A Simple Kind of Life

Friday night Dave was gone at the Father/Son campout and I couldn't sleep.  I decided to re-read my Grandma B's life history.  I stayed up into the early morning reading. I couldn't put it down.  I wish I could share it here on my blog.  I am so inspired to begin writing my own story.  I've thought about doing it before because I have a very bad memory and as time goes by I will forget more and more. I want to write down the things I remember now.

 Reading her history brought up a lot of feelings for me.  These are some thoughts that came to mind:

*Hers is a very simple life story.  It doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't have to be a year by year listing of events and things you did.  It's ok to not cover it all.  Her story simply paints a picture of her life with a handful of personal, specific stories and thoughts.

*Write about feelings.  She mentions that she felt she had a happy childhood. She doesn't tell everything that happened to her but overall she remembers being happy even though she was a "depression baby" and things were tough for their family.

*Life was so much simpler back then.  On weekends when she had to work until 6 (she went back to work when her kids were in middle school) her husband (my grandpa) and their kids would clean up the house for her, go and pick up hamburgers, pick her up from work and head to the local basketball game.  That was the fun they had on the weekends.  Getting a burger was a treat, they were together as a family.  It wasn't about planning the next vacation to a warm destination- they hardly vacationed at all.  It wasn't about running everyone around to all their different activities or going to a fancy restaurant alone.  It was about being together as a family and enjoying simple pleasures (after the work got done).

*Traditions.  I think traditions can make life more simple.  It's doing the same thing year after year, or week after week.  You don't have to work to plan something new, and you don't get caught up in the "let's do something exciting" mentality.

*I want my life to be more simple.  I've been leaning in this direction for awhile. More on this later.

*My Grandma was thankful. Many times in her life history she mentions how blessed she is... she said she had a charmed life.  I often feel this way as well, and I want to make sure I write it down so my children and grandchildren will know that I was thankful for the life I had.  There is nothing better than being thankful.

*Family is everything.  This belief has been handed down for generations in my family.  Our family tree is full of good, strong marriages.  Husbands and wives who truly loved each other, loved their children, and put family above all else.  I am so blessed to have that heritage.  It means so much to me.  Reading about my grandparents love for each other, seeing my own parents love for each other and knowing where my dad gets his devotion to my mom (his own dad was the same!) Watching my aunts and uncles hold hands and dance with each other even to this day.  I have so many examples of what family love should and can be, and it is a wonderful thing.

* There is nothing better than appreciating the little things in life.  A husband that gets up and works hard every day to support his family.  A mother who serves in the home because she loves her husband and children. And children who feel safe and loved at home and in turn are grateful and helpful. My Grandma had an appreciation for the little things.

So, I am going to start writing my story.  Not on the blog, because I am not a writer and no one needs to read it until I'm old or gone.  But I am excited to get started and paint my own picture of what my life has been.  To collect the memories I have into one place and make them last. And I am thankful I have this blog- a record of the last 7 years of my life.  When I started it, it was for fun and to be silly and to keep in touch.  I never knew that it was really a journal and I would be so thankful for it.

And since this post is already ridiculously long, I'm going to keep going.  Back to the simple life thought.

I have been wanting a more simple life for awhile now.  It's a thought I just can't shake.  I know it's just part of having 4 kids and all that comes with school, church, sports, and work, but things have been too busy for too long!  Something needs to change.  I think I often make things more busy than they need to be because that's what life has become and that's what I'm used to.  But I don't want to look back on my life and remember the running around, or the calendar days that are full to the brim.  I want to look back and remember the relaxing in the back yard, playing games and going on walks (my favorite thing to do).

A huge part of the reason we are moving to Walnut Creek is to take the first step in simplifying.  I'm done with the driving.  My family and Dave's work are both down there and we find ourselves on Hwy 4 heading that way TOO much!  I want my life to be slower, more simple.  I don't want to have to drive so far to be where we need to be.  I want Dave to get to work in 5 minutes (or less) and come home at the end of the day when he's done with work (he shouldn't have to travel great distances in the car after putting in a day at the desk!).  I don't want to have to pack a bag just to go hang out at my parents house.  I don't want to have to block out an entire day to go to the temple.  I want less driving.

