Pancake molds ROCK!

Our Thanksgiving week is off to a fun start.  Yesterday we went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  This was a big deal because it's the first PG-13 movie I'd taken the kids to--usually Jason and I preview them first.  I checked out the very helpful review at pluggedin.com and then called Uncle Logan for some informed opinions.   I'll be honest, I wanted to see the movie pretty badly myself, but probably not as badly as the kids wanted to see it!  Since we knew what to look for and when to cover our eyes (about 2-3 short scenes), we were prepared and had a really great time watching it. Will I make a habit of taking the kids to PG-13 movies at this age? Absolutely not. But sometimes exceptions can be made! :)

When we got home, there was a surprise package waiting for us from Grandma Deb, and the contents totally rocked!!! STAR WARS PANCAKE MOLDS! We tried them out this morning and had a blast. :)

Here are a few random pictures from the morning, taken by Wade and me. Enjoy!

A year later...

and this is still one of my all-time favorite Mormon Messages:




Happy Thanksgiving!

Recess humor

This week I helped out at the school book fair and really enjoyed that.  The other parents working there were so fun and had the best stories.  Somehow Twilight came up in conversation, and one of the moms shared a story about her son in second grade.  Her son didn't know anything about the whole Twilight phenomenon, but he agreed to play "Twilight" with some other kids at recess time.  One girl was Bella and this woman's son was playing Edward.  At one point he was told he needed to take off his shirt like Edward does in the movie, and he said,

"No way.  My mom wouldn't like it, and it sounds inappropriate to me." 

We laughed and laughed and laughed over that one!  I think we were all a little spooked, too, to find Twilight had made it to an elementary school recess game.  That's big time!

Family Favorite--Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

I thought I'd share a chicken noodle soup recipe that is E-A-S-Y and loved by every single person in our house.  It's super yummy and tastes like it's been simmering all day, even though it's ready to go in less than 20 minutes.  I got the original recipe on allrecipes.com, found HERE. 

Here's how I make it:

1 tablespoon butter or oil
1/2 cup chopped onion OR a scant 1/4 cup of dehydrated onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrots
7 cubes chicken bouillion
7 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz) vegetable broth
1 can of chicken (12.5 oz), drained  (sometimes I add two cans)
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups egg noodles (cook separately according to package directions, drain, and set aside)

In a large pot, cook celery, onion, and carrots in the butter until just tender. (If using dehydrated onion, just toss it in with the water--no need to rehydrate!)  Add bouillion cubes, water, vegetable broth, chicken, and spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Just before serving, stir in the cooked egg noodles.  Enjoy!!!

"Love is spelled t-i-m-e"

We went to Wade's third football practice.  Wade and I have got a little system going, where he'll look up at me during practice after he's done something cool or had a turn in a drill, and I'll raise my arms in reply or give him a big thumbs up.  No words, no yelling cheers (like I do at his games!).  It's a fun little connection we have.  Well, tonight one of the other moms pulled up a chair next to me and we talked the entire 60 minutes.  It was a really fun hour of conversation and I enjoyed getting to know this woman.  It sure made the time go by quickly while I was freezing my buns off!  I'll be honest--I didn't watch the practice at all.

Afterwards Wade came up to me and said, "Mom, I need to talk to you."  I made him wait while I got some paperwork from the coach.  I asked him what he needed once we got back to the van, and he said this:

"Mom, every time I looked up at you [to do our signal thing], you had your head turned and you were talking to that lady."

At the time I gave some kind of explanation that I was getting to know a new friend like he was making friends on his team.  It was lame, but we moved on and that was it.  But here it is, almost midnight CA time, and I keep thinking about what Wade said and wondering what the little victories were that I missed tonight.  No, I'm not giving myself a guilt trip because I do my best, and, most importantly, my kids know that I love them and would do anything for them.  But I can always use a good reminder about what is most important.  Like President Uchtdorf's "love is spelled t-i-m-e,"  love is also moments of undivided attention.  It's that secret thumbs up and all the other little daily things that fill up Wade's happiness bucket, and my bucket, too!

