Manic Monday

NUTS

Manic Monday is a new thing for me. It's basically a creative writing exercise where you use the word provided, in your blog post. For a better description of it you can go to the blog of the person who started it by clicking here. I think I'll give it a try for a while and see how I like it.

The first thing I thought of when I saw the Manic Monday word for today is a game Camden likes to play. It's really simple, here's how it goes. First Camden says, "You're a nut." The only acceptable response is, "You're a nut." That's it. I don't know why he likes it so much but it really cracks him up. He starts laughing really hard after a couple of exchanges and then it just starts getting louder as anyone within earshot starts to play. Pretty soon everyone joins in, calling each other nuts. His laugh and excitement for the game are contagious. That kids is too funny. So, when that "game" is being played I am surrounded by a bunch of nuts.

And here's my smiley list for today.
1.The following exchange between Camden and me: I said, "Camden come look at this bug, it's a katydid." Camden stoops and looks at it. Without taking his eyes off of the insect he said, "What did Katie do?"
2. This conversation between Jace and me.
Jace: I love you mom.
Me: I love you too Jace.
Jace: Mom, when I say I love you, I get a warm feeling in my heart.
Me: I get one for you too.
3.When Alek is trying to crawl around in his crib when he wakes up from his naps.
4.The beautiful blue sky this morning.

Look How Much Fun $1 Can Buy

Jace, Camden and several neighbor kids had a blast with sidewalk chalk on our driveway. I absolutely LOVE it. I think it's because as a kid I never got to use it much. My dad didn't want anything drawn on our driveway/sidewalk. So now I'm making up for it by encouraging the kids to use it. We bought a pack of sidewalk chalk at the dollar store. I think it had 24 pieces of chalk, and within 2 days we were down to just three or four pieces almost too small to use. That was definitely a dollar well spent.

And here's my smiley list for today:

1-Milk moustaches

2-the discovery of ants under a rock being the most exciting part of the day for two boys.

3-Jace and Camden played well together most of the evening.

4-Talking on the phone with my mom.

Short and Sweet

Ok, so it's technically Tuesday but this is Monday's list of four things that made me smile.

1-Alek's dimples
2-Camden's contageous laugh.
3-When I told Jace it was time to do his homework, his reply was, "Ok Mom."
4-A super easy patient assignment at work. What a nice shift.

Fun With...

Food storage? Yep that's right. I have a new hobby, a new love, a new obsession and it's food storage. Ok, so it's probabyly more of a hobby than an obsession or a love but it is starting to grow on me. We are really just getting started with it but suddenly I feel an urgency to get it done that I've never felt before. It's hard to tell if it's a prompting or just a little OCD kicking in.

It all started a couple of weeks ago when our ward had access to a canner. We could buy the cans for 60 cents each and bring whatever dry goods we wanted to put in them. When sealed properly, the shelf life of most dry goods is at least ten years, if not indefinitely. So we sealed up some powdered milk, sugar, and beans. The perfect ingredients to make, well... nothing really. But it's a start. It was cheap too. That day we stored about 75 pounds worth of food for about $50. Not too shabby.

(I keep saying that we sealed the cans but it was really Casey. He did the whole thing; getting the food, putting it in cans and sealing them up, while the kids were taking naps. By the time they woke up and I went to meet him, he was done. I was pretty bummed about that because I really wanted to see how the canner worked. He told me it really wasn't that exciting. I don't know if that's true or if he was just trying to make me feel better.)

The drive to increase our food storage only intensified yesterday when I had a windfall of peaches and didn't know what to do with them. I don't know how to bottle fruit so I decided to make jam. I know, the shelf life of bottled friut would be much longer than jam but as soon as I thought of making jam with said peaches, there was no stopping me. Now I have several containers of homemade jam and I want to learn how to preserve fruits/vegetables. I'm even planning my garden for next year according to what would be the most useful for food storage. I can't wait until planting season!


And here are 4 things that made me smile today:

1-Jace's farmer tan.

2-Alek getting up on all fours and rocking, then launching himself forward onto his chest when he really wants something or just gets too excited.

3-Camden calling his new book "mama moo moo" when the actual title is: Llama Llama, Mad at Mama

4-When I looked up the term windfall to make sure I used it correctly above, this is what I got from dictionary.com: "Something, such as ripend fruit, that has been blown down by the wind."

Put a Smile on Your Face

I noticed recently that at the end of the day I can easily recall a lot of what happened during the day but not all of it is necessarily good. For instance, I can remember who spilled their bowl of cereal on the freshly mopped floor, how many poopy diapers I've changed or how many potty training accidents Camden had. I can tell you how many band-aids we went through and how often the kids went to time out (and why), and how well they did or didn't eat every meal I prepared. But what about the fun stuff? Sure, being a mom isn't all fun and games but there are definitely those fun, happy and silly moments throughout the day. Those are the moments I really want to remember but somehow they seem to get so buried in the business of the day that they are hard to recall later.