I also want a smaller house and less stuff.  I know many people can't wait to get into a bigger house and maybe I'll be singing a different song after living in a smaller house for awhile.  But this house we are in, although I LOVE it and I'm so thankful for it, has been overwhelming for me.  I need organization and cleanliness.  It makes me a better mom and wife when things are tidy and neat.  But when you live in a large home with a lot of stuff, that becomes more difficult and time consuming to accomplish.  I have been de-junking and donating bags full of stuff lately and it feels so good.  I'm hoping to find a smaller home in Walnut Creek and see if it changes my life for the better.

I could keep going on this subject but I would love to hear how you have simplified your life.  I know it's all about little steps and that's what we are trying to do.  Our first step is big (moving) but I hope over time to do some little things that will make a big difference.  I want to slow down, stop running and enjoy small simple moments instead of thinking we need big moments/memories all of the time!

 Share with me what you have done.

This post has been all over that place but I feel so much better getting all these thoughts out of my head.

Happy Sunday!

It's Finally Gone

My kids have been completely obsessed with this poor dead cat on the side of the road. We drive this road at least 8-10 times a day and it's all I've heard about from them the last week that it's been laying there. We've had to talk about heaven, and life after death, and the "why's" of tragedies like this one. We've had to talk about our cat Buster and I've had to reassure them over and over that Buster does not venture out of our yard much, and would never go hang out on such a busy street (too bad for me).

We've also had to talk about dead bodies and what happens as they decompose... including bugs, blood, and even ice/frost on a dead body (when we saw the frost one morning there was a shocked moment of silence in the car). There have been a few tears and even some fear when we took a walk on this street and had to walk by it. Let's just say one of my kids tried to cross to the other side of the street while another tried to examine it and would have touched it if I had let them.

Anyway, I kept waiting for it to disappear and finally I made the call myself and even sat on hold for 20 minutes. Anything to get that cat gone! Today someone came and picked him up. Why hadn't anyone else called? Seriously people. This town is heartless.

And now a vent:

2011 has not started off that great for me. As you know I was sick, then I've had a few pregnancy "symptoms" that are not pleasant, and now I've hurt my foot. I don't get injured frequently and when I do, I am the "push through it" type. I don't stop my life for a little pain. But this foot injury is completely stopping my life and making me mad.

The thing is, I didn't even do anything to it. All I did was walk, maybe over-walk, 2 days in a row after a week off from walking. That should not injure a person's foot. I am in so much pain and it's going on 5 days now. I am trying to stay off of it but when you have a family, that is pretty much impossible. So then I find myself hobbling around, trying not to put weight on it and suffering from the pain. It has become a nightmare.

I am totally scared it won't heal... because you know everything takes longer when you're pregnant. And not being able to exercise aggravates more annoying pregnancy symptoms. Plus, I have all these things I want to do and I finally got some inspiration on the baby's nursery/Logan's room and I want to work on it. Also, laying on the couch might sound heavenly to some, but for me it is a downward spiral. I feel trapped and angry. I might lose it soon.

I'm also angry because my children do not have math books that they bring home. I need math books so that when their father is not around I can read the book/section they are on and refresh my memory so that I can help them on their homework! I usually know the answer but struggle with how to explain/teach them how to get the answer. It's ridiculous. What happened to math books?

And now to end on a positive note or two:

Tomorrow is the weekend- yay!

I get to feel my baby kicking me all day long everyday

Today my mother in law brought me in In and Out for lunch

Dave is coming home soon and wants to rub my feet

Bremily and Kaley are in town

I'm having a baby in 10 weeks

Can't wait to fix up the boys room- hopefully getting started this weekend even though I might have to just lay on the bed and order Dave around.

Happy Friday!

Where to begin? Tonight I am posting my random journal thoughts.

I've pretty much let house work and laundry go. It only bothers me once a week and then I start yelling at everyone and feeling disgusted by everyone. Then we clean it up and we're good to go for another week or so. I do feel a little guilty for letting it go. I enjoy doing housework sometimes. When I want to do it, I just go for it and it's fun. When I don't want to, I don't, and that's fun too. I remember when I was younger and had a couple of babies and I spent a lot of my life (too much of my life!) cleaning up and organizing. I loved how clean my house was. I still love a good clean house but the fact is, that is a lot harder to accomplish these days, so I'm fine with letting it go.

