Happy 9th birthday Alayna

Happy 9^th birthday Alayna

(Alayna wrote this song-to the tune of Happy Birthday- for me to sing to her to wake her up on her bday. Original spelling kept to save the integrity of the poem.)

“Penguguins live in a zoo,

There also meant for pets to,

But im not getting one for your birthday,

And remember that for Christmas two!”

She invited lots of friends over for her birthday party. We were originally going to get “Mr. Poppers Penguins” but it didn’t come out in time, so we went with Alayna’s favorite movie, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. I let her pick out her decorations (she is very particular), her cake (we had the lady there put on her name for free), and the rainbow cupcakes for her class. She LOVES being able to pick all that out on her own and decorate her own way.

The kids watched the movie and had lots of popcorn. Then we opened presents, had cake and ice cream, and then played outside. Overall, I think it was a huge success. Her daddy even bought her flowers!

Fantastic and Exciting News

I have never once regretted my decision to resign from teaching at the middle school. I felt strongly I needed a change and a “new direction”. I’ve been searching diligently for a new job for several months now. I was offered one, but turned it down due to some concerns I had. I was offered a possibility on another and turned that down as well. Then, I thought “Maybe I’m being too picky”? But then I have LOVED being home and stress free. I always knew if I could start feeling better and have no stress I would be a force to be reckoned with.

Anyway, the 1^st week of August a job popped up for a media secretary at Jefferson High School, which is exactly the type of thing I’ve been wanting (I think?) So, I figured this was as good a time as any to try, right? Long story short, I thought the interview went great and they called (after several grueling days) and offered me the job. They said my references were “absolutely impeccable” and they were excited to have me. I start on Monday so wish me luck. I’m taking a break from my Master’s for a bit to lower the stress and make sure this is what I want to do. I have lots of worries about this new change and how I will fit in, but I know how happy I am in libraries, so we shall see.

Not such great news

I promise I am NOT being ungrateful here for the job, but I found out there is no air conditioning and the required dress is dressy casual, of which I have very little. See, NONE of my clothes fit anymore, which is a good thing, but fashion right now is hideous which is BAD! Fur vests? Really?? Can anyone picture me in a fur vest in an un-airconditioned library? I think not. Ruffles? Ok, some people can pull off ruffles, but I am not one of those. I look like a pirate and the ruffles go around my face like a picture frame, so not a good look. Also, shirts with HUGE arm holes. Really? Is that where we want people to look? After about 3 solid shopping days I came home with 1 pair of black pants and a sports bra. So, wish me luck on Monday! Maybe I should go into fashion design and make affordable cute clothes for people my age to still want to look young and don’t want to enter into a mid-life crisis. Is that too much to ask?

Kayla and the Drama of the Sophomore Year

Ok, so I won’t go into a ton of detail except to say sometimes high schools suck and I wish a charter school were here. Basically, Kayla has had a couple of health issues so she has had to miss PE and so I petitioned to get a waiver and have it dropped. The idiots at school won’t drop it til she has a dr note and the dr can’t see her again until Tuesday. Argh! So, they made her sit in the counseling office. I finally pushed and got this quarter waived until we get the dr note which hopefully waives the remainder of the year.

THEN, they said we missed the deadline to add a class by 2 days. They make NO exceptions. Ever. Did I say “idiots” yet? So, they can add a study hall. But she ALREADY has a block study hall. So, we went with a different option and ordered an interior design class from BYU independent study for high school students. She is SUPER excited so she will do that class during the 2^nd study hall.

Domestic Goddess of Awesomeness

*I probably should have put a disclaimer at the beginning of this entire blog entry to let you know most of it would be about me!

Now that I will be working pretty much full time (6 ½ hours a day), my previous job of “Domestic Goddess of Awesomeness” shall probably cease to exist. And I was on SUCH a roll! You would all be shocked at everything I accomplished this week. I probably should have relaxed more (and I did some like relaxing bubble baths to read during the day) but I felt like I had so many things that were needing to be done, I just couldn’t help myself. You know me.

I scrubbed the outside of the outside fridge which hasn’t been done since we moved here. I scrubbed the door going from the laundry room to the garage. It used to look black, now it sparkles white. I transferred almost all of the kids treasure boxes into color-coded bins. I made their awards binders. I started working on the blog for our 1^st year of marriage and Marisa’s birth (I should have been shot for the bangs I had!) I dusted and deep cleaned, I put up our new family picture. Let’s just say, so I don’t list and bore you to tears, that I TOTALLY rocked this week. Now I go back to survival mode?

Odds and Ends

●Marisa went on a temple trip on Saturday to Nauvoo. Tyler wasn’t able to go since he spent all Friday home sick with a fever and Kayla was sick as well. It’s starting already? Really? Kayla and Alayna even spent some time in the nurse’s office this week. Good grief, people! Do I need to send you to school with masks on? Bob is literally following everyone around with Lysol. He even squirted Tyler’s pillow when Tyler’s head was still on it!

●I have some more excellent and exciting news! BOTH girls (Marisa and Kayla) earned an academic letter for last year and will be awarded for it at a huge assembly this week. It means their grade average stayed above a 3.9. Kayla will get a special Honors Award and Marisa is getting a special Distinction Award. I am so very proud of them and their efforts.

●Alayna is one of the most creative people I know! She brought home her cupcake container after school and turned it into a housing area/spaceship for her squinkies. It’s awesome!

●Made more spaghetti sauce!

Private blog

After a ton of consideration, I finally decided to make our blog private. I had someone leave an odd anonymous comment and then someone try to advertise Abercrombie in my comments section, so I figured it was time. I sent invites out to those I know that read it, but if you know anyone who reads it and needs an invite just let me know. I promise I am not trying to exclude, just protect.

