Christmas Time Was Here

Christmas was a great time. I love this time of year. We had the annual Christmas party at Brent's dad's house a couple days before Christmas. Brent's mom was able to stay with us over Christmas and we hosted Christmas night dinner- the first time we've done that since the year we moved into our house. I love this time of year with family, to remember how important they are to me. I also love the extra chance to reflect on the birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. There are innumerable things that I question in this world. However, Jesus Christ is not one of them. That knowledge brings peace to my life. May everyone out there have a peaceful, happy new year!

Random pictures of Christmas Cheeriness~

Images of Excess

kids are just so funny to listen to

Noah: "Sam* said Andrew's going to get nothing for Christmas and Andrew* said Santa Claus is going to punch Sam in the face."


*Names have been changed to protect the innocent, the hilariously innocent children.

Future Lawyer

Zoe comes home from school and tells me she went to the principal's office today. Now I know something is suspicious because up to this point she's had model behavior at school (at school, not always at home but at school she's good as gold). She reminds me of this persuasive argument paper the 4th graders had to write to the principal a while back. She wrote hers on bullies. She was trying to convince the principal to help out the kids when they run into bullies. Good thinking. She mentioned these two boys who like to call kids names, they are rude and one day apparently one came up to Noah and screamed in his ear after school. Zoe had told me about this and the times they've called people names. I've basically told them to ignore them (unless they scream in Noah's ear again, they're not making my kid go deaf). They pretty much sound like small time thugs to me.

So the principal reads her paper and she was so convincing in her argument he wants to talk to her about it. She goes in the office and waits for him to call her and doesn't even know why she's there. She's all nervous, of course. Then he calls her in and asks her about the things she's written in her paper. He asks her their names and she tells him the name she can remember. He starts looking at his computer and figures out who the boys are, then takes off without telling her what he's doing. She waits there for a while then he comes back into the office with the two boys. He asks them if this really happened and they make some lame excuse about not remembering but the principal isn't buying it. He tells Zoe to let him know if they ever bother her or anyone else again and lets her leave, keeping the boys there.

Crazy story! But I gotta say I'm proud of her for being so brave. If I was her as a kid I would have been scared to death to meet any boys I accused of bullying, but then I was a big chicken girl. I'd say she's pretty darned good at the persuasive argument. Maybe I'll have her write him another paper on getting a security guard down by the path to keep the teenagers from taking kids' scooters out on joyrides.

Done!

School ended for me last week. I've completed my first semester back in school. Hooray! Two weeks into the semester I was sure I would have to be a quitter. I was stressed out and my mind and body always resist change like crazy. I kept plodding along and thanks to my not super difficult first semester back course selections I did well. This is significant because I have confirmations I am not an idiot. I for one am glad to have this confirmation because I really needed that confidence booster. It's funny, you're out of school for so many years and you're sure your brain is going to mush and then you see that you are actually capable of more logical thinking than you were back then because of life experience. I think. That and because raising kids is like daily solving the worlds most confusing puzzles and riddles. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely aware that come January something I could be curled up in a ball crying in a corner out of stress and stupidity. I'm just so happy my first venture back into the world of formal education went well. And right now, I have to say, I kind of Love school! Hear that kids? School is fun! Learning is awesome!!

And now to get that Christmas tree up and that house back in order after three months of semi neglect.

Then I Heard This

I'm flipping through the radio stations for a minute and I pause on a certain station and hear a sound bite that goes something like "Blah, blah, blah...SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD". Then it's immediately followed by "Family Values Talk Radio". I don't care who you want to shoot in the head. The former should NEVER precede the latter. Some days I'm just shocked at how messed up the world can be.

Happy Birthday!

So Brent turned the big 4-0 last week! I can hardly believe it. He was 21 when we met. It seems like such a short time ago! I first saw him across the room at work, then a while later we started talking a little in the break room, then, well click here if you want to read about how we started dating. Who would think, when you take a summer job at a place you never in a million years imagined yourself working, that you will meet someone and eventually marry him?

He's had his goatee since I met him but about a month ago he started growing a real beard. At first I was unsure but he didn't get all Grizzly Adams about it or anything and I was also kind of like, "Dude, you're going to be 40 next month! Go for it!" He warned me years ago he'd have a long white beard someday. I don't think he's taking it there yet and there is still the distinct possibility that I will cut it off in his sleep if he ever does.

