Talkative Tuesday -- The Car Revelation

I was glancing at the debris littering my car the other day and I realized each item revealed my lifestyle, my personality and my family's life. It made me laugh and sigh to see a portrait of my life rolling around in the back or piled next to me on the passenger seat. Take a ride with me in my car and you will see that there is nothing mysterious about the life I lead. Although, I believe my Mother-in-law thought it was a little bit of a scary mystery on why I would invite her to go to lunch with me when I had clearly not cleaned up the spilled granola on the passenger seat before I asked her to ride in my car. Seriously, you cannot imagine how I cringed as I frantically swept the crumbs onto a floor already hosting several other snack remains eaten on the run.

So I took it a little inventory of my car and here is what It reveals about me.
Front seat:
Two pull-ups and a pack of wipes. I am a mother in potty training mode. And although we are on victorious day 12 of no accidents I still don't trust my three year-old's bladder. So every time I get in the car for errands I add yet another pull-up because I can't remember that I already put some in there. It's kind of like my potty-training food storage.

A pen somewhere: A Mom and a bookeeper. I see it sitting there in my console but somehow it always manages to disappear when I am at the bank drive-in. Of course, I also need that pen to sign the permission slip sitting on my front seat.

A stray receipt: This is evidence I am married to an accountant. I am supposed to keep every little receipt but sometimes they jump out of the paper jumble in my purse, probably when I am searching for that lost pen.

A pan lid with rubberbands wrapped around the outside: Mom to a 10 year-old boy who likes to serenade me with Mary Had A Little Lamb on his homemade instrument he brought home from school last week.

4 sets of wireless headphones: My husband loves me. He had a DVD player installed and oh how I love the silence those headphones bring.

Middle Seat
A soccer ball: Soccer Mom: Yes we love soccer in our house. This is also the explanation for the four camp chairs in the back. There are five of us in our family but either Becca or Isaac has had a soccer game at least once a week for the past two months, so we only need four chairs as we cheer, scream and moan at their games. Soccer season is over but Isaac starts championship games and I am not hauling those chairs out until we are done.

An umbrella: Midday Saturday socccer games are sunny and hot.

Becca's Jacket and her water bottle: An ignored mother. I'm not sure why things like jackets and water bottles from lunch boxes get left in the car after I nag and nag to have them cleaned out.

A Brush: I have two girls. We are either trying to look cute on the run or we are late for gymnastics and we will have to do ponytails when we arrive at our destination. Of course, if the brush had been kept in the bathroom we may not have been late in the first place.

Back Seat
An extra booster seat: A carpooler. I have an extra pre-schooler in my car two mornings a week. This is part of the musical seat game I play with my own three children and and an additional combination of three carpool kids.

Isaac's trash: Again an ignored mother. Just wait until his Dad finds his stash and then he will be SORRY.

A pair of pants to return to Costco: I am forgetful. I should have returned these two months ago at my last Costco visit but I got inside Costco and realized I had forgotten them and I was not about to haul my three kids and one extra friend back outside just to return a pair of pants. Because, I am also a Costco girl and there will surely be another trip soon. Hopefully by then I will have cleaned out the car to make room for a big haul of food to feed my family. Of course I may forget and then we will have to come up with some creative space management.

I think that is all unless you count the orange cracker crumbs underneath Lia's seat. I will get those cleaned up eventually when I have a spare moment.

Talented Thursday -- Cute Jewelery

I know I brag about my SIL's cute jewelery all the time, but it is so nice to have someone who I can order custom stuff from. I usually buy stuff for myself but my six-year-old loves her stuff too so I am starting a collection for her also. I love her little charm bracelets that I can customize and Becca will probably get one of these for Christmas. I am actually having a necklace made for Becca's Birthday. Her best friend's birthday is a week later and Becky, my SIL, is making her friend a matching necklace. Little girls are so fun. Becky has a great site for all her kid's stuff http://poppetjewelry.com/ but the charm bracelets are not on there. Anyway I think they are so cute and with Christmas coming up I thought I would share with you guys. I love her stuff for me too and she always comes up with something I love.

