Grab Your Family and GO!

Tents...check.
Sleeping bags...check.
Grill...check.
marshmallow-pokers...check.
graham crackers...check.
hersheys chocolate bars...check.
cooler...check.


We're headed up to our favorite place in Colorado--Rocky Mountain National Park--later this morning. Mr Wonderful's idea of a vacation is sleeping in the dirt. Sleeping under the stars is not cliche to him, my Montana mountain man. Sleeping in a tent is "cheating". The only thing that could make this trip even better would be if it rained at night too...he likes to sleep with the sounds of raindrops hitting the tent. He's the first one up in the morning. He gets the campfire going. He gets the water boiling for hot chocolate. He starts the griddle and gets the bacon and eggs going as we all start to pour out of the sleeping bags and tents, with bed heads covered in tooks. (sp?) Mornings are the best when you're camping. We poke around until we're good and ready to close up the food in the car, zip the tents and then grab the fishing poles and hit the trails, rivers, and lakes for the day.

I didn't grow up camping. Ever. When I was 15 my folks moved from Charlotte, NC to Denver, CO (because the Broncos won the Super Bowl and my dad was obsessed with them. no kidding.)
anyway, my folks bought a tent so we camped all the way across the country in order to save money. Back then, we kids thought of it as a great adventure. We had a small car with 7 people in it. It was a Dodge Coronet. My youngest brother, Keir, rode across country lying in the backwind sheild dashboard. The rest of us thought he had the best seat, b/c at least he could lay down, while we were sitting shoulder to shoulder. (seatbelt laws didn't exist).

Anyway, when we got to Colorado, we camped out at Cherry Creek Reservoir for the maximum days you could--21--which was just enough time because my dad had found employment in that time, and we moved into a home.
We never camped again.

My first husband didn't like the outdoors at all, so it wasn't until I met Mr. W that I got to experience true camping. And I really like it.

The kids love it...LOVE it!-- the tents, the sleeping bags, the cooking outside, the eveing stars and flashlights (!), running all over all day long with each other! What a nice change for all of us to be together with no distractions.
Even your teenagers will love it!

So, go camping this summer. It's worth the investment in a tent and bags and get a little Coleman grill, some flashlights (AND BATTERIES!) a cooler, and you're set! Or borrow it all if you can! You'll be so glad you did!

If you haven't been before, it's a great investment for family time. And unlike a trip to Disneyland, you can go and come back in a weekend--with the economy the way it is--short trips can make alot of memories over a whole summer than one big expensive trip. Just a thought. For RMNP, it's only $20.00 a night. That's less than a trip to McDonald's for our whole family!

So come on! you can make reservations for YOUR National Park online...simple, simple!

Right here: http://www.recreation.gov/.

America's Best Idea - The National Parks - Gets even better this summer with several fee-free weekends. All 391 National Park Service sites across the country will offer free admission on June 20-21, July 18-19, and August 15-16, 2009. Many park partners including tour operators and vendors will offer additional discounts and special promotions on those dates.

HomeBirth: A song of the heart

I spent the whole day doing my favorite thing...hanging out with pregnant women and babies.
As a doula, I have had the opportunity to attend hospital births--which I am so grateful to have been invited and loved every minute.
Now that I'm training with a midwife as a Birth Assistant, I am loving the homebirth experiences...what a remarkable difference.
I've had hospital, birth center, and home births myself. Each resulted in a miracle: A baby!

And I would NEVER stand on a soapbox and tell every woman I meet that there's only one way to have a child...but I will tell you this:
if you have a choice (meaning you are risk-free) just know you have options. And those options are worth investigating.

Knowing those options and choosing for yourself is empowering.

Witness this awesome momma.

Are you a Target at Target?

Simplify. We hear it over and over again. And yet, as I blog-hop and get a small peek into other women's homes, I am concerned. Consumerism is intoxicating and suffocating our homes, it seems. We've gone from the desire to create a haven and a refuge from the world for our families, to an ego-driven distraction to out-do one another in creating homes of the Rich and Famous.

Mommas, every day does not have to be a parade. We do not have to have homes that look like they came out of HOUSE BEAUTIFUL to be good homes to raise a family.

