was coughing, he kept himself busy and was never ornery.

Mr W coughed his way thru the entire weekend too. But he felt a little better last night..altho he snores when he has a cold...and it's loud. I started laughing in bed, and then he did too--his snoring woke us both up!

Nana was better by Saturday (yea!) and went to the Best of EFY with Taylow & Daisie at the Stake center, which they reported was a great experience. The dance was a dud, however, b/c most of the kids there were younger--so they left and came home.

Friends and Family:

I went to the hospital with a friend to see her daughter who has an unusual illness: her lanuguage center in her brain is malfunctioning--she couldn't speak for a couple of days, and altho she was much better by Sat. evening, she still stuttered thru every sentence. After a multitude of tests, (catscan/mri) they think it's stress-related. She is a FT nursing student, PT worker, FT mommy of 2 and a stressed-out marriage. So they think her body is reacting to the stress. It just proves again how dangerous stress is to our bodies.

Mr W got two calls over the weekend with sad news...the death of one of his older cousins and the news that his favorite uncle is near death. He has lost so many loved ones...he is not sure how many family members are left. Sad.

On Sunday:

Taylow's father came to Church. I know. Wow. He's been rec'ving the missionary discussions and has accepted the challenge to find out for himself the truthfulness of the Gospel. So he came to church.

Last night, I watched the Oscars. I never get to watch those b/c Mr W would rather have his eyeballs poked out. Um, you could say he's not into self-absorbed-flashy-dressing-egomaniacs celebrating themselves. But I totally am. lol So I watched it by myself. I liked it. The dresses were beautiful. Even the program was entertaining. Are all Oscars like that?? It could win an award all on its own, I think. The bad part is that I haven't seen any of the movies...so I had no opinion on the winners. My fav part was when they had the older Female actors present this years' nominees for best female lead. Sophia Loren.

And then off to bed I went...awakened occasionally by Boofus' coughing--I went in and gave him a drink and lay by him until he was back asleep.

And that was my fun-filled exciting weekend.

I am finishing up some doula certification stuff this week, and the Blue & Gold Banquet is on Wednesday, Ari's class play is on Thursday, and I am a chaperone for Boofus' class trip to the Denver Museum of Natural History on Friday. It'll be a busy week for sure!

We now return you to your regular Blogging Schedule.

A slideshow of the Wedding book

Can't wait to get the book! We LOVED our photographer, Kimberley of LIGHTSTROKES Photography in Salt Lake City! LOVED her!

The Wedding 08--finally some more pics!

Okay so here's the best ones I have right now. The rumor is that Dani finally picked her professional photos out and we'll be getting the cd of those anyday now. I have no idea who took these--probably Nana.






















The Dad's...Mr Wonderful and Mr. Idaho's Dad aka The Bishop. FYI--they both hated the ties. Mr W teased, "We're pimped out."












Out of order, but o well.



















Mr. Idaho's very sweet Mom and Dad.














Us.












Mr W and the Caboose.
















the happy couple

Keep in mind, this was RECEPTION #3...She wanted only a small whipped topping cake for them...we also had 3 or 4 sheetcakes.

Yeah, Brad got her!

...dancing with her new Father in law.





Dara & good friend, Matthew...goofing off as usual.

So, someday, I will post the professional pics...hopefully soon.

Sick Days

This is where I want to be...in that hammock, hanging between palm trees, lying in the sun...listening to the surf and nothing else.
Shhhhh...just.listen.to.the.ocean.











This has been my reality. For 2 weeks.

Each of the 4 kids at home as been taking turns being ill...Daisie's had the stomach flu. Diana's got strept throat--a really scary case, that caused her to faint 3 different times on Wednesday, and kept her in my bed overnight, while Mr W slept in hers.




And this morning, Boofus was diagnosed with acute bronchitis.




When I told him I'd made an appointment at the doctors for him, he rebelled! "No! It's no fun there. It's so boring."

"You can take your legos with you", I offerred.
(his current obsession is spread all over his bedroom floor--meticulously laid out in battle formation)

"No, I can't. You're such a mean mom!"

"For taking you to the doctors cuz you're sick?", I laugh.

"Yeah, it's no fun there."

"Well, it's not meant to be entertaining, Joseph."

Truth be told, I called Mr W and told him to talk some sense into his son. After the magical phone call, the Boofus was up and ready to go. I have a feeling there was a substantial bribe offerred in the form of legos.



Sleepless nights. Long doctor visits. Runs to the pharmacy. Taking temperatures in the middle of the night. Dispensing meds every 4 hours and countless glasses of gatorade, water and ensure, toast, soft scrambled eggs, more toast, more juice, less sleep...