Why is it when we look back at the past it's always with rose-colored glasses? Sometimes I think back on my life 5-6 years ago. I had a couple of babies and a small, clean apartment. Dave was home more. We had friends over for games and dessert every weekend and sometimes on week nights too. I went on nature walks and sang "the wheels on the bus" with my kids.

This week Macey and I had to sing "the wheels on the bus" because I wasn't sure that she knew it! I was relieved to find out she did know it, thanks to preschool.

When your kids get big you don't have time to think much. It is always interrupted with chatting and noises and more chatting. I feel like my brain is gone sometimes and I miss it (my brain).

Anyway, sometimes looking back, I think life was so much easier then. But really it wasn't. We had problems back then too. Just different ones.

As a mom the thing I worry about a lot is whether or not my kids know that I love them. I'm not as playful as I used to be and I seem to be more consumed with my own life lately. I just finished a huge photography project that took a lot of time and I had to ignore them sometimes. I worry that my kids lay in bed at night thinking that I'm cranky. I loved what my friend Mindy wrote today. You should go read it here (a few paragraphs down). Her son cracked me up with his descriptions of mom. I guess it's not the end of the world if your kid thinks you're cranky.

I have been running everyday and trying to tone up and prepare the for the run in August. The thing is, it's hard but I feel so much better when I exercise.

Dave is doing it too.

We have never been consistent exercisers. We always start a new program and then quit a few weeks later.

Well, this time I don't want to quit! I want to succeed for once in my life in the area of exercise!

So, Dave runs in the morning and then when he gets home, I go. The other morning my alarm didn't go off and I woke up to him about to get in the shower. He hadn't gone running due to waking up late too. I pushed my face mask up onto my forehead, put my hands on my hips and said (yelled), "we are such quitters! Can't we just be successful for once in our lives! We can't quit now! Please!" (I can be very dramatic when tired).

Well, he got dressed and went running and then I did too and we both felt good. But really I felt a little bad for yelling about it. I hate that I don't have control over my emotions at age 30.

Back to the kids. Sometimes I want to just go off and brag about them. As a mom don't I deserve to get to do that? Ever? Someday I'm going to be old and wish I had. It's just that I can't stand other moms who brag too much about their kids. And I hold it back so as not to make anyone else feel bad or come off as a braggart myself.

My kids are awesome. They do well in everything they do. They're smart and good and they just get it. And I'm thankful. There I'm done.

Now a funny story:

Last night Lexi was working on a "heritage" project. She has to write about her ancestors. The teachers were describing the project in class earlier that day. They told them that they needed to find out where their ancestors came from and when they came to America. Lexi raised her hand and said that no one in her family had ever lived outside of America. Her teacher said, "so you're a full blooded Indian?" It made me laugh! She has the best teachers this year. Every day she comes home telling me the funny jokes they say. They are very playful and laid back and funny. It has been so good for Lexi to be in a relaxing, fun environment. She loves school. I'm going to be sad in a month when she moves on to 3rd grade.

Back to last night. She was writing down where our ancestors came from. She wrote about how they came from England to America on a ship and then I told her to write that some of them came from Scotland and Wales. She looked up at me with huge eyes! She thought I had said they came from Scotland ON Whales. So cute.

Now I am going to go and sit in front of the TV and watch American Idol. I used to love Adam and now I don't. I'm sick of his screaming and his tight pants are starting to gross me out and he looked like a woman last night. I'm glad that I don't like him anymore because I felt like I was betraying Danny when I loved Adam. Danny is now, again, my favorite.

Back in the day, 3.5 years ago when I started this blog I used to write more. But then I was always worried about who was reading it and blah blah blah. Maybe I will have to go back to more "journaling" because it kind of feels good. At least it did tonight.

The End. For now.

I Can't Believe It's September Already

My Pet Dogs In Their Cages August 2008

(this picture has nothing to do with this post... it's just a glimpse into my life of never ending animal pretending games. I don't even like pets but everyday I have 3 of some sort of animal running around.)

