These Kids of Mine

It's been one of those weeks where you just look back and think, Dang I love those kids!

First of all, Noah. Noah uses his foot as a break for his bike. His bike has a couple of perfectly functional breaks so I cannot be blamed for this. Unlike so many other traumas in my children's lives. This time he was unfortunately wearing his flipflops and it all ended in bloody hysterics and Noah later hobbling around like a spazy old man.

                               Big bandaged toe there on the left foot

Zoe had her end of year piano recital. She struggled and it was touch and go there for a minute but she didn't quit and she ended up doing quite well. She was a trooper and I was a proud mama.

Isabella graduated from elementary school! I can't believe she is off to Jr. High in the fall. She has worked so hard and I'm so proud of her.

                                           First day of kindergarten

Last day of sixth grade and elementary school. Ready for Jr. High. Help us all!                                               

That's All

I've thought about this long and hard since my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I've come to one plausible conclusion: 39 can suck it. *dot dot dot* Stay Tuned.

Vacation

Last week we went here:

And here:

Oh, and we saw a lot of this:

Isn't that just a beautiful picture?

Yes it was time for another vacation not to Arizona (by the way, Arizona, I think it's your turn to come here) and we decided to see California, and as much as we could of it in one week. So we headed to San Francisco first. I don't know why, but every time I head anywhere in the Northwest I just feel at home. (Is San Francisco considered part of the Northwest?) Maybe I do know why a little. Maybe because the coast is so beautiful up north and the architecture is great, the people seem so nice and laid back, yellow isn't the primary landscape color, environmentalism isn't a dirty word. (I could go on and on about how impressed I was with the environmental measures taken in the hotels in San Francisco and Cambria and how San Francisco must be the Prius capital of America.) I've just had this thing for the Northwest since my first trip to Seattle in the early '90s. Maybe someday...

So we had a good time exploring San Francisco for a couple of days. The girls decided somewhere in western Nevada that the car game they would play would be Count the Obama bumper stickers. So they kept that up all through San Francicso and down to Los Angeles. Apparently San Francisco is more Obama friendly territory than in these parts. Ha ha. The final count was 17. We took a boat tour around the bay and the kids were all very disappointed we weren't going to take the tour of Alcatraz. I should have listened to Brent I guess. Here are some more pictures of the first leg of the trip. Too bad I still don't know how to put pictures on here in a better way:

                                                                                 Alcatraz



After San Francisco we drove down the coast and stopped in San Simeon to see the Heart Castle:



We also ran into a beach full of elephant seals. There were hundreds of them hanging out on this beach where they are protected.

Next came Southern California. We are now well acquainted with the infamous traffic of Los Angeles after three hours of freeway driving and three more through the city while trying to see the sights. But it was still a great time. Disneyland lived up to it's reputation for the kids, we all had a great couple of days there and we are even considering returning some day. Not bad for people who aren't die hard Disney people. It was a great week away with the family. Now if we could somehow move the east coast a little further west so we could explore that region next time around.

A few more pics (okay a lot more):

Best Home Movies Ever

Well, to me anyway. From Brent's short stint as master home videographer. He really needs to take that up again.

Cars and Chemistry and Dishpan Hands

I have now left the land of denial and am staring into the laughing face of reality. When I went in to talk to the academic advisor last summer I was all, "Yay me! I have 50 credits! How cool am I!" Even though as I said this to myself I was looking at the yellow paper with all the classes I need to take but a part of my brain wouldn't let what I was looking at fully register. Although it's true, I had 50 credits, they would only work with five classes. Yes, five classes. So I basically had one semester under my belt. No wonder it's going to take me four years or so to get through school (guess I should stop taking one or two classes per semester, huh?) So now that I've accepted the world of reality, what to do? Well reality isn't so bad I guess. I've registered for three classes in the fall and one in the summer. I'm not so sure about the summer class. Chemistry. It's online and for non science majors so that sounds a little less threatening. I also feel like I have something to prove after that debacle in high school, junior year. Did I ever show you my chemistry lab scar that is on my left hand? It looks like those paper doll cutouts where they're all holding hands. It's kind of cool actually. But the biggest thing is I'm wondering if I should take it, it is only one class after all. Or should I free up all my time to hang with my kids and get all OCD about organizing my house? I could probably do all of those, or at least hang with the kids and clean the house, along with the one class. Who knows. I've got a week to decide.

