Family Fun

I love it when the kids do things together. Because my kids have several years in between we have recently started having the issue of what do you do that a 13 year old would be interested in and still have the 4 year old be able to participate.The best thing at this time of year of course is Pumpkin carving. Now that all of the kids are older this activity is less chaotic and more fun. They really look forward to cutting up the pumpkins as well as grossing out over the guts

There are also those activities that keep them entertained all by themselves --which I will take as well.

l

.

After all of the work being a family can be fun.

Seth's BIG day

I know that Steve already sent a lot of you the story and the pictures about Seth's new talent, but I thought that I would post it too.

Seth has been having a hard time with his bike lately. He got it for his 4th birthday in June and the chain had become loose and kept falling off. On Friday Steve got the bike the took it apart so that he could back the back wheel up and tighten the chain. As he was putting it back together again I suggested to Seth that he try to ride it without the training wheels on. He was all for that and jumped on his bike. I grabbed the back of his seat and off we went up the sidewalk. I could feel that he had pretty good balance so I moved my hand into the middle of his back. We got the the end of the sidewalk and turned around. This part was now a little bit downhill and he got going so now I was running with him. He then yelled "MOM would you just let GO" so I did and off he went. As he was getting fast he yelled back to me "Oh I get it--you just have to go fast" He was so proud of himself and has been showing everyone that he is big and can ride a bike with no training wheels. When Steve asked him what we should do with the training wheels he said "throw them in the trash". He then tried to tell us that because he was big now and could ride a bike that he should also be allowed to ditch the car seat too. (It has been an on going battle with him because he is "big" now)

Me trying to keep up with Seth (cute huh?)

Seth trying to fix his bike himself.

Helpful hints

As a follow-up to my last posting I wanted to post some very helpful information about the flu this season.

Cold And Flu Prevention Tips

Here are some tips to help keep you healthy and germ-free during these cold winter months:

Cold And Flu Prevention Tips

Sneezing into a handkerchief just redirects germs back at you. Always sneeze outward so as to shoot germs as far across the room as possible.

Pack your sinus cavities with Vicks Vap-O-Rub to fully mentholate your respiratory system.

Do not blow your stuffed nose into tissues—this is a myth! Always suck your phlegm into the back of your throat and swallow it in great, goblike mouthfuls.

You don't have to subject yourself to other people's germs. If you see someone who appears to have a cold or fever, contact your local police department.

To prevent infections, have sick people cough into your food. This light "inoculative" dose of germs will boost your body's defenses against a full-blown infection later.

If you are a sickly, anemic, weak person, you have a higher susceptibility to colds and flu. Try not to be such a pansy-ass.

Sometimes, a severe respiratory infection will cause the lungs to fill with fluid. If this occurs, flush your lungs repeatedly with boiling hot water to clear them. A hose down your windpipe will help get around the gag reflex.

Make sure your HMO package covers visits to the Halls Of Medicine.

The flu is an extremely contagious, life-threatening disease. Flu sufferers should be either shot with a silver bullet or tortured to death by a professionally shriven, church-appointed excruciator.

To keep warm in the winter, replace your blood with mom's homemade chicken soup. Noodles should be no greater than one millimeter thick to prevent coronary blockage.

Remember: Your body produces phlegm for a reason. Always save your mucous, and keep it near you in jars at all times.

Germs generally enter the body through the skin. To protect you from infection, shave yours off.

Zinc and Vitamin C help fight colds. Vitamin C can be found in oranges, but zinc is a semi-precious metal found only in Africa. If symptoms persist, organize a jungle safari to seek out the fabled Zinc Mines of Sugolahara.

And my own addition----don't tell anybody that you might be sick because you will be shunned (I would like to thank the ladies at the park for spraying it down with chemicals and turning and leaving when they see that I am out there) You don't sense any bitterness do you?

The Black Spot

Back in the times of the plague people would post a black spot in order to warn people not to come near. It was also used in Treasure Island to show a guilty verdict. (There are no real records of this, but it has become part of folklore so we are going to go with that) Well we are at that point in our house. Todd has the swine flu. (think of grave serious music at this point) I have been going to the park in front our house for the past few weeks and hearing the talk about AAHHHHH SWINE FLU. The women carry hand sanitizer and clorox wipes with them at all times. Well I am now the carrier of this certain death so we will be ostracized at the park for the next little while even though the rest of us are not sick. I Cloroxed everything yesterday and stripped the sheets off of all the beds. I also went and bought all new toothbrushes. Todd has been banished to his room for the next few days. I also called the school (which I am sure is where he got it from in the first place) The next dilemma came with the decision of whether or not to send the other kids to school. We got a paper home from the school at the beginning of the year saying if one of your kids was sick to keep all of them home. In the end I decided to heed the doctor's orders and only keep them home if they were running a fever. I checked both Hannah and Joseph for fevers before they went this morning and told them if they started to feel bad to make sure that they called home.

Well time to go and wash my hands again.

