Quote of the Week...

"It's not our job to raise responsible kids. Our job is to consistently do the things that give kids an opportunity to become responsible."

---Foster W. Cline, M.D.

If you own stock in Lysol or Clorox...

I just made your day.

We have been sick to some degree or another for FOUR WEEKS. Every one of us. Sniffling, coughing, sore throats, head and body aches, and then throw in some random vomiting just for fun and you've pretty much got a picture of what life has been like at my house.

Now normally I don't use anything with lots of chemicals. Simple Green, a mild glass cleaner, and a vinegar solution is usually the extent of what I am comfortable using. But today I was on a mission. I wanted every germ within a 6 mile radius of me either dead, or out of their mind with fear.

So I opened every window in my house, and then went to the local Stuff Mart. I then beelined it to the cleaning supply aisle and proceeded to throw anything that said 'disinfectant' or 'anti' anything on its label into my cart. I don't even want to tell you how much I spent but let's just say that a presidential candidate probably could have campaigned for at least a week or two on it. Luckily, I think all the major candidates are dipwads, so no big loss there.

As of tonight, pretty much every surface in my house has been sprayed, soaked, wiped, scrubbed, and otherwise pummeled into what I hope is a germ-free surrender.

And if you do have stock in Lysol or Clorox...you're welcome.

Finally, a campaign I can really support...

I love feed the pig. Go watch the video spot of the guy trying to buy a tv.

Love, love, love.

Quote of the Week...

"It is well, when judging someone, to remember that he is judging you with the same godlike and superior impartiality."

--Arnold Bennett

Some stuff to help you spend too much time on the computer...

Because, you know, we all need that.

Here are a few sites that I am really liking:
Abi Jones has this fun little blog where she reviews frozen foods. Few things are more annoying to me than when I take some of my precious grocery money to buy some frozen dinners and then find I'd rather just have eaten the box they came in. What's really great is that all the nutritional facts (including weight watchers points, if that's your thing) are included in the review. And most importantly, she is really funny. Anyone who can slide in a reference to sesame seeds falling into their bra during a review is my kind of gal.
Becky Higgins has long been a huge name in the world of scrapbooking. I have loved her for years. Her blog is filled with layouts and videos and recipes and lots of yummy goodness. What I love about Becky is her "anyone can do it" mentality. Despite the fact that she is enormously talented, she is so about everyone just enjoying the process. When you watch her videos, you feel like one of your girlfriends just sat down to chat for a few. If you don't like scrapbooking (or, in fact, feel it's the Devil) you'd at least probably enjoy her recipe section. Pictures for every recipe, and so far everything I have tried from it has been really good.
Google Earth may already be a favorite at your house. My kids came home from school talking about it one day, so I went and downloaded it (the basic version is free) and now we are hooked. The kids love to "fly" to our house and then "fly" to Grandma's house. It is amazing and a little bit creepy that photos from space show our cars parked in the driveway and the dead patches of grass in my lawn. But, it is still really cool. You could also use it to look up people you know to see what kind of neighborhood they live in, to see if they live better than you do. No...that would be wrong, and who would even be twisted enough to think of that?? Geesh.

Quote of the Week...

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
---Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts

Just sit anywhere, for the love of Pete...

How come my kids wanna fight to the death over who gets to sit in certain places?



It's not like their dad and I model this behavior. They've never once seen me burst into tears because their Dad sat down at a particular chair at the dining room table. They haven't ever walked in on Dad and Mom pushing and shoving each other for a place on the couch. And I'm pretty sure their Dad hasn't ever thrown himself to the ground and kicked and screamed because Mom was riding shotgun.



And yet, here's an actual conversation:
"I call pistol!" (pistol is the seat behind shotgun. the fact that they've taken it upon themselves to name it that shows you just what kind of freaks we are dealing with)
"Too late!! I already called it!"
---weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth---
"No way!!! I was totally here by the door and I called it!!!!"
"Ahhhhhh, but see?? I called it first, IN MY MIND."

Quote of the Week...

"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."

--Dave Barry

Hope hubby isn't jealous...

I love Lost.

Every week drags by until my lovely little addiction stops in and gives me some attention. I giggle like a school girl when I realize it's Thursday night...and I keep my past seasons' DVDs right by my television should I need a good Jack/Locke/Sayid fix to get through the day.

Lost, I don't understand you. I can't even pretend to. You tease and taunt me and even though you mock me with your mysteries I can't give you up. All I know is that I need you the way Sawyer needs to give people nicknames...

Quote of the Week...

"We must constantly remember it is not our situation or problems that make us unhappy; it is our failure to properly resolve them."

--Marvin J. Ashton

I just don't get it...

I hate those shows where they show people falling down, or tripping, or in some other way doing something embarrassing. I never get it when people laugh at stuff like that. It never even occurs to me to think that it's funny.