He likes things low key so we had a small family thing. Okay it was us and the kids. And I've finally perfected the birthday carrot cake with the addition of homemade cream cheese frosting and all whole wheat flour instead of half wheat half white. That was accidental but it was good. Semi healthy so you can eat without guilt or trans fats. Anyway, Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!

How To Be A Good Wife

I ran into this funny thing out on the internet somewhere. It's taken from The Good Wife's Guide from Housekeeping Monthly: May 13, 1955. Holy Crap, I'm glad I wasn't a housewife in the 1950s! Although I do admit to listening to Noah read from the Dick and Jane book we have and thinking it looked like such a lovely, simple time. Reminds me of when I was at BYU and my roommates and I used to read from the book The Fascinating Girl and laugh hysterically. Okay, not all of us. There were a couple who found it to have useful advice. I especially like number six, can you say Stepford Children? And number ten. Huh? I'm all for striving to be a good wife, but come on:

(1) Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready in time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

(2) Prepare yourself. Take fifteen minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up and put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh - looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people.

(3) Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

(4) Gather up schoolbooks, toys, papers etc... and then run a dishcloth over the tables.

(5) Over the cooler months of the year, you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

(6) Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

(7) Be happy to see him.

(8) Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

(9) Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to say, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

(10) Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late, or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he may have gone through that day. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

(11) Your goal: try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

(12) Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

(13) Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low soothing and pleasant voice. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

(14) Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

(15) A good wife always knows her place.

Oh. My.

TMBG

Brent and I went to see They Might be Giants in concert last night. I wasn't expecting a whole lot. We saw them once in '92 (incidentally, we were broken up at the time. Never date your ex while broken up, it's a sure fire way to end up married for 14 years with three kids.;) Anyway, I don't remember a ton about that show in '92, except for a bunch of accordion playing, of course. Fun time I think, not super memorable. So I just thought it would be: listen to some good music from way in the back where I would try to avoid being squished by pushy concert people. Turns out it was the funnest concert I have ever been to! The venue was very small and we were about twenty feet away from the stage. I swear John Linnell looked me in the eye. No one was pushy and obnoxious. The youngest looking person I noticed there looked to be about 25 so there were none of those obnoxious teenagers. Not that all teenagers are obnoxious, it's just that concerts seem to bring the obnoxious side out in them. It was just so fun, the music was great, they were funny, it was educational (how many concerts can you say that about?) There were even sock puppets for a few minutes (Part of their family show that is going on today, they do children's CDs too. Kind of wish I was taking the kids to that one.) Okay, that sounds a little too much like I'm into sock puppets, which I am not. It was kind of funny though. So fun, fun times with Brent and we got to stay the night in Salt Lake too while the kids were with Grandpa Richard and Grandma Karen.

Halloween '09

The Which, the Goth Girl and the Scary Clown (Who wasn't really very scary because he didn't want to wear the scary mask. Which was fine by me because I prefer his cute face to the scary clown mask face.)

Blog Post # something, something, something

I have so little to write about lately. I'm just doing the day to day tasks with my family and studying for school. Things are happening, but nothing that seems worth blogging about. Last night I had a dream. Actually, this morning, right before I woke up. I dreamed that I volunteered to make lunches, and deliver them, to every kid at every elementary school in the Jordan School District. I don't even live in the Jordan School District. But I was feeling overwhelmed at the task before me. Thousands of lunches had to be made and delivered and it was 11:30 already. I was never so grateful for Brent to wake me up and kiss me goodbye for work. I was so happy I didn't really have to make all those lunches, and so happy I wasn't really so stupid as to accept such an impossible job. How dare they even ask a person to do such a huge task, by herself, in one morning?

In other news, I had a scratchy feel in my eye for a couple of days so I went to the eye doctor on Monday. Apparently I have small pit on my eye that is filled with bacteria. Nice. I have to put antibiotic eye drops in my left eye for a week. To keep the pit from burrowing into the center of my eye and making me need my eye surgically removed. (Slight exaggeration here.) The eye drops drip down my sinuses and I can taste them in my throat. Eeew. You didn't want to read that, did you?