For the record

Mom is always telling me I need to write down the funny things my kids say and do because I'm not going to remember them later, but I never do it. Well, tonight I'm going to do it here on my blog.
The kids have been fighting for the past couple of hours. A few minutes ago Tyler asked Scott if they could play a game. He said, "Tyler, you have to behave if you want me to play a game with you." To which Tyler replied, "But we ARE have."
It made me laugh! What a cute kid I have. :)

You're who again?

Over the past couple of years, we've had sort of an open door policy with whatever missionaries have served in our area. We like them to have a place they feel like they can come whenever they like, sort of a home away from home. We've made very good friends with many of these young men. We've even sort of adopted a few who don't actually serve in our ward but were friends with the ones who did, so they end up at our house as well. My kids have loved this constant stream of missionaries, and overall it's been a great thing for everyone involved.
Lots of these guys talk about how much they love the Carnegies, and how when they get off their missions they're going to come back and visit, maybe stay a few days, and how we'll always be friends. Want to know how many have actually come back? Not one. It's become a running joke with us. Every time someone gets transferred out, we tell them flat out we'll never see them again and it was nice knowing them. You say you're coming back to visit us sometime? Nope, not buying it. You'll forget about us before your next Sunday dinner in someone else's home or by the time you're at cruising altitude on your plane ride home.
There was an elder that my kids called by his first name (his choice). He was in our ward for 6 months, was over on average three times a week, and went home from our ward. He got married less than 6 months after getting home, and even though he talked a big game, didn't even send us a wedding invitation!
There was another guy who talked about us all the time to his mother and his girlfriend back home. We were even in contact with his girlfriend (we played a great prank on him right before he got transferred with her help). Have we heard from him since then? Of course not.
Now there are two guys who were here a while back who are still out serving that we do actually hear from every now and then. We get occasional phone calls and e-mails from them. Boyce even called to wish Becca a happy birthday. But they are certainly the exception. Mostly, no matter how much they treat our house as home, once they're gone, they're dead to us. I don't want anyone to think I'm complaining about this. I find it rather humorous. It really is a running joke.
If we ever did actually have one come to visit us after their mission, I'm afraid I'd say something like, "I'm sorry, you're who again?"

Fizzy joys for today: fleece pajama bottoms, lots of clean laundry, children who can and do take care of themselves.

Good Neighbors

I have a neighbor that I love. She has been a great friend to me over the last few years. And last night I got quite a treat out of her.
She called me to ask me how to make my twice baked potatoes. She then asked what I was making for dinner. At that point, I had no idea what I was making, so she asked if I wanted to bring my family over to her house to eat. Not have to cook dinner? Sure! After a couple of conversations that afternoon, it was determined I would bring over some kind of fruit, something for all the kids to drink (another family was coming as well) and a pan of brownies. No big deal, and certainly easier than having to cook a whole meal for my family. Besides, the thought of twice baked potatoes was very appealing.
I walked into her kitchen and found a whole lot more than twice baked potatoes. There was a platter of steaks, fresh off the grill, a pan of sauteed mushrooms, and a nice bowl of fresh shrimp. Plus the yummy twice baked potatoes, broccoli in cheese sauce, green beans, and chips and hot dogs for the kids who didn't want steak and potatoes. She went all out! My contribution of pears that hardly got eaten, a pan of brownies that only the kids ate, and juice that ended up coming home with me seemed paltry indeed. But she didn't care. She was more than happy to just have us over to enjoy a really good meal with her.
To top it off, she took Rachel out after dinner to start teaching her how to ride her bike without training wheels! She taught her daughter last week, and Rachel gets very stubborn with me, so she got her started. She didn't give in to Rachel's crying when she wanted to stop. She made her continue. I would probably gotten too frustrated and let her quit for the day, but Scott would have caved totally and put her training wheels back on. We love that Angela made her keep going.
Neighbors like her are so nice to have! :)

LOST

I'll say this right now; if you watch LOST, but have not seen last night's episode, you may not want to read this post quite yet.

