you have friends who invite you over to see their newborn baby goats.
I don’t know much about goats, but I’m guessing they don’t usually smell very good. These babies were less than a day old and smelled divine.
Archive for July, 2008
You know you're in Idaho When…
July 29, 2008No More Cheerios!
July 28, 2008
I don’t know what the deal is with our new ward. In all other wards I’ve belonged to, if you got to church at least 10 minutes early, you had a great shot at getting the “good seats”. (i.e. fabric covered padded benches on carpet.) Sure, if you were a mere 8 minutes early you might have been stuck trying to squash your family of 6 into the very back side bench made for no more than 4. But you were still assured the “good seats”.
This place is different. Not one Sunday has gone by that we’ve arrived early enough to get good seats. One Sunday Ralf even got worked up after a morning of rushing around, getting kids dressed, packing church bags, gathering shoes and socks and piling into the car only to find, again, that we missed out on the “good seats”. In his frustration he blurted out “If we weren’t always LATE to church, this wouldn’t happen!” To which I patiently pointed out that we were actually 10 minutes early…
In our quest for the “good seats” one Sunday we made it 20 minutes early. Yep, you guessed it, still no “good seats” for us. I think it’s a conspiracy against all the new people, but I have yet to prove my theory. I guess we could try and be 30 minutes early next time just to see if that would make a diference. But, to be honest, it wouldn’t be worth it to me. An extra half hour of keeping my kids quiet, engaged, and reverent on top of the hour of sacrament meeting, just to get “good seats”? No thanks.
So, I have resigned myself to the fact that we will be permanent fixtures in the “bad seats”. For those of you who either always get the “good seats” or haven’t had the opportunity to experience a sacrament meeting at a mormon church, let me explain what the “bad seats” are.
When the chapel full of “good seat” fills up, the accordion-style door to the cultural hall (i.e. basketball gym/stage area) opens up lined with cold, folding metal chairs with an aisle down the middle. The floors are usually hardwood polished to a smooth sheen.
I’ve actually come to peace with this reality. Certainly there are worse things that I could be complaining about. But my point to this post is not to complain. It’s actually to offer some tips and advice to those of you who have also found yourselves week after week in the “bad seats” in sacrament meeting. I know I’m not alone. So just for you, I’ve compiled a list of helpful tips so you can make the most of your time in the “bad seats”.
Items to add to your church bag:
- Magnetic numbers and letters. You know, the kind that you can find on almost every first time parent’s refrigerator. They stick wonderfully to every part of the metal chair.
- Cloth books. We have never been big fans of these. Luckily, my kids are all too old for them but for those of you with littler ones, these are the kinds of books that have shoelaces to tie, or zippers to zip, or buttons to button. They are made not of paper but of nice soft fabric. Why these particular books? Because when they’re dropped they land silently or, heaven forbid, when they’re chucked at the snoozing elderly couple a few rows in front of you, they don’t leave a mark.
- A few extra pairs of socks. Why? Just slip them on over the kids’ shoes making them stealthily silent, and if you’re lucky, when the unruly kids run away from you, you avoid having the entire congregation look back and wonder whose kid that is. If you’re not lucky they may discover that the socks make awesome skates.
- A baby blanket. No baby? No problem. A good baby blanket can be folded in half and half again to make a great pillow for your tush on high council Sundays.
Items to remove from your church bag:
- Cheerios, pretzels, crackers, Kix. No need to make a scene when the baggie full of them gets turned upside down and scatters in all directions across the floor. Instead pack some mini marshmallows, gummy bears, and raisins. Silent, bouncy, and tidy.
- Felt scripture figures. No need. Nothing to stick them to without the velcro-like fabric of the “good seats”.
- Anything metal. Metal on metal and the gym acoustics? Really bad combination.
That’s all I’ve got. If you can add to my list, leave me a comment. I think all of us who have resigned ourselves to the “bad seats” could benefit from any and all advice.