Talkative Tuesday- Football, and the Unlucky Thirteen

I have been saving up for my Talkative Tuesday Post so be warned.

After a hectic week of canning I think I am almost finished, or at least ready to call it a week. If it can't be frozen or cooked in a pie I am done for at least a week. Too bad my tomatoes in my garden are all finally turning red and my zuchinnis up and decided to win the battle with the squash bugs and are now becoming a little to prolific. Please, I need a breather and so does my three year-old.

Saturday I had a great time at the SUU Homecoming football game. This was extremely surprising to me. It has been pretty well broadcast by me that I am no football fan. I just could never watch an entire game. Turns out I understood the rules even worse than I thought. So, as my husband, whispered sweet football nothings in my ear this Saturday I replied with things like, "Oh that is only worth one point." "You mean you can get an extra point for that?" "Oh that is what a down is." "They are not allowed to push the reciever out of the way?" I was shocked to discover that by half-time I finally got it. By the fourth quarter I was on my feet and screaming as fast as my football fanatic husband. I was aching inside for our friend the head coach as he just barely lost the game. I just can't believe it. I may actually go to another game this year. Tom bought season tickets. I still can't watch it on TV. I need the adrenaline rush of the stadium and my husband's commentary yell-muttering in my ear. I also need some sort of emotional attachment to one of the teams and that pretty much narrows it down to BYU, SUU and possibly PENN State.

My husband and I have been married for 13 years. This week I started to think that maybe 13 years is an unlucky number for household appliances. It is ridiculous how many things have broken just this week. As I started to reflect on the number of items that have broken this year (not just household appliances) I have started to lean towards becoming just a tad suspicious. Within the past week my hairdryer, oven, and washing machine all started acting strangely. The oven is completely broken. The washing machine has a 50/50 chance of leaking water all over my laundry room floor and my hairdryer is, well gone after it started screeching at me.
Let's just review the list of broken things this year.
1. My van. The engine broke for the second time. We had to buy a new car, which I love by the way.
2. My lifetime warranty sink cracked. Thank heavens for lifetime warranties.
3. My piano has at least two keys that don't play.
4. My crockpot up and died last month in the middle of cooking. It was thirteen years-old after all.
5. The stucco finish is peeling off my columns. OK that started last year but it is getting worse.
6. My husband felt the need to buy me a new toaster for my birthday because some of it was broken.
7. My oven is currently broken.
8. My hair dryer broke, oh that reminds me
9. My curling iron broke earlier this year too but that happens all the time.
10. My washing machine is on the fritz.
11. October
12. November
13. December
I have three more months to go and I hope that the broken appliances pace themselves. Because I am running out of a budget for new appliances. The Christmas budget is starting to disappear.
P.S. I bought an extended warranty for my oven and washing machine earlier this year. I thought it might be a crazy thing to do. But the $50 warranty is now paying for a $600 repair. Whew. Dodged that bullet.

Write a Little -- I Need Your Help

I am doing a holiday gift guide for Wasatch Woman magazine and I am doing a little research. What would be a really cool gift you would love to receive from a friend or sister or mother-in-law? Keep it in the $5 to $50 range. I am just trying to find some unique ideas. If you have cool ideas for men or kid sibling gifts that would be great too. Here is a chance to wish a little before the holidays.