Scott and I had the rare opportunity of actually watching LOST on tv, without having to download it to watch later. Even with those pesky commercials, it was so much better that way! We could actually talk about things, and we notice different things when we do. One thing we've started keeping our eyes out for is crossovers between the lives of the castaways. The big one last night; the woman Locke was inspecting the house for in the flashback was Sayid's girlfriend! We were really hoping to find out how Locke was paralyzed in last nights episode, but they STILL haven't told us! And what's up with his trusting Henry Gale? Did you know Henry Gale is the name of the wizard in The Wizard of Oz? I LOVE how these writers work!
What was really funny to me was that as soon as it was over, Scott was online going to his favorite sites about the show, and the credits weren't even over before he was looking at a screen shot of the map Locke saw on the wall with the black light. So apparently there are 7 bunkers on the island. And was that food drop meant for the people in the bunkers or for the "others?" Or are they one and the same? And can the castaways expect more food drops in the future? Wouldn't it be nice if they could count on regular food deliveries?
Now don't expect me to blog on LOST every week. I just had fun with last night's episode. It was really nice to watch it with Scott instead of days later.

Fizzy joy for today: kids freshly clean from a bathtub!

Better than expected

I went to bed last night dreading the morning. I knew today was going to be one of those days I was going to be pulling my hair out. Turns out I was wrong. :)
It's Monday, which means it's one of my up at 4:40 days. Even knowing I had to get up early, I just could not get myself to bed last night. It was almost 1:00 before I finally turned out my light last night. So I knew I wasn't going to be getting very much sleep. Also, all the elementary schools in the district have parent teacher conferences this week, which means there is no kindergarten at all, and all the other kids have early dismissal all week. That means that the two older kids I don't normally have to do much with will be coming home several hours before their mother gets off work. And Rebecca and Tyler both had gymnastics classes today. I knew I was going to have to pack lunch for everyone because there wouldn't be time to feed them all before we had to go. In fact, I was worried that Alex and Keirsten would get home in time to get Becca to her class on time. I was praying that bus was early, and that traffic would be light. Turns out prayers are answered. They got home a full 15 minutes before we had to leave, and traffic was so light I was able to stop at the bank and still get Becca there on time.
My next blessing came in the form of good weather. It was in the low 60's and mostly sunny today, so instead of having to figure out how to entertain 5 kids in a very small place for more than two hours, we were able to go to a very nice park just a few minutes away! It's a nice sized park, but it was also very busy. I was impressed at it's layout. Even with as many kids as were there, they never seemed to run into each other too much. There was always something for them to do, something on the equipment to play on. And they played so well together!! From the oldest to the youngest, they all played together, helped each other, and just had a grand time all around. They loved being able to have a picnic and play outside. We also had friends from the Little Gym there with us the second hour we were there, which just added to the fun. And the timing worked out so perfectly. They were all starting to get tired by the time we had to head home, so they were ready to go, but it hadn't been too much time and they were still having fun. It was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon.
Oh! I forgot one other very important part of my day! These three kids have gotten pretty comfortable in the house, so last week I started going back to bed instead of trying to sleep on the couch (which wasn't working). I didn't really sleep much even in bed last week, but today I was able to go right back to sleep without any trouble! I got another 2 1/2 hours of sleep! That alone was huge in making my day better.
So all around it was just a great day. I went to bed dreading the day, but it has turned out to be just wonderful!

Fizzy joys for today: public parks, warmer weather, sunshine, pink leotards, and a friend to talk to.

Happy Morning!

Today's post will be just a brief one of fizzy joys.
Scott was nice enough to get up with the kids this morning and let me stay in bed for a while. It was one of those typical Washington mornings where the weather can't decide if it wants to be sunny or cloudy. It was cool and breezy and I realized I'd forgotten to close my window last night. But I was thoroughly enjoying the fresh air, even if it was a bit cold. But what really made my day was when I realized that if I tuned out the neighbor's dogs barking, I could actually hear the birds chirping outside! It's just another one of the signs that spring is actually here, and it made me smile. So today I'm happy for spring, birds chirping, a fresh breeze, and a warm bed. Happy morning to me!

Who am I?

I've been having some random thoughts over the past couple of weeks that I'm going to try to put into something cohesive here on my blog. I've been trying to figure out who I am.

I've thought a lot about who other people think I am. I've recently reconnected with a couple people from high school, and they still sort of think of me as the person I was then, a dozen years ago. To a certain extent, my family still thinks of me as that person as well. I suppose it's normal to think of someone as the person they were when you last spent large amounts of time with them. It's hard to see how a person has changed when you don't get to spend much, or any, time with them. But I've also been thinking about how my current friends think of me, and I realize that they would all probably say something different about me. Who I am sort of depends on who you ask.

I've also been thinking a little about what image I portray to people, and how much of that is who I really am, how much of it is what others expect me to be, and how much of it is what I think they want me to be. Where is the line between who I really am and what people see because it's what they want or expect to see? And how much of who other people think I am comes from their own limited boundaries of how they see me? I think people get uncomfortable when we do something or act in a way that doesn't agree with how they see us. Knowing that, how much do I conform to other people's expectations?