Our children can look like children and not like America's Top Model and still be happy. My mom said "You don't have to be rich to be clean." Keep the kids clothes clean and their noses wiped and you're good!--no need to be OCD about it. How do I know this? Because I was an over-acheiving young mother--I sewed alot of my kids clothes to match one another, even sewed Mother-Daughter Easter dresses that took me well into Easter morning to finish! I ironed my sons and daughters play clothes, and tried to coordinate them when we went out in public as though we were going to a photo shoot instead of the mall. I thought that was expected of me. I was so wrong. Then, I discovered Mervyn's--a now-closed store--but one that I loved to shop their clearance racks! So when I sound this voice of reason, it comes from a place of experience! Don't do it! Don't wear yourselves and your wallets out just clothing your kiddos. My youngest daughter wears church dresses that my oldest daughter wore, and 2 other daughters in between. She loves her hand-me-down dresses.
Our Kitchens do not have to be full of "gourmet foods" to be appreciated. I ask our missionaries all the time, what's their favorite dish that their moms make for them. You know what they say? Sunday roast with potatoes and rolls. Chicken enchiladas. Tacos. Easy stuff. Comfort foods. Never once has a missionary said, "This one dish my mom makes that takes her hours in the kitchen, yeah, that's the one!"

Why put the pressure on ourselves to out-do? Excellence does not Equal Exhaustion.

Shopping used to be an activity borne out of necessity once humans no longer grew their own food and substance. Now, it is a bonafide hobby.

LISTEN UP: Target, specifically, caters to young homemakers with their marketing. Each aisle is carefully designed to reflect the current season...the messages perfectly hanging from the ceiling which combine to say, "If you buy this stuff, you and your family will be happier." Think about it. Do you really need a handtowel with easter eggs on it? Does your bathroom floor mat need appliqued snowmen to make your shower somehow better? Will your food taste better if there are 4th of July relics all over the plates, glasses, tablecloth, placemats and stemware? I call it "sucker marketing"...and if you spend alot of time in Target you will come home with something you don't need...everytime.

Good taste is classic.Be careful of where your money goes...is "it" a necessity? Our Bishop just gave us that counsel last month--to be more thoughtful about where our money goes, even if we think we have more than enough to cover being frivilous--it is not what the Lord wants us to do with our resources.

The next time you go to Target (later today--lol), walk into the store with "new eyes"...be sensitive to their marketing...notice the "feeling" they are trying to evoke in their shoppers. Look at the junk in their $1 bins...all of it is color-coordinated by theme to match the rest of the wares they're hocking. Be a smart shopper.

Don't get me wrong, I love Target. If I have to go shopping, I will choose Target over Walmart [usually]for household things. Talking with a friend of mine who was a Marketing Manager for Target stores in the midwest, I told her of my observation that Target uses holidays to manipulate homemakers into buying their wares, and she said, "You got that right. That's exactly what they do. That's why they're called "Target" --they know their demographics." Good to know, yes?

Looking for something to buy just to buy something is habitual. It's an expensive habit.

We are charged to be profitable in our calling as wife and mother...profitable in the sense that our time and resources are used wisely to create a loving, faithful home that releases into the world responsible, faithful, loving citizens who are prepared to take their place in society.

There was a family in our Texas ward years ago--the Cannons. They had alot of kids and little money.

But let me tell you what--they remain in my mind one of the happiest, most well-adjusted families I've ever known. Their manners were impeccable, their countenances glowing, and their smiles unforgettable. They drove a huge white van that had seen better days. Their home was modestly furnished. Bro. Cannon shared his testimony one Sunday and said then that he'd always wanted to provide better for his wife and children, and how grateful he was for their love.

The he said he was the most blessed man he knew. I think he was.

That was nearly 26 years ago. The Cannon's got it.

I also think of Mr Wonderful's Aunt Pauline & Uncle Al in Spokane. We went to their home for a visit a couple of years ago. A lovely home. The dishes we ate off of were at least 40 years old. I'm not kidding! They reminded me of the plates my own mother had when I was a kid. The meal served was simple and nutritious and homemade. They had a garden out back that was the highlight of the trip for my kids--they stayed out there plucking beans and berries for most of the morning. I admire their priorities.

Whenever the "envy monster" rears his ugly head to me, I think of President Hinckley's life and home. Modest. No winding staircases with designer railings and window treatments. Simple.