Spiritual Thought -- Family

It has been a while since I posted a spiritual thought on Sunday but I wanted to share my testimony of the promise of eternal families today. Many years ago, when Tom and I were newlyweds we were living in Arizona and I was working in a clothing store. One of the sales girls shared her belief about what families would be like in Heaven. She believed that in Heaven there would be no more families. All family relationships would be dissolved or we would not remember our families. She felt we would all be strangers who were just kind to each other. This idea floored me. I wish I had been able to articulate my beliefs in eternal families to her. I regret that at the moment I was so shocked any one could feel that this was the plan our Heavenly Father had for His Heaven, that I could not respond adequately that I had a testimony and that one of the great messages of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints was a promise that we could be eternal families. Today as the full-time LDS missionaries spoke to us in one of our church meetings about sharing our message with our friends and neighbors I remembered this encounter with this associate and realized that I must share my testimony about this one aspect of our beliefs. I often share my favorite recipes or favorite finds or talented people I know. How can I not share the beautiful promise to live forever with those we have loved the most. After this discussion with this lady years ago I went home and wrote this poem. I don't really think it is one of my best but it expresses my feelings clearly.


ETERNITY
He is me and I am he
and someday they will be us,
because we have shared
the test of life.

And yet some say,
there are no families in heaven.
All the trials struggled together
become mere nothings in eternity.
Brother, sister -- husband, wife
become detached remembrances,
they tell me.
What depressing plan is this?
Does God destroy his own masterpiece?

As for me,
my soul has been tied to souls
in the spires of eternity
And when heaven puts her arms around me
I will walk in the circle of my family.


One of the uniqe beliefs of the church is that we believe we can make sacred promises on earth in our temples that will bind us to our families even after death. If we live a good life we can be reunited with those members of our family in a heaven. I do know that there are some families that are not ideal. Some relationships must be ended on earth because they have become twisted and unhappy things. Yet, some of our sweetest most joyous moments have been or will be shared with siblings, grandparents, spouses, cousins, children. I know God wants us to be families in heaven, just as he wants us to have healthy families now. He will not steal our greatest potential of joy from us. It is his plan after all.

If you want to know more about the LDS beliefs on family visit http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/

Talkative Tuesday

Although it has been a crazy week, life has been pretty normal.
I did get a chance to have a good long talk with both of my sisters who live way to far away from me. I really love having sisters. I just wish I got to see them more than once every couple of years. After way too long of phone conversations with them I ran across this pic.



Are we not adorable? Here is the crazy wierd part. My kids thought this was a picture of my sister's two daughters. We do look eerily similar to her children. Look close those of you who know my nieces and you will see the similarity.

I have been totally obsessed with canning. Tomorrow I will do yet another batch of salsa. My son is eating it way too fast to make my first batch last a year. I hate store bought salsa. So, I need at least a year's supply. And we are big salsa eaters. I had a blast canning with my good friend last week. Canning is way more fun if it is done with company. I don't know if I will ever be able to can alone again. Luckily, my Bec loves to can.


Tom went on his first hot air balloon ride Saturday and got some great pics I will try to post soon. His Mom also got a chance to go on the balloon because Tom got off half way through his ride and changed places with her. He really is a good son.

Bec has been making me laugh this week with her crazy comments. She is just so funny. Six year-olds always think they have everything figured out.
One conversation:
Isaac telling us about a sad story about an orphaned baby kangaroo. (Isaac is obsessed with kangaroos). He is currently doing a report on kangaroos. This is like his fourth report on Kangaroos since 1st grade. I think maybe he is cheating here, since he is clearly a kangaroo expert by now. Anyway, I digress. Isaac mentioned how the baby Joey was orphaned.


Becca, incredulously: They name all the baby kangaroos?

Isaac is laughing too hard to explain that all baby kangaroos are called Joey.

As you can see life has been pretty normal for the Hughes this week.

Write a Little -- Description

What happens when you get writer's block.? You can't think of anything to write. You are too busy to form a thought into a cohesive sentence. That is where I am at today as I try to come up with a writing prompt. I want to hone my people description skills this week. This week observe a complete stranger and then write a description.

For example: The slender man's disjointed shoulders curved forward, his midsection slightly bowed like the letter "C" and his puppet like arms swung loosely by his side. His brisk apish walk down the night shrouded sidewalk made me question if there is some hidden secret in that walk, some hidden darkness. Can a person's silhouette mark his character?

