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!

You can never appreciate the shade of a tree unless you sweat in the sun.-- Author Unknown

It’s so sad because it’s August now and we spent the week getting ready for school…

●We organized all the school supplies and went shopping to get everyone what they needed on their lists.

●For the 1^st time ever we took advantage of the tax-free shopping days to do all of our clothes shopping. It would help tremendously if the kids would just stop growing.

●Alayna has her last week of swimming lessons. I will try to get pictures on Friday.

●Tyler was chosen to be part of the MYFI group this year, so he helps the incoming 6^th graders through orientation and the 1^st day of school. He started his training for that this week.

●Kayla finishes up Drivers Ed this week. She even drove to Sam’s and no one died, so she is being successful!

●Our garden produce is starting to arrive. We have been making bruschetta and starting to can tomatoes. We are doing salsa next Saturday.

●Marisa has been reading Hunger Games. We plan to go to the movie for Kayla’s Sweet 16 if any of you want to go? Tyler and Kayla have been reading more Harry Potter and I am reading a new book called “Gone”.

(The sand temple)

(Sand church)

●Alayna has been busy this week learning how to latchhook which she loves and created a “sand world” in the sandbox that includes Mount Everest.

**Best news of the whole week is that my wedding album arrived and I LOVE it!!! I made it into a hard cover and as professional as I could make it and I am super pleased with the results.

I also got ALL the negatives that were put on cds, into files by year so I can start working on those blog books. Yes, I am obsessed. I found some REALLY old pics so some people were lucky recipients of ones I found of them. I even found my old glamour shots!  Yes, you are allowed to laugh!