When it rains, it pours

When it rains, it pours

We had almost solid rain M-TH this week. I loved it when it was a thunderstorm. However, we really missed the sunshine. Thank goodness the sun chose to show us its face on the weekend, but our week was “rained” on in other ways…

AP World History

I think we figured that outside of class, Marisa studies for over 50 hours for this AP test. She took it Thursday morning from 7:30-11:30 and literally finished when the bell rang to say the test was done. She feels relieved to have it over. We get the results at the end of July.

(Marisa’s Jaredite boat she made in seminary.  Its probably good she wasnt around to build the originals.  The Jaredites “heart-shaped ship” would probably have sunk)

ONLY 12 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT!

Its not like we are keeping track, haha! But if you are keeping track of things never to say to middle schoolers while teaching I have another one you can add. While teaching about the animals of South America, never mention the “blue-footed boobie”. Trust me; you will never get their attention back!

Hart Health Summer

We started our “Hart Healthy Summer” and its going great so far. I think I may have figured out a point system that may be fool-proof. Only time with tell. Anyway, each week I may share some of the ideas we are using.

Our favorite drink from Jamba Juice is Razzmatazz. We found a recipe similar to it and it’s our favorite summer treat. Here is the recipe in case anyone wants to try it out: (This makes enough for 3 people)

1 cup cran-raspberry juice

½ banana

1 cup frozen strawberries

GIANT scoop of orange sherbet

Large glass of ice

Blend in blender and enjoy!

The Playground is done

I will pause now while you all rejoice with us in this HUGE accomplishment! “Go Harts, you ROCK!”

(Before picture of the sandbox)

The missionaries came over 4 hours yesterday to help us finish the playground. Its a good thing because Bob and I have quickly learned that we are not as young as we used to be! The missionaries weren’t even sore this morning, and I didn’t sleep almost all night (pulled a muscle in my back) and could barely move today. I wish when I was 20 I had really appreciated my youth and energy…

Anyway, I digress. The day started when Marisa and Kayla, along with 3 friends, kidnapped their other 2 friends (who are moving to Washington next month) to play for the day. They all came over along with the missionaries to have walking tacos for lunch. Then the girls made the elders their favorite cookies and then left to play a scavenger hunt at the mall.

(Kaela, Kayla, and Desi)

We rented a tiller and tilled the whole playground along with the area by the 3 trees and basketball hoop. Elder Bates, who we secretly refer to as superman, tilled for an hour straight with no complaints. He even whistled church songs the entire time. His whistling could literally be heard over the tiller all the way to the street in front of our house! When we asked the elders if they needed a break, every time they said, “We take a break when the whole job is done”. What a great example to our kids! Anyway, we pulled out all the weeds in the sandbox and all remaining weeds on the playground.

(Elder Bates, AKA Superman)

Then we laid down black landscaping fabric all over the playground. Thank goodness Elder Bringham’s dad is a landscaper so he knew what he was doing and helped us lay it all out right and get the logs back into the ground. Then a giant dump truck came with a ton of wood chips and we spent probably about an hour distributing it across the playground. Not easy with the sun beating down on us. But the playground looks so wonderful now and I am so proud of all of our hard work!

(Laying landscaping fabric with Elder Bringham)

At the same time the dump truck showed, we had a guy come to fix our garage door (which broke Friday night and refused to open). Then, when I mowed the back yard I unknowingly ran over and shredded a sprinkler head. Then, we found our hose had burst and was squirting out all over the place and none of us are strong enough to get the sprayer off. Should have asked those elders while they were here!

Ok, drum roll….reminder of the playground BEFORE picture…

And the AFTER pictures:

Survivor

We have our Survivor Finale party tonight. I’m disappointed this year because there is no one I am really rooting for this year. I just REALLY don’t want Russell to win. He makes my skin crawl.

Speaking of Survivor, I ran out and checked out “Catching Fire” the 2^nd book of the Hunger Games and once again, I couldn’t put the book down. I just loved it. Just as a heads up, the 2^nd one is more violent than the 1^st, but definitely just as good and just as intriguing. If any of you read it, let me know what you think.

Dessert in bed?

My kids brought me dessert in bed one night (I had been completely anti-social while trying to finish “Catching Fire”), so the “Dessert Masters” (as they call themselves) brought me dessert in bed!  It was chocolate ice cream ,topped with strawberries and M&Ms with an Andes mint on top and it was SO yummy!  Thanks dessert masters!