That's why I'm going to post four things about each day that made me happy or put a smile on my face. I'll try to post one thing about each of my kids, as well as something else that made me smile during the day. I'm going to do this every day for a while so that I will get in the habit of remembering the fun and happy things every day.

1-Just before Jace got on the bus to go to school he came and gave me a big hug. I usually want to just squeeze him before he goes but I don't want to embarrass him so I quietly watch him go. I was so pleasantly surprised when he did that on his own. It really made my day.

2-While outside with Camden, he found a grasshopper. I loved watching him chase after it, sometimes jumping, sometimes running to try and catch it; and laughing the entire time.

3-While I was holding Alek he grabbed my face and went after my mouth with his mouth wide open. I gave him a kiss on the side of his cute open mouth, and he smiled and squealed with delight, nearly jumping out of my arms.

4-I got compliments from both of my sisters when I saw them briefly this evening. They were so sincere and their comments really meant a lot to me.

What made you smile today?

Things the Kids Say

My kids have said some pretty funny things lately and I need to blog about them before I forget.

Jace:

We were at the store and walked past a display of Halloween items. Jace saw a garland of skulls and said, "Look mom, bone heads!" Then he added, "But don't worry, they're not real" I was so glad he said something else because I was working so hard to stifle a laugh I couldn't say anything.

Jace gets a nature magazine geared toward kids every month. He loves looking at it and having me tell him about all of the animals in it. One of the pictures was a bright yellow slug, called a banana slug. He remembered the name the first time I told him but after that he started calling it a banana thug instead.

One of Jace's new friends since our move is a little girl named Isabel. I honestly love that he likes to play with her so much. When I was his age my best friend was a boy. He and I had so much fun together when we were little and we remained friends for many years. Anyway, one day, she had to go home; as she was running down the sidewalk in front of our house Jace called after her, "Bye Isabel, I love You!" Isabel called over her shoulder, "Bye Jace. I love you too!" SO CUTE

While I was getting Camden into his pajamas one night I could hear Jace talking to himself in his room. I didn't catch much of what he was saying but I did hear him say, "I'm going to marry Isabel."

I love when Jace says a prayer. He almost always says, "Bless that we can have a good day and a good eternity."


Camden

Not long ago I asked Camden why he was so cute. His answer was perfect. He said, "Tuz I want to."

When Camden said a prayer before dinner last week he said, "Thank for day, thank for day, thank for day..." he must have repeated it seven or eight times and he was saying it faster and faster. I couldn't hold back my laughter. It was too cute. Camden just stopped, looked at me, and said, "What?"

Camden was talking about his aunt Katie who was pregnant at the time with baby Sophie. He said, "Katie have a baby Sophie in his tummy."

If he needs help with something he says, "help you me"

Casey opened a can of Pepsi with earshot of Camden, which is always a mistake. Camden came running and asked for a drink. When Casey told him no Camden quickly said, "But I listen to you today" It worked because he had been listening, Jace was the one having problems with that because at the time, he was in time-out.

When he gets caught doing something he shouldn't he says he was just pretending to do that. I was reading to him when suddenly I felt his teeth on my arm. I said, "Don't you dare bite me." He said, "I dust betending to bite you." Then after a brief pause he added, " I tan bite you it will be funny."

It's so fun to hear the things they say. It gives me a chance to see the world the way they see it. I just love being their mom.

(Wow, This makes three blog entries for today. That's definitely a blogging record for me.)

Night Out

Casey's political post reminded me of a night out we had recently so I thought I'd share. Actually, our date nights tend to be pretty memorable since they occur so infrequently. But a couple of weeks ago my parents agreed to watch the boys for us so we could go out to dinner. There was no special occasion for this night out which, in a way, made it more fun than if it had been a dinner out for a birthday or anniversary.

We had dinner at Ruby River Steakhouse which was SO good. It was nice to be able to eat my meal while the salad was still cold and the steak was still warm. And I didn't even have to cut up food for or give bites to anyone but myself. But I think the best part of the evening was the company and the conversation. Casey and I chatted about politics ad the upcoming election throughout our meal. It was refreshing to discuss topics that I don't usually talk about during the day. I know, it's shocking that the kids and I don't have political discussions over lunch.

It was so nice to have an intellectually stimulating conversation. While the subject of politics isn't typically one that I gravitate toward, I found the conversation to be thought provoking. And I left with a feeling of satisfaction that I was able to participate in a real, adult conversation related to such an overwhelming subject. I just wanted Casey to know how much I enjoyed our night out and how much an uninterrupted adult conversation means to me. Thanks!

Economy and Election Solutions????

Protecting Our Banks

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the body that insures bank deposits up to $100,000, has raised the number of "troubled banks" to 117. What is being done to keep the banks from going bust?

