Fashion plates among other things

so when all else fails and I have nothing else to write, I will do what I am doing right now. What's that you ask? Well, let me tell you! I dug down into my daughter's journal jar from activity days and picked a topic to write on. So, stand back and prepared to be amazed. Maybe. But probably not.

Question: "What is the best Christmas present you ever received?"

Hmmm. I have received some pretty great presents over the years, so it is hard for me to actually pick "the best". Some presents that I have enjoyed immensely are...temple dress given to me by my parents. My husband surprises me every year with a new snowman for my collection. I remember getting a "Peaches and Cream Barbie" when I was a kid. I loved her!



Here is a picture of my sister Amy and I on Christmas morning playing with our presents. Hers was Fashion Plates (remember those), and mine was the fashion plates that you used fabric to design the clothes (I forgot the name).

In case you need further clarification on how geeky I was...I'm the one with the side pigtails and missing two front teeth. I was six years old, I think.

I blame my mom for my complete lack of coolness or cute hair or whatever. And believe me I can, since I am mostly certain that she doesn't read my blog! She'll never even know.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane. I have to admit that it weirded me out!

What is your Hawaiian name?

I'm not really sure why this quiz today. It looked fun. Hopefully it makes you all feel like you are in Hawaii. Unless you actually are in Hawaii. In that case, this will be pretty lame. Have fun! And as usual...I want to hear your names. Especially Ronda, Shannon, Melinda, and Jamie. You always tell me what your results of my quizzes are and today should be no exception. :D Mahalo.

Your Hawaiian Name is:

Okelani Keandra

What's your Hawaiian Name?

Odds and Ends (it's how my brain works folks!)

Okay, so how funny was it last night on Dancing with the Stars when Marie Osmond said, "Oh my heck!" I laughed so hard that my kids were like "what is up with mom". It was fantastic!! I am personally cheering for her and Sabrina (Cheetah girls). I think if they keep up the good work they can go far. And let's not forget Jane Seymour. So classy. She could win it. Which would show all those guys, huh?!

So, I bought material yesterday to make jammies for my family for Christmas. It is really cute with snowmen on it. I love snowmen. Jenny and Jonathan helped me pick it out. So why am I undertaking this crazy-gonna-take-a-lot-of-time project? Because my best friend is "the Extreme" and she is contagious. (Love you Shannon!) No really. It is because I am a spaz and I like to sew since I got my serger. Too fun!

Hmmm, what else can I say to bore entertain you? I have a zit on the side of my nose. That is always newsworthy. Or not. Can I help it that pretty much nothing exciting happens to me. Or at least nothing that I can become famous from. Too bad because I was hoping to become famous and then develop all these problems and then have to go into rehab again and again. And then blame it on other people. THAT'S what I wanted.

Maybe tomorrow.

Not MY kids...

Yesterday was the Primary Program in our ward. I have to say that it is my favorite Sunday of the whole year, except for General Conference. And this year was especially good because for once it wasn't my kids putting on the naughty kid show. You all know what I'm talking about. There is always the kid (in the front row on the stand) that is standing up the whole time. Then he puts his shirt over his head and bumps into the other kids because he can't "see" them. Or the kid who sits there picking his bugers and eating them the whole time while his mom has a heartattack out where she is sitting.

Yes, I have been mortified before by what my kids were doing. It happens. But this year it didn't. Wahoo! My favorite moment of the whole program was when this one little kid stood to say his part and said it wrong, and it was so great! He said," I'm trying to be like Jesus when I disobey". I feel certain that he meant obey. But who cares! It was fabulous and obviously he has heard a certain phrase a bit much in his home to be able to say it without thinking.

That makes me feel better since all I have to do is start to say the phrase and my kids pipe up and finish it. It feels good to not be the only one threatening their kids daily.

It gets me to thinking....what kinds of things do you remind your kids about whenever they are going somewhere or before school?

Smarter than who?