"When in Idaho…
July 27, 2008do as the Idahoans.” And that would mean ‘floating the river’. I don’t really think it matters what river. We’ve got lots of choices around here but since we’re only 2 miles from the Boise River, that was our river of choice on Saturday. Since we don’t own a single piece of floating equipment yet, we called on some good friends who used to own a river rafting company. They generously loaned us:
- A raft
- Some paddles
- A trailer to tow the raft
- A few life vests
- A dry bag with Band-Aids (which came in handy)
- One of their children with rafting experience
- And some valuable advice, some of which we took and some of which we foolishly left behind. (see below)
After dropping off a second vehicle at the ‘take out’ spot, we motored around until we found the right ‘put in’ spot and successfully unloaded the raft and the kids. We trudged through the brush, put in the raft, towels, camera in the dry bag with the Band-Aids, paddles, and the kids and pushed off into the wild waters.
Note the thrill of the adventure and the enthusiasm of being out in the beauty of nature…
Until a wrong move resulted in a gash on the right knee of said passenger. Thus the need for the Band-Aids.
Note more thrill and enthusiasm. So much so that this one even hopped out into the river on his own.
Maddy with our resident river expert.
I also exuded thrill and enthusiasm…except when I was
Trying to keep Little Will IN the raft.
Despite the looks on some faces (due more to an aversion to pictures than to rafting) all in all, a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Note to self (or more specifically to Ralf). Next time:
- Don’t dismiss the advice to bring the pump with us in the raft. We (he) didn’t fully appreciate the science of hot air inside a raft on a hot summer day hitting the cold water of the Boise water. You know, hot air expands and cold air contracts. A nice and tight raft at the beginning vs. a limp and soggy vessel at the end.
- Clean, dry towels should be left at the ‘take out’ area instead of coming in the raft with us and becoming water logged, heavy baggage in a gravity challenged raft.
- Don’t forget the Band-Aids. With 5 kids, always a good rule no matter where you go.
- Three adults are needed after the trip. Two to pick up the second vehicle and trailer, and one to stay with the kids. Unless you want to leave all kids alone with the raft and 3 whiskey loving strangers looking to shoot beavers passing by in the river.
Finally…
July 24, 2008I’ve been harping on my sister Jennifer to start blogging for like a thousand years and guess what… She’s finally come around and has written her first post. I know she’ll be great at this because:
- She’s a great writer because she reads millions of books. She’s my friend on Goodreads and while my list has about 36 books, hers is close to 300! Show off.
- She’s got 4 great kids with big personalities. There’s always something kooky going on at her house. If she can remember to snap a pic at the right moment she’ll have loads of blogging material.
- Her husband is Mister Big Wig of the publishing world of web developers. I don’t even know what that entails but I know he’s great with computers and has really good grammar skills.
- She got all the good genes in our family. She’s tall, thin, and beautiful so she shouldn’t have any anxiety about posting pics of herself. If she does, I’ll have to strangle her.
So, go visit her blog, leave a comment and welcome her to the addicting world of Mommy Blogging.
An Open Letter To:
July 22, 2008
Benjamin Moore Co.,
You don’t know me but I have a proposition for you. You see, I am a stay-at-home mom of four kids. Although most of my time is devoted to homeschooling them, being a wife to my husband, blogging, and taking care of the household, I actually have my own interests and hobbies. One of which is home decor. We’ve owned six homes in our 15 years of marriage and have painted the interiors of all of them. Always using Benjamin Moore colors. I love Benjamin Moore paint. It covers completely and wears well. That said, I believe you are in need of my services. I am proposing that you hire me to name any new colors you have coming down the line. Why me? For these reasons:
- I can work from home. Just Fed Ex me the colors and I will name them and send/email them back straight away. No need for an office or computer. I’ve got that covered. I’m willing to work part-time, on an on-demand type basis. Just think of the money you’d save.
- I’ve always received good grades in English class. I own both a dictionary and thesaurus. I’m a great speller. Just in case, I’ve also got spell check. No worries.
- I’m in love with everything New England and from the sea. I know many of your colors are beach inspired and I’m all about that.