Mothers Day, the Hunger Games, and turning 39

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.  ~Author Unknown

You know you are a mother if (author unknown):

1. You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.

2. You have time to shave only one leg at a time.

3. You hide in the bathroom to be alone.

4. Your kid throws-up and you catch it.

5. Someone else's kid throws up at a party. You keep eating.

7. As you cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun.

8. You hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats.

9. You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into cute shapes.

10. You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!"

11. You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.

12. You donate to charities in the hope that your child won't get that disease.

13. You hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids.

14. You use your own saliva to clean your child's face.

15. You say at least once a day, "I'm not cut out for this job", but you know you wouldn't trade it for anything."

There was an insert in the program today at church which had sweet things each primary kid had said about their mom. Here are what Tyler and Alayna said about me:

Tyler said: “My mother makes jokes, has a good sense of humor, and she laughs.

Alayna said: “My mother is funny because if she laughs sometimes I laugh.

So apparently I AM funny. Maybe some of the humor and wit my brothers have rubbed off on me? You should watch “Funniest Home Videos” with me sometime…

Birthday

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes. I turned 39 this week and look forward to my last year in my 30s. Where does the time go? The kids cleaned the house, my students brought me chocolate, Bob brought home Olive garden for dinner, we went to Culvers for the bday dessert and Alayna even rubbed my feet. It just doesn’t get better than that!

(The amount of cilantro he picked to put on his naked burrito)

Odds and Ends

*Marisa played her violin in church today along with her friends Estelle (plays violin) and Mark (plays the cello). They played “Oh My Father” and it was so beautiful!! They were a perfect blend and they touched many hearts today.

*Both Marisa and Kayla had meets this week. I got to see both play. They are getting so good!! Marisa had to play in wind gusts up to 45 miles an hour, so that made it quite interesting. This will be Kayla’s last week of tennis and Marisa finishes on the 22^nd. We found a GIANT tennis ball at Wal-Mart the other day. It is so cool and we can’t wait to take it out onto the courts to try it.

(Alayna with her new tennis visor)

*Alayna won 2 pride awards at school this week.

(How heavy is Marisa’s backpack??)

*The librarian at our school was just nominated as co-chair for the Iowa Teen Awards (finding the top books for middle school kids for each year). She asked me to be on her committee to become a READER and review ALL the books that are nominated this summer. I am very excited to have a say on what will be chosen.

(Im not sure I have words for this….)

*Tyler has been reading a book called “The Dead and the Gone”. He highly recommends it. I told him he should post a review on his blog. I may try to read that next.

(He dropped something in the parking lot, bent down to get it, and the car door shut on his head.  He got quite the goose egg)

*We were going to finish the playground yesterday, but the wind was high and the temps were low so we decided to postpone until next Saturday. I hope we finish it before the party. At least we didn’t have a blizzard like Logan! We bribed the missionaries over next Saturday to help us finish the playground and we would feed them lunch.

*Hal and Corey did their science presentation about inertia for Alayna’s class on Monday. They came home and shared some of the experiments with us.

(Using a leaf blower on a roll of toilet paper)

The Hunger Games

OK here is my book review for the week. I read a book called, “The Hunger Games” this week. I was up til 1am because I couldn’t put the stupid thing down. Action packed and very intriguing. I was thrilled to find out today that there are 2 more books!! So, I put them on my “wish list”. Anyway, here is a copy of the synopsis:

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

(Bob’s new haircut)

(Tyler making wontons)

Without our traditions our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!

May 2, 2010

Without our traditions our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!

After a over a month of hours of rehearsals and a ton of work, Marisa’s school put on Fiddler on the Roof this weekend! Corey and Hal came up to attend with us and it was amazing! Such a talented group of actors and musicians! It brought back many memories of when my parents played that record over and over for us. I wish you all could have come to see it. (especially my dad!) Marisa loved every second of it. The orchestra always has a ton of fun: the first night they dressed in all black, the second night they had rainbow night and the violins were red, and the 3^rd night they decked out in beach attire .Tyler and I have a favorite quote from the show (that my own dad used to quote all the time) “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Very good. That way the whole world will be blind and toothless.”

(Marisa and her friend, Emily, opening night of Fiddler)

Anniversary, Amazing food and Avatar!