I'm not saying that it isn't funny. I am just saying that it isn't funny to me.

I have always been oddly sensitive that way. I find it very uncomfortable to see people in painful or embarrassing situations, whether physical or emotional. If someone falls down in front of me, my first impulse is to make sure they are okay, whereas many people (including, quite possibly, the person who fell) can't help but laugh.

Emotional pain is even more of a problem. I wouldn't watch "Napoleon Dynamite" for ages because I thought it was a movie where a geeky kid got bullied and made fun of the entire time, and the thought of watching that made me unbelieveably uncomfortable.

I was never bullied-much-as a kid. But I remember watching other kids get bullied and trying to seek them out and be friendly to them and make them laugh. The times I have stooped to being hurtful and unkind, I ended up feeling like such an awful person. As I look back over my younger years, it's the times I was sarcastic or openly distainful of someone else that really come back and haunt me. The times I thought I was being clever or going for a laugh are not remembered with fondness.

So now, as an adult, I guess that has stayed with me. I never want to be responsible for another person feeling humiliated or ashamed. I find that the older I get, the more deeply I empathize with people. The more I wish that it was in all our natures to be more tender with one another's trips and falls.

Now, please don't think I don't have a sense of humor. And please don't think that I look at people who DO laugh at things like as though they are bad or wrong. I don't.

I just don't get it.

Quote of the Week...

"It's the most unhappy people who most fear change."

--Mignon McLaughlin

Quote of the Week...

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

--Walt Disney

Quote of the Week...

"Now... in closing I plead with you to control your tempers, to put a smile upon your faces, which will erase anger; speak out with words of love and peace, appreciation, and respect. If you will do this, your lives will be without regret. Your marriages and family relationships will be preserved. You will be much happier. You will do greater good. You will feel a sense of peace that will be wonderful." --Gordon B. Hinckley

Farewell, dear man...

President Gordon B. Hinckley

I am ever grateful to have been led by such a humble, tender, witty, and gracious follower of Christ. It was a joy to have learned by his example. I know that he was a Prophet of God, and that he led and guided with love and distinction.

What a reunion there is in Heaven right now...

Another good one...

I have been so exhausted lately. Feels like I am walking through mud. But I finally got some good sleep the other night, and had this dream:

I was at a children's touch football game. I was cheering for the team that was playing against the team Ward Churchill was playing for. Every time Mr. Churchill would get the ball taken away or his flags would get pulled as he ran the ball, he would jump up and down and pitch a little boy fit. I found this amusing, and not the slightest bit surprising, in spite of the fact that his 10-12 year old teammates seemed to be able to keep their emotions in check.

As I was enjoying the game, my newly adult aged daughter came up and sat next to me.

"Here you go, Mom. There's that list I was telling you about."

"List?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, the list. The list of all the things I don't like about you. For convenience, I alphabetized and categorized it for you."

I gotta tell you...I think I liked my Hillary Clinton dream a lot better.

Quote of the Week...

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quote of the Week...

"It is important to have the courage not to deny in the darkness what you have seen in the light."

--Coventry Patmore

Just so you know...

I'm kind of obsessed with organizing.

In fact, I dream about being a professional organizer. I would LOVE to go into people's homes and help them let go of things they don't need and find the joy of living with less. (ala my quote of the week)

Part of the obsession, no doubt, stems from being the mom of many. You can't really fly by the seat of your pants when you have a family of 9...well, you CAN...but it's not gonna be pretty. I went through a few years of digging for permission slips and blank stares when the kids ask what's for dinner and impaling myself on Legos and Bionicles when I go in to kiss my kids goodnight. Somewhere along the line, I realized that if I wanted to live this life, I'd better get my act together. I haven't lived in an unorganized house since.

Family life always requires course correction. What worked for a while may not work anymore. So you adjust. You adapt. And you can't adapt well when you are buried in stuff. In fact, being buried in stuff is sort of the manifestation of being unwilling or unable to adapt. To adapt and change your family's schedule and way of living, you have to be willing to let go. And clearly, if your house is overrun with stuff, letting go is not your strong suit.

I spent yesterday in my kitchen. I emptied every drawer, every cupboard. Got rid of everything that didn't help us function as a family and make us happy. Switched some things around since they weren't helping us get the most out of our time and space. Cleaned every nook and cranny. It was SO fun.

I love the way I feel whenever I do this. I feel lighter, more calm, and like I have less to worry about. Because, well, I DO have less to worry about. I feel like a more grateful person, because I am treating the things we have been blessed with in a way that shows respect. And because I am not hanging on to things that we don't use or need when those things could be blessing the lives of someone else.

So, until I can become a professional organizer, could you at least humor me and go clean out a drawer or something?

Quote of the Week...

"Wanting less is a greater blessing than having more."

--unknown