Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Another reason I'm ready for summer...

No homework.

Most of my kids (Lauren is the exception) dread doing homework. It is becoming a problem. I thought that by 7th and 5th grade, kids would be able to get their homework done independently, without me hovering over them. Not so.

This issue is big enough to be a matter of prayer. This morning, Doug prayed that our girls would be motivated to get their work done, and "put off procrastination." And then we both busted out laughing, because that was an oxymoron!

When I was in school, I would have given myself an ulcer from anxiety if I wasn't prepared to turn in my homework when it was due. Somewhere (in a box) I still have the printout I got at the testing center when I got a D on an exam in college. Doug witnessed the utter shock I went into when I got that score, and he wrote some notes on the back about what he observed. Someting like, "Rebecca is lying on the floor in a fetal position, moaning phrases like I can't believe I did this!" And then he filed it away so we can laugh about it now.

I'm not laughing about my kids' lack of concern about their grades, though.

I'm just counting down the days til summer when they can do housework (while I have to hover over them), rather than homework.

Friday, March 5, 2010

In Like a Lamb


A fluffy, white, really cold, unwelcome lamb!

Ba-aa-aa-aaa!



Bring on the lion. He better be fierce, golden, and hot!
(Pictures taken by Emily, while I stayed in bed with the covers pulled up over my head.)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Two Sides

She's got a tender heart,


and she's also got a temper. 


Tuesday, March 2, 2010

I'd like to make a (belated birthday) "toast"...

To Doug.


May you live a happy and prosperous 38th year, and may you be rewarded with an actual cake on your next birthday!



Cheers!


My Baby Goes 3D

Dressing Up:

Suddenly, Olivia has an opinion about what she wears each day.  And her opinion is, "A dress is best."  The frillier the better.  She also wears her sparkly red church shoes everywhere.  How does a not-quite-two-year-old form such an opinion?  I think it might have something to do with her older siters.  The one who likes to wear dresses all the time, and the one who likes to pretend Olivia is a baby doll and dress her up in outlandish ensembles.

Speaking of Dolls, that would be D2.

Olivia loves baby dolls.  Her Nursery teachers know that she must carry a baby doll from the time we drop her off at class until the time we take her home.  (Olivia loves real live babies, too.)

And thirdly, Dipping:

Pancakes in syrup, cookies in milk, yes of course.  But Olivia also dips french fries in frosties, carrots in ranch, and...

binkies in o.j.




Thursday, February 25, 2010

Bye Bye Feb-BOOHOO-ary!

I'm so tired of these depressing months! Let's get to Spring already!



Once Valentine's Day and the long President's Day weekend are over, I think we should just move on to March. What else do we need February for?



Oh yeah! Doug's birthday. He's getting shamefully close to 40, you know. And I think he's having a mid-life crisis in the form of a need for speed. Yesterday he got his third speeding ticket of the past six months!!! (Three exclamation marks--one for each ticket.) I teased him about the first two, but it's not so funny any more. The joke's getting old. Third time lacks some charm. But let's not forget that a couple of years ago I got two red light violations in the span of a couple of months. So, I can't really cast too many stones, I guess.



Just think about how scary he and I will be behind the wheel when we're elderly!



Anyway...



If you need something to lift your mood, as I do, just take a look at this:





Possible captions for this picture include,



1. Girls and Curls. Cute, right? Makes you smile.

2. 1:00 church is totally incovenient, especially when you have a toddler. (I still can't seem to manage a good order for getting everyone fed and dressed and out the door right at lunch & nap time!)

3. Tide and Shout are listed among my best friends.

4. Which to gobble up first? Lazagna, Brownies, or my delicious little Girl!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Isn't It Romantic?


On V-Day, Doug and I woke up at 4 a.m., left paradise on a crowded plane, and came back to winterland just in time to get everyone ready for church! The day was definitely lacking romance.

Leading up to the big day, I scrambled to help my kids finish their valentines by Friday, and throw together a fancy card container for Lauren on Thursday night (*Why can't they do what I did in elementary school? My teachers always had us weave pink and red construction paper heart baskets to carry our valentines. Now it's turned into a big competition for homemade Valentine boxes, while the valentines themselves are storebought and impersonal.), when they should have been in bed and I should have been at my book group, and then I had to tidy the house and pack my bags to leave Friday morning for San Diego. Meanwhile, Doug was already there.

Amid all that busyness, I did manage to leave a little Valentine necklace for each of my girls to wear, by their pillows, before I left. A token, at least. But there was no fondue, no heart-shaped black forest cake, no candlelit table.


However, Doug and I got to spend the weekend in San Diego to celebrate something pretty big (and romantic): the last of his brothers got married! That's number nine. Doug is number three, and I've been to every wedding except for one--his oldest brother--who got married before I met Doug.


Mark looked like this when I first joined the family:



And now he's a married man!


I love Doug's family, and it was worth "skipping" Valentine's Day to spend the weekend with them.


I'll tell you what's romantic, though.


Weekly dates with my man.
Flowers when it's not a special occasion.
Texting when we're apart.
Being married to a true partner, and being reminded of how glad I am to be married to him, on a weekend that doesn't seem to be so romantic.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Quick wit, which I'm quick to forget

We all went bowling yesterday. Two of my girls beat me by 20+ points, and the other two matched my (pathetic) score. Wii bowling is so much easier! Three reasons: Wii bowling balls are not heavy, I don't have to stick my fingers in scary bowling ball holes, and I don't worry so much about who's watching my backside when I Wii bowl.

Anyhow, we had a really fun time.

On the way home, Emily announced, "There is too much of two things in this world: One is cheese idioms, and the other is..."

Dang. I can't remember what the other one was. But it was random and funny. It will come back to me later.

*Emily remembered what the other thing was: Taco shops. Taco Bell, Taco Time, Del Taco...
Maybe I forgot that one because, how can you not love a taco?

Cheese idioms: "Say cheese" "Cut the cheese" "That's so cheesy" "The Big Cheese"

Emily has always been a big fan of cheese. I guess that's why cheese idioms are so offensive to her.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Handy Dandy

Sadly, I'm not the kind of mom who loves to get down on the floor and play imaginary games with my kids. Truthfully, I prefer to use their playtime to get my own list of things done, without them underfoot. And that list may include my work, as well as my own version of "play." On the occasion that my kids do convince me to play with them, I usually end up organizing and cleaning up the toys that they're not using. Don't get me wrong--it's not that I'm a compulsive cleaner. It's just that I'd rather clean up than use my imagination and just play! But there are lots of things I'd rather do than clean!

Yesterday, during Olivia's naptime, I settled myself on the couch with a book. That left Hannah alone to entertain herself. She wanted me to play with her, but I wanted to get my book read before I meet with my book group on Thursday. So I came up with a solution that was enjoyable for both of us: I let Hannah do my hair and makeup. The process included fingernail polish. I'm now sporting a manicure only a five-year-old could admire. Hot pink on my right hand, and sparkly peach on my left.

This past weekend, I did engage in a youthful activity with my girls. We decided to color and glitter these cute, free, printable Valentines. Check them out! I'm not even going to attach candy or pencils to them. This year, my girls are truly giving a "gift of the heart" to their classmates--a one-of-a-kind, personalized Valentine.


*Thanks to Brittany for sharing. You should see her other artwork. I really like her little birdie paintings. And sometimes she offers cute Visiting Teaching printable messages.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Forty (Farenheit) on February First Feels Fine!

Wouldn't you agree?

I say, Good Riddance to January! And February--what took you so long?