Anyway so spring semester is done. I really liked that art class. Fun times. Now onto domestic things. Our dishwasher broke about a year and a half ago. Well, halfway broke really. The heating element broke and we've been using it with the hot water from the furnace but that isn't working so well any more so I've taken up washing dishes by hand. Let me tell you, my sink has never been so clean on account of I'm a slight germaphobe and all. But I'm starting to get the dishpan hands, especially since I feel the need to put bleach in the water along with the soap. So what to do? Do you save up for three new appliances? Because they are all at varying levels of falling apart. Or do you just go out and get the new dishwasher and live with mismatched appliances for the next year or two or so? Because we have white appliances right now and I don't see the point in buying new appliances if they aren't going to be stainless steel and look pretty.

Either way the dishpan hands are here to stay for a while. It'll probably be a couple of months since we were in the position of realizing last week that our Subaru Forester wasn't worth the money it would take to fix it so we decided to go for the new car for Brent to get to work and back. If you have to buy a new car it is a good one though. A 2009 Toyota Yaris. 38 mpg freeway, baby! Ironically, it's white. Maybe we should have gone with a stainless steel car. We've named him Junior, because he looks like our Mazda MPV's small child, sitting next to it in the garage.

Sacrament Meeting First?

So every once in a while I'll be perusing Mormon blogs on the internet or checking facebook or something like that and I'll read something about Sacrament Meeting at church. I'll be reading along and all of a sudden I'm lost, something about this story doesn't make sense. Then it hits me: Oh they don't go home after Sacrament meeting, they go to their classes! Now the story makes sense! My ward is among the .00005% that has Sacrament Meeting last instead of first (don't quote me on these highly exaggerated statistics). Our whole stake has had Sacrament Meeting last since the dawn of time I guess, or at least the dawn of the Stake, and the Stake we split off of before it. So we've been going to Sacrament Meeting last for the last 8 1/2 years. Which was a DELIGHT when the kids were little of course and needing a nap after almost two hours at church already. Now that they are 7, 10 and 12 we could care less. We don't understand why most everyone else is complaining about it still.* The seat saving still bugs me on occasion but I can get a seat in the Chapel a couple of times a month these days so it's fine. There was a period of about three years when I could rarely get a seat in the chapel so it was hard chairs in the cultural hall for me every week. Not very fun for my never completely healed from that one trip to the bouncy house with the kids for Family Home Evening one night in 2001 tailbone injury. I don't know why I didn't just abandon all pride and get that doughnut already. Now when I hear people talking about Sacrament Meeting being first (once I figure out that is what they are talking about) I think, You have Sacrament Meeting first? Well that's weird...


*Kidding, I feel for you, young parents.

To Nobody At All

I'm glad the president and congress have finally stepped up and stopped listening to those who oppose them. Those who say, Who cares if this is what you campaigned on and got elected on (among other things). You can't do anything you set out to do! I'm glad they have finally stepped up and got to work. Nothing is perfect but health care will not bring on socialism. (Just ask a socialist and watch them laugh at you. By the way, I am not a socialist, I maybe lean toward democrat but never have made anything official.) If we can survive such atrocities as the public library, fire fighters and public education, we will survive this to. When I read things like this: “We’re coming to a Europeanization of America. And the American people feel it,” (Orrin) Hatch said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” I think, when did Europe become our enemy? Europe is not my enemy. It seems like a lovely place. Silly.

I'm not afraid  for freedom. You won't be able to convince me to be afraid. I live in a country where I am blessed enough to be able to return to school at 38 years old. AND take guitar lessons. Pretty nice if you ask me. Go ahead and be afraid if you want, you have the right to do that too. I have other worries to occupy my time. Like how to get a ten year old to go to school every morning without becoming overcome with anger because her capri pants don't fit right or the head band feels weird. That's where I get to direct my energy. Is it summer yet? I'm busy, I don't have time for fear that would be irrational to me. I used to spend too much time consumed by irrational fears. It was exhausting. I'm not saying it isn't rational to you, follow your own heart. I've got my own moral compass to follow. Fortunately it is based in a world that is not black and white but full of beautiful colors. I need to workout now. I'm tired. I think I need some protein. And I need to finish reading  A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Cooking Up A Storm

Isabella and Zoe cooked dinner for the family a couple of Sundays ago. Zoe wanted to reopen their restaurant, Loukieniez. They first did this restaurant a couple of years ago. Noah made up the name when he was about 4 or 5. Brent and I had a lovely meal in the art room all by ourselves, and the service was excellent! On the menu was peperoni pizza frittata, fruit, hash browns and strawberry lemonade. Delicious!

