Summer break !?!

School is almost out! My children will be out on Friday. I have mixed feelings about this. Getting up at 6:30 to get the kids ready to be on the bus at 7:25 is getting old, and so is making sure that homework is done, papers are finished, projects are done. Vacation and time with family is fun, but I'm dreading the I'M BORED! that starts about a week into summer break. We've planted a garden and I think the kids are excited about it and we've signed up the son to play t-ball. We're not planning any major "trips" this summer. I'll probably put the kids into swimming lessons, but I need more ideas! What do you do with your kids over summer to keep the I'm BORED's to a minimum?

Just a little question

I was at the grocery store on Saturday and while I was checking out the checker commented on my organizational skills regarding the way I put my groceries on the conveyor belt. Now, I've done this for quite some time and this is the first time anyone ever said anything to me about it. You see, I have to put my groceries on the belt a certain way, the freezer stuff needs to be together, the boxes, the produce, the dairy, the cans, and the bread and eggs must go last. Now I am not generally "nuts" about the way things need to be, but really it just makes sense to me. So what I really want to know is if YOU do anything that is just a little shall we say "on the edge of OCD". I'm pretty sure that the way my groceries go on the conveyor is the only one I have.....except maybe my obsession with putting the lid back on the milk (if you aren't pouring it, it needs to have a lid on it).

Oh and guess what! It snowed today, a lot. A white Easter is kinda different, not totally unheard of here but a little bit strange. I took a picture, but it's late and I'm not sure I really want to go to the work of showing you.....maybe I"ll add it later. I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter!

SMILE

SMILE!!!

Today while driving home from picking up my van that has been in the shop ALL week, I saw a man on his motercycle smiling at his friend. Maybe about a joke or maybe just because the day was so beautiful, I don't know. But, it got me thinking, I really don't remember what he looked like, just that he had a wonderful smile, and it made me smile too. When I was at Ricks college, everyone went around saying hello to everyone they passed. It was kinda strange at first, but was so friendly and comforting. Anyway, one day I smiled at a complete stranger and watched as she walked by smiling at someone else, who in turn started smiling too....it was strange because from where I was standing, I watched as a smile spread and spread and spread. Sometimes life is hard, sometimes I feel overwhelmed and exhausted, but you know what? I bet I can smile at someone, it really improves my looks and spreads to others too.

I hope these smiles will spread to you too!

I'm getting a reputation, or When did I become such a ditz?

I went to the library today because I had forgotten to unlock the DVD I checked out yesterday. Oops! I had received an email saying that one of the books I had on hold was in, so I decided to grab it while I was there. I looked and looked and couldn't find it, so I asked the librarian for assistance. She went to look in the back and couldn't find it. So, we decide to look in the L section ( because my name starts with L) and it's not there either. The librarian was very nice, she explained that the woman in the back had said that she had seen my name (she even knew my middle name) yesterday. I explained that there had been some books in yesterday because I had been in yesterday. I think I'm starting to get a reputation at the library. It seems the last couple of weeks I've had to ask for help with my holds in one way or the other. Hopefully I won't become the woman whom everyone runs from when they see me coming into the library. (Oh, when I got home I realized that I'd accidentally marked that I would pick up the book at the downtown library. *embarrassed blush* )

This and that

I haven't posted much lately. Here are some bits and pieces of my last couple weeks. Oldest daughter had her science fair project! The first one for our family. I stressed only a little (okay maybe a lot) but it turned out well. I was worried because the first couple of times we tried it, it didn't work. AAAck. We finally got it working and it turned out well.


My son had his cast removed today! They put him into a brace for the next couple of weeks, and he should be back to "normal" before we know it.



My camera is broken. I pulled it out a few days ago to take a picture of the beautiful blue sky here in Colorado and it just wouldn't turn on.( I thought maybe it was the batteries, but nope, that would be too easy). I'm sorry I can't share the beautiful blue sky of Colorado with you! I just purchased it in January and now I have to send it back to the company to have them fix it. I don't know what is wrong with it.



I just finished a book that I liked. It is called Heir Apparent , by Vivian Vande Velde. (I guess I should also let you know that lately I have been reading a lot of books from the children's and teens section of the library, and this book falls into that category). This book is about a teenage girl who gets a gift certificate for her birthday to a virtual gaming place. During the game, protesters attack the place and damage the machine she is on, and she can't get out of the game unless she wins. It was a quick and enjoyable read. There is a little bit of violence in the book, (the game she plays is a game about knights and dragons etc.) so you would probably want to read it before giving it to your younger readers. I just picked it up at the library when I was there with my children. I also just finished City of Ember, by Jeanne Deprau which is a story about a city of people who live underground. The city is starting to run out of electricity and is starting to have blackouts. The hero and heroine find the key to saving the people. I rented the movie and watched it, then thought I would like the book. I'd recommend it.

If you make your family dinner

If you make your family dinner you will go to your fridge and realize you have 5 lbs of hamburger that needs to be split up and put into the freezer.
If you have 5 lbs of hamburger in your fridge that needs to be split up and put in the freezer you will take it out and realize that the juices from the meat have spread all over your shelf in your fridge.
If you realize that the juices are all over you will take the shelf out of the fridge and realize that the box of cookie dough will need to be peeled off the shelf because the cardboard and juices have become a sticky mess. You will also realize you have no space in your sink because no one has done the dishes.
If you start doing the dishes so you can clean the shelf, your children will decide that they need help RIGHT NOW making a valentines box for school.
If you tell them they will have to wait, they will whine at you the whole time you are filling the dishwasher and cleaning the shelf and putting the meat into the freezer.
If you do all this you will then realize that you need to make your family dinner.

Maybe giving cookies is a better idea!

teeth, casts, scorpions, oh my

This is my son, and his arm. Yesterday he fell off of the monkey bars at school. He was crying and in a lot of pain. I took him to the doctor and as the doctor was looking at his arm, moving his hand up, down and then side to side he says "that doesn't hurt." I start thinking " oh great, I've brought him in and nothing is wrong" As we sat outside the x-ray I am thinking how I really must be a horrible mother, because I am "hoping that his arm is really broken and that I didn't spend all this money for nothing" I know there must be something wrong with me. Okay, I really didn't want his arm to be broken, because I certainly don't want him to be hurting. (but if he's making such a fuss over this and it's not....). Well, as you can see, it was really broken, not too bad and should heal well.

It's been a big week for him. He also lost one of his front teeth. He also was entered into a local art contest by his art teacher. They only picked a couple kids from each school. They were giving away scholarships. He didn't win, but I thought it was an honor just to be chosen. This is a scorpion. (He is in 1st grade)

the picture really isn't very good.