Fondue, football, friends, and "finished!"

Friday night--many thanks to Howard and Sandi for having the kiddoes over while Jason and I went to our couples game night.  We had a GREAT time at the Williams' home.  I wish I'd taken a picture of the dinner spread--just picture two long tables decorated to the hilt with the "good plates" set out, several crockpots full of divine melted cheese and a healthy (meaning LARGE) menu of several different foods to dip in the cheese.  I think my favorite was the steak and chunks of bread.  Fondue night was a huge hit!  We played a Wii bowling tournament and train dominoes afterwards.

Saturday--Jason left early to go rapelling with the youth.  Wade had his team picture taken for flag football and then a game at 10.  Their team did SO MUCH BETTER than last week--it was a really fun game to watch!  I think his team lost by 10 points, but the improvement was the important thing.  My favorite part was when quarterback Wade helped in a big touchdown by catching the hiked ball and getting it where it needed to go.  Go, Patriots! :)  Note to some of the obnoxious parents of our team, though: please stop yelling at the ref because I'm tired of watching my son's team lose yardage!!!  I think the guy finally got the message after the team was moved back twice...

Here's a really POOR quality video--sorry, Dad!   At least it's proof that Wade did play!

That afternoon we picked up some lunch and went to the park with several other people to see the Whitlocks!  They drove down from Utah just to catch up--now THAT'S dedicated friendship!  It was great to see them again.

Most of the pictures I took didn't turn out well, but I liked this cute one of Rhiannon with Abby!

The afternoon was quiet, and then in the evening the kids went to Keagan and Kyler's house while Jason and I enjoyed a second weekend date--we got some dinner at Bernardino's (which was okay but not great food) and then sat through the training broadcast on the new Church handbook.  Fun surprise of the night was seeing one of Jason's best friends serve on a ward council "panel" during the broadcast.  TOO COOL! :)

Sunday--PRIMARY PROGRAM day.  We did it, and we did it well.  The kids LOVED the cake pops we handed out afterwards, too. :)  I've given myself a 2-day respite from all things Primary, but now it's time to jump in and learn the new handbook, get classes and the theme lined up for next year, and try to get through this hectic time of year with as much grace, patience, and joy as is humanly possible!

Be back in a little while...

This is how I've felt the last two days, only I haven't been on a treadmill or out scouring the stores (ha-ha) in town.  I've been sitting on my behind, looking for deals online, having the time of my life!  Too bad I can't burn any major calories doing that, though...

An admission and a discovery

 

This may sound a bit blasphemous, but I have never read the Work and the Glory books (and don't plan on reading them anytime soon).  I don't own any Glenn Beck books or David Archuleta albums.  I'm not quick to purchase art, books, or music by LDS artists, authors, or musicians.  I'm not a card-carrying member of Deseret Book. I'm not saying that I go out of my way to avoid them, I just, well, I'm just not DRAWN to them.  It's weird, I know, coming from a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  But I have discovered Mindy Gledhill this week, and I really dig her music!!!   Maybe there's hope for me after all.  My favorite song so far is "All About Your Heart" from her Anchor album.

Fun on Veteran's Day

Last night Keagan and Kyler stayed with us, from about 5:30pm to 11:30pm, while their parents were at a Marines birthday ball.  The kids had SO MUCH FUN!  We went to Wade's freezing cold football practice, picked up some pizzas, and then the kids entertained themselves the whole night.  I never had to step in and stop fights--there were none.  I never had to give them ideas for things to do--they were never bored.  I never had to yell--they were pretty quiet.  My favorite part of the evening was waking up from an accidental snooze in the recliner around 10pm and finding the kids scurrying around the house to find 3-D glasses so they could watch Spy Kids 3  (Jason was home, too--I never would have fallen asleep if he wasn't! :)).  We love these cute friends!