Holding a money drive where community members are encouraged to bring all of their unused cash to a local bank

Heart-wrenching bank scene from It's A Wonderful Life playing on a loop in the lobby

As morale boost, scent of cash pumped constantly through bank

Poorer customers now charged preemptive overdraft fees


Oversized foam-core cutouts of $100 bills will be placed on easels in bank lobbies to allay patrons' worries about their bank's solvency

Holding a contest to give one lucky bank 30 minutes with a shopping cart inside the U.S. Treasury building

Planting a $5 bill in vault and seeing what happens

Introducing tough new criteria for prospective borrowers, such as having a job


ATTENTION ELECTION SPOILER


Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early


For a good laugh visit the Onion. However watch out for adult content!

Slight Changes Ahead

I don't know if the changes to this blog will be obvious right away or not but I thought I'd give anyone who reads this blog a little heads up. I originally started this blog as a creative outlet for myself. And some of my early posts served that purpose well. I incorporated my personality into my posts. But after a while they became much more generic and void of personality. I guess I was afraid I would look/sound like a dork if I typed what and how I wanted to. The posts have primarily been about the kids and I even declined when blog-tagged by fellow blogging friends. I now feel bad about that and realize that maybe my blog (and I) could use a little more of that.

In order for this blog to be the creative outlet I need, I am going to try to use it in a different way. I need to be a part of it, not just the author. This probably doesn't make sense to anyone reading this but that's exactly what I mean. I need this to be a sounding board of my thoughts. I need it to be something where I can type about whatever I did any given day and not feel like it's not interesting enough, like it isn't "blogworthy." I think I'll be the judge of that from here on out.

Of course I will still post entries about fun family activities we do, complete with pictures and captions but there will be more to it than just that. It may gradually evolve over time. Or you may suddenly wonder what happened to my writing ability. But I don't want to type the way I think people will enjoy my blog the most, I need to type how I would tell the story if I were telling it out loud. It needs to be written the way it sounds and looks in my head when I think it through.

I need to feel like what I think and want to share is important too, not just the family activities we do and the milestones my kids are reaching. I realized I need to grow a little and do something for myself and this is it.

So, this warning may not have been necessary but I wanted to get my ideas out. Just consider this my first post of my new blogging format.

Where Were You?

Seven years ago today I was at the hospital. I was a nursing student and we were doing our maternity clinical rotation for school. Several of us (both students and staff) went into an empty patient room and stood mesmerized in front of the TV until our nursing instructor came and told us to do our best to continue with our day.


All I could think about was the fact that Casey was a reservist in the Marine corps and what would I do if his unit got activated. To this day I can't believe how blessed we were that he was not required to go. His unit left just days before his discharge date for his eight year contract was fulfilled. They could have sent him too and his contract and discharge would have been put on hold indefinitely. I am so thankful that didn't happen.


Of course everyone remembers where they were at the time they found out about the tragedy that happened in this country on September 11, 2001. If you feel like sharing, feel free to post in the comments. If not, at least take a minute to remember what happened and pray for those whose lives were affected by what happened that terrible day.

So Many Choices, So Little Time

In previous years I have made the mistake of waiting until a week or two before Halloween to get costumes for the kids. To avoid doing that this year I asked the kids, a few days ago, what they want to be for Halloween. And this is what they have thought of so far.

During the past week, Jace has decided on several costumes. His list includes: Superman, Spiderman, Batman, a black Power Ranger, a cowboy or anything from Star Wars or Transformers. He even came up with the idea of being a volcano. But I'm not quite sure how to do that one.

Camden's list is a little smaller but has a running theme. So far he has asked to be a pink kitty, a pink doggy, and then he finally settled on pink Superman. He said, " I wanna be pink Superman... at Christmas." I assured him he would be the only one.

I have a couple of baby costumes I could use for Alek but I also found a dalmation costume that was cute, so I bought it. At least I would have some choices. Unfortunately when I put it on him, Casey guessed that he was a cow. So I guess we're back to square one. I guess if nothing else I could borrow something my sister got for her baby at a baby shower. We tried it on him for fun and it fits him pretty well. But I don't want to make Camden jealous

Ouch!

Just trying to pass the time until Casey gets home from work. He's leaving right now because I'm pretty sure I just broke or dislocated my pinkie toe. I hit it on the doorway while I was going to check on Alek and now it isn't laying smooth next to my other toes. It isn't sticking straight out to the side but it isn't where it should be either. And it REALLY hurts. But I don't know what's worse. My toe hurting or the fact that Alek is in his bed crying, actually he's screaming, because I won't get him. I can barely put any weight on my left foot so I'm sitting on the couch with my left foot elevated. I could probably make it to his room and get him but I won't be able to hold him and walk back to the couch. I may go hobble in there and get him out then sit on the floor in there and wait for Casey. I just can't stand to listen to him scream in there. Poor thing.

I'll be sure to update this when I get back from the doctor.

Here's the update:

I went to the doctor and had an x-ray. Unfortunately it was broken so he gave me a few shots of lidocaine so I couldn't feel anything. Then he set my toe. He had to pull on it pretty hard to get it lined up, when he got the bones put back together correctly there was a pop/crunch sound. And it wasn't off to the side anymore. I have to tape it to the next toe until it heals. Today it's pretty briused and still really sore so I'm limping around but at least I don't need crutches.

And here's the picture: