Reaching Toward The Light

Are you reaching, striving, leaning, growing toward the light?

Things are Looking Up, Finally!

My friend Heidi made a comment that she hoped my Grrr day was not an indicator of things to come. I guess she had a premonition. Wednesday and Thursday, didn't really get any better. In fact on Thursday I had a terrible reaction to some new medicine my doctor had prescribed to try and get rid of my daily headaches and weekly migraines.
Let's just say I spent the afternoon at the Doctor's office shaking, heart palpitating, tongue and lips numb and completely nauseous and weepy. The cherry on top was the pounding migraine. I now get to tell medical people that I actually am allergic to something.
I am feeling much better today. I slept it off. In fact I am feeling very Zenish (if that is a word. I came up with a solution for my article, with the help of some wonderful people who helped me at the last minute today.
Also, Isaac's baseball tryouts are over and that nail biting experience went way better than I thought. Isaac's coach called excited to have him on his team.
Yep things are looking up.

Talkative Tuesday -- A GRRR kind of day.

Yep, I am going to vent it all out. Sorry, but it just was not one of those good days. To top it off my girls also had lousy days. If Tom only knew he would be counting all the lucky stars in heaven that he is working all day long. Who wants to be around three grouchy girls.

It all started when we were late to school again. Then one of the articles I am working on for Wasatch Woman magazine basically blew up in my face. Unfortunately part of it is my fault. I should never have arranged a photo shoot four hours away from me at stores I have never walked into with people I have never met in person. Now I have to come up with really cute photos of kids rooms, which may mean taking pics myself. Grrr.

So I battled this all day and then ran my kids all over the place, carpooling, taking care of room mom responsibilities and other various mommy errands.

I burned dinner

I went to pick Rebecca up from gymnastics and while her best friend's mother was talking to me Beccca continued to physically push me and tell me to leave. I finally turned to and told her how rude she was being in my very own rude voice. Then I saw her panic stricken face and realized something was very wrong. She turned and decided she was leaving with or without me. I followed because I suddenly realized I had been extremely insensitive and my little 7 year old was trying to hold the tears back. After we left, she finally told me how one of the head male coaches at gymnastics (not her coach) had told her teacher that Becca needed to go to the bathroom and turn her shirt inside out because it had a BYU, Y on it. He is also one of the SUU gymnastics coaches and they compete against BYU. Apparently he was offended by the shirt of a 7 year old little gymnast. She was so embarrassed she just wanted to get out of there.
Grrr on the coach and Grrr on me for yelling at her when she needed me.
But good ole Isaac, who had told me on the way to pick up Rebecca that it was his purpose in life to annoy his sisters, was really defensive and ready to go to battle against the offending coach that had made his little sister cry.
He was ready to march into the next practice decked out in blue and white carrying his BYU foam finger. He also told us exactly how he would give that coach a peice of his mind.
"You realize he is 10 times bigger than you right?"
Well, he said "that is what I would tell him if he didn't look so strong and nothing would stop me."
Becca graciously accepted his ire and told him she did not need to be embarrassed any further.

I came home to discover that the meeting I had scheduled for eight p.m. to launch a new writing project had been cancelled and so I frantically called to cancel my babysitter.
Then I headed out to Tom's office for the third time of the day to take him something I kept forgetting to bring him the other two times. On my way I hit the little block wall at the end of my driveway and knocked half the wall all skideewumpus. Grrr.
Wow, I can't wait for tomorrow because it has to be better than today.

Pinewood Derby

I have to admit I am just glad it is behind us. I am also happy to say that the actual event was a lot less stressfull than last year. Isaac's candy corn car may not have won any prizes but it didn't do so bad either. It actually won a few of the races. Isaac did not even find out his final average time, which is just fine with me. I think the lack of finite score giving took some of the stress away from this event.

I am especially grateful to the Hughes assistant grandpa, Frank McNabb for helping Isaac with the final adjustments of wheels and weights. I had to do some final whittling myself and Isaac did some hole drilling when it came in over the 5 oz limit but we pulled it off in the end. Tom was able to come and cheer Isaac on. Isaac had a lot of fun this year and he already has two designs drawn up for his final pinewood derby next year. It is looking like a sword or an arrow. Isaac did get a lot of compliments on his interesting design idea. Only Isaac would imagine a car shaped and painted like a candy corn.

Green Makes me Happy

I really love St. Patricks Day and I am not even Irish. I am however married to a part Irish guy which makes all my kids part Irish so we love this green day.
Last night I sprinkled clover confettin in my kids beds so they woke up excited to see that the leprechauns were here last night. Isaac of course knew I was the real leprechaun, which I consider an improvement in his intelligence, since he used to think his Irish heritage would one day turn him into a leprechaun.

Becca ran to check my bed and informed me that the leprechauns must hate me because I did not get any confetti. I guess she didn't see all the confetti on my dining room table indicating that indeed the leprechauns do love me because I love St. Patrick's Day and because I hold an annual luncheon for the girls in my family. Of course they love me.

I served up some green eggs and ham for breakfast and then proceeded to to clean my house. I served my staple pesto alfredo fettucine for lunch with some asparagus, spinach salad and lime chiffon pie.
I added a new dessert to my green repertoire: blarney stones which are really just cake squares with frosting and then crushed peanuts on the outside. They were a pretty big hit. But we all know kissing the blarney stone brings good luck. The amazing part is I never make cake from scratch. I didn't realize the recipe was for cake and when I took it out of the oven I realized I had accomplished an amazing feat. I had made cake from scratch.

Later in the afternoon the kids came home and Isaac put together a treasure hunt. He is after all just a really tall leprechaun.

For dinner I made corn beef and cabbage salad. None of us really loved the corned beef so that was a been there, done that, don't need to do it again moment.
All in all it was a good day and my house only got moderately messy after 8 kids ran free for all through the house, while the moms just chatted an hour away.

I am so Missing My Husband This Week

Just a quick disclaimer. I am not looking for a pity party. I know my husband is going to be gone all day long -6 days a week until April 15th. But I really felt his absence this week. And it wasn't for my sake (well not exactly). I got him all to myself for 10 fantastic days a month ago. No the real problem is that this is pinewood derby season and baseball season.

Last year Isaac did miserable at his pinewood derby and his little heart was broken. He didn't have a lot of help with the car. Now here we are again and so far Tom has at least given his input and advice on getting the car done and the car is looking better than last years. But try as he might, Tom just doesn't have the time to really help Isaac.

Isaac also decided he wanted to try out for little league this year. The last time Isaac played any kind of baseball was when he was 6 years old. 4 years later he decided he wants to give baseball a try. Now the kids playing baseball in this town are serious about it. I am really worried for Isaac. He has tryouts in a week and he has had no real practice with a baseball bat. I tried, my friends, but I can't throw that ball anywhere near where it is supposed to be. I do not want Isaac to embarrass himself at tryouts. He really wants this. He will get on a team no matter what but he could really use some one on one time with his excellent baseball playing Dad. It is just not going to happen. I do have to thank my brother-in-law who graciously accepted my pleas to practice with him on his day off. Thank you DAVE!!

I am grateful that I only have one boy. I can't even imagine what this time of year would be like if I had all boys. It would be downright scary. I would probably make Tom change jobs. Just kidding of course. I am grateful for the wonderful job my husband has and how hard he works to support our family. However,this time of year does make me realize that I will never be able to replace the Dad role. It makes me grateful for men. Of course if my Mom was here she could handle the baseball thing. That woman has mad softball skills, even for a grandma.

Spring Hike

Sorry if I repeat some of my SIL's blog on our hike and afternoon playing in Snow Canyon. Desperate to escape the cold and a desire for an outside adventure lured me to St. George's Snow Canyon State Park Monday. I have never been to this park before and I am totally in love with it now. It has some breathtaking scenery and several cool trails. I can't wait to go back. I really had fun with my SIL Libby and her kids. I think she loves to explore as much as I do.
Actually I am really proud of her. She packed her 1 year-old around for a couple of hours as we hiked some ground that was not exactly level. She also kept up with the older kids while I was able to take up the rear with my much slower paced 3 year-old. Libby's three year-old was clearly half mountain goat and probably would have been leading the hiking party if she didn't love my Lia so much. Poor Elise, I think she tried to slow down so Lia could keep up with her.


The SAND DUNES


Libby the mommy hiker. We all had to go down (and back up) this petrified sand dune and Libby did it with her Sofie on the front of her.


Cousins make the best friends.

This is what I referred to as the Jungle part of the hike. Lia informed me that those were not jungle trees.
At the end of the hike we finally found one of the lava caves. This was our destination in the first place. By the time we got there we had to turn back so we didnn't really get to explore. Although, Isaac was climbing down the 30 foot hole and heading for the cave entrance before I could even say "I don't think so." We will have to take another trip just to explore the caves.



I do so love a good adventure.