Ho Hum

Ho Hum......that is about how I feel lately. Not because I don't have anything to do, but because.... who knows why maybe because I feel like I just have too much to do and think about and don't want to do any of it. Don't they make medication for this type of thing? :)

On a happier note.... In December I am going to visit Tami in Germany. I am going with Emily and leaving everybody else at home. I am really looking forward to the trip, but am sad that I will be missing Christmas. In order to take this trip I have to get a passport. Because it is the first time that I have ever had one I have to do everything in person and have lots of different documents. I started this process a couple of weeks ago by filling out the application (which could be done online Hurray!!) I then printed the application and that is where it stopped for a while. But feeling the time crunch I decided I had better hurry and get everything done so yesterday I set out to finish. I went to get my pictures done at CVS only to find that their photo department is out of order. I then went to the UPS store on the other side of town and got them done. Unfortunately the UPS store is right across from Chik-fil-A. This is unfortunate because it was way past lunch time and Seth was grouchy so once he spotted his favorite play place there was no convincing him to move on. By the time we were done "playing" it was time to get kids off the bus. I ran home to do that, but undeterred I promptly left Todd in charge and tried one last effort to finish what I had started out to. I went to the address that was online for the court office to give them my application along with every other form of ID known to man. I knew that I would have a hard time with my birth certificate because it comes in three parts 1. Military birth record 2. German birth record and 3. The hospital record. People just don't like seeing this unusual conglomeration. I was right. The lady had to take the paper back into the office somewhere to her supervisor to make sure that they would accept this. Then when I thought that we were finally in the clear they told me that I couldn't write a check for the amount I had to have $25 dollars in cash and then I could write a check for the federal government portion. Sooooo...... I still don't have my passport papers turned in and I will have to try again today after going to the ATM. (And they want me to feel comfortable leaving my original documents with them) *sigh*

Feeling Scheduled

The beginning of a school year always comes with my determination to be organized and productive. By the end of the year I am just ready to flop and do nothing. This year has been the same. I am still watching Lydia this year, but only 3 days a week. I also now have two kids in middle school. I continue to teach piano lessons as well. Life just seems to schedule things whether I like it or not. The challenge then becomes staying organized and on top of all of these activities.

With all that being said I am also looking farther in the future and realizing that I need to do things NOW in order for everything to not get overwhelming and out of control later. Last night for example we finally decided to get our 72 hour kits into our backpacks. We have owned the backpacks for years and they have remained empty waiting for us to be prepared. So we finally decided that for Family Home Evening we would put the food into our packs. I have to admit that once it was in there I felt somewhat invincible. Bring the future ON.(last night) Or maybe not (this morning). Steve and I also tackled cleaning out every closet in the house as well as all of the toys in the basement. We finally finished on Saturday evening and I think that I need to now live in my perfectly wonderful clean closet.

I also think that the kids really should never touch the organized toys

ever again. But things just keep moving forward.

For Thanksgiving we are traveling to Todd's house in St. Louis and then in December I am going to Germany for 11 days. Along with these family events I have RS enrichment meeting to plan and several other RS activities to put together. If I really want to stay on top of things I need to start getting ready now. The problem comes with the motivation portion of the plan. Without the stress and imminent nature of things "I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT" becomes my mantra. I also have the paint the house itch again so somewhere in there I would like to paint some more rooms.

Life doesn't really set itself up for those who don't want to work hard. I guess I will just keep plugging away at it and hope that I learn some lessons along the way to help me succeed.

I got Tagged

Thanks for tagging me Emily it just took me a while to respond because our computer crashed and we have been without one for a couple of weeks

What is your current obsession?

I am determined to get every space in my house painted and organized. I dream about it!

What do you hate the most that everybody else seems to love?

organic food

What are you wearing today?

Jeans, sandals, and two shirts

What’s for dinner?

I can't answer that yet because it is still only 9:00 in the morning

What would you eat for your last meal?

Filet Mignon, red garlic potatoes, perfectly cooked broccoli, Moose tracks ice cream and some kind of fruity drink.

What’s the last thing you bought?

groceries (so what else is new)

What are you listening to right now?

Seth watching Phineas and Ferb while waiting to hear the knock that will mean Lydia is here

What do you think of the person that tagged you?

I guess she is ok. She has a tendency to come and crash at our house (Just not often enough --Luv U Em)

If you could have a house, fully paid for, and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Anywhere in the mountains, but not too far from Target, Costco, movie theatre and places to eat. I would want my family to have houses close by as well.

If you could go anywhere for the next hour, where would it be?

A book store where I had unlimited amounts of money to buy exactly what I want.

What is one of your hobbies?

I am definately not crafty, do hobbies include just sitting and reading? If not then I really don't have one.

What are 3 things that annoy you most?

1. Being tired even though you just woke up from a good nights sleep.

2. Snotty people who are too good for everyone else

3. grocery shopping with whiny kids

What is your favorite color?

Red

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?

I don't necessarily have a favorite peice of clothing, but I really like some of the new Jewelry that I have.

What is your dream job?

Working part- time (no weekends) at the library. Very different from my dream of being the next US Supreme Court Justice.

What are you going to do after this?

Fix lunch for myself and the kids

What is your favorite fruit?

Fresh pineapple. (It is GREAT on pizza too)

What inspires you?

Seeing people do things well. Especially when they have a cool system to do it.

Who was the last person you kissed?

I kissed Seth this morning. I also kissed Lydia's boo boo better.

What are you currently reading?

Jennifer George--Detective Lynly novel

What delighted you most today?

I was glad that there were a bunch of kids at the park so we could play all morning.

Describe your personal style.

I don't have any fashion style, but home decor style is craftsman. (think Ethan Allen) not that my home really reflects anything except that most of the furniture was free.

By what criteria do you judge a person?

How they treat people-- especially their children.

Now something totally unrelated to the previous nonsense. Here are the pictures from the first day of school. Todd is in 8th, Hannah 6th, and Joseph 2nd. (Hey Cindy do you remember 2nd grade!!)