Fun Saturday

Saturdays are my least favorite day of the week. I consider it "family" day. Husbands are usually home and most families are using Saturday to get "stuff" done! It's the day I feel Sam's absence the most. I never know what to do on Saturdays to keep us busy, but today was not like our normal Saturdays. The young men arrived at 7 am to complete my back yard. They have been working on my backyard as a service project and we have loved having them over. Emmet enjoys "helping". They finished it today and it looks fantastic. It no longer feels cramped and tiny. My yard was quite sloped in the back, but now it will be much easier to mow. I am overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity.

Sam's youngest brother lives a few minutes away and took my kids for a few hours this morning. He was heaven sent!! I needed a break from Emmet and Emery and they needed one from me. They were so excited to see uncle Blake. I was amazed at how excited Emery was. They came home with a Mother's Day gift for me that they had picked out. They were quite proud of themselves. Emmet couldn't understand why I couldn't open their gift today, so of course I opened it. They picked out everything, including the superman gift bag. There were two packages of Pokemon cards (thank you Emmet, I always need Pokemon cards) and these darling plates with matching place mats. We used them tonight for dinner. Emmet has already swindled the Pokemon cards!!

Lastly, the weather is warm enough to swim. And swim we did!! The water is a little cold at first, but you get use to it. It's funny, when I think a day is going to be long and hard, someone always calls and invites us to do something. Today was one of those great days!!

I absolutely love Jane Austen's books. I thought this was fun to do!

Take the Quiz here!

Bedtime thought

I love the book "Small and Simple Things" by Marjorie Hinckley. I read from it every night. One quote has struck me so much that I read it to myself almost nightly. I thought I would share it.
"The test, then, of our soul's greatness is rather to be sought in our ability to comfort and console, our ability to help others, rather than our ability to help ourselves and crowd others down in the struggle of life."
--Joseph F. Smith
I guess I like this quote so much because I've been the recipient of so much help and comfort from others, that I'm finally getting to the point where I can help others again. For a long time I've only been able to help myself and my kids, so I'm excited because I feel like I'm making a little progress.

So long 20s hello 30s!!

Every year the night before my next birthday, I always reflect upon the passing year. Well, this time I've thought about an entire decade. My twenties were full of polar opposite emotions. I experienced the greatest joys (getting married and becoming a mother), but I also experienced great tragedy and loss to such a degree I wasn't sure I'd make it to 30. Yet, here I am hopefully a little wiser, softer, kinder and understanding. I won't lie, I wish Sam was here to celebrate my birthday with me. It never crossed my mind we wouldn't make it to 30 together. But, at least I have two beautiful children that remind me so much of him and they are so much fun. I'll admit, I've been a little depressed about turning 30. I know, it's silly and rationally I know I'm the same person today as I will be tomorrow, but I've been sad. I don't know what got me out of the funk I was in, but my pity party is officially over and I can honestly say I'm excited for the next 10 years. I'm a little relieved to have my 20's over. I'm hoping the next decade won't be as crazy!

For all my friends who lived or live in Maryland...

My friend who's husband attended law school with Sam sent me the following email and I had to share it. So much for swimming in the Chesapeake Bay near Sandy Point State Park.

Annapolis MD
While the vessel 'Dawn Raider' out of Marklys Marina in Essex, Md. was fishing for Striped Bass (also locally known as Rock Fish), this Great White was hooked in the mouth but only resisted slightly for 15 minutes before it came up alongside t he boat to have a look; long enough for one of the crew members to slip a rope a round it's tail !!! 'And that's when things heated up!!

.. The Shark took off towing the 42 foot fishing boat backwards through the water at about 7 Knots. Just like in JAWS, the boat was taking on water over the stern and the crew watched in horror as the shark would actually jump completely out of the water at times. This went on for an hour before the shark finally drowned. She weighed in at 1035 LBS. It is suspected she followed a weak El Nino current into local waters in search of food. Although mid 60 degree water is considered ideal for these sharks, the larger ones can tolerate water in the low 50s.


The tail fin is the size of a man!

I Love Wisk!

I just had to blog about my favorite product to get stains out of clothes. My mom suggested I try wisk on my kids clothes and I have had such great success at getting their clothes clean. I use it for soaking in the bathroom sink. I've never used it in my washer. I know it sounds silly, but I always feel good when I get a stain out!

Let's Play Music

I have decided to teach Let's Play Music out of my home starting August 2008. I am so excited about the program. I have already been teaching Emmet some of the songs and theory to help me practice. He loves it. I'm amazed how well it holds his attention. Let's Play Music (ages 4 and up) is a 3-year music and piano course. This curriculum is packed with full-body movement and fun games, while introducing advanced music theory concepts. In Year 1, learn learn to match and sing on pitch, recognize melodies, read and play simple songs on tone bells, recognize an enjoy classical music, and so much more! Parents attend the 45 minute class every other week to enjoy and learn the activities, so you can help your child at home. The second and third years parents attend once a month. Many parents have learned piano through helping their kids.

I am amazed at how fun this program is. I'm going to offer a sample class the first week of May. You can bring your child and see if it is something you and your child would like. I'd love for anyone to come, just contact me so I can sign you up or tell you more! I know most of you don't live in Arizona, but they always need teachers and there are teachers in 16 states. Just check out the website.