Sunday Gratitudes on a Monday

My family. This past weekend we were together for one last time before my parents head off to Uganda. Imagine all fo us singing a special musical number in Sacrament Meeting. In four-part harmony. Singing a song that was the theme song of my granddaddy. I found out this past weekend that my Granddaddy L used to sing "Have I Done Any Good" to wake up his children.

Big Sunday Gratitude to my family. Another gratitude to my parents for teaching us how to sing (and entering us in all those ward talent shows, even if we didn't want to).

It was really hard to drive home last night. I didn't want to leave.

Emails, letter,Down syndrome, and prayer request

Yesterday I received an email from my sis-in-love. She wanted information about disabilities, the 'R' word, and my hopes for my daughter. This information would be shared in a blog post and also to her Young Women.

I ended up pouring my heart into a letter addressed to her, her YW, and her blog readers. I'll post it here, too, but not until she has had the chance to post her blog and use what info she needs.

In the meantime, would you please keep me in your prayers? Going through a bit of a rough time right now. Nothing drastic. Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Much love to you all.

Sunday Gratitudes

Thanks to The Pirate King (aka the Laundry Faerie), I am crocheting again.

I learned how to crochet from my mom. My last project was the bunch-o-baby hats I made and donated to Primary Children's Medical Center when The Love Magnet had open heart surgery. I hadn't picked up a hook since then.....until the Pirate King started an afghan and then waxed enthusiastic about the socks she was knitting.

I don't knit. But the bug bit again. I needed a Sabbath activity to keep me busy. So I bought some blue variegated yarn and black and started another afghan. I had forgotten how relaxing it is to create something.

When I get this done, I think I'll make one for each child for Christmas. Then I'll go back to the humanitarian projects and crochet baby hats and blankets to donate.

So, I am grateful to my mom for teaching me how to crochet. I'm thankful for The Pirate King for getting me back into it. And I am thankful for this supply of yarn. It just might be one of the things to help me keep my sanity.

Ultimate Praise in the Kitchen

Last night I was making a coffee cake from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog. The Love Magnet was so proud to help (it was her week to make the treat for Family Home Evening). She enthusiastically dumped, poured, sprinkled, and turned on the Bosch mixer.

As I was thinly slicing apples for the top of the cake, my daughter's eyes lit up and she exclaimed

"Mom! Just like Ratatouille!"

Feels so good that my knife skills and baking prowess are appreciated.

Sunday Gratitudes

The generosity of the Love Magnet. She came home from her school's Valentine Day party and gave away every single one of her treats. Well, except the crayon heart (see previous post). What 7 year old is willing to give up a candy stash? TLM was so excited to wish everyone a Happy Fa-la-tyne Day.

I have to admit that I am grateful for the Olympics. It is the only time that I willingly watch sports on TV. It's fun to root for not just the USA, but every one who does really well. Especially the underdog countries who just have a few (or one) athlete. Surely I am not the only person disappointed that the Jamaican bobsled team didn't make the Olympic qualification round.

I'm grateful for parents who willingly volunteer their children. See, I'm starting a third choir. Yes, I am crazy, thanks so much for noticing. It's going to be a Primary age chorus that will sing around 3 special musical numbers during the year. The first will be with the Ward Choir and Youth Choir for Ward Conference next month. My first practice with the Primary chorus will be this weekend. I have 22 kids signed up. I hope I have 22 kids show up. I think there are over 185 kids in our Primary.

I am grateful for good professors. Mine are really good this semester. They are more than willing to discuss subjects near and dear to my heart (Down syndrome) when I havce questions or comments.

Warm blankets, a cup of Rooibos herbal tea, and Jasper Fforde books. Nice to have a non-textbook read. I love the Tuesday Next series and have them all. Brush up on your British history and Brit Lit. Makes the Fforde books all the funnier when you realize how skewed the Tuesday Next world really is. I think I've read these almost as much as Jane Eyre.

Evaporated milk. Yes, I am serious. The flavor reminds me of my Grandpa S who loved pouring it over home-canned peaches. I love pouring it into my cups of herbal tea (no, no caffeine in my tea. I know that my nieces and nephews read this. Must make perfectly clear that I am not drinking tea-with-a-kick). It's just one of those flavors that takes me back to my childhood. Dill, homemade pickles, and raspberry jam remind me of Grandma S. Italian Cream Cake, ambrosia salad, and the smell of fresh baked biscuits remind me of Grandma in Georgia. Cracked-wheat cereal and homemade cracked-wheat bread remind me of my southern Grandpa (my mom used to make it every time he visited).

Valentines - apparently not all are edible

The Love Magnet came home today with a huge bag full of valentines and treats. She shared all of her candy - she even remembered that mom likes Tootsie rolls and doesn't care for sour gummies. Each valentine had a treat of some sort........

except for one..........

One boy in her class melted down crayons and made hearts. Each 2" heart was stuck onto a homemade valentine using sticky craft foam buttons.

The buttons looked like mints.

The heart looked like candy.

After dinner, my daughter came up to me. "Mom, yuck." She held out the crayon heart with a bite out of it and did a perfect imitation of Tom Hanks in the movie Big where he tries caviar for the first time. I escorted her to the bathroom where we rinsed her mouth out.

Back to the couch where the valentine lay. The Love Magnet fingers the foam buttons that look like Altoid mints. The Love Magnet loves Altoids.

"Sweetie, why don't you throw that away."

"But, Moooom! It my fa-la-tine. 'M' gave me!"

i made her throw it away with the promise of popcorn and a movie tonight. I guess I need to check over her valentine goodie stash the way I need to check her Halloween candy. I really don't want to call Poison Control tonight.

I wonder if any of the other kids in her class will eat their valentines from 'M'?

The Flat Love Magnet - Traveler Extraordinaire

Last year The Flat Love Magnet went to Paris (yes I really should scan those pictures in. that was a fun adventure). This year, TFLM is going to Seattle. You can follow her at the brand new blog:

The Flat Love Magnet.

Follow along on her new adventures with The Pirate King, Captain Midnight, and the Divine Miss V. You never know where those Scalawags will take her.

When she comes back, she might just take off again. TFLM loves to travel.

