Halloween and Stuff

Why is it that when ever I paint my nails I am immediately hungry for finger food? WHY WHY WHY????



So, this year for Halloween I decided to turn over my budget for a costume to my husband so he can get totally decked out. He's going as Jack Sparrow, and Hayden is going as Jack Sparrow, the mini-me version. Amanda is going as a purple witch. I am going as "the-mom-who-didn't-get-a- costume-so-she's-wearing-this-green-shirt-and-jeans-with-a-headband-with-pumpkin-antennas-
over-a-head-full-of-orange-hair-gel-and-a-frankenstein-manicure".

Honestly, I think I turned into an "old mom" overnight. I've always been a dork, but really....

cool site of the century!

I LOVE this site! I am such a forgetful person, especially when it comes to birthdays. I've marked calendars and then never looked at them again - cause, you know, it's all up here in my brain. - NOT!

They send you great little reminders and you can determine when they remind you - weeks ahead and days ahead... Now my sister and her kids won't hate me for forgetting the kiddos birthdays. Because it TOTALLY SUCKS when you do, and then what? What do you do? Make things worse by calling a week later and saying, "I suck...I forgot your birthday...how was it anyway??"

Blast Back Six Years

With Hayden's first birthday coming up I just had to search the hard drive for some pictures of Amanda on her 1st Birthday. What a contrast! Amanda had a mouth full of teeth when she turned one...Hayden barely has his two bottom front teeth.










Amanda was very wild and animated. Hayden is wild, but more curious and determined. I wonder what Hayden will think of his first taste of cake?

Why I Love My Little Family

I can't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't have my Honey Bunches of Frick'in Oats, my Chicken Butt, and my Little Gremlin (formerly known as Little Man and WMD).

I love HBFO because he still thinks he's like, 19. He loves hiking and nature and football and shares all of this with his kids. I love that even when he's exhausted from work he will still give me a nice back rub before bedtime no matter what. I love that he eats my weird dinners all gone, even when they suck. I love how sweet and patient he becomes with our Little Gremlin right when I am about to lose mine. I love that he loves his job and wants to share his day with me. I love him even though the man can drop 13 lbs. in 3 days just by getting sick. - That's just not fair.

I love my CB because she is the sweetest big sister her little brother could ever ask for. Every once in a while she'll just say out of the blue, "Mom? I'm so lucky to have a little brother. Hayden is so sweet...I love him!" It just melts my heart. I hope they stay this close as they grow up. I love that she is nice to everyone, especially the underdogs. She's the best friend anyone could have. I love her artwork and creativity. Give the girl a box full of art supplies and she's the happiest girl in town! I love CB because she doesn't care what others think about her. She dances like no one is watching - ALL THE TIME. She is brave and smart and drop dead gorgeous. I can say that - I'm her mother.

I love my LG more than I ever thought a person could love someone. He is a total cuddle worm and I love it - except when I've got to go pee and he's clinging onto my leg. He doesn't just smile for anyone but when that boy smiles, it brightens up a whole city block! He saves his biggest, brightest smiles for when daddy walks in the door. This makes daddy so happy, so it makes me happy too! I love him because he was an answer to my prayers. I love that when he sleeps with us I wake to him staring at me and making little puffing sounds, as opposed to the face slaps and nose pulls of the past. I love that he already knows the value of the remote control and seeks possession of it all times. He is my sweet, curious, little weapon of mass destruction, recently promoted to gremlin and I am smitten.

My Baby Boy Got His First Haircut!

My six year old has been spouting off language that I just don't know about. I mean, I know she's growing up and all, but it's just weird.

Last night it was "Oh - My Bad," in response to having spelled a word wrong. Nothing horrible. Just weird to hear coming out of my daughters mouth.

This morning it was a very loud, "OH, MY, G*D - that is soooo weird!" I can only assume she got this from (A.) school, (B.) Disney Channel, or (C.) someone on the bus.

There's a family in our ward here in Florida that has started up a Cottage Style School called The Wilford Woodruff School. Tuition is high, but is waived for your kids if you teach there. It's somewhat similar to a Montessori style of learning but more akin to Homeschooling in a small group charter school, if that makes any sense. At least that is how I have perceived it from those I've talked to about it. It's tempting in some ways, but it also feels a bit isolating.

I guess what it comes down to , what it has always come down to , is that I really need to be reinforcing at home the stuff I find important for her to know. I just find it incredibly hard to compete with the 8 hours a day influence she gets at school.

Perhaps today I will make up some gospel-focused spelling words for her to learn!
Atonement would be a great one - I don't think I really understood the meaning of this word until I was like, 16.
Reverence is another good one - she really used to struggle with this, but lately she has become quite the little example for reverence - at least in sacrament meeting.
Faith would be a great sight word, as would Heaven, Baptism and Hope.
Integrity will probably be the first word we work on. It will also be the easiest to explain and for her to relate to.

So that's the plan for now.

On a lighter note, check this out - it totally cracks me up every time I watch it!

I'm a new transplant to Central Florida. Before I moved here I lived in Laveen, Arizona and the differences between the education systems of these states is startling. I really miss the community of the Montessori school my daughter went to in Arizona, though I am finding that the standards and expectations of the schools here in Florida are much higher and it leaves me quite torn.

Sometimes I wish we could go back to Arizona - mostly because I miss my friends, my daughters friends and her school. I feel like my daughter is being suffocated with test after standardized test that will ultimates determine how she is labeled throughout the rest of her career as a student. And what bugs me more about these tests is that she was never properly prepped on how to "fill in the bubbles" nor was I informed prior to the test that she would be taking these tests. I personally think they are quite unreliable, especially when taken in the 1st grade.

And now my little girl (who I think reads quite well for her age) has been tossed into some "No Child Left Behind" program where she will be tutored once a week in reading. Apparently she is below grade level? What? The testing scores they gave me say she's between middle of 1st grade and 2nd grade.

Will she really be a smarter, better person because she is going to a micro-managed Bush Administration A+ school? I doubt it.

Really - What do I want for my daughter? Self-Esteem and a Love for Learning or High Standardized Test Scores....hmmm....


Oh, if only I had the temperament and patience to home school my kids....