I know that most people do a lot of things, but most people also are best known for one or two things they do particularly well. Is that a byproduct of our need to be able to label people, or our inability to see nuances in people? Or is it natural to be known best for one or two things you do particularly well? And what about people like me who don't do anything particularly well? I'm not saying I'm talentless. In fact, I think I do a lot of things. But because I do several things, I don't do any one of them very well. So where does that leave me? If we don't have a "thing" to be known for, do we just fade into anonymity? Are we less important or valuable if we don't have one thing to be known for?

I know I have been guilty of expressing more interest than I really feel in something because it's an interest of a person I'm with. It could be seen as simply showing interest in another person and what they like, but I fear it's more likely a form of conformity. I want to feel like I have something in common with this person, so let's find something we can connect and bond over. But again, that blurs the lines between who I really am and who I'm seen as by other people.

I read a quote recently that sort of resonated with me. It said, "Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." I completely believe that. I am of value just the way I am, right? I shouldn't have to pretend to be able to bond with someone. I shouldn't be forced to conform to someone else's preconceived notions of who I am. I should be able to be me, the real me, the whole me, no matter where I am or who I'm with. So why is it so hard to do that? And what if I don't really know who I am? The same person I quoted above also said, "I would rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not." I wish I could live by that sentiment. I wish I had the courage to be just me in every circumstance. But I feel the need to conform. I feel the need to be accepted. I want to be me, the real me, and nothing but me in every circumstance I'm in. But I also want to be loved and appreciated. Where is that line and how do I find the balance? Who am I really? I'm not sure I know.

One more

I had to list one more fizzy joy for the day. After going to Jill's SmugMug page, I have to say I am in love with her flower pictures. Of course all of her pictures are beautiful, but that grouping of flower pictures just made me feel all warm and fuzzy, and if that's not a fizzy joy, I don't know what is! Jill, thank you so much for sharing your talent and your amazing pictures!

Murphy's Law sucks!

Wouldn't you know it. Last week we had beautiful weather; mostly sunny and warmer than it has been in quite a while. But last week my kids were sick and I was basically homebound. They were too sick to even go play outside most days. And now that my kids are feeling much better (and fighting again) the rain has returned. We're all aching to get out, to breathe fresh air, and to get some energy out. Unfortunately, I have never liked being outside in the rain and my kids have picked up on that so now they don't like to go outside in the rain either. Why couldn't it have rained last week when my kids were so sick they hardly moved and been sunny this week? Rain, rain go away!!

My fizzy joys for today:
A milk man who delivers
The song Come What May from Moulin Rouge
Victoria's Secret Sweet Talk lip gloss

BACON!

Kids are funny creatures. Especially my kids.
Rebecca got a new Veggie Tales DVD for her birthday, but my kids haven't been interested in watching it. Finally I decided I was sick of all the other stuff we had, and I wanted something new. So I turned it on for them. Now I don't actually sit down and watch my kids cartoons with them, though if I did, Veggie Tales are what I would watch. But it was nice to have new sounds in the room while I did other things. They LOVE this video! (If you're interested, it's called Lord of the Beans.) They want to watch it all the time. After not even being willing to watch it for a month, now it's all they want to watch.
The last couple of days, all three of my kids have been running around the house yelling "BACON!" for no apparent reason. We haven't had bacon lately, and it's not a word I commonly use, but they've all been yelling it all over the house, just out of the blue. Rachel was doing her homework last night and when Scott came into the room, she looked up and yelled "Bacon!" What in the world is going on with these crazy kids?
Well, there is a connection. At the very end of Lord of the Beans, out of the blue, one of the characters yells out, you guessed it, "BACON!" It's just one of the silly little things the clever people at Big Idea throw in to make kids laugh, and all three of my kids laugh at it every time. But since I hadn't actually sat down to watch it, I didn't know the connection until I just happened to catch it right when it was happening yesterday. Whew! It's nice to have that mystery solved! So if anyone wants to come hang out with the silliest monkeys around, or if you just like yelling out the names of meat products, head over to my house. You'll be right at home!

My fizzy joy for today: Pushing Becca's button! (If you push her nose, she sticks out her tongue and blows a raspberry. It makes me laugh every time!)

Women

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about women in general. It has been her experience that women are mean, catty, and view each other as nothing more than competition for each other. She had absolutely nothing positive to say about women as a group. She will allow that there are exceptions to the rule, but overall, she has a very low opinion of women. I was incredibly sad for her. I think we have all had experiences that would support her ideas, but I hope overall we have all had much better experiences than that. I know I have.