Efficient. When I think of Sr. Hinckley, I imagine she had her favorite special linens and dishes that she cared for and used up to serve her family. Her home met her expectations. Just like she used her life.

Be wise young Mommas...your legacy will not be how your window treatments matched your lampshades, or if your child's room was a palace, or if all your tupperware matched. Legacies are bigger than that.

I'd really be interested to know if other Momma's agree with my take on this, or if I'm just weird. Comment here, or make your own post on your blog!

You can tell alot about a person by what they read

Remember that oh-so-fun trip to the library last week? I actually did pick up some books for moi. When I got home and looked at my booty, it occured to me I need help. Apparently in alot of different areas of my life.

One of the books is called "Getting Along with Almost Anyone"...it's a personality profiler that was kinda interesting-- I learned nothing new about myself tho I did my own "profiling" of Mr W and a few of my friends and yahoos...which may or may not be scientific but still provided "AH-HA" moments. Reading a profile and thinking "Who do I know like that?" was way fun....got to read about all their good and bad...in the end it was more fun than I thought. (Oh, couldn't find it online to show the cover--and it looks like I'm the first one to check it out...so either its a brand new book or --not. So I chose a smiley face to represent the cover, cuz who can't get along with a smiley?)

Because I'm losin' my stinkin mind, I tell you. I've cracked this open just a couple of times, and if I could remember, I'd read it more often. It talks about little tricks to help recall things, diet, exercise and other stuff I can't remember. Works real good.

A comedy. Very funny. Sometimes too gritty for me. I want to grow old gracefully like Marjorie Hinckley, not like Joan Rivers. (Who, b-t-w, grates on my nerves like chalk on a chalkboard! Absolutely no class whatsoever. I can't figure out why she is even a celebrity. Seriously, my 9 year old is funnier, classier, & cuter than her. just sayin.)
Not a novel, but a fun how-to-age and still be relevant in your own mind read.

Another comedy. And it's not potty-humor. I really like Dave Barry's writing style. It makes me laugh outloud. Especially when he talks about his family. Cracks me up! Plus, he writes for the Miami Herald, my native hometown. He gets points for that. He's not as funny as Bill Bryson, but they didn't have any of his books, or that I could focus on finding because by the time I got to this aisle the kiddos already had 52 books they were hauling around and wanted to go. So I grabbed this one.

I like their show. I like them. My body went from being a "wear whatever I want" kinda body, to a "I hate to shop" body. I need help with this. They're both pretty funny, and always right about looking great. I have a secret wish that someone I know would write these guys and have them film me in my "mom-duds" around town, then come to my house for an "intervention" and force me to throw out every stinkin peice of clothing I own for brand new designer duds. I would NOT be like some of the ninnies they have on there that cry about tossing out their old wardrobe, or bawl about "the long day of shopping" and "sticking to the rules"!! BAH!!! I'd be like, "Let's get this show on the road! Whadda we waitin' for???" Then go get my makeover and show up at a party to shock my family--who would absolutely be shocked that my "mom jeans" have given way a chic, sophisticated look--I mean, seriously, someone call and tattle on me! I won't hold a grudge! Hand me that 5k charge card and I won't look back!

Because I have 3 more kids to get ready for college. I need more help being a "cheerleader" with knowledge than a drill sargent with passion. I've got to get these kids ready for college so I don't end up in a trailer park someday but at some old folks villa in the south of France. That's what I'm talkin about.

So that's my loot. No novels. No outright fiction. Mostly how-tos--dont' get me wrong I own some novels...I used to like Nicholas Sparks until he hired someone else to write for him. jk. I don't know, but his originality is long gone. I'm staing at my bookcase, searching for a work of fiction...oh! there they are...like 4 books of fiction. (Jane Austen, Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld) What does that say about me?? Is there something wrong? Is there a How-To book for this?? "How to love fantasy writing in one week or less" "How to really get into romance novels by chapter 3"....I don't know. But, I think I might go find that memory book if I can remember where I put it. Or maybe I could write my own email to Clinton and Stacy, whaddya think?

Ollie Ollie Oxen Free!!

The Elders over for breakfast Saturday morning.
They call themselves "Lunch Money featuring the Delinquent"as their rap names. One of them is leaving tomorrow.
E. Babbitt is going to Rye, Colorado.