Therapy Quandary

Today I had a meeting with a developmental therapy place. It was the usual determination for The Love Magnet to see if she qualified for services. They told me that she would need to do at least 10 hours a week of services.

Do you realize how hard it is to plan 10 hours a week for therapy? That doesn't include the Physical therapy, Occuptaional therapy and Speech therapy she gets outside of school.

I didnt' want her to miss school too much so we finally determined that she would leave school the last half hour and be working on DT at their facility until dinnertime. Her therapist will even pick her up as part of services.

This is all new to me. We never qualified for services in Utah, but the rules are different in Idaho. So all of these new therapies have been thrown at us since January.

I am not sure what to think.

On one hand, I want every single advantage I can get for my daughter. But I worry that I am scheduling too much. DT will specifically aim at safety issues (wandering, trusting strangers, personal space) as well as social issues (like the bad behavior at school, pushing limits, hitting friends to see what will happen) and the constant redirection she needs when she gets off task. If these problems weren't a big deal, I wouldn't worry about it. But they are a big deal. They are affecting her at school. I do believe we need some extra help.

Should I worry that someone I will have barely met be driving my daughter from school to therapy? They are licensed and registered, background checked and educated. Will that be enough to protect my daughter?, although I can pick her up (I am in school at the time and wont' be able to take her myself.) I don't want therapy to go beyond her normal dinner time. Dinner with the family is important to us.

I don't want her to miss too much of school. She also gets out early for PT and OT one day a week. She loves school. But the afternoons are hard for her because those are when the specials like music, P.E., art and library are scheduled. Because there is less structure in the afternoons, that is when most of he problems start. The therapy we've done for a month have made noticible improvements in The Love Magnet. She likes PT, but not OT (OT is too much like work to her. PT is just fun).

I need to talk to other mothers doing this. I need to talk to Mr. Wonderful. I might need to try it for a month to see if it is worth doing. Is it worth doing? I try to make sure we don't overschedule the children.

Is it worth it? I need to pray about this, too.........

Firstborn's Birthday Party

Need a cool party for a bunch of teens?

GO-KART RACING!

Then Hawaiian food........

.............and a 3-D movie.

Happy Birthday Firstborn. I think you had a good time.

Happy birthday Firstborn

He is a full head taller than me.

He has a crazy-fun sense of humor.

He wants to be a pilot.

He is so close to his Eagle (if he would just get his project approved so we can be DONE!)

He knows how to treat girls with respect (from following the great example his dad sets.)

He honors his priesthood.

He has memorized a lot of scriptures in prep for his mission. He has won scripture mastery competitions in Seminary.

He can identify nearly ever make and model of car.

He loves to read.

He is loved by the families whom he home-teaches and they look forward to his visits.

He can cook (his mission companions will be so grateful).

Happy Birthday to my incredible son. I hope you enjoyed your day.

Sunday Gratitudes

Things I'm grateful for today:

A peaceful night's sleep. Rare. Wonderful when it happens.

Snow. It was so pretty this morning.

New Knowledge. This week I became HIPAA certified and learned a lot about policy, autism, infectious disease prevention, articulation, decibel, and probably more than I ever want to know about math equations and audiology.

New t-shirts from Eddie Bauer. Love their clothes.

Spending an entire study day in my pjs. Oh, yes I did.

Knowledgeable people. Therapists. Doctors. Tutors. Professors.

People who go out of their way to tell me positive things about my kids. It so much nicer to hear than the negative stuff.

Be Still And Know That He Is God as sung by Alex Boye. That will calm your soul and strengthen your testimony. It's on my play list for my blog.

Mr. Wonderful. Okay, I am always grateful for him. He is my logic, my rock, my love, and my best friend. He heard me out a lot this past week and helped me direct my thoughts. He also reminded me that worry is wasteful, hence, the reason I have Jewel as my first song on the play list this week.

So Smart

The Love Magnet's teacher called. The state testing is done. The special implementations for testing were utilized: testing away from the other kids and the timer was kept out of TLM's sight
(she just wants to play with it which doesn't help with testing)

Top score being a 3 (at grade level), bottom score being a 1.....

The Love Magnet scored a 3.

The goal for all 1st graders is to read just over 52 words per minute by the end of the school year.

The Love Magnet read 50 words. The school year is half way done.

After celebrating with the teacher over the phone, I picked up The Love Magnet and whirled her across the kitchen, yelling "WAY TO GO! YOU ARE SO SMART!"

The Love Magnet laughed and cheered and answered "I KNOW! I SO SMART"

Doggie Girl jumped and barked. The boys all cheered along. Mr. Wonderful came home and was greeted by The Love Magnet yelling "DADDEEEEEEEE! I SO SMART! I SO SMART!"

Secondborn announced he received the top math score in his class and had a tshirt award to prove it. TLM yelled "YOU SO SMART! I SO SMART, TOO!" more dancing and celebrating ensued.

**************************************

Today, report cards came out. Thirdborn brought his to me. More smartness abounds as he shows tremendous reading improvement which also helped his math score. Dyslexia and Disgraphia will not conquer his spirit. He was so thrilled with his rising skills and so was I.

All safe and blessed, we shall meet at last.

How can I love a woman I have never met? How can I call her sister, friend, and kindred spirit?

Seven years ago I met dear, sweet Kimmie Texas on a website for swapping recipes. I lived vicariously through her children's proms, dates, and college. She lived the same through my kids first days of school, scouting awards, and heart surgery. Our lives had similar roads. We shared advice, empathy, and celebrations. Our exchanges went far beyond recipes.

Kim cared. I cared back.

Her life took a turn, a journey no one wants to take. She became very ill and didn't know why.

Breast cancer.

She fought bravely. She showed grace. She kept her sense of humor. She advocated for breast cancer awareness and research. Even though her body was ravaged and worn down, she did not cease being Kim.

Last night, Kim won her battle on earth. Right now she is in the middle of the best heavenly family reunion imaginable. She is whole and happy and pain free. Even in death she still advocated for breast cancer by donating her body to science.

I imagine right now she is at a kitchen table with Claudia and Fancy Nancy, two other Cookies who bravely fought cancer.