Bob and I were able to celebrate our 17^th anniversary this weekend! Corey and Hal were kind enough to take the kids so we could enjoy a night out. We went out to lunch with Corey and Hal to the Mongolian grill called Hu Hot. I LOVE that place. Then we went to see Avatar.

Unasked for review of Avatar: I thought Avatar was incredibly brilliant and groundbreaking!! It was breathtaking and amazing and unlike anything I had ever seen. I have GOT to see it again because I am sure I missed stuff. Then Tyler said he saw it in 3D and I was like, “What?? I missed that?” If you haven’t seen it yet, it is DEFINITELTY worth seeing!

Anyway, we went out shopping, went to dinner and then Coldstone for dessert, then stayed in a Jacuzzi suite at a hotel and had Belgian waffles for breakfast. It was absolutely perfect!

(Silly Alayna –she thinks she’s all THAT and more :) )

Tennis

This week on Monday, Kayla won singles 6-0. She won her doubles match too with a tie breaker. On Thursday, she lost both matches 2-6. Marisa didn’t have any games because she was busy full-time with Fiddler.

What we call a Supreme Super Saturday

1. New dishwasher, the shed and shopping

It began in the morning when we came back from the hotel. Bob, Tyler and Hal put in the new dishwasher, (which is awesomeness at its best). I cleaned out and reorganized the shed (how did it get that dirty and unorganized when we weren’t even in it all winter?), while Corey ran to the grocery store.

(see Tylers version of “help?)

2. Chair Cushions and puddy

We moved all the deck furniture out of the shed. Then Corey and I ran all over this crazy town trying to find new chair cushions for the deck chairs. Do you have any idea how expensive deck furniture is? We only needed new cushions and there wasn’t much to choose from. We finally found something that may work, but we have to get the other part of them on the other side of town tomorrow. And we went to ACE hardware to get this cool stuff (like puddy) to fix the microwave (that Alayna ruined when she cooked it to death)

3. More gardening

Then we planted 10 tomato plants, a bell pepper, and 2 jalapeño plants. So, we all we have left is to finish planting the 2^nd half of the lettuce and spinach and we are done. We weeded all the areas too and everything seems to be growing well now that the weather is perfect.

(When Marisa is actually home, this is what she is usually doing…Homework!)

4. Finally getting to play

Alayna was in heaven outside. She decorated her playhouse, played basketball, swung on the swings, and just loved being outside! I am amazed at how well she can play by herself. She and Tyler have become best friends lately and they had fun playing outside together as well. Don’t you love it when your kids become best friends instead of mortal enemies?

(Stomping out dandelions with moms high-heeled leather boots!)

(Alayna’s decked out playhouse-welcome mat and all!)

(Alayna out swinging)

5. The science of making strawberry jam

So, this was my 1^st time trying to make strawberry jam (I made zucchini jelly last year)! Thank goodness I had Corey here who was willing to experiment with me. Here’s the run down in case anyone is interested:

*First we followed the recipe on the pectin box. It called for 4 cups of sugar per 2 cups of strawberries. It was so sugary and didn’t really dissolve well.

*So, we did the next batch with only 3 cups of sugar. It tasted better than the 4 cups, but was still quite sugary (didn’t think there was such a thing). It also didn’t set really well.

*Then we tried my friend Angelas freezer jam recipe and it was a hit (Thank you Angela!)! By cooking it, it really brings out the rich flavor of the strawberries. It’s a pretty easy recipe and doesn’t require pectin! We tried it with both small pieces of strawberries and large pieces of strawberries. We liked the small pieced better.

*Then we went back and actually cooked the previous recipes that we had made. They turned out better but still sugary. We left 2 jars uncooked so we could compare tastes.

*The result? 14 jars of jelly! Sweet yummy success!

6. The boys

The “boys” fixed the fan (that Kayla broke while trying to swing dance with it) and ran to Menards for some parts. Then when we made dinner, Bob realized we were out of propane and had to go to the store AGAIN!

7. Cleaning and biking

We cleaned up dinner and christened the new dishwasher. Then Hal ran Marisa to the final night of Fiddler while Bob, Alayna, Corey, and I went on a bike ride around the neighborhood. (Kayla was at Adventureland with her band in Des Moines all day.)

8. Finally getting to relax?

We finally headed downstairs to relax and watch “Up” (which I still consider the most adorable love story to come out in a LONG time!) while we had chocolate ice cream with fresh cut strawberries! I am really surprised I didn’t have a nightmare about strawberries last night.