He is thrilled.
Since today was his last P-day in our ward, he and E. Nevels spent the day with us...we went to one of our favorite places:

Garden of the Gods.






We even brought the hound.

I love Garden of the Gods...or Gog, as we call it. (That's where Mr. W proposed to me...serious.)

And we played our favorite family game--

Hide-N-Go-Seek.








On this.

At first, I think the Elders thought we were kidding...
Oh no. We don't "kid" about Hide-N-Go-Seek.

If you only know one thing about us...it's that we play this game anywhere. Parks, Walmart, Albertsons, you name it, we've played there before.

We're uncouthe that way. Absolutely uncivilized.




It was a great morning. I didn't get tagged once. The elders can hardly wait to come again. Much like the hokey-pokey, that's what it's all about!

Summer Warmth and Heavenly Gifts

It's summer here in the Springs. Everybody is outside. The neighborhood hibernation is over and the streets are full of bicycles, runners, and walkers. Neighbors we've never seen before emerge to soak up the wonderful Colorado summer weather. Lawns are being meticulously cared for, new flowers are planted, new grass being laid...everything is alive.

We are no different. We spent our Saturday in the yard...mowing, trimming, planting.

It felt like this last winter was here to stay. With the kids being so sick January thru April, winter days sometimes blended into each other. Only the weekends separated the weeks... Saturday breakfasts with the missionaries and Sunday meetings reminded us that time had not come to a halt even when there were weeks upon weeks that I did nothing else but take care of sick kids. How grateful I am that our missionaries came for breakfast...if just for that hour a week, it lightened our hearts and moods. The Spirit that follows our missionaries is truly wonderful--so much so, I tell them it's addicting. We love having them in our home.

Because of the long sick winter, I did not get to work with my Midwife and Mentor, Dotti for more than just a couple of days total. I definitely did not attend any births. That was hard for me, but honestly, I was worn out in the care of my own children, and knew that I would be useless at a birth. There had been so many opportunities to serve as a Doula in 2008, that not doing anything had become depressing. I was just thinking last week, on Monday actually, what if I never get the opportunity again to assist in a birth?

Let me back up...in 2007, I rec'd a priesthood blessing wherein I was told that I "would work, and the work you will do will affect families for generations to come." It was shortly after that I was given the opportunity to host a Doula workshop in my home, and on the first day, the instructor repeated verbatim the exact words my Bishop had said in the blessing..."the work you will do as a Doula, will affect families for generations to come." Because I had written my blessing down in my journal on the day I received it, I happily showed that entry to the Doula instructor the next day when we had some time alone before the rest of the participants showed up at my house. We both hugged and cried and became instant friends.

I knew that this was my calling and have relished in it. I LOVE the gift I have been given--to be a comfort and partner in childbirth. It is so so so ME. (Speaking about our "heavenly gifts"...we have each been given something special that speaks to our hearts that we can only truly enjoy when we are using that gift to benefit others...there is so much wisdom in that, isn't there?!)

But with my first obligation and love to my family, I wondered out loud this past week if that blessing was just for that time and no longer applicable to me? Am I supposed to be doing something else, I wondered? If so, what?

Then, an email came. It was from Dotti. She asked if I would still like to work at her clinic with her on Wednesdays doing prenatals and be her birth assistant? ACK!!!! Are you kidding me?? I jumped up and down in my chair, let out a shriek that scared the dog, and made the kids come runnin' to see their momza sittin' at the puter with tears in her eyes!

"YES! oh YES!", I replied! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

I wondered if she knew that God was using her to tell me He loves me in that hour? That she is an answer to my prayers? Her timing was perfect!

I had thought that because I had to bow out of so many things over the winter, she must have filled my spot by now, and to find out she had not but was waiting for me--well, it just filled my heart with utter. complete. gratitude.

Feeling my prayers answered so directly amazes me.

Am I even close to conveying how excited I am? I LOVE being in the room when a new spirit comes to the earth...the room is filled to overflowing with love in it's purest form.