We also did another cooking class with Isabella and her friends (I've been rotating the monthly class with the other girl's moms, this was my last class). This time around they learned to make a tasty orange julius and homemade granola.

I thought I'd post the granola recipe since it was so good, especially with milk. I'd maybe double the cinnamon next time though.

Homemade Granola

Makes 6 1/2 cups

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup honey
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup raisins
• ½ c chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spread shredded coconut on top. Bake until toasted. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
2. Decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In a large bowl, toss together oats, wheat germ, almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together honey and butter; pour over oat mixture. Stir well. Spread onto sheets. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Break up granola; sprinkle with raisins, chocolate chips and toasted coconut. Store in airtight container.

Catching Up With Kids

Isabella and Noah each had birthdays. Isabella turned twelve. (Gasp!) Noah turned seven. Well, the birthdays were actually in January. I am just that behind. Isabella got the cool new purple mountain bike.

Zoe joined myself and Isabella in the land of the glasses wearers. Isn't she cute?

Marla

So I mentioned the four year old artist I was learning about for my art class in my last post. I thought I'd share a couple of her paintings here on the blog. Her name is Marla Olmstead and she is now 9 or 10. When the documentary about her and her art was made she was four and had made over $300,000 on her paintings. I'm not sure if any of these are recent or were done when she was four. I do think they are beautiful and interesting paintings. Makes me wonder if I could get Noah to do some abstract art for our family room. Or heck, maybe I should do some myself!

School and Such

Life has been kind of busy. I'm enjoying my art class. I got to go to a museum and analyze some art and listen to all of that classical music. This week I get to watch a documentary about a four year old who briefly became the latest art sensation and then was torn down after it was discovered her dad may have been the one doing the art. Then I get to tear apart the four year old myself. Should be fun. Don't worry, the four year old will never see it and I will be nice. It's kind of cool having an online class. Instead of going to a lecture and trying to participate, which would mean me sitting there, occasionally having something to say and trying to get up the courage to raise my hand and properly articulate my thoughts in front of a large class (it's not as bad as when I twenty but I'm not completely cured), we have discussions that we are required to participate in. So I can think out what I want to say beforehand so I don't sound like an idiot, then post my thoughts on the subject of the day. Then if they don't care for my opinion, who cares. I don't know any of these people. Here's a sample for you. Me analyzing whether minimalist art is indeed art or not:

I like to think I’m open minded when it comes to art. I’m down with Pollock and the abstract expressionists and fauvism and even a blank canvas painted white. But the truth is I’m not completely open minded about what art is. While I don’t care for Fanny Sanin’s Acrylic Number 2 as it is a little too 1980s stylized for my taste, I can still accept it as art. That's easy for me. But when someone like performance artist Yves Klein covers women in paint and has them smear their bodies across a canvas I have a hard time calling it “Art” and an easier time calling it “A Gratuitous Cry for Attention”, or at least “a lack of imagination”. When Martin Creed sets the lights in an empty gallery to go off and on to a timer and calls it art, I can’t easily jump on board. But I believe that art in general is an individual expression. So I can accept that Klein’s art and Creed's art is art because they are claiming it to be art, it doesn’t have to be something I like or understand.
I do believe art is an individual expression. There is value in trying to open our minds and find art wherever someone is attempting to make art. When someone uses an unorthodox or even “grossly simplistic” means to express themselves in an artistic way, such as the white on white of Robert Ryman’s “State”, I believe there is more to it than meets the eye. That there is a purpose and intent to the art and it’s more than mere laziness or lack of talent. I liked the demonstration at the Gene Davis Exhibit where they allowed patrons to try to make their own striped artwork with the colored metal strips. The physical process and the mental process is usually more than we understand or at least take the time to understand. So if I believe art is an individual expression it isn’t hard for me to believe that even the simplest of Minimalist paintings is indeed art.

So it's a fun time. I also started guitar lessons a couple of weeks ago. Lesson #1 was great and I was a natural, naturally. Lesson #2? Well, there wasn't much natural about that so I think I've got a lot of practice ahead of me. But don't worry, I will soon be on my way to becoming the corner sidewalk troubadour my community has long needed.