This morning Rhiannon and I had some fun shopping together.  I was getting depressed trying to look for modest, decent church dresses for her online, and I knew there weren't many choices in town.  So we stopped at Goodwill and found some cute stuff there!  I seriously dislike shopping for clothes, but Rhiannon made it fun for me.  We scored with some cute like-new dresses, silky pjs with the tags still on, and a cozy Gap sweater, for a grand total of $25.  The best deal was Rhiannon's, though--she spent $2.50 for this SUPER CUTE purse/wallet!  The good sport of the morning was Wade--I told him ahead of time that we were just looking for stuff for his sister, but he still wanted to come along.  He ended up finding a cozy chair outside the dressing room and read Harry Potter the whole time.  He never complained, but I'm pretty sure he'll opt to stay home with Dad next time!! :)

Dad treated us to China Lake Buffet for a family lunch, then we stopped by WalMart for a couple things, and finally picked up a nice office chair with Dad at Staples.  Guess what the name of the chair is.....the CUSHING chair!  I thought we should buy it for that reason alone--the bonus was the sale price. 

I'm thankful for veterans, past/present/future, who make days like this possible.  I forget how blessed and fortunate we are, but I am grateful for the freedoms we enjoy!!!

Cake pop crew

One reason why I love having a church calling is that I get instant friends to work and play with.  This morning our Primary presidency got together at my house and made mass amounts of cake pops (over 200!) to give to the Primary kids after the program this upcoming Sunday.  We had a total blast!  I'd described my failed cake pops experience at a previous meeting, but they suggested we try some different variations instead of the vanilla-vanilla-vanilla-vanilla one that I did. :)  I have to admit they were pretty darn tasty:

Strawberry cake with vanilla pudding (pie directions), dipped in semi-sweet chocolate

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, dipped in semi-sweet chocolate (our favorite)

Party cake with rainbow chip frosting, dipped in semi-sweet chocolate

Chocolate cake with french vanilla pudding (pie directions), dipped in ??? (we ran out of chocolate chips...)

My friends Michelle (with her son), Kim, and Heather--wonderful ladies!
 I didn't mean to get Michelle with her eyes closed, but it looks like she's saying "Mmm,mmm, good" after eating a cake pop.

Messy but yummy!  I have 5 gallon-sized bags of cake pops in the refrigerator right now! :)

What DIDN'T we do today?

Yesterday was a back-to-back kind of day, but it was good.  Jason and I were up early before the kids, and I took a picture of this:

The first thought that came to mind was that little poem  "Red sky in the morning--sailors take warning,"

and the second thought was "WOW!!!  This sunrise is awesome!!!"

Once everyone was up, we helped Dad with a little Young Men service project cleaning up an older couple's yard.  We did what we could for an hour and a half, and then we raced home to get ready for the next activity--Wade's first flag football game!

                                    

Wade is the third one in from the right.  His team is the Patriots.  Wade did a great job listening to his coach--he's got a lot to learn, but he has a great attitude.  His team won the first touchdown, but lost the game 20-7. 

I am LOVING how low-key flag football is.  We've got 5 more practices and 5 more games on the same days each week, and there are no make-up games.  It's fun exercise and pretty inexpensive, too!!!  Oh, and there's been no mention of team moms! :)  His coach is very patient and upbeat, too.

After Wade's hour-long game, we ate a quick lunch at home and got ready for the NEXT activity--Rhiannon's first piano recital!  She missed the one in the spring, so this was her first experience with it.  The recital was fun and pretty quick.  We think RC did a terrific job playing "First Cha-Cha."  She was invited to dress up for it, so that's why she's wearing that Tex-Mex outfit. :)

Rhiannon loves her piano teacher, and so do we!  She is kind, patient, and always encouraging!

In the afternoon we had a little time to chill.  Rhiannon helped me run some errands at Staples and the grocery store--we had a good time talking, too.