All these words, and yet they are nothing compared to the feelings in my heart. The miracle of life is just as it is stated: A MIRACLE. As an invited guest in what I consider a sacred event, I try to make my presence there worth it to the hosts...the mother and her companion, and their family/friends who are also in attendance. A doula is there to care for the emotional and physical needs of the mother by supporting her companion and coaching that companion along to make "mother" feel safe and loved and empowered. I think I am really good at that because I love it so much. Evidently, my Heavenly Father thinks I am too. The cool wintery clouds have lifted in my heart just as the sun begins to warm the earth. It's going to be a beautiful summer. Beautiful!

It's a .....

Baby! Dani had her 1st ultrasound today and I got to be there with her and Mr. Idaho as they poked around and looked at the baby with all of it's adorable parts! Everything looks normal and healthy...technology is amazing.

The tech asked if they wanted to know the sex of the baby, and Dani said she did. So, in a matter of seconds the tech said, "Now don't go out and buy a thing blue, but it looks like a boy to me." She poked around a bit more and confirmed it 3 other times...yep, it looks like a boy.

I called the house afterwards, the girls put me on speaker phone and when I told them all, there was lots of gasping,"A BOY?! A BOY?!"

In the background I heard Joseph: "YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!"

I immediately went out and bought boy stuff at Old Navy. Nannette, I have the granma disease you were talking about. send help.

~Momza

Don't Make Me Stop the Car!

"Kids, I'm leaving!", I yell throughout the house to any listening ears. "I mean it! I'm going out to the car--if you wanna come, better get out there NOW!"
Loud footsteps are heard coming up from the basement, more coming downstairs from the loft.
"Everybody buckled up?" I ask before pulling out of the driveway.
"YES!" came the shout from the masses. Actually, I don't have a "mass" anymore. I'm down to 4 kids at home. When Nana leaves to go do whatever she is going to do, I will only have 3 children.
I've joked that I could do three children drunk. Three sounds like a vacation after seven.
I digress.

We went to the new library--it actually isn't new to the Springs, but was built after we moved away to Idaho, so it's new to us. We got our new cards, picked out some books and everyone was happy.

Or so I thought.

A slow steady whine drifts up to the driver's seat from the 2nd row. "What's wrong, Bee?" I ask.
More whining. Indistinguishable whining.
"Bee, if you want me to understand you, stop whining and talk to me." I say.
More whining. Something about not getting to go skating today like we talked about.
"Oh, yeah. The passes say we can go anyday. So let's plan next Monday, okay?" Summer break hasn't even been 24 hours, and already we have whining about plans? I'm not ready for this. I need more time to ease into the "I'm-so-bored" phase of summer...this is too soon.
More whining.
"Bee, your whining isn't fair to the rest of us. Stop right now. We shouldn't have to listen to that."
More whining...
"I am going to pull over the car...you can get out and wait until we're done at Sonic." We were on our way to get a limeade slushie during happy hour, before running another errand. Getting a slushy is a "happy thing" there should be happiness all around!
The car is filled with whining that has quickly turned into crying.
I pull the car over into a parking lot. I wish I had a camera at this point because it was getting ridiculous. Ari crawled over the 2nd row to the 3rd row of seating.
Joseph is now wondering if his mother is really going to toss his sister out of the car and says, "Mom, you can't do that! It's against the law! She's my sister!"
I look at him like, "I'm not going to do any of that."
But I said to him, hoping he might persuade her to her senses, "Then tell her to stop whining.
At the same time, I unbuckle my seatbelt and start to open the door because it occurs to me that she is acting so unusual because she was tired...she'd had a sleepover the night before at a friends' house and probably didn't get much sleep. SO I thought I'd go to the back of the car, approach that wailing wahoo, put my arms around her and put her out of her misery.
And then, it happened.
Joseph pleads with her, "Ari, stop whining before we both have to get out!"
She stopped. like mid-whine. Stopped cold.

I looked back in my mirror and said,
"Are you finished?"
Nod.
"Are we ready to go?"
Nod.

Okay then. Like I said, I'd loved to have had a camera--so I could re-play the whole thing, because I have no idea what just happened.

Pushing a teenager is like pushing a Train...

In keeping this real, I love to share what I've learned as a Mom, sometimes just writing things out helps me to see things clearer so I can continue to be a better Mom. This is my latest adventure in motherhood. So here goes:

In my role as a Mom to teenagers, I see myself more as a cheerleader, a support-person, really.
They are the ones driving the "train" that is their life, and I see myself as one who is at the end, giving all I have to push them along without taking control. I want to cheer without nagging.
I'm not always very good at this...my cheer-leader voice sometimes sound more like a drill-Sargent.
"Go! Fight! Win! You Can Do It!" sometimes sounds more like "If You Don't Do Your Part, We're all gonna die!"
"If you don't get good grades, you're gonna end up living in a box down by the river!"
"Work! Work! Work!"
I know none of you has ever done that, but it's true for me.