So I thought I would take a moment to write about MY feelings on women.

It has been my experience that women are generous and caring. The women I have known best have been women who help one another, who encourage and serve one another, who teach and edify one another. I've known women who selflessly share their talents and knowledge. I have been uplifted, comforted and cared for. I have become a stronger, wiser, better and more capable woman myself because of the wonderful women I've known. I don't know why our experiences have been so different. But I am very grateful for all the remarkable women I've had the privilege to call friend in my life.


My fizzy joy for today: my homemade strawberry jam. YUM!!

Wonder Woman in the flesh!

I know I usually blog about the things that are going on in my life, but I decided today to blog about a person in my life instead. I want to tell you all about this amazing woman.

For starters, she is kind and caring. She makes everyone around her feel special, important, and loved.
She is generous with her time, talents and love. Talents and love she has in droves, but her time is extremely limited, so I feel blessed and grateful every time she makes time for me.
She is an amazing mother. She allows her children to grow and increase their own talents, and she loves them the way every child deserves to be loved.
Even though she complains about her callings at times, she has magnified every calling I've ever known her to hold. She is more than competent, she is wonderful wherever she puts her hand.
She is creative and talented, and loves to share that with those she loves. She isn't stingy with anything she's been given. And the organization alone in her craft room astounds me. Not to mention all the incredible things she makes in there!
She is a great cook. I always love eating at her house! Anyone who has done fondue with her can also tell you that her food looks as good as it tastes. She certainly has a talent for bringing out the beauty around her, including in her food. And if you ever need a table decorated, she's absolutely your girl!
She makes a sincere effort to include all those she feels should be included in every event. She makes sure those who should know about something are in the know. And even if distance precludes attendance at something, she makes sure to let you know you're wanted anyway.
Her home and her heart are always open to anyone who needs it.
She is a hard worker. She gets more done in a day than I can accomplish in a week.
So who is this amazing and fabulous wonder woman? Of course, it is my big sister Jennifer.
Jenn, you are truly the glue that holds our family together. You don't get nearly the thanks or appreciation you deserve for everything you do for all of us. You are so important to this family. We would not continue to function as a close extended family without all of your hard work. You do so much! Thank you for making each and every one of us feel loved and important. Thank you for opening your home, your kitchen, your life to any of us when we want it. Thank you for being so generous and selfless. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You are truly amazing. I hope I can be more like you when I grow up!
I LOVE YOU!!!

And just in case there was any question, my fizzy joy for today is my wonderful sister!

OOPS!

I realized I neglected to list in a fizzy joy in my last blog. I will rectify that right now with a small list of things that make me happy.

Orange juice
warm blankets
seed packets
a hot shower
daffodils
rain coats
ibuprofen
chicken soup
a second opinion from a new doctor that gives good news
being able to do an act of service even when it's inconvenient
lime green

That'll do for now!

The Flu

The flu has struck my house.

Scott came home on Friday with a fever and feeling dizzy. He went to bed about 7:00 that evening and basically stayed in bed almost 24 hours. He was able to sleep most of it off, but it really did last a couple of days for him. He was nauseous and had no appetite, but never actually threw up. Sunday morning Rachel woke up with a fever. Since Scott was sick and staying home anyway, she stayed home and spent her afternoon on the couch. But yesterday was even worse for her. She came into our bedroom about 3:30 in the morning complaining that her stomach hurt. Since I had to be up in about an hour anyway, we decided to just let her stay in our bed. She didn't get out of it all day long. She ate nothing but half a piece of toast and a couple bites of applesauce all day, and she spent the bulk of the day asleep. Fortunately she is feeling back to normal today. It seems to be a 48 hour bug. This morning, again about 3:30, Tyler came into our room having had some really crazy nightmares. These were bizarre nightmares about walls melting and such. He was really upset, so I let him climb into bed with me (which is really unusual at my house, just to be clear). As he snuggled up to me, I realized he had a pretty good fever going as well. He's mostly acting normal, but he doesn't have much of an appetite and he has bouts of lethargy. Becca also got up much earlier than normal, feeling a little warm, and not wanting to eat at all. Not long after drinking some water she threw up all over the place. Fortunately it was just water, having had no appetite for breakfast.
So here I am today, having had less than three hours of sleep for two nights in a row, and having not had much more than that for several nights now, already tired of playing nurse (Scott is the biggest baby of them all!!), looking at another couple of days of sick kids. I just hope I somehow manage to avoid it. I did have a day last week of not feeling well and getting dizzy every time I stood up, but I never had the fever or nausea or lack of appetite everyone else seems to have. Hopefully that's as bad as it gets for me. I don't have time to get sick!