Today when I was doing laundry, cleaning the house, and packing to go out of town for the weekend, I started to get that little sick feeling in my stomach that I get whenever I leave my family for any longer then one day. Isn't that weird? I mean, my kids are big now, my husband can handle things and we've been married for so long I shouldn't miss him at all, so what's the deal? I seriously get nervous and sad every time. I have problems.

But I'm leaving for a good cause! I am going to see my nephew get blessed and my niece get baptized- both awesome occasions. I'm taking Lexi with me and think it will be some good one on one time for us.

The only problem is, I'm tired. I've been working so hard these last few weeks getting my new house set up (did I mention that we moved? Just a few blocks away but still... it was hard), doing Relief Society stuff, a couple of photo shoots for friends, kids homework, piano, soccer and playdates, volunteering at school, starting a new exercise schedule, hanging out with family in town during free time, and re-starting the foster care stuff (it had slowed down for awhile but now we're back on track). Anyway, I was saying, I'm tired.

It's a good tired though... the kind of tired you feel when you're getting things done. Sometimes I am so amazed at how much a mom can do in a day, and then I'm like wait, hold on a second, when did I become some mom doing all this stuff? It is just crazy. I think I'm always going to feel like a little girl inside but really I am a 30 year old mom doing all sorts of mom things- Weird!

That paragraph I just wrote was so lame it reminded me of "deep thoughts" by Jack Handey. And then I died laughing to myself right now because I remembered a deep thought of his and I must share it with you,

"you know one thing that will really make a woman mad? Just run up and kick her in the butt. P.S. this also works with men."

The thing I love about Deep Thoughts are they are so stupid you can't even believe someone actually thought it up. Stupid humor is my favorite. Also, I am so lucky because I live with a man who gives me an original deep thought at least once a day. He is so funny. And speaking of him I can't even begin to keep track of everything he does for me everyday. It's the best, and he's the best, and I'm thankful. Plus he always does it with a smile on his face.

The other day I was thinking of some things I do that actually make him mad. One of them is if we are arguing and we both think we're right but then it turns out that he's really right and I sort of realize it, but I pretend I don't, and I keep arguing my position even though I'm wrong, and then he gets super mad. But Dave's "mad" is like most people's neutral... mad for him just means he's not smiling or laughing. And now, after writing all of this, I think I'm going to miss him even more this weekend. I'm weird. And I'm rambling. But that is fine because it is my blog and I can do whatever I want. Like write weird, rambling posts like this one when I should be going to bed.

How pretty is the moon in this picture??

Delightful Denae will not let infertility ruin her life.

You see, I happen to know that God has a plan for me. Some days I get really mad and almost forget that I know. But really I can't forget. Because really, I know. How do I know? I'll tell you.

When I had my 3rd miscarriage last September I was thrown. I cried for weeks. In the midst of that crying I started to come up with a plan. I'm that type of person. I have to have a plan.

I needed three questions answered by God.

They were:

1. Will I ever have another baby?

2. What do you want me to learn?

3. What do you want me to do with my life in the meantime if I can't have babies?

I decided I would pray, write, and read my scriptures all day every day until I got my answers. Well, my first answer came and it was... "be patient... the answers will come on God's time not yours." Ok-dokey.

So, I kept up with my part and waited. Slowly, and at the most unexpected times, the answers to my questions came. They really came and I knew that God knew me and knew what I needed to know. Can I pretend that didn't happen? Of course not.

Time went on and I was having hard days again. I made another plan and really dedicated myself to obtaining a lasting feeling of peace. I had my answers but I still felt so sad.

Then one day, peace came. It came because I prayed for it. It came right after a really hard few days. It came when I really, really needed it. It was overwhelming and amazing. Once I had it, it stayed with me. It was really, really strong at first. Over time it has lessened a bit but I will never forget that gift from a loving Heavenly Father to His (desperate) daughter in need.

Now when the hard days come, when I start to get all panicky about my fertility and my future, when I start to desire a baby so bad I want to steal one, I always look back to that day when the peace came. I remember what a gift it was. It changed my life to know that God loves me that much and will bless me with peace when I thought my heart would feel broken forever! He really can heal us! What a relief to know we don't have to always feel heartbroken over our struggles, sins, missed opportunities, losses. God will give us peace if we ask for it.

The point of this post is to say this: I know God loves all of us, each individually. Our prayers are not always answered the way we want them to be. BUT in the midst of pain, sadness and struggle He is there. I know it and I can't deny it. As mad as I might get, as frustrated as I might get, as impatient as I always am, I know that this is what God wants for me at this time, and he will give me strength to bear it.


WAIT
Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, 'Child, you must wait'.
'Wait? You say, wait! ' my indignant reply.
'Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By Faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.
My future and all to which I can relate
hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me to WAIT?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
or even a 'no' to which I can resign.
And Lord, You promised that if we believe
we need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!
Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, 'You must wait.'
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
and grumbled to God, 'So, I'm waiting.... for what?'
He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And he tenderly said, 'I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want But, you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.
You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save.... (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.
The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.
You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for Thee.'
Yes, your dreams overnight would come true,
But, Oh, the Loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!
So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still, 'WAIT.'

(author unknown)

My Celebrity Thoughts for Today

I just have to say that I am SO flattered by Nicole Richie naming her baby after me!

We met one time so I'm pretty sure that's why she gave her baby my last name.. Harlow!

It is SO great. Thanks Nic!

I've spent years trying to figure out why I love Johnny. I'm not normally attracted to men with pony tails and facial hair. Why can't I get enough of him? Even in "Pirates of the Caribbean" where he plays a dirty, feminine and wimpy pirate, I still love him.

Even when I see the disgusting previews for Sweeney Todd (a movie that I would NEVER see because it is yucky) I am still mysteriously attracted?!?

These are my deep thoughts about celebrities for tonight.

OW!

Real Nice Guy or Fake Nice Guy?

Duane "DOG" Chapman.

"Dog" and His Wife

Is the "Dog" for real?? Is he really an ex-con turned nice guy that wants to save the bad guys of the world OR, is he a racist faker?

This is my question. I have watched his show, and find it to be a bit cheesy. However, for the most part, I have felt that "Dog" was a good guy. Please note: the fact that I thought he was a good guy DOES NOT mean that I approved of his hair or his outfits. They both scare me.

I was especially impressed when he found an "FBI's most wanted list" rapist hiding in Mexico and turned him in.
Way to go Dog!

But now I don't know what to think. HIS VERY OWN SON recently sold a recorded phone conversation that he had with his dad to a tabloid magazine. That phone conversation supposedly revealed Duane "Dog" Chapman using racial slurs!!! How horrible and yucky of him. Now I think he must really be a bad guy just pretending to be a good guy to make some money.

But can you believe everything you read? No, obviously not. I'm so torn about the dog! Are you? Do you care? Dog, are you out there? Explain yourself please!

The Great Bald Eagle

Today I took my kids to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. It is a really expensive museum, and is basically a smallish room filled with some dead birds. Luckily for us, we are "members" so we got in for free. But still, it is a smallish room with mostly dead, stuffed, small animals and a few alive ones.

HOWEVER, today they had a BALD EAGLE. It was really cool. Those birds are huge! And very amazing to look at. We spent a long time watching it and listening to the guide tell us its whole story.

In case you wanted to know, this particular bald eagle is living at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum because it was electrocuted and lost a wing in 1992. So it cannot live in the wild. It was strange to see a bald eagle with only one wing. But I really enjoyed watching this incredible animal, which also happens to be the symbol of our country. I decided that the bald eagle is one of my favorite animals.

Later that night we had dinner at my parents house. As the dinner conversation moved along we came upon the topic of the BALD EAGLE. And to my astonishment I discovered that my dad also loves the bald eagle! In fact, he once saw one, at church, during an "eagle court of honor", and to this day he sites that experience as one of the greatest moments he's had at church, ever.

I was surprised to learn this new fact about my dad. I was also very surprised to hear that there was once a LIVE EAGLE at an "eagle court of honor" at our church. Then my sister surprised me even more by telling me that she had once been to an "eagle court of honor" where there was a LIVE EAGLE. She also told me that the boy scouts who had just been awarded their eagle rank, stood under the birds outstretched wings at the end of the ceremony!
Amazing... wouldn't you say?