- Since I now live in the ruralness-that-is-Idaho, I am becoming familiar with the varied shades of tan, taupe, brown and the dappled gray of the prairie in case BM is inspired to create a collection of sagebrushy colors in the future. I’m your go-to woman.
- Being a parent, I also have the experience to name a collection of colors to connect with the family crowd looking for just the right shade for the nursery or the playroom/family room/office. Imagine Slumbering Love or Inner Chi.
- And, to be honest without sounding rude, you’ve got some names in your collection that perplex me a little. Take for instance Snugglepuss BM 1405. Really? Snugglepuss? Not sure that’s one I would want to pass along to a friend. And what about Groundhog Day BM 1166? I’m imagining the deadline for naming this shade was looming and someone quick jotted down the movie they were watching on late night cable that weekend. Sound about right? Oh, and if you do hire me, can I name the colors a question? Like BM 752 How Blue Am I? Just in case I’m feeling a little depressed and can’t think of anything else, a question might work. Just let me know.
I think that pretty much sums it up. I’m the ideal candidate for the job. Feel free to contact me so we can discuss the details. I look forward to hearing from you. Right now I’m off to water my verdant lawn while the crystalline sun is mid horizon in the cerulean sky.
Sincerely,
Wendy
Happy 4th Birthday Little Will!
July 22, 2008
It makes me so sad. I’m in mourning. My baby is no longer three. He’s our last one and he’s growing up far too fast. Anyone know a cure for this? I’ve asked him to stop, and he’s assured me he’s tried but he just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I’ve told him that I understand and that it’s OK as long as he still crawls in bed with me in the morning and snuggles. He thought that sounded like a good plan. So we celebrated.
His birthday wouldn’t be complete without:
A pirate ship cake
Lots of pirate booty
Like an eye patch, telescope, and hook… anyone sensing a theme here?
Arggh! Swords…
A hook for a hand…
and candle blowing.
Happy happy birthday Little Will!
A First
July 21, 2008It’s always exciting when a blogger gets an award, but especially her first award. It happened to me today. Take a look-see:
Thanks to Sherine whose blog is a daily read for me. She is an excellent mommy to her four Littles and her two big kids too. Although it’s hard to keep track of just where she is from week to week, she always manages to capture the important moments of mommy hood to share with all of her readers. I love her patience, enthusiasm, sense of humor, and literary picks. Be sure to visit her blog and check out how gorgeous her family is.
The rules for this award are as follows:
1. Please put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. You must nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award.
4. Add links to the recipients.
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.
Since my favorite time-waster is blog surfing, it was not hard to find bloggers to nominate for this award. Here are my picks:
Elaine – whose blog I found as a new blogger. I’ve never met her, we don’t share the same zip code, religion, or hometown, nevertheless, we have lots in common. I think we are relatively the same age. She loves her family, hits the gym regularly, spent some time home schooling, lost her dad not long ago, loves to take great pictures, and reads Pioneer Woman regularly. I give her all the credit in the world because she is raising FIVE (beautiful) girls! Tell me that’s not a herculean feat.
Celia – Many of you may already read her. But even though her following is enormous, she remains down-to-earth. I love reading her blog because; she’s a daily blogger, her writing is hilarious and honest, she doesn’t hesitate posting pictures of herself (which I just can’t seem to do) on a regular basis, her kids are about the same age as mine and I’m always looking for good teen, tween, and kid raising tips. She is open and honest and does not hold back. I hope to meet her at one of her fabulous Blogapalooza parties!
Gab – Found her blog from a friend and love to read it. She has the best ideas, one of which is her weekly interview. She chooses someone that she admires and interviews them for the blog. She’s interviewed a hairstylist, her dad, a very tall girlfriend, and a military wife, among others. And I sensed a connection with her when I read that she too was facing her 20 year high school reunion, and she shared the delusion that she could lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks. I hope she did better than me.
January – is one of my good friends who I miss all the time. Although she doesn’t post often, when she does, it’s fast and furious. She’ll update 3 months worth of news in one shot. January is so down-to-earth and honest and funny that I wish we still lived close by. She’s a great mom with beautiful kids.
