(Give credit where credit is due.* )
Today has been one of those days. No one took much of a nap and it really messed up my routine. Well, whatever routine I pretend to have. And so here is a tribute to sleeping children.
"My Favorite Things" (think The Sound of Music)
Children who always says please and say thank you.
They eat all their veggies and clean up their bedrooms.
They never complain, they don't yell, they don't scream.
These are a few of my favorite things.
Naptime and bedtime and bedtime and naptime.
Did I mention naptime and bedtime and naptime.
And then there's the naptime and bedtime's supreme.
These are a few of my favorite things.
*So, I'm totally taking this idea from Hillary Weeks. She's a well-known LDS vocal artist and I heard her sing this funny version of "My Favorite Things" at a Women's Conference. I couldn't remember her words so I made up my own but the naptime part is totally hers!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Be not offended!
I'm afraid that sometime, somewhere, somehow I've offended Mother Nature. Spring just doesn't seem to want to stick around. The following pictures are specifically for family and friends in Arizona who are currently experiencing much, MUCH warmer temperatures than we are here.
This first picture was taken at 3:30 this afternoon from our front porch. SNOW!!!
At 5:00, this was the view.
Please Please PLEASE Mother Nature. Can't we just be friends? Please come back and STAY!
Look at the view! How can I complain? By the way, what's the low temp in AZ right now? Probably higher than our High!
This first picture was taken at 3:30 this afternoon from our front porch. SNOW!!!
At 5:00, this was the view.
Please Please PLEASE Mother Nature. Can't we just be friends? Please come back and STAY!
Look at the view! How can I complain? By the way, what's the low temp in AZ right now? Probably higher than our High!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Get a Life!
Yeah, I know. I should get a life. But I am just really enjoying this year's American Idol. Honest and truly, I just started watching last week. REALLY! (The Mariah Carey week. I'm not so much a fan of her. More her music than her, anyway... I'm off topic.) Our Utah favorite, David Archuletta, is just so cute!!! But then David Cook, don't know (or really care) much about him, has a great edgy, rock style that I like.
So I'm rambling...but I can't decide. David or David? Angelic or edgy? Get a life or watch American Idol reruns on youtube? The problem is, its gray, windy and cold outside, so........
http://
OR
http://
So I'm rambling...but I can't decide. David or David? Angelic or edgy? Get a life or watch American Idol reruns on youtube? The problem is, its gray, windy and cold outside, so........
http://
OR
http://
Saturday, April 19, 2008
BARE-FOOT WEATHER
Friday we went to Wheeler Farm with the Smiths. It was so great!!! An acres-large farm in the middle of the city is such a wonderful thing. It being free only makes it better than it already is.
Someone left the bag of popcorn on top of Rachel in her stroller. She decided to take advantage of the situation. Later I realized the corn had melted several holes in the bag because I put it in while it was still hot. So Rachel probably got a pretty good taste.
(I know this video is not very entertaining or amusing to anyone but me, especially one full minute of it. I won't feel bad if you turn it off after 20 seconds or so. Or if you don't even watch it at all.)
Fun with the Alphabet
B Y U - Cougars!!!
S, P and Ster went to the BYU scrimmage on the 12th with Grandpa. They sure had a lot of fun. I asked the kids what their favorite part was and they said, "The snacks!"
P is for Princess!
We never gave our girls an official middle name but they are often referred to, by their Dad, as Sydney P or Camille P. When they ask what the "P" stands for, the response is "Princess."
P is for Popcorn and Parker
S, P and Ster went to the BYU scrimmage on the 12th with Grandpa. They sure had a lot of fun. I asked the kids what their favorite part was and they said, "The snacks!"
P is for Princess!
We never gave our girls an official middle name but they are often referred to, by their Dad, as Sydney P or Camille P. When they ask what the "P" stands for, the response is "Princess."
P is for Popcorn and Parker
Monday, April 14, 2008
"Swiftly flow the days"
for mood music: turn off the playlist and click on this link. http://fileden.com/files/2007/10/30/1553859/Bobby%20Vinton%20-%20Sunrise,%20Sunset2.mp3 Vinton - Sunrise, Sunset2.mp3
So I just realized over the weekend that "S" added a Hannah Montana song to my playlist. First of all, I barely know how to manage my playlist. Any changes I make require numerous do-overs. "S" "just did it," she tells me. "You just click the mouse Mom." (insert rolling eyes here.) Second of all, she's only 7. Not even 7 AND A HALF yet. Come on!!! Computer proficiency, eye rolling, Hannah Montana...? I'm not sure I'm ready. But nothing beats rockin' out with her, with the radio turned up and mixing spoons in our hands.
Also growing up quickly is "C". She'll be 3 in June. A little background first. She is in a little neighborhood playgroup comprised of 4 little girls. Of the 4, "C" is the only one not potty-trained. I must admit, this has caused me some angst. I'm tired of changing diapers for 2 children but at the same time, I wasn't too motivated to delve into potty-training and accident-cleaning while "R" is still so young and nursing. So every once in a while, several weeks apart, we try it out and it fails miserably. New princess undies, M&M bribes, guilt that she's the last one, nothing works on her. Then Thursday she decides its time. She informs me that she will be wearing her pretty princess panties and has not one accident. Dry diapers both after her nap and in the mornings. First of all, I love love love that she decided it was time, all on her own. Second of all, where did the time go? Now she's a full-fledged little girl, not a toddler anymore.