This, this right here is what every mother in the world should receive after one of these kind of weeks.

A hammock, and a cabana boy named Ramon to bring us chocolate.

When I am Queen, it shall be written, it shall be done.

I've Got a Lovely Buncha Coconuts!

I've got a lo-ve-ly bunch of coconuts (They're lovely!)

There they are a standing in a row. (One, two, three, four)

Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head (And bigger) Give 'em a twist, a flick of the wrist, thats what the showman said.

Now that hoi've got a lo-ve-ly bunch of coconuts. (La-da-de-da-da)

Hevery ball you throw will make me rich. (Have a banana)

Now that hoi've got a lo-ve-ly bunch of coconuts. (La-da-de-da-da)

Hevery ball you throw will make me rich. (Have a banana)

There stands me wife, the idol of me life, Singin' roll a-bowl a ball, a penny a pitch!

All together now!

Singin' roll a-bowl a ball, a penny a pitch! (Harmony!)

Singin' roll a-bowl a ball, a penny a pitch!

Roll a-bowl a ball, roll a-bowl a ball,

singin' roll a-bowl a ball, a penny a pitch.

Doesn't this just explain so much?

Wordful Wednesday: Love For Self

Love For Self:

what it means to me.

Being honest about the woman in the mirror is the best gift I can give myself...
It serves noone to be anyone else or anything else.
Plus, I'm so forgetful that if I were ambitious enough to try to be someone else,
I'd soon have a hard time remembering just who that gal was?
It's better this way.

I actually like myself and the direction I'm headed.
And I accept that I am an Evolving human being
that is entitled to make course corrections when needed.

Knowing my Limits is a gift of love to myself.
I am never going to climb Mt. Kilamajaro. Or be in a Rock Band.
Or win at Dance Dance Revolution. I cannot do ALL things well.
I can do somethings quite well though.
I am not terribly witty or unusually smart. Or a Scriptorian.

But I'm clever enough for my husband and my kids,
I have sought out careers that express my passions,
and I know that once I open the scriptures
my day is going to be better.

I am patient with myself. My expectations are reasonable.
My footprints may not stand the test of time
But then again, I'm not trying to be larger than life.
The idea of being someone like "Pioneer Woman"
makes me pee my pants.
My expectations of myself are:
to raise my kids in a home of logic & love;
in a way that will show them that giving your best
is worth what it costs; is in no way
glamourous, but can be joyful.

I am gentle with myself.
I need mercy. I'm not perfect, but I'm not happy
making excuses
for my weaknesses either.

I believe that to be "Great and Noble"
One must do what the "Great and Noble"
Do.
So That's my goal.
I don't want to be famous.
I want to be Great. And Noble.
Even if noone else notices.
I want to be Great for the sake of being Great.

Self-love is more than the food we eat,
the clothes we wear, the color of our hair
though those things do reflect how we feel about ourselves.
I like to wear: *red when I am feeling unsure.
*Black when I want to blend into the scenery.
*My 11-year-old Breckenridge sweatshirt
with holey sleeves, frazzled neckline,
and alien spots in various places
when I feel loved for who I am.

I don't color my hair. "cept those two times when I dyed it MEDIUM Brown
and it came out Elvis Presley blue-black.
I have little grey hairs coming in at the sideburns and along the hairline.
I used to pull them...
sometimes I still do.
I really wish my whole head would just go grey all at once!
I've earned a headfull of amazing white hair, like a red badge of courage.
Only white.

Loving my body. I have stretchmarks that could
serve as a roadmap for New York City.
Each one, again, earned as I carried 7 babies
to full-term pregnancy. I used to wish them away.
Or rub cocoa butter on them like a buddah belly.
Now I don't even notice them.
I just notice that my belly isn't smooth and firm like it was when I was a kid.
But even that, I don't dwell on. What a waste of time.
Maybe when I can't find my size at Kohl's anymore,
I might seriously fall apart in the dressing room.
Maybe someday there'll be "drive-thru liposuction":
"Um, yeah, I"ll have a happy meal with a Sprite,
and some fat off my thighs today, thanks."

I laugh at Myself. My foibles.My lunacy.
I laugh more than I cry.
My kids can laugh at themselves and laugh with me too.
Those are my favorite mom-moments.
Somedays, I just crack myself up for no apparent reason.
Even when I am alone.

Laughing at myself gives me permission
to not be perfect. It feels good.