Favorite Find - 15 Minutes with My Girl

I didn't really find anything spectacular this week and although my kids are usually really good funny fodder, my funny bone just wasn't in the mood to be tickled today. I did however find something really great today, a fifteen minute walk with my three-year old.
This morning that girl about sent me to the asylum as she picked the worst possible moment to throw a tentrum tantrum. She managed to make her brother and sister and my other two carpool kids late for school just because she didn't want to wear any of the four pants we offered her. She stayed home and helped Tom have a wonderful start to his day as he wrangled her into her bed. Later she left a trail of pee across the house, even after she promised she would have no more accidents. Finally after I spent a good fifteen minutes cleaning up puddles, I decided we needed a break. With her siblings at friends' houses, she and I set out for a walk on her big wheels. A leisurely walk with a three year-old happy to have her Mom finally spending fun time with her turned out to be my favorite find this week. Sometimes we spend so much time looking for the greatest deal or a favorite book or more time, we forget to take time out. My little girl needed some one on one time. I needed to remember why I love her so much. As we made up our own lines to our favorite book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," I watched my little girl in her pink slippers push her way through a patch of sidewalk invaded by sunflowers. I knew I had found my moment.

Just Words Wednesday

There were actually so many topics I wanted to cover today. I could not pick one. I decided not to get on my most controversial soapbox - sex education and I decided not to go with the least controversial subject but probably most self-indulgent -- a diatribe against people who spend time taking the wind out of other people's sails. Nicole, you know what I mean. Instead I read this interesting http://www.newsweek.com/id/157898/page1 article today about why so many parents are concerned about the educational and behavioral patterns of their sons.

I chose a charter school for my son this year because I was concerned about his lack of desire to learn. Isaac is an inquisitive child. The last two years his interest in school has fallen to almost nonexistant. I watched as Isaac's teachers taught to to the test, tried to keep kids in a box and focus on nonessential things. Isaac missed more than 15 days of school last year due to mysterious stomach aches. He has plenty of friends and so I knew friends were not the cause of what was apparently some stress induced illnesses. I watched and seethed as Isaac was told he could not read a certain book in school because it was above his "tested" reading level. Isaac was the third highest level reader in his class. I was stupefied by the day Isaac was sent to the principal two times simply because he put his hands under desk. One time he forgot to keep them on top. Seriously, who expects boys to sit that still. Luckily kids were sent 24 times that same day due to similar terrible offenses. I practically joined him in tears as we stayed up till midnight correcting math homework that had him bored to tears. If he didn't have every question right he would miss recess and PE. He often missed PE. They told me he kept getting distracted. Yes Isaac gets distracted easily, especially if he is bored. I believe lots of boys get distracted because they are bored. They are expected to sit still and fill out worksheets all day so that they can pass tests that ensure their teachers keep their good standing.
Now don't get me wrong Isaac had some wonderful teachers his first few years of school. He had one teacher I would have given my left arm to have over and over again. But by the end of last year I was so frustrated. The charter school sounded like an amazing option for Isaac.

Isaac is absolutely thriving. He comes home excited about what he is learning. He is given the opportunity to set goals and work on them at his own pace. This week he came home and told me he played a fun division game. Fun at math for Isaac. I was in shock. He wrote a petition to get an extra PE class every week. Over 95 kids signed it. I was proud of his initiative. Tomorrow he will ask if he can go dissect a frog in the science lab and they will probably let him. They have already granted similar requests (under supervision of course) Everyday he has something positive to say. Why? because finally, Isaac is not expected to sit still with his hands on his desk, filling out a worksheet answer by answer at the same pace as the rest of his class. Nobody tells him he can't sharpen his pencil or which books he can or cannot read. He gets to move and learn and explore his world like any boy should.