The boy who dared

I read a really great book this week on the Battle of the Books list. It was called The Boy Who Dared. This was the historical fiction version of the true story of the 3 LDS teens who fought against Hitler during WWII. It is an incredible story of courage and bravery. The following is a review of the true story written by one of the boys called Three Against Hitler. I HIGHLY recommend both these books.

Three Against Hitler

Just wanted to share

For those of you who love Wordle (I believe I shared some examples Kayla made several months ago?), take a look at this really neat site:

Tagxedo

"Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day." - Nicholas Sparks

April 25, 2010

"Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day." - Nicholas Sparks

Bob and I celebrated our 17^th wedding anniversary!! It’s crazy to think 17 years have come and gone. I came home from work to find 2 dozen yellow and red roses, along with chocolate. He even brought home dinner so I didn’t have to cook. Does he know me well or what? Our actual celebration will be next weekend.

The Modern 17th anniversary gift has a theme of Furniture (what??)

How fitting since our dishwasher died and so we had to go shop for one yesterday. (Appliances count as furniture right?) We went to Sears since they were having their energy star sale. Long story short (you’re welcome!) we spent forever trying to pick one out, then they told us that they didn’t have any more of that model (really?? What kind of sale is that?) We had a great salesman and he finally offered us the one on the floor and even dropped the price even more! Brand new- just came out of the box. Its stainless steel and super awesome! We haven’t installed it yet. It’s going on our long list a mile long of things to do.

Tennis

On Monday, both girls lost both their singles and doubles matches. They went against some tough teams. On Thursday, Kayla won her singles match (6-2) and lost her doubles. Marisa’s meet on Friday was rained out so it has been rescheduled. We did go play this week as a family again.

Give a Weed an Inch and it’ll Take A Yard

We keep plugging away at this playground and it is a beast. Not “beast” the way the middle schoolers use it, but “beast” as in “holy heck, what is going on back here?” It better look amazing when we are done and I am PRAYING we get it done before the Sweet 16 Bash. Wish us luck!

(See?  We’ve made some progress)

(The giant corner where we dump the weeds)

Stake Activity and a Jefferson win

Kayla had her very 1^st Stake Youth Activity and dance last night. I think she had a lot of fun. Hopefully she will write it up in her blog. Marisa’s orchestra had the Jefferson Invitational yesterday and they got 1^st place!

Battle of the Books

I was asked by the librarian to screen all the Battle of the Books list for language and content for the competition next year. So, I have been spending every free minute I have reading. Thank heavens I have another mom who is helping me read through them quickly. I would be up a creek without a paddle without her. So, watch out. My new feature next week may be my book reviews. Speaking of new features:

Things I know for sure (this week)

I think I am starting a new feature called “Things I know for sure”. Oprah has a column like this in her magazine each month so I figure, “What the heck?” Bear with me while I give it a shot.

4. Mopping and scrubbing toilets are my very least favorite chores! If mopping could be killed, I would kill it. We even had a Hoover floor mate, but I still hate it. No…more like despise it. Scrubbing toilets and bathrooms in general is awful. I deep cleaned the bathrooms this week. I get into a swimsuit (don’t worry-no one else is here) and I scrub the bathrooms to death. By the time I finish I feel like an amusement park for potty germs. Yuck- so gross.

3. Thunderstorms are one of my favorite things in the world. I should move to Forks. I really should. Thunderstorms are calming, peaceful and relaxing. Don’t get me wrong, beaches with sun are wonderful too. But there is something about a thunderstorm and nothing else compares.

(Yes, i made Alayna stand outside so I could catch the storm)

2. Teaching South American Geography to middle schoolers is not as easy as it sounds: especially when you are dealing with Lake Poopo and Lake Titicaca. Enough said.

1. If an intruder came tearing into the house, and Tyler had to make a quick choice what to save, he would save his ice cream over me. I can’t remember if I shared what happened when I got my gallbladder out and Tyler fell down the stairs? He fell down an entire flight of stairs hurting his head, arm, and leg BUT saved his bowl of ice cream! How is that even possible?? I almost ripped my stitches laughing- literally! Then this week, in the kitchen, he had a bowl of ice cream again. He tripped and stumbled half way through the kitchen (all one long fall), the bowl did a full 360°, flipping a scoop onto his arm, but miraculously, with quick ninja-like reflexes, he saved the bowl and the ice cream. Yet, he still walks into walls…

Alayna's 2nd Grade Musical Program