Not to be left out is little "R". She's growing too. Sometimes it seems like only her cheeks are growing. They are just so pinchable. She's on rice cereal now and has been for 2 weeks. Wow! This week we'll start ...the squash. She's finally figured out how to swallow as opposed to the smush and squirt it back out method. First of all, baby food jars take up a lot of cabinet space. Second of all, this begins the decline of the nursing. She is no longer completely and solely dependent on me for nourishment and survival. I don't quite know how to feel about that, especially if she turns out to be our caboose.
Now Hash has had no major milestones or break throughs. He's just a joy to be around. Contagious laugh, beautiful smile. He no longer hits... without provocation. Hooray! First of all, as the only boy, he's learning to hold his own well. Second of all, he starts kindergarten in the fall. That will be an adjustment for us all. Don't get me started. I'm resisting dwelling on it too much until August. Because first of all, half day kindergarten plus a full-day student - that's a lot of time in the car. Second of all, MY BABY IS ALMOST IN KINDERGARTEN!?!?!?
(okokok, not really my baby, 2nd of 4, but my one and only little boy. I'm must nuture, protect, coddle...)
Yes, time has a way of cruising in the fast lane and I feel like I've been nursing on the couch for the last 5 months. Oh wait, I have. So how did I get here from there? there from here?
So I just realized over the weekend that "S" added a Hannah Montana song to my playlist. First of all, I barely know how to manage my playlist. Any changes I make require numerous do-overs. "S" "just did it," she tells me. "You just click the mouse Mom." (insert rolling eyes here.) Second of all, she's only 7. Not even 7 AND A HALF yet. Come on!!! Computer proficiency, eye rolling, Hannah Montana...? I'm not sure I'm ready. But nothing beats rockin' out with her, with the radio turned up and mixing spoons in our hands.
Also growing up quickly is "C". She'll be 3 in June. A little background first. She is in a little neighborhood playgroup comprised of 4 little girls. Of the 4, "C" is the only one not potty-trained. I must admit, this has caused me some angst. I'm tired of changing diapers for 2 children but at the same time, I wasn't too motivated to delve into potty-training and accident-cleaning while "R" is still so young and nursing. So every once in a while, several weeks apart, we try it out and it fails miserably. New princess undies, M&M bribes, guilt that she's the last one, nothing works on her. Then Thursday she decides its time. She informs me that she will be wearing her pretty princess panties and has not one accident. Dry diapers both after her nap and in the mornings. First of all, I love love love that she decided it was time, all on her own. Second of all, where did the time go? Now she's a full-fledged little girl, not a toddler anymore.
Not to be left out is little "R". She's growing too. Sometimes it seems like only her cheeks are growing. They are just so pinchable. She's on rice cereal now and has been for 2 weeks. Wow! This week we'll start ...the squash. She's finally figured out how to swallow as opposed to the smush and squirt it back out method. First of all, baby food jars take up a lot of cabinet space. Second of all, this begins the decline of the nursing. She is no longer completely and solely dependent on me for nourishment and survival. I don't quite know how to feel about that, especially if she turns out to be our caboose.
Now Hash has had no major milestones or break throughs. He's just a joy to be around. Contagious laugh, beautiful smile. He no longer hits... without provocation. Hooray! First of all, as the only boy, he's learning to hold his own well. Second of all, he starts kindergarten in the fall. That will be an adjustment for us all. Don't get me started. I'm resisting dwelling on it too much until August. Because first of all, half day kindergarten plus a full-day student - that's a lot of time in the car. Second of all, MY BABY IS ALMOST IN KINDERGARTEN!?!?!?
(okokok, not really my baby, 2nd of 4, but my one and only little boy. I'm must nuture, protect, coddle...)
Yes, time has a way of cruising in the fast lane and I feel like I've been nursing on the couch for the last 5 months. Oh wait, I have. So how did I get here from there? there from here?
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Pickles: Home-Grown
I thought it would be fun to share a glimpse of a typical day at the Brown house. This actually happened 3/30/08.
Typical Sunday - after the final bell rings. GAME ON!!!
As soon as Sydney is let out of Primary, she begins gathering her siblings then meets me in my CTR5 classroom on the other side of the building. Once we are all together again, we madly glance around for a brief glimpse of our father and wave across a crowded foyer. With that accomplished, it is off to the car.
As my children play dodge with cars in the parking lot, we finally make it to our mini-van. By this time, I am usually nearing manic-anxiety levels. Everyone is shoved into the van, wandering aimlessly between the front, middle and back sections of the van, including the back-hatch. As we head for home, the passive-aggressive side of me is coming out. I begin taking turns and round-abouts at a slightly increased rate of speed, knocking the children off balance and bouncing them around the inside of the vehicle, hoping to send a subtle message about the importance and value of seatbelts. Due to the outrageous laughing this generates, I’m guessing my message is not being received as it was intended.