As a teen, Kim took dance lessons from Patrick Swayze's mother. Kim and her friends used to ogle Patrick when he came to the dance studio. I imagine now that she might get to dance with him - just once! - just to say she did it.

How can I love a woman I have never met in person?

My heart breaks, for I shall miss her!

We "talked" nearly every day for almost seven years. I shall miss her voice, her wit, her wisdom, and her undeniable faith in God.

Be still my soul: the hour is hast'ning on

When we shall be forever with The Lord,

when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

sorrows forgot, love's purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul :when change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

(Be Still My Soul, text by Katharina von Schlegel, music by Jean Sibelius

hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing it here.)

Good bye, dear, sweet Kimmie Texas. We will meet again.

Sunday Gratitudes (on a Monday)

Yesterday was hard. Bit of drama. Two choir practices. Worries about some of the youth I've worked with. I didn't think about gratitudes until lights were out.

Thought a lot last night.

The Young Women theme starts out with "Please stand for truth and righteousness"....(does it still? I haven't been in YW for so long I am not sure.) I had an opportunity to do just that this past week. I stood up for Integrity. It didn't go over well and resulted in the loss of one friend. I had Mr. Wonderful go over the entire conversation to see if I erred and just couldn't see it. No, he agreed with my stand. I will miss that friend. But I am grateful that I did make a stand for integrity. I never expected the outcome that happened.

I am grateful for safe food. Safe, clean water. A mattress. Medicines. Available doctors. Safe streets and neighborhoods. I pray that these things will return to Haiti. I keep up on the news every day about our brothers and sisters over there.

As I cuddled up to Mr. Wonderful last night, I thought about a blog friend who is finalizing her divorce. Her husband is addicted to prescription drugs. She has lost her home. But evidence of Heavenly Father's tender mercies, she has blogged about how her ward found her a small home to rent (so she wouldn't have to spend the time looking) near her kids schools (so they could have continuity in their lives), built a fence and fixed up the home (she has a child with special needs) and are helping clean and pack so she won't be overwhelmed. This has made me think of our ward who have taken such good care of us when we really needed it. the visiting and home teachers who check up on us. The teachers who help my kids. I'm grateful for our ward family.

I am grateful for the friends I've made at school. We're studying together and supporting each other. They are a great sounding board for ideas. We're all moms and totally understand how hard it can get to make time for 14 credit hours of school on top of everything else.

As always I am grateful for Mr. Wonderful, my own Mr. Darcy, a tremendous fount of knowledge, my best friend, and my own personal Michelangelo statue. I don't know what I'd do without him. He is also my logic in a very illogical world.

14 Days of Valentines 2010

Okay the list is done. I realize this is the latest I have ever put this out. My apologies. I will not apologize for stealing ideas. It's all about the sharing. Feel free to use mine. Post yours.

Feb. 1 - One and Only - an invitation to be my date for Valentine's dinner along with one bottle of Kristian Regale with the instructions to bring the bottle to dinner.

Feb. 2 - Two hands - my two hands giving his two feet a foot rub.

Feb. 3- The three of us: Mr. Wonderful, Myself, and God. I have a quote from General conference about this. I'll post it when I pull it out. Basically how the two of us and God make a team. (This is also Firstborn's bday so I try to keep the 14VOD low key).

Feb. 4 - Four Things for Date Night - 2 movie tickets, a package of Red Vines (faithful blog readers know my love for very stale Red Vines), and a box of Junior Mints. There will also be a note with strict instructions that he picks a movie he wants to see and not a movie that he thinks I want to see.

Feb. 5 - 4 Cute Kids and One Cute Wife -pictures of the kids and myself put together in a collage poster that you can make at the Costco photo booth. I plan on putting this up in his office that day.

Feb. 6 - Private. Can't tell you. He'll love it.

Feb. 7 - Seven Pieces of Coconut Cream Pie - yes, I copied this one from my sis-in-love. I also happen to have the cookbook containing the most fabulous Tom Douglas' Triple Coconut Cream Pie recipe. It is so incredibly amazing. Those lucky Seattle-ites.

Feb. 8 - Family Night featuring 8 Things We Love About our Dad. The kids will help me with this. I hope to make a video of the kids to be shown this night.

Feb. 9 - Candy Bar Poster with 9 kinds of treats. I'll leave this in his truck to find that morning.

Feb. 10 - Ten Things I Love About You - this list gets more creative every year, printed on card stock in a fancy calligraphy. Mr. Wonderful has saved them all.

Feb. 11 - 11 Ways To Say I love you. Trying to find more creative languages. Post it notes all over his windshield.

Feb. 12 - Homemade Pizza - with 12 Canadian bacon slices making a heart.

Feb. 13 - Valentine's Dinner.

Feb. 14 - Homemade Sunday crossword puzzle with breakfast. You can make your own here. He needs to solve it on his own without the kids.

Odds and Ends about The Love Magnet

For weeks The Love Magnet has been yelling "PIZZA!" to departing guests, friends leaving Primary, and her fellow students at school. I couldn't understand her motive. She wasn't talking about dinner (she requests mashed potatoes or orange chicken and rice). She wasn't calling her friends "pizza". I just chalked it up to an odd sense of humor.

Today I went to her class to pick her up early. She didn't want to leave until I suggested that if she wave goodbye to her classmates, they would wave goodbye to her. She waved enthusiastically and yelled "PIZZA!"

"PEACE OUT!" her class yelled back.


Oh. Huh. I get it now.


The Love Magnet is just too cool and hip for me.

***************************************************************

Today we went to the pediatric orthopedic surgeon to have The Love Magnet cleared for gymnastics. Dr. Orthopedic wasn't excited about TLM taking any kind of gymnastics, even if it was training for Special Olympics. You see, my daughter used to have Atlanto-Axial Instability which is not common in people who have Down syndrome, but can be one of the many things people with DS have to deal with. If you want to know more about it, click here. TLM was diagnosed around age 18 months. We were originally told that she would need her neck fused when she was 10 years old. She was x-rayed every year until she was 4, when they found that the AAI had resolved fairly well on it's own. The doctor at Shriner's hospital in SLC was amazed. I asked them to run a 2nd x-ray to be sure. She would be okay. But no gymnastics. The doctors were afraid the AAI fix would be temporary and suggested x-rays every three years.