Rebecca is also attending the school. She is so different than Isaac. She hates change, adores a very structured atmosphere and so the jury is still out on her experience. She does love her Spanish class.

Now this is not supposed to be an advertisement for a charter school, but I do believe as the above article points out that as a nation, as parents, as educators we must reevaluate the learning norm we have set up for our growing boys.

Write A Little - A Season for Everything

I am going to cheat a little today on this post. I didn't do my writer's prompt last week so I had to squeeze something in today. I already kind of did this prompt myself for a church newsletter. But I thought it would be fun. What is your favorite month of the year and why? Write something to commemorate your favorite month of the year.

Mine really is September. We are full swing into soccer and we also get to finish soccer. I love reaping the harvest. Tomorrow I will make salsa with a good friend, next week I will make peach jam with my sweet six year-old daughter and I have three kinds of pesto in my freezer waiting to be added to all kinds of yummy food. My Dad always had a garden and I love being able to have my own little patch of earth to grow things. I also love the weather in Cedar at this time of year. It usually stays in my ideal range of 75 to 85 degrees. To honor my "Write a Little" post I am going to share an essay/poem I wrote about two of my experiences last September.

Communion Lessons
Earlier:
“Stop yelling at your teammates or you are out of the game,” I scold five-year-old competiveness on the soccer field. I grieve the spoiled mother daughter communion. Didn’t I coach so we could remember goals together, run down the field together? I seethe against the stubborn self righteous set of her shoulders. How does the unquenchable drive for victory enflame my sweet little girl? Today, I insist, I’m more than just Mom. I’m the coach of a team full of flapping braids and flyaway ponytails trying to find their soccer groove.

Later:
We take fuzzy peaches from an overflowing cardboard box. Eager five-year-old fingers scrub away itchy film. The peach ritual begins. We plunge orbs from scalding to ice. Hers the covetous task of peeling slippery skins from golden spheres.

She exclaims:
“This one worked beautifully!” She admires rosy blush against gleaming, inviting, golden ripeness. We sneak “taste-tester bites” meant for jars. Proclaim it all beautiful. Set out amber colored peach jar rows cooling on the counter.

I regret angry disappointment on morning soccer fields, wish for more beautiful peach afternoons. Dreaming all our future angry words will peel away to glistening rosy patches of sweet memories sitting like jeweled invitations on the pantry shelf.

Funny Friday - Becca Conversation

I didn't find any thing extra special this week so I decided I am going to do funny Fridays on the weeks I don't get any fabulous finds. Rebecca has been totally making me laugh today. I think all my kids are funny but Rebecca has this kind of twisted irony that laces some of her thoughts and remarks.
Our conversation today:
Me -- Lia, you must have got up on the wrong side of the bed.
Rebecca -- There is a good side and a grumpy side to every bed.
Me -- (already laughing) What is the grumpy side?
Rebecca -- The edge.
Me -- (still laughing) really.
Rebecca -- That is why I sleep against the wall (her bed is against the wall and she does actually sleep right up against it. Now I know why.)
Me - That is hilarious Becca.
Rebecca - You didn't wake up on the grumpy side today. You woke up in the middle.

So my question for you is how many of you wake up on the edge of your bed, AKA "the grumpy side?" I guess today I am not very grumpy and that is why Rebecca decided I woke up in the middle. Many, many days I wake up on the grumpy side. Most days in fact. I am not a morning person. Maybe on those mornings I should just roll into the middle of the bed and go back to sleep.

Talented Thursday -My First Painting

Usually, I like to highlight other people's talents but I promised Trinity I would post my painting when I finally finished. I come from a family of artists. I was always the writer not the painter. I have to say that I may have been selling myself short. I really love art. I just can't always afford everyone else's art. So I practically begged Cali Grimshaw for lessons, which she so graciously gave me. I could never have painted this without her guidance and superb teaching. I learned more on my first day of painting then I did in all of my years of highschool art class. I have so much to learn still but I am so grateful for this painting. I can't believe I did it and that I am not embarrassed to hang it in my house. I'm so excited to explore this new talent and I already have my next two projects planned out, with Cali's help of course. I will never tell myself I can't do something again. I'm even trying to bake bread again and we all know my terrible bread making history.