We pull into our drive-way and the grand exit occurs. And why the furious race you may ask? The fridge. Everyone is starving, bellybuttons scraping backbones, or so I’m told. I am trying to breathe deep in order to maintain some semblance of a responsible grown-up who can actually control, if not her children, at least herself. It is barely working.
I lay Rachel in her crib, who is loudly proclaiming the unjust predicament she is in, being in a saturated diaper, unable to speak, sit-up, or scavenge for herself. I return to the kitchen and pry the children away from the fridge, explaining to each that it is the much anticipated, though not so much for them, left-over lunch day! Firmly and with complete understanding by each child that my grip could easily become what has become known as the death grip, I undo anything that would hamper them from changing their clothes, such as buttons and zippers. With all such obstacles taken care of, I retire to my room, promptly lock the door and begin to peel off the nylons that have kept me in a most uncomfortable bondage for the last 3 ½ hours. Knowing that lunch time awaits, I take a deep breath and open the door. This is a typical after-Sunday experience for the Brown family.
What is not typical is coming into the kitchen and finding that Camille, all 2 ¾ years of her, has found her own lunch. She gets as far as completely undressing and disposing of her diaper, in a place only she knows the location of, and then decides she has an impulse for a pickle. So I come into the kitchen to a view that, I must admit, makes me laugh, hard. There is Camille, in all her natural glory, pure skin from button-nose to her bare-piggy-toe, feasting on home-canned pickles. And for the first time that day, since my head left my pillow that morning, I stand still and I laugh. Some from the hilarity of the situation, some from sheer exhaustion and some from the gratefulness that life is not always typical And so for today, I find myself happy that this typical Sunday afternoon is not so typical after all.
Typical Sunday - after the final bell rings. GAME ON!!!
As soon as Sydney is let out of Primary, she begins gathering her siblings then meets me in my CTR5 classroom on the other side of the building. Once we are all together again, we madly glance around for a brief glimpse of our father and wave across a crowded foyer. With that accomplished, it is off to the car.
As my children play dodge with cars in the parking lot, we finally make it to our mini-van. By this time, I am usually nearing manic-anxiety levels. Everyone is shoved into the van, wandering aimlessly between the front, middle and back sections of the van, including the back-hatch. As we head for home, the passive-aggressive side of me is coming out. I begin taking turns and round-abouts at a slightly increased rate of speed, knocking the children off balance and bouncing them around the inside of the vehicle, hoping to send a subtle message about the importance and value of seatbelts. Due to the outrageous laughing this generates, I’m guessing my message is not being received as it was intended.
We pull into our drive-way and the grand exit occurs. And why the furious race you may ask? The fridge. Everyone is starving, bellybuttons scraping backbones, or so I’m told. I am trying to breathe deep in order to maintain some semblance of a responsible grown-up who can actually control, if not her children, at least herself. It is barely working.
I lay Rachel in her crib, who is loudly proclaiming the unjust predicament she is in, being in a saturated diaper, unable to speak, sit-up, or scavenge for herself. I return to the kitchen and pry the children away from the fridge, explaining to each that it is the much anticipated, though not so much for them, left-over lunch day! Firmly and with complete understanding by each child that my grip could easily become what has become known as the death grip, I undo anything that would hamper them from changing their clothes, such as buttons and zippers. With all such obstacles taken care of, I retire to my room, promptly lock the door and begin to peel off the nylons that have kept me in a most uncomfortable bondage for the last 3 ½ hours. Knowing that lunch time awaits, I take a deep breath and open the door. This is a typical after-Sunday experience for the Brown family.
What is not typical is coming into the kitchen and finding that Camille, all 2 ¾ years of her, has found her own lunch. She gets as far as completely undressing and disposing of her diaper, in a place only she knows the location of, and then decides she has an impulse for a pickle. So I come into the kitchen to a view that, I must admit, makes me laugh, hard. There is Camille, in all her natural glory, pure skin from button-nose to her bare-piggy-toe, feasting on home-canned pickles. And for the first time that day, since my head left my pillow that morning, I stand still and I laugh. Some from the hilarity of the situation, some from sheer exhaustion and some from the gratefulness that life is not always typical And so for today, I find myself happy that this typical Sunday afternoon is not so typical after all.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Conference Idea
This is a really neat little packet to try to keep children interested and involved in conference. I thought I'd share. I hope this link works. If not, email me and I'll forward it to you.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2438115/April-2008-Conference-Packet1
We used the bingo idea last year and it was really fun. I thought the idea about coloring in a tie that matches the tie of the speaker was a cute idea as well. I hope everyone enjoys this conference weekend. Rain in the forecast, of course. But I don't care - I get my husband ALL DAY LONG!!!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2438115/April-2008-Conference-Packet1
We used the bingo idea last year and it was really fun. I thought the idea about coloring in a tie that matches the tie of the speaker was a cute idea as well. I hope everyone enjoys this conference weekend. Rain in the forecast, of course. But I don't care - I get my husband ALL DAY LONG!!!
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