Today's x-rays were like all the other x-rays my daughter has had taken. She did what she was told and held the odd neck poses with no problem. She has done it enough that she knows the drill. X-ray techs were amazed and impressed.

After waiting a bit longer, the surgeon came in. He did something that doctors rarely do: he sat down by me with printouts of the x-rays and proceeded to spend 15 minutes explaining the x-rays and AAI. Bottom line? My daughter doesn't have AAI. She doesn't even have the gap typical of people with Down syndrome due to low muscle tone and loose ligaments. She has the neck bones of a typical person. Yeah, glorious surprise! Oh Happy Day! Dr. Orthopedic was amazed at her muscle tone, her neck, and her high function. He also check out her spine, hips, legs, and feet.

He approved her whole-heartedly for adapted gymnastics provided it is associated with Special Olympics.

We will invite him to her first meet in a year or two.

*************************************************************

My daughter can spell 'middle', 'riddle', and 'fiddle'. She is going to ace her spelling test next week. She wanted to know if the average Joe on the street could spell "fiddle". She is asking everyone. Fair warning to brush up on your spelling should you run into her.

*************************************************************

The Love Magnet is finally understanding that she can not hug everyone. She is learning that a handshake, a high five, and a fist bump are completely acceptable forms of greeting. It makes me a little bit sad. At least she still hugs her mom.

Sunday Gratitudes

Last night, Mr. Wonderful took me to see a movie for date night. Just outside of the theater doors, a group of teens were surrounding a young man who was yelling at a girl across the parking lot. He let loose the most vile, crude, disrespecting-of-women diatribe for the whole world to hear. It was incredibly offensive to me. The young woman, surrounded by her own group, yelled crass, lowbrow commentary right back. I was floored that people would talk like that at all. Their words affected everyone around them, even those not associated with them. As I witnessed this scene, I became so incredibly grateful for my own children, the youth in my ward, and the teens on my street. They would never say these words. The difference between the teens at the theater and the teens in my ward was like comparing sewage of the worst kind to the most beautiful park. I know that sounds cheesy, but I was impressed with what an incredible difference there was in how they acted.

The movie we went to see was The Blind Side. I am always grateful when Hollywood makes a positive movie. It was one of those movies that made me laugh, cry, and think. What an incredible story about a family willing to push differences aside and help someone in need.

Mr. Wonderful and I were stopped by one of the sisters in our ward. She wanted to tell us about an event she witnessed. Firstborn had come upon one of the people he home teaches, a sweet sister who is the mother of an older couple in our ward. Firstborn put his arm around her and told her how much he missed her and was asking about how she was doing. The sister telling us this story said "How many teens would make a fuss over a woman in her eighties?" I was grateful for the further proof that Firstborn is a good son, and also grateful that someone would take the time to tell us something so positive about one of our children.

Whole Grain Waffles with Blackberry Sauce

Whole Grain Waffles with Blackberry Sauce
Breakfast
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine Feb. 2010
Servings: 6
Jan. 16, 2010

My notes: this was a big breakfast! I could easily be satisfied with half a serving. I served this as a Saturday brunch. EW used cherries in their sauce. Any fruit would certainly work. Very filling with the whole grains.

Blackberry sauce:
2 Cups fresh or frozen blackberries
¼ c water
¼ Cup honey
2 Teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Waffles:
2 Cups white whole-wheat flour
½ Cup fine cornmeal
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¼ Cup packed light brown sugar
2 Cups lowfat buttermilk or sour milk (1 Tablespoon vinegar per 1 Cup milk, let sit for 5 minutes to sour)
1 Tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla

For sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan over med heat and cook, stirring occassionally until thicked (about 1 minute)

For waffles: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat eggs and brown sugar in separate bowl. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla to egg mixture and whisk. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Lightly coat hot waffle iron with cooking spray. Spread 2/3 Cups of batter over waffle iron and cook until golden (4-5 min.). Serve with ¼ Cup of sauce.
Cal 380; 5 g fat; 74 mg chol; 74 g carb; 12 g protein; 6 g fiber

Sunday Gratitudes (on a Thursday)

while I have a moment between all the tons of studying:

I am grateful I that I can read. Especially reading all of the literature I have to cover this semester. I'm also trying to collect scholarly articles and journals pertaining to Down syndrome and language development. I was thinking today about the love of reading instilled in me by my parents. It's a good thing. I'm certainly getting my fill this semester.

Tons of gratitude for this new laptop. It has been a good thing to type notes as I listen to lectures - I type much faster than I can write. Much of my education includes interactive software. It has been a good thing to have an updated computer with all the bells and whistles to make this easier.

I am thankful that the kids are back in school, too. They really needed the structure - especially The Love Magnet. As fun as vacation was for her , it was hard to be away from home and everything familiar. She loved being with her cousins. Her feelings were all too clear when we got home. That night, she went to bed without being asked, lay down in her favorite position, and let out a satisfied "ahhhhhhhhh".

Firstborn did something very nice - he snuck his Secondborn's new iPod and spent an entire evening downloading Secondborn's favorite songs on it. It was his Christmas gift to his brother. I am grateful that he found a way to give service rather than buying something.

Secondborn bought a chessboard with his birthday money and has been challenging Mr. Wonderful to games. He has also been teaching Thirdborn how to play. I love it when my family finds a way to entertain themselves without a TV. That is something for which to be grateful.

There is a graduate student at school who has been so kind to answer all of my questions and offer advice on subjects where I don't know what questions to ask. We've talked about graduate school, the GRE, choosing a specialty, NSSHLA, and volunteering for summer projects with the International Children's Surgical Foundation. She has been more than generous with her time and I am grateful that she has been come a mentor for me.

Searching for confidence

Day two of Spring Semester. Tons of reading. A new laptop to load up with all the required software. (I love my laptop and tell Mr. Wonderful how grateful I am every single day for it.) Starting study for the GRE. Talking to grad school students. Trying to decide where to go to grad school.