I am trying to get smarter. You see, I just dicovered that I am not only NOT smarter than a 5th grader, but also not necessarily smarter than my very own 3rd grader. Have you done 3rd grade math lately? Well, I have (okay, I was really just helping) and it is hard. Or maybe the number of kids in this house multiplied by my lack of patience equals major loss of brain cells. Not to mention the increase in gray hairs. I'm just sayin'.

One thing I am still smarter at is spelling. Go me! 'Course the words are not too difficult. That helps. Last. L-A-S-T. Slope. S-L-O-P-E. Ledge. Who-cares-I-will-just-jump-off-it.

I have noticed that homework takes A LOT OF TIME. When did teachers start giving so much? I don't ever remember having homework when I was in Elementary school. Or maybe I just didn't do it. That is a possibility. I'll have to ask my mom. Maybe she has memories of the hours of homework time after school that I am strangely blocking out.

On to other topics.....(and it really has nothing to do with the rest of this post whatsoever)...BYU won today. My husband is happy. It's good that they won, 'cuz then I won't have to hear about all their mistakes every moment of every day until the next game. He's a fanatic he is.

I hope to have some swanky changes to my blog soon. I got some books from the library on "making your blog sparkle", and HTML and all that. If I have enough brain cells left after we tackle multiplication tonight, I'm gonna try to decipher all the stuff it says. If nothing changes you'll know I was too stupid to figure it out.

Or I just decided to have chocolate instead.

slobber

Okay, so I just got back from picking up my kindergartener and on the way home I was privileged to listen in on the most interesting conversation. It was very informative and is brought to you courtesy of two four-year olds (my son and his buddy Porter).

Here goes:
Porter: "oh Sidney [my baby], you are so cute. Um, Jana, what is that thing on her lips?"
me: "you mean her binkie?"
Porter: " yeah, she put it in her hand."
me: "yes, she does that sometimes."
Jonathan: "Porter, that is swobber [he can't say the "L" sound]. Right there is Sidney's swobber."
Porter: "where?"
Jonathan: "right there on her tongue. don't touch it. It's swobber"
Porter: "why?"
Jonathan: "we don't touch her swobber. It's yucky. Bluh, bluh, bluh!"
Porter: "okay"
Jonathan: "we only touch our own swobber. like this."(puts fingers in mouth,I assume.)

So there you have it. In case you ever wondered, you should not touch other people's slobber...just your own.

Wednesday Quiz Day

Okay, so to explain this one...I don't wear much make-up. I just don't feel the need for it, nor am I willing to spend the time it takes to wear more than blush, mascara, and eyeshadow (on Sundays only). I guess I am pretty lucky that I have a pretty good complexion. And I usually never wear lipstick. It gets on your teeth, you have to reapply. too much work.

BUT...I do wear chapstick or lipgloss religiously. I always have a tube of some form of lippy stuff(that's what my kids call it) in my pocket. My husband knows that he can get me stocking stuffers in the form of flavored lip smackers every year and I will still run out before the next Christmas rolls around. It's just a fact about me.


Soooo....needless to say, the "which flavor lip gloss are you"quiz really caught my eye. Have Fun! And don't forget to tell me your flavor!

You Are Cherry Kiss Lip Gloss

You're a total girly girl who's every guy is sweet on. You take pleasure in the simple things in life, from cute t-shirts to stuffed animals. Any guy needs to match your romantic idealism to win your heart, which is why few have. No wonder Cherry your signature flavor. It's delicious, sugary, and fun - like you!

What Flavor Lip Gloss Are You?

Jonathan is 4!

Yesterday was my little boy's birthday. He turned four years old. Time flies on wings of lightening. I think that is a real saying and maybe it applies here. To put in bluntly...he is not my little baby anymore. Hasn't been since Sidney was born. But now he really isn't. He is a big boy. Or so I keep getting told.

Sunday was Stake Conference and he packed his own bag of things to take to entertain him. Just in case church itself wasn't enough entertainment,I guess. So, he gets his books and magna doodle and puts them all in his "man boy purse" and off we go to Stake Conference. Where LOTS of people will be. And not the same people that we see every week that are used to our kids and their quirks. Much more people. Not that it matters what people think. Who am I kidding? Of course it does! But he was proud as punch to have his own bag,so we let him.

He is very into dinosaurs, superheroes, and hot wheel cars right now. He is a fun little boy. For his birthday we got him a spiderman scooter. He was asking for it for months. Two days before his birthday,I went to the dollar store to get some things for the girls to give him. I got some hot wheels cars that had superheroes on them. I thought they were pretty cool. He likes the $1 presents better than the $30 scooter. Next year, I am only shopping at the dollar store.

Here are some tributes to my little man. Who insists that his middle name is "Green Arrow". Whatever.

Wednesday Quiz Day!

You Are a Roller Coaster

You live for excitement, adventure, and the most intense of thrills.Nothing is better than feeling you're truly alive, and you're willing to take risks to feel this way.In relationships, people often feel a bit nervous about what they're getting into...But generally, everyone enjoys the wild ride you take them on. Unless they stay with you too long - then they're apt to feel a bit nauseous! Your life has more low points and high points than most people's lives.But that's okay - you love them. You figure that a smooth ride is boring!Besides, you know that super high highs only come from knowing super low lows.You cherish every emotion you feel and feel it fully. Why deny what life is truly about? At your best, you are loving life and sharing your wild times with everyone you know.You are able to open your friends up to a whole new world of experiences.At your worst, you feel extremely disoriented and even a bit dizzy.There's only so much intensity a human (even you!) can take.

What Carnival Ride Are You?

Why this quiz? Because my friend is at Disneyland and I have been thinking about it a lot. Make sure to drop me a comment telling me what ride you are!!

conversations with a 4 year old

Today has been one of those interesting and enlightening days.

As I am helping Jonathan put his shorts on this morning, he pffts near my face.
"Was that a stinker?" I say.
"Hee Hee" he giggles.
"That's not very good manners to let a stinker by mommy, you know" I say.
"But it was a nice stinker" he says.

Well then. How can I argue with that.



Then...not that this next example is a conversation. Just another part of an incredibly humbling day...
I tell him to go get in the car so we can pick up Jenny at Kindergarten. He hurries outside to the garage and it actually takes me a few minutes to load up the baby and get my purse and all that. I get out there probably 5 minutes after him and he is just barely getting in the car. No big deal. He was probably riding his bike or something for that long. I think.

After we get home, I notice my neighbor's name on the caller id. She never calls unless my kids are doing something crazy. Like ringing her doorbell over and over and over. So they can talk to her daughter who is the babysitter. In the middle of the day. On a school day. Personally I wonder why any of my neighbors still speak to me.

Anyway...during lunch, he starts to do the peepee dance. You all know what this is. The hips gyrating and wiggling because the body is trying to force the peepee to stay in for longer than it can. So I say to him, "go in and go potty, please." I even said "please".
And he says, "But mom, I already goed." (We have yet to master past tense, obviously)
"When did you go? I didn't see you go" I say.
"When we were going to get Jenny. I goed on the yellow grass".
"Did anyone see you?" I ask.
"Yea, Brittney's daddy did".

Well...that explains why she was calling me.

What a day!

Super WHAT?

Your Superpower Should Be Super Speed

You're quick witted and fast to act.You're mind works at warp speed. From your perspective, everyone else is living in slow motion.You get so much done, people have accused you of not sleeping.Definitely not a couch potato, you feel a bit crazy if you're not busy doing something. Why you would be a good superhero: You're be the first on the scene... and likely to finish the job before anyone else shows up Your biggest problem as a superhero: Being bored by everyone else. Including other superheroes!

What Should Your Superpower Be?

This was onCandace's blog and I thought I would try it out. After all, I am married to the man that owns an obscene number of DVD's of superhero things. Mostly animated. Like Batman (3 seasons), and Fantastic Four( the movies and the cartoons), and Justice League(see here). AND, my 3 year old son thinks his middle name is "the Green Arrow".

It's hopeless around here. So, you can see why I was drawn to this little quiz. Curious, that's me. Curiousity killed the cat.