I think this should be a standard for all "Eagle Courts of Honor". It would make them more interesting and would most definitely boost attendance. I mean I, for one, would attend every "court if honor" that I could if I knew there was going to be a GREAT BALD EAGLE there also. I'm pretty sure my dad would go, too.

Look at its huge wing span!




*****

Trip Planning

Tax season is finally over. I am so relieved and can’t wait to have a normal life again with my husband around!!!

We are taking a much needed vacation to Disneyland. Our kids have never been there and I just can’t wait to see the excitement on their little faces!!

I have a few worries though. They are:

***Will my occasional type A personality come bursting forth when I walk through the gate of Disneyland?

***Will I start ordering everyone to walk faster and maybe even run to each ride?

***Will I be able to hold myself back from forcing my kids on the scary rides?

***Will we get to do EVERYTHING that we want to do?

***Will I lose one of my children?

***Will Macey fall and crack her head again?

***Will Logan throw up? (Like he did today and often does)?

***Will someone else get the flu and throw up?

***Will I do as my brother is telling me and go on Tower or Terror? Alone? And then get super scared and embarrass myself?

***Will I drop my new camera (like I often have in the past) when frantically trying to take 1000 pictures?

***Will our cat Buster die while we’re gone? Or wander off? Or get killed by a Racoon?

These are just some of the concerns going through my head. But mostly I am super excited.

Maybe too excited.

I know I need to just relax and make it a fun trip for the kids. But I just can’t help feeling the need to plan everything out and make it all run smoothly!

Any advice from you Disneyland pro’s out there?

***

I could never teach Kindergarten

Kindergarten means children's garden. Well, it sure didn't feel like a garden today.

I have been working in Lexi’s classroom for the past little while. I only go for one hour each time. And I’m here to say that.... one hour is going to kill me. For the entire 60 minutes I am bothered and stressed out.

If I could just sit and chat with the kids I would be alright. Then I could get the details on the classroom and friendships... the interesting stuff. But no. I have to WORK. And it is hard. Today I had to sit at the tiny table and do workshops. My workshop was doing workbooks. 2 different workbooks with 5 kids each time.

All 5 of them work at different paces and are on totally different levels. So that means I have to work with each one individually to get them to get their work done. But I have to work with each one individually ALL AT THE SAME TIME. While the other 4 are tapping me or saying, “excuse me Miss Denae?” 25 times in a row. AND I have to get all of their workbook pages done before the little tiny bell rings, and have the pages ripped out and stapled and put in their folders and have their workbooks returned to the shelf.

Does that sound impossible? Because it is.

So guess what I did? I did their work for them. I spazzed out and just started telling everyone what to write and where. I realize that is not going to help them to learn. But why do I care? I’m only there for an hour and I just need to get through that hour without hurting anyone (especially the kid across from me who has kicked my shins 10 times).

Lessons I’ve learned:

1) I could never teach kindergarten… this doesn’t mean I don’t like kindergarteners. I do, they are cute. Well, some are. I just don’t want to spend 4 hours a day in a room with 20 of them, trying to accomplish something.

2) If you want your kid to know what is going on, you have to work on things at home with them a lot…. And if you don’t, your kid will be behind and cause problems for the volunteering parent.

3) Kindergarten teachers are angels and I’m thankful for them.

4) I looked at Lexi and few times amid all of the chaos, and understood why she comes home a little frazzled sometimes. I want our home to be a peaceful, quiet, serene, restful, place that my children can come home to after a stressful day in that crazy, loud, wiggly, place we call school.

5) I could never teach kindergarten… oh wait, I already said that.

new "tee-shirt" saying idea.......

So, this pictures doesn't do it justice but I've been walking around for a week plus with a big old cold sore hanging off my lip!!

I want to make myself a shirt that I can wear for the 2-4 weeks a year that I have a cold sore. I want it to say something like this,

"I don't have a piece of chocolate on my lip..... it's a coldsore."

That way when I'm out and about I won't feel as though everyone is staring at me thinking, "can she please wipe her mouth after she eats a brownie!"