Mr. Wonderful is encouraging me to check out other schools besides my current one. Staying here would be much cheaper. I really want to focus on Language Development in People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (such as Down syndrome). Still trying to decide who would have the best program and if I would qualify to go. I am looking at University of Washington (ranked #5 in SLP programs according to US News and World Report), University of Iowa (ranked #1), Vanderbilt (also #5), Florida State (#15), University of Georgia (#46), University of Virginia (#53), and University of Utah also (#46).

Will it be worth uprooting the family again (and possibly leaving Firstborn behind as he starts college)? Mr. Wonderful wants to continue his education, too - will it postpone that further? What about having to pay nonresidential fees? Can I qualify for any aid or scholarships? What will I do with The Love Magnet when I have to do summer semesters?! Can she attend some kind of summer school or daycare on campus?

Then there is the slight nagging in the back of my head: you're not smart enough, it's too hard, change to something easier. I am pushing those thoughts down and obliterating that voice the best I can. I know I can accomplish this (although never in my life did I think I would do something in the health field and earn a masters degree).

I told one of the grad students today that the most frustrating thing about all this is that I don't know what kind of questions to ask. It's all a bit overwhelming. I plan on taking the GRE this summer at least twice. I don't apply for grad school until next fall. I am somewhat successfully juggling being a mom and student right now.........at least I hope I am.

Did I mention how this journey is taking me out of my comfort zone on a daily basis? That is a good thing........right?

I still need to plan my 14 Days of Valentines. I forgot to write my Sunday Gratitudes this week. I have piles of laundry to fold.

I think I had better start with a list of gratitudes. Sunday Gratitudes on a Thursday. Be back tomorrow with that.

14 Days of Valentines

Ladies and Gents! Step right up, don't be shy. That's right, gather round. It's that time of year again, that time where you are going to pour sweet love into your relationship and serve extra sugar to your hunny-bun. It's time to start planning for the 14 Days of Valentines!

For the introduction of what the 14 Day of Valentines is (including history) click here.

Just as important, review what the 14 Days of Valentines IS NOT click here.

Or you could just read the entire account of past 14 Days of Valentines since I've been blogging by clicking on that label. Scroll down a bit and your find it in the right hand column.

Mr. Wonderful knows to not read my blog from January till after Valentines Day. On that day I make him gourmet dinner and we lock the kids in their rooms. Just kidding! They are more than happy to retreat to their rooms with all the romance going on in the house. well, everyone except The Love Magnet. She wants to be involved in everything. Too bad, so sad, she is sent to bed, too.

Please check out the past ideas. I will share mine including menu ideas for this year. Share yours in the comment section or link up to the blog so we can see your ideas. Feel free to copy ideas with abandon.

Your hunny-bun is going to love this!

San Diego

Take one gorgeous husband (I call him my own personal Michelangelo statue)...

Add a happy (relaxed!) wife...

Some gorgeous views....

in San Diego.....

A very nice tour guide who happens to be the best friend of my darling Hit Cookie (tour guide in the middle and Hit Cookie in the purple coat. Notice that the weirdos from Idaho don't need coats in 60 degree weather. We thought it was much better than the 28 degree weather we came from) who graciously spent a day showing us the things tourists usually don't get to see......

Add really good fish tacos, pork and polenta, and crab cakes......

and one ocean......

and you get a much needed (oh so very much!) needed getaway sans kids. Many thanks to our families for helping with the kids while we were gone. I spent 5 days sleeping in, not cooking/cleaning/studying, and being spoiled rotten by Mr. Wonderful.

Christmas 2009

The traditional Nativity play. Thirdborn was Joseph. Secondborn was the donkey (for some reason he loves playing that part). The Love Magnet insisted on accompanying Joseph and Mary thru Bethlehem. I think she was standing guard.

Firstborn (middle in white headband) was a wise man. Or a shepherd? Wait, maybe he was Nephi, prophesying about the birth of the Savior. The cast keeps getting bigger every year. There are three grandkids missing from this pic and the rest of teh kids still fill the room.

We celebrated St. Lucia Day with the first and third grades. Many fond thoughts and hugs to Miss Morgan (my 2nd grade teacher back in the '70s) who started it all.

First in line to see Santa. TLM still wouldn't tell him what she wanted. She just wanted him to ho-ho-ho. Softly.


Singing with the primary kids at the ward Christmas party. Thirdborn is there, too, but hiding behind everyone else.

We were away for two weeks. Sorry about the lack of posting. And the lack of Christmas cards. But I am now rested and rejuvenated and ready for Spring Semester.

Sunday Gratitudes

Huge gratitudes to my ward choir, ym/yw choir, Primary, women's choir, duets and solos for a fabulous Christmas Program in Sacrament Meeting. The best part was singing Kevin Pace's Silent Night/Joseph Smith's Testimony for our closing song. The congregation joins in singing the third verse of Silent Night while the choir sings Joseph Smith's Testimony. I had the organ joinin playing the hymnbook version of Silent Night when the congregation sang. It was beautiful. You can obtain a copy here.

I'm also grateful that my drive to Utah with my kids today went nearly uneventful (if you don''t include dangerous amounts of fog).

I am so very thankful that finals are over.

Another gratitude for only having to spend $368 for textbooks on Amazon compared to the $420 B&N wanted or the $489 it would have cost at my university book store.

Last gratitude: I had comfort food at my mom's Sunday dinner table.

Surviving Finals

So far and A on all of my finals, including the class that gave me the most stress. Unfortunately that A on the exam still left me 2 percentage points short of an A for the class. Ugh.

One last final that I will probably take tomorrow night just to get it done with. Then I am freeeeeeeeeeeeee!

psst - at least for 2 1/2 weeks

I will admit that I loved this semester. Getting into my major and working towards a goal has been wonderful.

I need to talk to the department head but I think I know a direction already that I want to take for graduate school and a final project.

Oh, did I mention I still need to study for the GRE and start taking it this summer? Yeah. More books during vacation.

psst - during my freedom of 2 1/2 weeks, I get to spend part of that taking a vacation sans kids. I get Mr. Wonderful to myself for a few days. Woo-hoo! But I have to whisper the plans. The sickly demons are hunting us down and I do not DO NOT want to be sick over Christmas. Even more so, I do not want Mr. Wonderful getting sick. Know any way to ward off the sickly demons?