Let it snow!

The weather man was actually right for once! When I went to bed last night, there was a thin layer of snow on the ground. I had been getting myself all excited for spring, and now we're looking at a weekend of snow! I feel like I should say that I'm disappointed, especially since I hate winter, but I'm not. My kids woke up so excited this morning, and that excitement was definitely contagious. It wasn't a lot of snow, barely an inch at it's worst, but it was still snow. At one point this morning it was coming down so thick I could hardly see. We did go out and play in it, but since there wasn't enough to build a snowman or have a real snowball fight, the play didn't last long. Mostly we stomped around and tried to catch snowflakes on our tongues. After about 10 minutes my kids were done and back inside asking for hot chocolate. It seems somewhere along the way they decided playing in the snow necessarily means we have to drink hot chocolate. Unfortunately I was out. But it was still a fun day and I find myself actually looking forward to more snow over the next couple of days. It's just too bad the cold front killed my beautiful crocuses. And I may have to venture out to get my kids some hot chocolate. :)

Fizzy joys for today: turtleneck sweaters, umbrellas, and the light given off by freshly fallen snow at night.

Fizzy Joy

When I was a teenager, one of my best friends had what she called a Fizzy Joy book. It was a small journal she used to record the little things that made her happy. She was one of the happiest people I'd ever met, and I think a great deal of that came from her ability to find the joys in everyday situations. She even gave me a fizzy joy book of my own once, but I'm sad to say that I rarely wrote in it.
When I was a kid, there was always this book hanging around the house called 14,000 things to be happy about. It was always out. It didn't actually have a place on the bookshelves. I loved to sit down and flip through this book. It was interesting to me what the author found joy in. A few years ago my mother gave me my very own copy of this book, and I've read it almost cover to cover. I still flip through it at random from time to time, but I'm trying to actually read all 14,000 things. Her joys are eclectic and varied, sometimes simple, sometimes not. She includes items, places, and even moods. Nothing is left out.
I finally came to the conclusion that since some of us are sort of using our blogs as a type of journal, why not make it a fizzy joy book as well? My new goal is to post at least one fizzy joy somewhere in my blog every time I post. I want to start looking for the positive in my life, and I want to share what I find. And who knows; maybe one day I'll have enough for my own book of 14,000 things that make ME happy.

So for my fizzy joy of this post, I'm going to list Anne Elliot from Persuasion. Her happy ending makes me happy.

The Little Gym

All three of my kids take gymnastics classes at The Little Gym of Puyallup. We love this place. Rachel started there two years ago and we've gradually gotten to the point where all three of my kids are attending. The newest semester started the day Rebecca turned three, which is the age necessary to go into a class without a parent, so she's been going just over a month. I actually got to sit and watch her class yesterday. It was so much fun to see! I was a little amazed watching her do donkey kicks, attempting front supports, and doing forward rolls down the cheese mats. And I remember the days when Rachel first started and how new and exciting it was for her to be doing the same things. Rachel is now perfecting her cartwheel and handstand kissers. She has quite a talent for the balance beam, though she loves the uneven bars the best (especially that flying burrito). Tyler's class is a little different. His class is half gymnastics and half sports skills. Of course he loves to do the front supports and pizza hangs, but he more loves telling everyone how to bump, set and spike a volleyball or how he won his hockey game against Mr. Jason. The Little gym has been wonderful for my kids. They've all gained skills , strength and coordination, but they've also gained confidence and courage. They're encouraged to push their boundaries and go beyond their comfort levels. But it's done in a way that is safe and builds them up for just trying, whether or not they're successful. Going to gymnastics is the highlight of the week for my kids. They look forward to this more than anything else they do. And I'm thrilled we've found something that has been so great for all of them.

Is it spring?

The last few days have been the kind of days I've come to love. Flowers are starting to bloom, the trees on the corner are showing their first pink blooms, and we even see the sun from time to time. These have been days that have some sun, but also some clouds, and even a rain shower or two. The wind has been blowing hard and often. They've been days that would be classified as either mostly sunny or partly cloudy (and yes, there is a difference) but unlike the usually white fluffy clouds that usually populate a mostly sunny day, these clouds are dark and gray and wholly block out the sun when they cover it. These are days that clearly say that we are still definitely in winter (we may even get snow by the end of the week), but spring is most certainly on it's way. I'm finding I'm a big fan of these days that clearly show signs of the changing seasons.