Paige – If you read Celia, you know Paige by default since they are sisters. I met Paige when we were in a music class with our kids a handful of years ago, before I even knew what blogging was. Little did I know how funny she was at the time. Another must read. She’s got the best and most up-to-date celebrity gossip and subsequent opinions of any blogger I read. I also depend on her for quick and practical fashion tips. She always looks put together, as do her highly photographed kids.
Tara – was the first great friend I made after I got married 15 years ago. Although she was only a few years older than I she seemed so experienced and mature. She already had two kids and was expecting her third after all! We both moved away many years ago but manage to keep in touch regularly. I still look up to her. She is very spiritual, funny, easy-going, beautiful, has a wonderful singing voice, is great with teenagers, and is a devoted wife. What more could you strive to be?
Maddy – Is my one and only daughter. She began blogging this past year as part of her writing program for homeschool. Needless to say, since it isn’t updated often, it isn’t her only writing program. I nominated her for two reasons. She’s a great writer when she wants to be but she needs more comments to motivate her to do more writing. She’s thirteen and anything I can do to get on her good side makes life just a little bit easier for me. Selfish, I know.
Thanks again Sherine!
High School Reunion Trip
July 19, 2008Ralf and I just got back from a trip to Connecticut for our 20 year high school reunion. We were in the same class and dated our last year of high school. Not having been back in 18 years, we were excited for the trip. The kids stayed home with my in-laws and had a great, carefree, parent-less week.
Madison is a small town along Long Island Sound, full of families who have populated it for generations. It takes time and effort to establish yourself in a town like this where most kids have grown up together their entire lives. Ralf and I both moved here mid growing-up years. He at the end of middle school and I my junior year of high school. The extrovert that he is, he was able to get situated quicker and easier than me, being an introvert. But we both have lots of memories of our years in Madison and were eager to reminisce.
Some realizations we took away from our trip:
- Madison is a beautiful and unique community in which to be a kid.
- The cashiers at Win-Co here in Idaho are much more interested in small talk than the cashiers at the Stop-and-Shop in Madison
- Everything grows better in humidity
- Instead of soccer lessons in the summer, the kids take sailing lessons.
- Lenny and Joe’s Fishtale still has the best fried shrimp!
- Twenty years is enough time to figure out who you are and what you want in life. Unfortunately there were some people at the reunion who hadn’t come to that realization yet.
- I miss the forests and the green and the beach. I didn’t even mind the humidity.
- My love affair with beach cottages is alive and well
- As an observer, clumsy drunkedness in a middle-age parent is not as palatable as it was back in high school.
- Just because you went to high school with someone does not mean that’s all you have to talk about with them. How refreshing.
- A country club tennis court full of old men dressed all in white is not as impressive as it once was.
It was full of little guys the day I took this.
- Madison is not where we’d choose to raise kids, but it may make a great summer family vacation.
- We are so happy to be where we are and to have what we have.
…and the home of the Brave!
July 10, 2008This Fourth of July weekend we chose to embrace the rurality of our surroundings. What kind of parade does a town of less than 3,000 put on?
One that looks like this:
And this:
What does a town do for its citizens that are wilting in the heat?
Turn on one of these:
And drench Main Street.
Much to the relief of kids like this:
Who’s the lone girl among this cache of boys? Well, our 13-year-old daughter of course.
These gentlemen followed her home after fireworks to roast marshmallows in our fire pit. We were happy to see that she found a fellow girl to help balance out the numbers.
To continue our “rurality embrace”, we spent the following day where else…but at the feed lot!
Where the kids went riding
On real horses
With real cowboys
And drove real farm gators
And made new furry friends
Some rode shotgun
While others shot guns.
(For the first time might I add. And I was not aiming at the ground. I was just trying to figure out how the flippin’ thing worked. The safety was still on, OK?)
Hope your 4th was a little more civilized, a lot cooler, but just as memorable!