Self-love means acknowledging both
my Strengths and my weaknesses...
with equality.
Sometimes I need a kick in the butt
to remind me of my strengths
because my weaknesses
demand more attention.
Yeah, they bite.
But my strengths give my heart peace
so I try to remember that.
"Men are that they might have joy"--right?


That's Self-Love to me.
...Appreciating where I've been,

what the Journey has been like so far,

and not grimacing when I look into the mirror.

The older I get, the better the reflection,

another good thing about poor eyesight.

My Self is a good Self.

What about you? How do you love the You that is YOU?

*thanks to Cocoa from Chocolate
on My Cranium's topic prompt.

HAL-o-PAIN-YO Poppers & Crazy Chickens!

I had them for lunch. And nothing else.

Don't do that. Es no bueno.

Pain will ensue. Possibly death. Definitely pain.

Fuego. I think I lost 2 pounds.

Which, incidentally reminds me of my Dad...and chickens that were eating their own eggs before we could get the eggs out of the coop each morning:

My dad got out about 6 eggs, and using a small icepick, poked holes on each end of the egg, then he blew out the entire egg yolk into a bowl. Then, he slid a coffee straw into the holes and filled the eggs up with Tabasco sauce and put the eggs back into the offending hens nests.

About an hour later, my younger brother comes in the house yelling for us to come out n' see the chickens "going wild"!

So all 5 of us kids ran out and saw those hens running around the entire pen, sqawking and half-running-half-flyin' around, with Tabasco sauce chasing their tails behind them.

They never ate their own eggs again. True story. Doesn't that explain so much about me? Try not to think about this the next time you have "hot wings".

A New Angel

http://corapaige.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

and

http://themcclenahans.blogspot.com/ for the whole story.

I came across one person's blog that led me to this one. If you want a clearer perspective of the trials you're facing in your life right now, go read about CORA PAIGE. Her story is one you will never forget. You won't want to. There are things you can do to help. Go. Do. Now.

I thought to write about whether or not God gives us more challenges than we can handle or not. My decided answer is YES, HE does. He does give us more than we alone can handle. Otherwise, why would we need Him?

Are we not here to learn, learn, learn to lean into our faith, whatever it may be--so we can come closer to our Father in Heaven and to have peace in the journey?

And then, I read the McClenahan's blog... even while they are praising God for His goodness and mercies, in 3 short weeks, they said "good-bye" to their baby girl.

And I am left with the heartache, that confirms my feelings that YES, we are given more than we can handle alone. And yet, my faith is formed in HOPE that YES, we are not alone.

As I said last week, TRIALS come and go...we cannot control how long they last, but we can control how we endure them.

The McClenahan's have set a faithful standard worthy of praise and emulation. I will watch them with great interest and compassion as they continue on their journey.

As I have loved you,

love another,

this new commandment,

love one another,

by this shall men know

ye are my disciples,

if you have love one to another."

~childrens songbook

Weekend Winner

Saturday morning we woke up to a Winter Wonderland here in Colorado Springs...Jack Frost didn't blanket our world, but sweetly kissed every single blade of grass, pineneedle on our Blue Spruces, and tiny little anything that was possible. You know how much I love Colorado right?



I just do! And yep, this is our neighbors' tree--with christmas lights still strung on it. hmmm I didn't notice that until now--wonder what they're waitin' for to take 'em down?

Still, I love Colorado blue spruces--lights and all.
















Isn't it just so so neat? I get real excited about snowy days. I just do. Maybe it's because I was born in Miami, Florida?


We didn't feed the missionaries that morning, because the girls and I headed up north to Fort Collins, CO to watch our Dean play Bball...one of his many sports. He is the most physically active child in the family! ...truthfully. He plays Volleyball, Softball, Basketball, Soccer, and he also participates on a Swim Team and and a Snowshoeing team...and a buncha stuff I can't remember.



That's his team right there. He's NUMBER 4....stretching out his legs.
He plays for the Fort Collins' Cougars. His team rocks! They're all so happy to be playing! You can see, they are not your typical athletes... Everyone is a Star!
They even cheer for the other team too. Because really, everyone who plays is a winner.


That's him, going for a 3-pointer. Has he got style or what??! David Scott, I think he could take you!


He amazes me.

The doctors said he would never walk. Or talk. Or do anything.

But we didn't listen to them-- did we, Dean? Nope.









If you ask Dean, he'll tell you his team won. The score was irrelevent. We went out to Tres Margaritas afterward--he was hilarious: when they gave us the check with the mints on the little tray, he tossed his into the next booth, saying he wanted a "real dessert!"--good ol Dean. He is so random like that.



Saturday was beautiful.