Talkative Tuesday - Eagle Adventures and lawn mowers

On Saturday while the boys watched the first BYU football game I took my girls and some of their friends to watch a rehabilitated eagle be released into the wild. Unfortunately, this was the only photo I was able to take before my battery ran out. So you don't get to see the beautiful eyes or the bird soaring over our heads or the bird almost knocking down the reporter trying to take its picture. This eagle was rescued by Martin Tyner a wildlife rehabilitator in Cedar. I can't remember if this is the eagle that was hit by a car or rehabilitated to hunt rabbits instead of cows. Eagles that hunt livestock are often threatened by said livestock owners. Martin has had several eagles rehabilitated recently. Next Saturday they are releasing yet another eagle. They released this bird to honor cancer survivors and victims. According to a Native Indian legend an eagle can carry 7000 prayer to the Gods. One for each of its 7000 feathers. Tyner invited everyone to touch the eagle and say a prayer for someone before the release. I of course believe I can say pretty powerful prayers without an eagle but many people still said their prayer with the eagle or touched it. Lia's Papa took her to pet the eagle. It still had its blinders on. I could not believe she reached out and touched that intimidating bird. She has serious panic attacks everytime a fly is within five feet of her personal space. I just really think she trusts her grandpa. You can see him holding her in the picture.

Rebecca was pretty awed by the bird too and a little more afraid to touch it. In fact she refused. The woman that released the bird is a cancer survivor and represents down winder cancer victims. She was such a little lady and it was pretty amazing to see her release that eagle with a wing span almost as big as her. When Tyner removed the blinds the eagle just sat there until Mary let go and then he fluttered down the side of the mountain a ways. Like I said he almost took out the photographer located down the hill. The reporter had to do some serious ducking. The eagle soared above us for a good ten minutes, reveling in the air currents. He drifted off into the distance a speck against the red cliffs of Cedar and then returned and circled above our small party. Someone, who looked exactly like Mayor Rocky Anderson (and Bruce and I are pretty convinced it was him) remarked that he was returning to say thanks to Martin for helping him. We all strained our necks until the eagle was a tiny speck against the clouds in the sky.

Sunday I came down with a monstrous sore throat and spent the day sleeping and resting. Cedar City is petri dish for germs. Everything goes around at least once.

After Tom came home from a half-day of work on Monday, Isaac got to do something he has been begging to do for months. I don't really get the fascination with this event. But then I am not a boy. Tom finally let Isaac mow part of the lawn. I have to say that in at least one way I am spoiled. I have never had to mow the lawn. I don't really ever want to. But Isaac has been chomping at the bit to get his hands on that lawn mower. So Tom finally let him take a couple passes. Isaac was in man heaven. I keep telling him "once you know how to mow the lawn you can never be an innocent bystander again. Someday you will be sick of mowing that lawn because someday it will be your new chore." But he did not care. The best part was his squiggly mow line next to Tom's perfectly straight lines. There was something so poetic about that squiggly mow line. Afterwards, Isaac claimed he was going to use his rip stick as a weight to strengthen his arms so he could push that lawn mower straight next time. Boys, are they not the best? And by the way, I will make Tom teach the girls to mow the lawn someday also. I believe girls should have such talents, even if I do not regret my own ignorance in this area.

The rest of our uneventful labor day was spent touring a few homes in the newly dubbed "Festival of Homes" and playing a round of bowling with the kids. All I have to say is I am grateful for bumpers and not necessarily for the kids' use. Tom's score 158, mine 67. I tied with Rebecca and even Isaac beat me. Must have been his newly strong lawn mower arms. Of course, I was sharing turns with Lia. But really, I am no good at bowling.