Going to college is important, we all know that! A successful life in adulthood begins with college. But there is something else to consider when it comes to going to college...timing.
Timing is a large contributor to success at college.
David Scott was so much more "college-minded" after his mission to Montreal, Canada than he was beforehand.
Danielle too, was more focused on college after her time as a Nanny in Europe.
And now we come to Nana. I've been pushing her "college-bound" train so hard, that I didn't notice she got off the train altogether. I was the one pushing the "fill out the forms" train,
and the FAFSA train, and the dorm train. Then when deadlines were barely being met, and some even passed, I wasn't cheering, I was lamenting and grumbling.
Finally, last night, as Mr W and I had a sit-down-serious-conversation with her, the light went on in my head about 20 minutes into it...She isn't upset about missing deadlines. red flag. Mr W was impressed to ask, "Are you feeling ready for college?"
Her lips began to quiver. Ah ha. Okay--we needed to back the train up. She had gone from being the Engineer, to being a Passenger.
The reality of leaving behind all of her friends, and going to a faraway place she's never even visited is hitting her. Letting deadlines and details escape her was her way of hitting the brakes, or just stepping down from her post as Engineer, and I did not notice. I was too busy pushing the train.
So last night, we all stopped, put the Train in Park and got out a "map" of the journey thus far, and started talking about the options she has at her fingertips. She has at least 4, which is great.
She can start school in the Fall--she has been accepted and cleared to go--but she has to talk with a campus counsellor today to get some much-needed direction if that's the path she wants to go; she can be a Nanny for a Year, no problem; she can stay at home and go to the community college and work, or she can just live at home and work...which I think she'd rather poke out her eyes than do, but it's an option.

I've learned that while I was intensely cheering, she was going thru the motions because of feeling pressured to do so--from us, from all of her friends in that "it's just what you do after High School" way. SO when I looked around to see I was the only pushing this train along, I was not a happy cheerleader. I was cranky. Exasperated. Confused. My pom-poms were crushed.

I don't know what she's going to do for sure. I do think she'll be headed off to school this Fall...
that she is having cold feet right now. She wants to be a Teacher--has always wanted to be a Teacher--and I believe she will do what that requires. I don't think she even realized what she doing subconsciously, until last night. We have encouraged her to pray about her feelings and seek guidance from her Heavenly Father. It ended, I hope, on a good note.

Just when I think I've got this "mothering" thing down, I am sharply reminded that, no, there is yet more to learn.

Later today, I am going with Danielle to her ultrasound appointment. I get to bring my pom-poms along for that one.

Freezer Jam and Aliens!

Who wants some jam? I did it. I followed the destructions on the pectin stuff and made my own Strawberry goodness freezer jam.

And the hardest part was waiting a half an hour to taste it....that was hard to resist!

Actually, that's not true.There was a small glitch. I made two batches, and after I had already poured the 1st batch into the glass jars, I realized I'd made a mistake in measuring--so I dumped it all back in the bowl and fixed it (Whew!), and though it was a little uneven in 10 jars...it made my lips water and my heart happy. I gave 5 of the jars to teachers at school. And I've tucked the other 4 1/2 jars out in the fridge in the garage...I don't want the kids to know about it just yet. You know why, right? All that yummy goodness is just sitting out there and the yahoos don't even know yet.

mwahhahaha.

**************

In other news: Daisie graduated 8th grade, which meant another ceremony for me. ACK!

The Air Force Academy graduation was yesterday...I took film of it, but since my camera is just a little Nikon CoolPix, the Blue Angels jets look microscopic. Wahh. But!!! It was awesome! another reason I love living here in this awesome country! I get all choked up when I see our Military all dressed up...if it were proper for a civilian to do so--I'd salute every single one of them! I love our women and men who serve our country more than--well, more than pie!