Now, I personally think that the result is wacked. And I said so to my husband. Who, BTW is FIRED because he informed (well, I asked him first) me that he has NEVER read my blog. Who is he anyway? Anyway...he said, "well, you do try to do too much and you always have several things going on at one time." I think he was trying to make me not feel so dippy.

And now it is your turn. Those of you that DO read my blog...tell me...what is your superhero power?

UPDATE:

I made my husband does this and here is his superpower....

Your Superpower Should Be Manipulating Electricity

You're highly reactive, energetic, and super charged.If the occasion calls for it, you can go from 0 to 60 in a split second.But you don't harness your energy unless you truly need to.And because of this, people are often surprised by what you are capable of. Why you would be a good superhero: You have the stamina to fight enemies for days Your biggest problem as a superhero: As with your normal life, people would continue to underestimate you

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Today is....

I just wanted to celebrate today with all my friends. Today is sete de Setembro or the 7th of September. It is Brazil's Independence Day. I love Brazil! It is the beautiful land where I served my mission for the LDS church and I have fond memories. I still keep in touch with most of my companions and at least one of my mission presidents. The pics are of (1) me with President and Sister Palmer - I actually had two mission presidents during my time serving, (2) the Brazilian flag, (3) me with Presidente and Sister Camargo, and (4) me and a Gaúcho - the cowboy of southern brazil. Enjoy, but don't laugh too hard. The pictures ARE 10 years old you know!!

change of plans

I was gonna post something absolutely spectacular today to seriously SHOCK all of you readers (there are what,like 3 of you?), but I have spent most of the day with my 4 month old baby as she vomited formula all over. Okay, formula stinks anyway, let alone when it is barfed. Fun times. She is feeling better now I think. Sometimes I feel so capable and other times I just feel so useless. Like when your child is sick and you can not do a thing about it. Good thing I am not a control freak or anything. Cause I'm not. Ahem...

Stayed tuned for tomorrow's post though. It is a special day for me and I will share it with you. All three of you.

it's my blog and it's boring....but not for long!

I am starting a new thing in an effort to jazz up my blah, blah, blog. Introducing:

Wednesday Quiz Day

I actually got the idea from someone else's blog(thanks Candace)as I was going around to blogs that I visit daily. She had a fun quiz about "what color is your aura?" I thought it would be a great dealybopper to put on my blog on days when I can think of nothing else clever to share. For now that will have to be every Wednesday :) but it could morph into more days. BEWARE!
Anyway, here goes.....

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors.You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius.Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way.While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme. Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

what color crayon are you quiz

all in a days work

I am DONE canning! No, really, I am!! I am all about food storage (if you know me, then you also know that statement is an understatement)....but managing 5 kids---one of which is a baby, 2 that have been off track for three weeks and are bored out of their minds, 1 with ADHD, and 1 that is the only boy in the house so he thinks he can whine about everything----makes it very difficult to get things done on a NORMAL day. Let's now add to that the fact that our peaches, grapes, and tomatoes are all ripe AT THE SAME TIME!!

This morning Mike and I did two more batches of peaches and then called it quits. But, you know us...we can't throw anything away. So, I asked the girls if they wanted to make a few dollars selling them. They even got to keep the money to take to Disneyland. (There are no free rides at this house)

I wish I had taken pictures of during the time they spent out on the sidewalk peddling their wares. It was amusing to watch. The neighborhood boys (ages 6,8,9, and 10) become their best customers. For the popsicles, of course! Not the peaches. They kept coming back and back. I think it was one of those instances where they were buying popsicles in the guise of having an excuse to talk to my daughters. NO!! They are not old enough for flirting and that stuff yet!! It was great though to see the boys out doing something constructive instead of acting like the grade-school gang and picking on dogs.

Later I went out to see how Mike was doing picking the grapes and found a birds nest amongst our grape vines. It was a fascinating find and the kids were so excited to see it. There was one egg inside that was empty and one that had not yet hatched. But since I had to take it out of the grapes, and hence touched it...it will probably remain unhatched. I am sure the mother bird will not be back.

That's too bad, because my kids get others germs on them and I still take them back....