Penguins, Toga, and Back into the Swing

August 21, 2011

Back into the Swing of Things

School started on Wednesday this week. Everybody is now fully back into the swing of things and the school year routines (booo!) But everyone seems to like their classes and their teachers so here is for hoping it will be an amazing year!!

“Your children don’t need to attend seminary when you think that Satan is no longer going to try to tempt them.” (Todd Murdock)

The early mornings have been the hard part. Seminary also started this week. I love the above quote the seminary teacher shared this week in our meeting.

Penguins

Before school started, Alayna and I went on a Mommy/Daughter date to see “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”. We LOVED it! So very cute. We decided since everyone else got to see tons of movies over the summer (Harry Potter, X-men, etc) and we didn’t, we deserved a fun day out. We had a great time!

Budget FHE and Murphy’s Law?

We had a very fun FHE on Monday about our budget. Bob even made a PowerPoint that totally rocked! We discussed what we can each do to save money. We need a savings as kids start going into college.

Well right after that meeting all these things happened.

1. Alayna lost 3 library books!! How is that possible? I have scoured this house from top to bottom. If you know me, you know I am organized and there is no place for those books to hide. So, I have decided some dumb book fairy came one night and STOLE them! So, now we have to pay for them.

2. Marisa was on her way to violin lessons, when she went on this narrow street and scraped against a car because the car coming the other way was too close and was going to hit her. I’m proud of her display of integrity as she left a note on the ladies car. We got a call back and the estimate was $1000!!! Really? For a literal scrape?? Idiots! Thank the heavens for car insurance right?

3. Kayla was in a panic because she couldn’t find her soft cover seminary scriptures. So, I ordered her new ones and the 1^st day of seminary she found the seminary teacher had hers. Good thing Tyler can use it next year right?

4. You don’t want to know how much school supplies and school registration cost. Ugh. It never ends.

Me days

The absolute best part of this week is what I like to call “ME” days. Meaning I actually had time just for me!

On Wednesday I went clothes shopping. I didn’t find everything I was looking for but I found another pair of jeans that fit. Go me! Then I went and did something that has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. I actually went in to have my makeup done and get a makeup lesson!!! I know it sounds strange but it’s something I have always wanted to do. You should have seen the face of the lady who did it. You could basically read “How is this lady 40 and she has no clue how to do her own makeup??” on her face. Well, I sucked up my pride and did it anyway. Finally I have makeup that is “my colors” and now I actually know how to put it on. So, yeah me! Then, I went out to lunch with Bob at the HuHot Mongolian Grill. Then I took the kids out for ice cream to celebrate our new year at school. We also had to go to Wal-Mart to get a “manly” lunch bag because apparently when you are a boy in 8^th grade, the Disney Princess or Tinker bell lunchboxes just aren’t cool. What?! Such a great fun day!

On Thursday, I kicked butt. I had this huge list of things I’ve been wanting to do and accomplished the entire thing. I even got to….paint my fingernails and toenails. Even put a top coat on! So exciting!! Again, go me!

On Friday, I deep cleaned the house. I even got to scrub the kitchen floor with a sponge and toothbrush. Yes, an actual toothbrush. It’s been needing to be done for years but I never have time. I have also been putting each kid’s awards and certificates they have earned throughout their lifetime into a 3 ring binder with page protectors. Yes, I am that awesome.

Spaghetti Sauce, Homemade Granola Bars, and Canned Lettuce

We got an awesome food vacuum sealer, our new favorite toy and way to save money (we hope). We have started vacuuming our leftovers in jars and so far it works like a charm. On leftover night everyone just opens the jar of what they want and it’s fresh!

I heard about canning or vacuum sealing your lettuce in jars so we decided to try that too. It just keeps it fresher longer than it would sitting at the bottom of your fridge, not for long term canning.

Our garden is doing great and we had enough to do canned spaghetti sauce this weekend. We also wanted to try and make homemade granola bars and seal them as part of our money saving budget plan. Sometimes we totally rock!

(My “Hart” tomato!)

TOGA

The girls went to the bog back to school dance at the high school. It’s called Toga but basically you and your friends dress up with a theme, like a costume party. I guess one of their friends chose nerds, so that’s what they went with. I think they make super cute nerds, right?

Salsa, Swim lessons, and Some fun

Salsa, Swim lessons, and Some fun

Salsa-ness!

Whoo hoo for salsa season! Hot salsa cooking on the stove is one of my favorite things. We had the whole family helping (except Marisa who was at work escorting a giant honeybee around…not kidding) and we made 7 jars of awesomeness!

Swimming

Alayna finished swim lessons and di so awesome! I even got a picture of her diving off the diving board! She can do all kinds of swimming strokes now and loves to be in the water. My favorite part was sitting and soaking up the sun reading good books. Now THAT is what summer should be!

(That’s Alayna diving off the board in the blue suit)

(Alayna in the center swimming with her teacher)

(Practicing being a lifeguard)

Some fun

Nature walk for YW this week:

Making Jello Beans:

A project of painting a desk (all Tylers idea and when they were done they looked like Avatars!):

Making homemade tacos:

(and she passed drivers ed!!)

Writing a novel about evil clouds:

"If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers."— Edgar W. Howe

Thank heavens school starts this week. The natives are restless. They start school on Wednesday and seminary Thursday. Crazy! They will be busy and I will be free as a bird. No more children literally wrestling over the “Hunger Games”, no more kids chasing each other around the house and knocking the mattress off my bed, no more “Im bored but I don’t want to do any chores”, no more midnight trips to walmart to buy “Mockingjay” because some people won’t share. Bring it on!