********

Daisie had a housefull of kids last night for a graduation party. One of the kids' Mom stayed and visited. I have to say, it was the best entertainment I've had in a long time right in my own kitchen. This gal should write a book, I am not kidding. She had "scientific evidence" of UFO's, the World wide Government's plot for mass genocide on the US and other countries' citizens, she became a Christian Scientist to avoid being "the victim of complusory vaccinations in the future"( that's a unusual reason to associate with any faith, imo), oh, and she's actually seen Aliens in her own backyard! It was the most entertaining evening I have had in a long time. I listened. And listened. and listened. Where she really lost me as in, "I am so not the right audience for this tale"was when she was telling her UFO story....she was 9 years old, got up at 1 am to go potty(she knew the time! red flag), looked out her bathroom window and saw a grey tent with 5 aliens dressed in silver pantsuits running around her backyard. Up to that point, I'm like, "Meh, whatever." THEN she had to ruin it...she said she didn't tell her parents or wake her brothers because in her 9 year old mind, "What good would that do?"

Ding! Ding! Ding! (red flag!) I have had six 9-year-olds so far...if ANYTHING happens in our house, the very first words out of their mouths is always: "MOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!"--no matter the time, the incident, the consequences.

Am I right? Kids don't think before they act at that age! And seriously, she said she went to bed and in the morning she went outside to look for evidence of the previous night, and found nothing. SHE WENT TO BED thinking there were aliens in her backyard???????? HA!No way.

My kids come into my room if they even THINK there's something amiss in the house...or after a scary movie!! We have to do a regular patrol of Ari's room everynight at bedtime...Mr W has to go to her closet, open it, blow a raspberry, then shut it, then turn on the nightlight, and secure the windows, etc. --going to bed is a ritual around here...and she's sayin' she went to bed after watching aliens for 20 whole minutes!! Twenty minutes is all the time she gave to watching Aliens in her own backyard before deciding she'd had enough and went back to bed. (red flag!)

but hey! it was good clean fun, I'm not gonna lie.

Just as she's leaving, she says, "You know, they could've been angels instead of aliens." Um yeah, sure, okay. Angels wearing silver jumpsuits. Sure. Why not? Who am I to say otherwise?

Hands down the best conversation

I've had in my kitchen in months!!!

HELP! I've got Ambition but no Skill!

One flat of fresh Strawberries.............Check

10 Mason jars with lids........................Check

2 packets of pectin stuff.......................Check

Sugar.......................................................Check

Desire to Make my own Freezer Jam...Check

Recipe........................................................NOPE.

Help. I've never canned before...I know, I know...just didn't learn that yet. I can help you have a baby or sell your house, give you reasons not to sell your teenager when they're driving you nuts...but I don't know how to do food preservation.

Marilyn, this is your fault. I just thought you should know.

Please send recipe ASAP.

~Momza

A Golden Memorial Day

We spent our Memorial Day with Dani and Mr. Idaho in Golden, Colorado. You've probably only heard of Golden from the Coors commercials. But truly, what a very quaint and entertaining little town it is! We got some sandwiches and ate at a Park...where there happened to be the Clear Creek River running through it....just the sweetest place to spend an afternoon, really! There are so many things to see and do, we just barely touched the surface...for starters there are kayaking courses running through the river.

That's the Caboose atop a playground thingy with "M" mountain behind..."M" is for the Colorado School of Mines, where Mr. Idaho attends and is a stellar student.

All along the riverwalk are bronze statues...Daisie getting her first kiss.

The Caboose atop wildlife.

A bronze tribute to the "Sons of Liberty".

Daisie smiling for the camera..and Nana's too short skirt behind her. I'm waiting until I see said skirt in the laundry to help it dissappear. Nana's aware of this, which is why I haven't had to "push through" any of her laundry lately.

Kayakers

Flyfishers in the same river...

More kayakers...they were so entertaining...and a wonderful example to me as to why I would NEVER do that...one guy went underwater and didn't come up for 500 yards at least. I thought I might have to use my superpowers and jump in and save him, but he came up.

The kayaking skill course.

Miners Mountain

The Caboose trying out one of the 30 creek side benches. Listen, there were even adirondacks on the creekside for people to read or meditate on as the river rushes by...my kind of heaven, I tell you!

Dani and Mr. Idaho hitchin' a ride.

So the girls were playing frisbee....and it went into a pond...then Mr. Idaho fished it out with his pole. He's good like that.