Sunday Gratitudes

A huge, heartfelt, overwhelming, seriously thankful gratitude to my stake for allowing me to conduct the Halleluja Chorus at our Stake Christmas program tonight. It was amazing.

(I have have to admit, this Mo-Tab version on my playlist sounds a bit tame compared to my stake. Perhaps it seemed, well, more because my heart was beating so fast.

Serious fun. Oh. My. Heavens.

I hope we do it again next year.

Go Tell It On The Mountain

The Love Magnet preformed with her grade at the Christmas Music program. All week she has been singing "Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born". In the car. At the grocery store. Playing in our house. But ask her to sing it to people and she clams up. She might whisper it if she's feeling generous. I went to the dress rehearsal. Mr. Wonderful went to the program and played photographer.

The Love Magnet being escorted by her aide, The Divine Mrs. M.

She was so excited, she applauded with the audience before the singing even started. TLM also ended every single song with a grand bow. (Unfortunately we weren't quick enough to capture that. Too bad.)

She knew exactly when to 'ting-a-ling' with her bell in the first song. She kept pointing at the bell in between to make sure we saw she had one.


She knew when to hold up her mask and sing S-A-N-T-A.


Then came her favorite song. She had a hard time keeping up with the verses, but when it came time to sing the chorus she sang her heart out.
GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN!

I am so grateful that our fabulous music teacher treats my daughter like everyone else. The Love Magnet loves music and absolutely loves her music teacher. Many thanks and much gratitude for all the effort out music teacher puts into her program at our school. Many thanks especially for including a song that really tells about the celebration this season. Most schools won't mention the name of Jesus during this time. Our schools chose to sing out the good news.

OVER THE HILLS AND EVERYWHERE!

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

THAT JESUS CHRIST IS BORN!

Happy Birthday Secondborn!

Secondborn is a bit of an odd duck. At least he was the day he turned into a teenager. He wouldn't tell me what he wanted for a birthday cake (hates chocolate, can you believe it?) or dinner. At least he is the easiest to shop for. All he wants is books, books, books. I bought him a gift card so he could choose his own.

Finally the afternoon of his birthday, he told us he wanted to go out for steak and a loaded baked potato. Off we went. I told him I didn't make a cake since he didn't specify what he wanted. I felt bad.

He ducked every time I tried to take his picture.

Finally snapped him with my stealth.

His brothers wouldn't stop posing.


Even The Love Magnet had to get into the act.


I promised him I would make him a late birthday cake when Grandma and Grandpa B come to visit next week. Right after dinner we went to the book store so he could pick.

Secondborn is my most generous child. He has been know to spend all his birthday money on Christmas presents for his siblings in previous years. This year He has already started earning money for them. He helps the younger kids with homework. He reads to Thirdborn every night (and Thirdborn loves it). Thirdborn loves to play chess. He hates the grief Firstborn gives him for liking such a 'nerdy game'. I have pointed out to Secondborn that he is incredibly smart and chess teaches him strategy, observation and thinking skills. (Pssst, don't tell, but he is getting an awesome chess set for Christmas).

Heavenly Father blessed me with this generous old soul, too. He reminds me very much of a generous brother of mine. (Do you think all 5 will claim that or does the brother know who he is?)

Happy Birthday Thirdborn

My Thirdborn is 9 today. This kid caused me great pain when he was born (my epidural didn't work so I gave birth to him with no drugs).

Good thing I love him.

This is my child who always shows his love and appreciation over my cooking.

He has been looking forward to this day for weeks.

I just hope he survives it without torching his eyebrows off.


Happy birthday, my dear, sweet child. Heavenly Father blessed me the day he loaned you to me. He knew I would need you.

Love Magnet Moments

I asked The Love Magnet to tuck herself in bed tonight. I had to start a birthday cake and blow up balloons. She said okay and trotted off. Just not far enough to her bedroom.

"Bed" must be a relative term meaning anywhere you choose to flop down with a quilt.

Obviously she felt left out that Firstborn and Secondborn were allowed to stay up and help. She didn't want to miss anything.

She is so darn cute!

Hosting the Missionaries

We hosted the missionaries for dinner tonight. Sign ups to feed the missionaries go fast in our stake so I felt very blessed that we were able to get a spot.

Elder N (left) and Elder S (right) are both from Florida. It was fun to hear their accents and it made me homesick for my Grandma B in southern Georgia.

When I asked the kids what we should feed the missionaries for dinner, Firstborn insisted on Pastrami Swiss Burgers and that he would grill them himself. I made Tomatoes Teruel, deviled eggs, roasted red potatoes, and a fruit salad. Banana splits for dessert. Totally different than traditional holiday food. I think the elders liked it. I brought out a dish of pecans., I pronounce it "pea-cans" (or /pikaenz/ which is as phonetic as I can get without pepper font on Blogger). Elder S was cracking up as apparently I am the only person in Idaho who pronounces 'pecans' the proper way.

My boys loved listening to the elders' stories. Thirdborn was enamored with them

Elder S talked about tracting, hating the cold, missing paint-balling, hating the cold, practical jokes the missionaries played on each other, hating the cold.........
His favorite dish is Chicken Spaghetti, a concoction of chicken, cheese whiz, and mushroom soup. I'd love to find the recipe and make it for him, but he is being transferred next week.

Elder N was incredibly patient with The Love Magnet, especially when she tried to finger paint his white shirt with her stick fingers. He was pretty quiet for the most part until he started to talk about home and family. He likes chicken (I never did understand if he meant fried, rotisserie, baked. I'll have to find out if I get the chance to host him again.)

These sweet guys are welcome at our house anytime. God bless the missionaries and their families who willingly support them while they serve.

I Hope They Call Me On a Mission

My parents opened their 2nd mission call last night:

Uganda Kampala Mission.

It isn't clear what they will be doing there. They will leave in March and head back to Africa. I can't wait to read their blog posts.

Please keep them in your prayers.

