Shopping Day

I went on two different rounds of back-to-school shopping today. Two kids in the morning and the other two kids in the afternoon. We covered the basics: shoes, haircut, new shirts for the first day, lunch box for a couple of them, water bottle for one, socks, underwear, and school supplies. Mission accomplished. And it wasn't horrible. I think the key was dividing it up and not taking everyone at once. It made for less meltdowns, theirs and mine. And here's a few insights that I came away with:

To PK: I'm glad that we found the perfect pair of board shorts. And don't worry, I'll stop calling them swim suits. And thanks for chatting with me. Now I know that you think that "precooked bacon is pretty much the greatest invention ever." I like it, too.

To PC: Yes, it was raining crazy hard when we were inside Target. And you're right, if something happened because of the storm and we were stuck inside Target we could survive for at least a year. But you're also right, Costco would be another good place to be stuck in.

To Miss A: Thanks for pointing out that Target would be a better place to be stuck in because there is bedroom stuff and blankets and if the air conditioning went off we would need lots of blankets. Ok, so maybe not in the summer, but we would have lots of pretty bedroom stuff to lay on, and, you're right, we could try on clothes all day long.

To Mr. E: Thanks for wanting to go up the escalator because even though we didn't need anything on the second floor, I felt like a really good mom when I said, Ok, lets just ride the escalator up and then back down. But then I felt like a crummy mom when I realized you didn't know that it was called an escalator and you're almost six years old. So let's plan some more trips there to take another ride, ok? And did you know it was a little sad for me when you wanted to try on a shirt and we were next to the men's fitting room and when I said that I couldn't go in there you said that it was ok, that I could just stand right at the entrance and you could go in and try on your shirt all by yourself? And then you did. And I was a little sad because your brothers and your sister all tried on clothes today and nobody wanted me to go into the fitting rooms with any of them. It's a funny thing to be a little sad about, but moms get a little sad about plenty of funny little things.

Thirteen

Today, thirteen is the luckiest number I can think of.
Yeah, I think you know why.

Dear Mom...

Dear Mom,
This another one of those "payback letters." You know, the ones that say thank you for the things that you put up with when I was young that I didn't ever think to say thank you for until I had little ones of my own and was going a little crazy. I've thanked you in the past for putting up with fussy babies, tantrum-throwing toddlers and fussy eaters. But this week I've come across something else that I need to thank you for.

I thought that my mornings of waking up sleep deprived were over when my babies started sleeping through the night. But then I became the mother of teenagers and I'm once again trying to disguise the dark circles under my eyes. So thank you mom, for waiting up for us until our curfew time. Because, heaven forbid, we come home earlier than absolutely possible. And thank you for letting us stay out on weekdays during the summer. Even though you and dad still had to get up early the next day because to you it was just a Wednesday night but to us it was like the weekend because we had no school or any real responsibilities the next day and could sleep in as long as we want. And thank you for putting up with the endless times that we said, "You could just go to sleep, Mom, and we'll just come home and go to bed." Ok, I've heard that at least a hundred times already and that's just ridiculous. Are they waiting for me to say, "Sure, you bet, I'll just go to sleep and be mostly unconscious while you are out playing in the street and you just come in whenever you want and lock up and go to bed." Yeah, I don't think so.

So there it is, Mom, another payback for you. Sorry it took so long.

A Good Day

Today was a good day. Here is my list of what was accomplished.

Bathrooms cleaned......check.
Bathtub cleaned........check.
Sheets washed and put back on beds....check.
Refrigerator cleaned out......check.
Hallway swept and mopped.......check.
Sliding glass door cleaned.....check.
Bathroom floors swept and mopped....check.
Garbage cans emptied.......check.
Stair railings dusted.....check.
Family room dusted........check.
All carpets vacuumed......check.
Laundry sorted for tomorrow....check.

Kids taught the meaning of work.....check.
Kids taught that if you do a job half way you'll have to do it all over again.....check.
Kids complaining that they are slaves and would almost rather be back in school....check.
Mom very, very happy......CHECK!

Today's Terrific Tip

This may be old news to some but I came across a great website to help with my scripture study. You can create a reading schedule and receive daily emails with your reading assignment. You can choose which standard work you would like to read and also choose a rate of study. For example, I'm trying to read the Book of Mormon in 60 days so it sends me my assignment based on that goal. You can also set up a schedule to keep up with the gospel doctrine reading assignments or seminary reading assignments. Each email also comes with the reading selection available to read on the screen, with or without audio. I've loved having the daily reminders come on my email. Here's a link to the website. Check it out! Happy reading!

http://www.readthescriptures.com/

Thanks for the ride, Woody and Buzz!

We saw Toy Story 3 this week. It was so good! I was curious to see how they would wrap the story up and I thought they did a great job. I was surpised to find myself really emotional at the end of the movie. I'm not giving anything away by saying that in the movie Andy is on is way to college and we learn the fate of his toys. As I was watching the movie I thought about how much Toy Story has been a part of our family. The first Toy Story movie came out the year that PK was born. So when our first two boys were little, the Toy Story movies and characters were a big part of our lives. Every birthday and Christmas for the next several years brought a toy from Toy Story that was wished for and dearly loved. I guess that is why it was an emotional thing to say goodbye to these characters. Because my little boys that loved Woody and Buzz are not so little anymore. And while they're not headed off to college just yet, I know the day is coming all too quickly.

So thanks, Woody and Buzz. It's been a great ride. To infinity and beyond!

Monday Memories

Seventeen years. What a lucky person I am to have spent the last seventeen years crazy in love with the man of my dreams. The longer that we've been married the more I am grateful that we are still crazy for each other. Here are the lyrics to my new favorite love song. It's written by Kenneth Cope. I love it because it portrays a love that has endured through time. Young love is exciting and romantic. But love that has stood through life's experiences is lasting and deep. I love the phrase, "There's a soul that loves my soul." I look at our wedding pictures and see that exciting young love. But I look at us today and see that soul that loves my soul.


There's a heart that know my heart
One that sees the hidden truth
And believes when most cannot
It's you, it's you, it's you.

There's a smile that cheers and charms
There's a touch that gets me through
There's a voice that lights the dark
And it's you, it's you, it's you.

Tenderly, so carefully
You help me to my feet
Faithfully you're there for me
Inspiring, reminding...

There's a soul that loves my soul
And all the years are more than proof
There is one who won't let go
And it's you, it's you, it's you.
Unchanged each day it's you.

By the way, it's a great CD. You can listen to it here: http://www.danielbeckmusic.com/music.htm