To finish off the day, the kids and I went to a birthday party for our good friend Kyler.  His mom and dad put on a Harry Potter-themed party, and it was AWESOME!!!!

And then some more special visitors!

So we had a great visit with family over the weekend.  Sunday's first Primary program practice went fairly well, considering we spent half the practice in the chapel and then squished everyone back into the Primary room for a good song practice for almost the entire last hour!  On Monday morning I did my first sub job.  I got home around noon and there were two messages on voice mail from some friends who wanted to come by for a visit.  They're good friends from Virginia who were moving to Monterey, CA for a couple years.   Yes!, I said, come and stay the night with us! 



We had a great time catching up, laughing, and pigging out on tacos for dinner. :)  I loved how well the kids got along!  Now we have a great excuse for a Monterey trip, too!!! :)  Thanks for staying with us!!!

Halloween visitors!!!

We were so spoiled this past weekend!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to Uncle M, Aunt H, S, and T for coming and staying with us!!!  It was a short but very sweet couple of days.

Playing Wii, Nerf guns, masks, swords, and Batman cars were all the rage! :)  So was the cousin sleepover in Rhiannon's room.  I was quite impressed by Sam and Tyler's good imagination--they definitely taught their cousins a thing or two about how to have fun!

On Saturday we walked to the park--it was WINDY but fun to get out of the house for a little while, too!

Halloween rock stars!!!

Dragon, Home Slice, Maid Marian, and Ninja had a pretty good time at our tri-ward trunk or treat!  The parking lot there was PACKED!  My favorite thing there was the giant Darth Vader walking around (I think Sam liked that, too!).   We had to say goodbye after the trunk-or-treat, and it was weird coming home to a too-quiet house! :)

But here is my favorite picture from the weekend--Matt is reading Mo Willems' Knuffle Bunny Free to everyone (the new 3rd book in the series).  Having family in town is always such a sweet treat!  It's awesome to be together and share memories!  We are so grateful to them for coming up and CANNOT WAIT to be with them again in a few short weeks for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First sub experience

I survived my first subbing experience!  There were a lot of things that worked in my favor this morning:

1.  6+ kids were absent (day after Halloween).  And then two more left during the morning for various reasons.  There were less than 20 kids there!
2.  I knew the full-time teacher and enjoyed visiting with her and getting some personal input before the day started.  Her room was neat and organized, and she had excellent lesson plans, etc, ready to go for me.
3.  I was only there for 3 hours.
4.  Nobody cried.
5.  I found out that kids like to tell jokes.  My favorite was from one of the second graders:
"What did the deer write to his aunt?  Answer:  'Dear Deer'"  After that the kids kept wanting to tell me jokes.
6.  Kindness goes a long ways.  So does assuming the best of each child, instead of focusing just on the trouble kids.
7.  I got some hugs and some cute pictures from kids before I left.
8.  Read-aloud time was THE best.  All eyes were on the story 'Library Lion' that I borrowed from Wade's bookshelf.
9.  The kid that I was told to keep a watchful eye on was super sweet!
10.  Both Wade and Rhiannon were SUPER excited that their mom was a sub at their school!!!

Will I do it again?  Absolutely.  Do I need to work on some stuff?  Definitely.  I'm not sure how much actual learning went on! I handed out worksheets and some of it was pretty hard for the kids.  I should have done a mini-lesson or something, instead of just handing the papers out and then walking around the room (and answering the same questions 20+ times).  I let a lot of kids work together on papers, which could be a little too much help, especially when the 2nd graders offered to help the 1st graders. I did finally pull all the 2nd graders to the carpet (it was a combo class) and we worked on one of the math sheets together.  I was pretty lax during center time, too. 

What a difference from being a first-time full-time teacher, though!  Sure, I was sweating like a dog, but I do that all the time.  I felt relaxed all morning and really enjoyed myself.  Hurray!

I don't want to take over the blog with subbing stories, so the rest will go under "Adventures in Substitute Teaching"--there's a page link for it on the right of the blog. :)