Thanksgiving Gratitudes

1. My family.



2. My parents going on another mission (to Uganda!)



3. Going back to school.



4. Good grades.



5. Fran's Dark Chocolate Covered Salted Caramels (and Zuzu the Pirate who sends them to me).



6. Grandma S.'s cookbook (especially her recipe for Date Pinwheels which I am going to try for the first time this year.)



7. St. Lucia traditions (and Miss Morgan who introduced them).



8. Decorating Christmas Cookies the day after Thanksgiving (and my mom who started that one).



9. Kindred Spirits.



10. Every single one of my Cookies.



11. Every single one of my T-21 buddies.



13. Black Licorice and the memories of Grandpa S.



14. I'm healthy.



15. A ward choir that rocks!



16. A youth ward choir that rocks!



17. A sweetheart who loves me even after 18 years.



18. Teachers and aides who influence me kids for the better.



19. Great Scout leaders.



20. Asparagus in the spring, strawberries and raspberries in early summer, fresh corn and watermelon midsummer, peaches and pears late summer, pumpkin flavors in the fall, and all other good-for-me foods.



21. Reliable electricity, clean running water, and decent roads.



22. Mr. Wonderful's job and his willingness to work.



23. Mr. Wonderful's parents who raised boys (6 of them!) right.



24. Temples.



25. The Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the Bible.



26. Creativity. My own and others who bless me with theirs.



27. The Love Magnet who teaches me to slow down and really enjoy the little things.



28. Singing I Am A Child Of God. I love that song.



29. Jane Austen's books.



30. Caring people.



31. Finding a jar of my Grandma's S's raspberry freezer jam just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. (Way to go, auntie M!)

32. Listening to the sounds of my children getting along with each other.

33. Spending a week alone with my sweetheart.

34. Date night.

35. Date night with one of my kids.

36. All those years of piano lessons.

37. An entire year where none of my children had to go to the emergency room. (YES!!!!)

38. The United States flag and everything it stands for.

39. Memories of Grandpa B, especially his gentle voice when he gave me my patriarchal blessing.

40. Food storage.

41. Stocked grocery stores with decent prices.

42. My sons' opportunities to play basketball, soccer, and swim leagues.

43. Living close enough to see my family for a weekend whenever I want.

44. Email

45. Really good neighbors.

46. Mr. Wonderful, especially when ignores my annoying quirks and praises my attempts at being a good wife and mother.

47. Mr. Wonderful for never failing to thank me for a meal I prepared in all of our 18 years of marriage.

48. Good, intelligent, clean movies. They are so very rare.

49. My son's willingness to help out.

50. That we aren't wanting for a single thing. We have everything we need.

Sunday Gratitudes

Tonight I am so very grateful for a big Stake Choir working on Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. I absolutely adore directing big choirs, especially when singing one of my all-time favorite songs. Especially ones who put up with me. Those poor altos are overwhelmed right now. I dearly wish I had my sister singing with them. As it is, I have a section practice planned that will set things to rights. The choir sounds marvelous for the most part. And I get to see some dear faces from my old ward.

Yet another gratitude for my Young Men/Young Women's Choir. I had 18 teens who showed up at my house today. We worked on three songs, talked a bit about the difference between criticizing and critiquing, and inhaled a double batch of brown sugar cookies. I am so grateful for these kids and their willingness to learn something outside of their comfort zone.

I am grateful that The Love Magnet is finally feeling better. As soon as I got home from my 4th (!) choir practice of the day, she ran up to me and told me to feel her forehead. No fever! And look, Mom, no stuffy nose! No chappy lips! She is so excited to go to school tomorrow. Now if I could just get Thirdborn and Mr. Wonderful feeling better. I hope Firstborn and Secondborn do not get sick just in time for Thanksgiving.

A sweet gratitude for Zuzu The Pirate for sending me a box of Fran's Salted Dark Chocolate Caramels to get me through my crazy week. You, my dear pirate, are an absolute darling. I shall repay you in kind.

A pen-pal from my elementary years, who became one of my best friends and kindred spirit, suggested that her firstborn and my Thirdborn become pen-pals. I'm so grateful for this opportunity. My son will find the joys of getting snail mail, have the benefit writing about his life, and hopefully it will stick around and long and strong and my friendship with Gingersnap. Much love to you my dear, sweet friend.

Oh what a beautiful morning (you know you want to sing it!)

This morning while I chauffeured the kids to school.

Home Teacher Heroes

I was making a comment to Dandelion Mama about how I relied on HT's when I realized that I never told those stories here.

Home Teachers are assigned to each family in the ward. You can find out more about the role of home teachers here.

I've had to rely on my home teachers many times throughout the years, especially when Mr. Wonderful was out of town, usually in the form of giving blessings to my sick children. One night is was for something much more.....well, more Hollywood stuntman worthy.

It was midnight when I heard calls for help. Secondborn (who was 10 at the time) was in the bathroom. Some how the doorknob on the bathroom broke and he couldn't open the door. I was unclear if he had locked the door before it broke.

I called Mr. Wonderful, who was out of town. He tried to walk us through taking the doorknob off the door. It wasn't rocket science, I know, but that doorknob would not come off. We tried sliding tools under the door for Secondborn. Nope. Firstborn joked that Secondborn would have to live in the bathroom. At least there was running water and we could slide sandwiches and crackers under the door. He could sleep in the bathtub. Secondborn began to panic with thoughts of eternal porcelain detention.

I broke down and called my Home Teacher around 1 a.m. I didn't want to call so late. But this is what Home Teachers are for - they help whenever it's needed. One of my home teachers arrived with his wife. I know she was there there to preserve the propriety of his coming over so early in the morning without my husband there. But Home Teacher also claimed that his wife had mad skills of opening doors with credit cards. She tried to demonstrate on our bathroom door. Mad skills obviously weren't going to help. Home Teacher's wife then locked the bedroom door to prove her mad skills and repair her reputation of being able to break in anywhere.

Home teacher took up the tools and worked on door knob. He tried to talk Secondborn through removing the door hinges. After an hour of futility, he asked permission to do the only thing he had left in his talent arsenal. He told Secondborn to climb in the tub and cover his head.