Boofus is getting attached to Mr. Idaho. Sorry David Scott--you know Boofus adores you, but you're all the way in Idaho now...he needs a buddy and Mr. Idaho is very patient with him.

So that was our day. The perfect kinda day for me...outside enjoying the familia, noone crying...tho Boofus who had been sick over the weekend said at the end of the day, "I feel like crap." Yeah, he can only get away with those ugly words cuz I believe he realy did feel like, you know...crap. But all in all, everyone enjoyed our adventure to Golden and we are excited to go back and visit. There are bike trails, tennis courts, restaurants along the riverwalk, open fields, tons of little shops to visit and little traffic. As I told Dani, she is very lucky to live in such a sweet little town.

Only two more days of school for the kiddos and then we get a whole summer to explore Colorado again. There's always so many things to see and do here...it is my heaven.

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

My last post with a musical title. Mr. W and I went to a movie. Without the kids. And I am embarrassed to admit this, but we haven't done that in years. True story. Years. We can't even remember the last time we went alone to a movie.

So, we went to dinner and a movie. We saw Star Trek. And it was really a good movie. I would even see it again!

So yeah, don't follow my example...don't wait years to do something so ordinary as go to a movie with your sweetheart. That's just ridiculous.Like wearing sunglasses at night.

Rocky Mountain High

Have you heard of "house-trading vacations?" It's where families trade homes for a vacation.

I looked at some of the sites online years ago and thought, "man, I'd love to do that!"

Well, here I go, taking charge of my own life again, seeing if I can dangle this out there and get a response. With the economy in the dumps like it is, and gas getting ready to sky-rocket this summer, I'd still like to take a vacation--but wow! wouldn't it help if we didn't have to pay for a hotel?? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Is anyone even mildly interested in swapping houses for a few days to a week with us here in Colorado Springs, Colorado? We have a 5 bed/4 bath home. It's in the foothills of Northern Colorado Springs...very near the AFA...little less than 50 miles from Denver. Think about it.

Let me know where you live, about your home, and we'll go from there.

We'll be picky. We'll want references. We have references too, of course. Think about it. Talk it over. You can email me.

P.S. We're hoping for either California or Salt Lake City in mid-to-late July.

A Vision of Love

Graduation Day! Diana and Taylor both graduated yesterday from high school. TWO different high schools...meant TWO different ceremonies at TWO different times...But! luckily at the same place--the USAFA Field house. The pic below was taken from our seats during Nana's ceremony. They had 380 Seniors graduating. What was really fun with her class was that as a class, they had made a sneaky plan to hide blow-up beach balls on their persons (which was tricky because of the Security--it is a Military School)--and through-out the ceremonies beach balls would pop up like popcorn and the kids would start bouncing them around--until the Dean would confiscate them...but no sooner would he sit down with two or three balls, than 3 more would start popping up! It was so so cute! And made an otherwise boring event entertaining! The audience even "boo-ed" the Dean when he would take the balls...my Boofus shouted, "You Stink! Give' em back the balls"! lol

Taylor's Sr. class was much more reserved....tho because of where we sat, we made little Rascals "hi-signs" at her to keep her awake and us too!

Me, Nana and Mr W

Dara, Taylor, Nana, Mr. Idaho (Dani couldn't make it, but Nana and I ran up to Lakewood yesterday morning for a quick visit so she did get to see her), Boofus and the Caboose. It was rainy all day, but the sun peeked out for half a minute for this picture, then we hurried home to get ready for Taylor's ceremony, turned around and came back! Nana and I were the only ones who came back--the younger kids would've rather had their eyes poked out than do a repeat, so Mr W stayed home with them.
****************





She was born in 1990--so when I was considering the song for this post, and stumbled upon the TOP songs of 1990, well, I had to put it up! What a load of fun songs--almost as much fun as my Nana!

She is headed off to college in St. George, Utah this fall. She is majoring in Secondary Education--she wants to teach High School Speech and History. Her biggest concern was tripping in her shoes on stage--that didn't happen, but her cap was knocked off as a teacher hugged her on stage--that's my Nana.

Taylor is headed to Boise State University to get her degree as a Physician's Assistant. Taylor graduated with Honors and an International Baccalaureate honor too. One smart cookie.