Mr. Blackbelt kicked down the door.

Applause and cheering all around. My boys were swooning with hero worship. Thirdborn yelled "This is better than ninjas!" I was floored. Somehow the door was still intact (although on the floor) and only minor damage to the door frame. Secondborn was so relieved to be released from the bathroom.

We thanked our home teacher and his wife profusely as they left. I finally tucked the kids in bed. The next day we made fresh orange rolls to take to our home teacher. Their house was quiet, we assumed they were still sleeping and left the basket on the porch with a thank you note.

Ever since, home teachers have retained a hero status in our home. God bless the home teachers.


PS: Go to Dandelion Mama's site. She sells the cutest quilting patterns on Etsy. And she draws and paints. She is one of those creative artsy people I wish I could be. One of these days I would love to meet her in person and give her a hug.

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth!

This just happened 10 minutes ago!

Sunday Gratitudes

I know I've been a neglectful blogger. My days have been loaded up with projects and study that my professors want done next week so they can enjoy Thanksgiving without a lot of grading to do. While I can't blame them, it sure does make my November hectic. At least I can say that I am grateful that my Child Language Sample project is halfway done and I did finish my Describing Errors exam (SODA, phonological processes, and feature tables - just because I knew you were curious).

Last night, Mr. Wonderful took me to see 2012 at the movie theaters. Okay movie, but they did rip on religion and tried to convince their audience that the power of prayer was futile. I was keenly aware of little things about Mr. Wonderful during the evening: He puts one hand on my back and his other hand hold mine while escorting me through the parking lot. He tucks his coat around my legs (without being asked) because he knows I get cold in movie theaters. He buys candy he thinks I will like. I am grateful that my husband shows me, in so many little ways, that he loves me. Oh yes, I felt very loved.

One of my Cookies in Denver had a food dryer that she didn't use. She sent it to me. I'm grateful for unexpected blessings like a free food dryer. My kids are excited to attempt to make jerky and fruit leather. I'm excited to add one more item to my food storage. First up will be dried apples, bananas, and pineapple. Many thanks and much love to Cookie B.

The Love Magnet is just about over her cold. It looks like the boys have avoided getting it. I'm grateful that The Love Magnet is getting over being just sick enough to be onery. I'll bet her teacher and aides are grateful for that, too. It was a rough week.

It happened! Again! (actually the fourth time...)

But this time it was a top tooth. A front and center tooth. "A BIG TOOTH, Mom!" The tooth that she fiddled with all through our Primary Program practice this morning. The tooth she tried to get strangers to wiggle while we were at the grocery store. The tooth that was her obsession.

Thank you, Secondborn for helping her pull it out.

Now she can obsess about her other top tooth. It is also loose.

Randomness

Today I took the kids to get haircuts. The Love Magnet climbed up onto the chair, smiled sweetly at the stylist, and announced "I want a mohawk."

(no, of course I didn't let her get one.)

**********************************************************************************

Yesterday was parent teacher conference.

The Love Magnet: At grade level in reading, thankyouverymuch. As I was talking with her teacher and the head of Extended Resource about it, I got teary. What an incredible blessing. My daughter can sound out new words. She can take spelling tests with her class. She gets more confused in writing paragraphs (because she wants to write as fast as her classmates and thoughts get jumbled before they get on paper) and math is difficult (hands on blocks are great, writing math with just numbers is hard).

Thirdborn: Still struggling in reading, writing and math (darn that dyslexia and dysgraphia!) But he got great grades for effort and attitude. Best of all he got a great grade in science. And, his teacher noted, that he does great in language when the books are read to him. He participates in class. And he is a very sensitive, sweetly endearing kid. (I already knew that but it was still great to hear him praised by others).

Secondborn: This kid does A work. But he suddenly became a teen.......every single one of his teachers said he talks too much. Really? My kid? My kid? Wait, didn't my mom hear the same thing about me? Yeah, I guess he is my kid. Darn it all. That was a trait I did not want passed down the gene pool.

Firstborn: He started out rocky but caught up and is doing much better. His teachers are please with his efforts and how respectful he is. We went to the seminary and met his seminary teacher. He participates, knows his scriptures, and is really loved over there. I got a bit teary. God bless the seminary teachers. God bless ALL the teachers. Every single one of them want to see my children succeed.
**********************************************************************************

Halloween was a riot. The Love Magnet lasted for about ten houses. She hates anything remotely scary or evil looking. All the blood makes her very concerned that somebody needs to go to the hospital. She'd rather have chicken noodle soup and hand out candy to the cute kids and pet the dogs wearing costumes.

That being said, it was funny to watch: when the neighbors saw her coming, suddenly everyone who could remove scary parts of their costume, did. Weapons were hidden. Masks were taken off. One kid who couldn't take off his exposed ribcage costume was so sweet and made sure that my daughter understood it wasn't real. She told him "You look gross" and wouldn't have anything to do with him. It made him feel bad.

**********************************************************************************

Last night was cub scout pack meeting and I took Thirdborn by myself. The theme was heroes. A lieutenant from the Sheriff’s department let the boys ask him questions. There were the usual “Do you get to shoot your gun?” and “Are you ever scared?” Then Thirdborn raised his hand and asked “How do you deploy your spike strips to catch a criminal in a police chase?” Everyone did a double take (including me).

***********************************************************************************
The latest Rachael Ray mag had a blurb about a website you could use. This website would let you send emails that would self destruct after being read or if they weren't opened for awhile. The mag said it would be great for sending gossip without getting caught. This really bugged me. Gossip is malicious. Why are people promoting it? Obviously, if you want it to self destruct, you know you are doing something hurtful and wrong.

Is it just me? My mom taught me not to gossip.

Another Rachael Ray moment: Julie Andrews was on the show. She is one of my all time favorite actresses. Julie and Rachael talked about an magazine interview Julie did where she was asked "Which virtue is overrated?"

Julie answered, "Chastity".

My heart was sad. As they joked about it I kept telling myself that not everyone believes as I do. Everyone has their own moral agency.

I believe in chastity. I teach my kids that it is not overrated, but highly valued. Enough said.
**********************************************************************************