I am woman - watch me accomplish

Yesterday was my day to get lots done and fill fulfilled. My day started at the standard hour of 4:40 am, but I didn't make it to the gym yesterday (or at all this week) because I have been grading papers until my brain hurts. I have discovered that my new mission starting in January is going to be to teach students the great functionality of a period. Apparently learning it every year since first grade hasn't been enough exposure.

My freshman classes are presenting theme parks (there have been several that have been simply amazing!) and I wrote up a poetry test for my creative writing class, watched some more presentations and headed home, deciding that if I read one more mystery I was going to start having aggravating results on my students grades. When I got home, I whipped up some sweet roll dough, set it in the oven to rise, took Ellie to dance, found some stocking stuffers and presents for Will and Ellie's school teachers, picked up Elllie, grabbed Papa Murphy's on the way home and ate dinner.

When I got home, Enoch, Will and Catie were watching Swiss Family Robinson for the firs time. Those of you who are familiar, know that when the pirates are attacking, the family runs up the hill and has various traps, etc. set up to stop the pirate's advances. Will watched with great anticipation and excitement, smiling and laughing out loud many times, but when the dad chopped the ropes holding the logs up, Will jumped up with his arms in the "touchdown" position and screamed "YES!!!" Oh, it was a great moment.

Enoch and I started making braided pastries after that - some for the six ladies I teach in the English department with and several for the families that Enoch has worked closely with throughout this last year. I got 14 of them made, some smaller than others, all glazed, covered and ready to be delivered today. In between here, I had tithing settlement (with the additionaly chit-chat and fun conversation), Enoch's parents came to look at some lights in our garage (because I'm married to a contractor without a shop and everything, therefore, must go in my garage), negotiated our plans for today (because our babysitter is taking her son to catch a flight to spend the holidays with his dad), got the kids in bed, cleaned up the kitchen and got to bed at about 11.

I love days like this, even when I feel exhausted, because of the great satisfaction of a day well spent. The thought that is slightly daunting is that I could probably have two to three more before Sunday, but that's why Diet Coke was created, right?

My list before Christmas

My sister-in-law Harmony was mentioning on her blog that she had made a list of stuff to do before Christmas, and I thought that I should probably do that too, so I decided to post it here - lucky you for getting to read my list :)

1. Finish Christmas shopping - I think I just have to take my kids to buy presents for each other and Enoch, try to find something for my mom (since I know her so well that I bought her the same thing as she bought herself for her one Christmas item this year) my mother-in-law, my sister's family and something for the parents in my sister-in-laws family.

2. Get all the And Then There Were None tests and 3-6 page mysteries graded, along with all the miscellaneous stuff (I really want to have all my grades caught up by the end of this week)

3. I would like to make some really fun Christmas cookies. Kraftfoods has some really fun ones this year that are shaped like candy canes, etc. and since I have a Ellie who LOVES to bake, I thought that it would be a good thing to do.

4. Finish fine tuning the Christmas program and practice the other three songs that I'm now doing for the other Christmas program (the dinner one, not the sacrament one)

5. Theoretically write a Christmas letter... we'll see how that one goes. I tend to write those but then forget to send them off...don't be at all surprised if that great Christmas letter ends up on this and the myfamily website.

6. Bake braided pastries to take around to neighbors, co-workers, etc.

7. Clean my dang bedroom!! That seems to be the last thing I get to on all my lists - probably because it is my least favorite thing.

8. Get kids pictures taken - Will got some with his first grade class, but they cost almost three times more than if I just take them to WalMart so I will just take all three kids...I may even decide to just take them myself.

9. Update my blog with all the fun things that took place this last weekend but my camera is at my house and it will probably take a couple of entries to get all the different aspects covered. Check back soon for those updates.

Well, that looks like my list of stuff to do before Christmas...over the Christmas break is a whole different idea, but I figure I'll just take it two weeks at a time. :)

Celebrating life

About noon today the air outside my classroom filled with my favorite aroma, second only to roses - that of rain. There is a storm moving through Cedar which should eventually turn to snow, but for now it is raining, and that always puts me in a good mood. So, since I'm in a great mood, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things :)

This is my favorite Catie - my adorable two year old who loves to smile for the camera, and give squishy hugs, snuggle with her blankie and watch Dora.

This is me playing with my fun loving quickly smiling Ellie who tells the best stories. I think if I ever get around to it, her stories would be great children's books.

Here is my favorite Will - the meticulous, studious, fun loving, energetic kid. (At the park this day Will and I were playing chase through the playground equipment - too much fun) And here is my great family - playing Holiday Yahtzee while I was making some home-made turkey soup. What a great bunch of people!

Yea, I know I'm incredibly biased - that's my job as a mom - in my mom contract, it says, "Pre-requisite - must be biased toward the children which will no doubt be incredibly adorable and a husband who is great, hard-working and helpful - especially when he runs to Subway because I can't break away for lunch because I have frantic freshmen in my classroom typing their little fingers to the bone to get their major writing assignment for the quarter in, without which they don't pass the class and therefore can't graduate from high school, and he knows that when I don't get lunch and a diet coke, I can become the reincarnation o f the wicked witch of the west on steroids. (WHEW! How was that for a description!) :)

So I hope whomever the very few people who are reading this may be, that there is the great smell of rain in your neighborhood and that you get a few seconds to celebrate life!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Today started with me being wide awake at 6:30 am and thought it would be a good day to go get in a good workout before eating, but upon arriving at the gym, I found it dark and locked. So to make up for plans that fell through, I stopped at Maverick on the way home and bought a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I know, makes perfect sense, huh. Just another way that my justification is a bit askew.

The kids are watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade - I think the Rockettes will be on in a few minutes, which means I will have a four year old imitator all day (which I think is fine, and Enoch still can't believe that he has a dancer for a daughter) We will be sure to record the Packer's game before we leave as it is on during our drive to Redmond, UT (small town outside of Salina, which is a small town outside of Richfield) My mom's sister is hosting dinner today. I think I should have two sisters there and my little brother who is still in high school. This may be a two post day just to recapture the events (hopefully good eventful not bad eventful) :)

Having more fun than an English teacher should be allowed

We are currently reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie in my freshman English classes and for those of you who aren't familiar with the book, it starts with ten people on an island and then there were none. Since I only have a classroom set, with the exception of making copies of some of the chapters, we have been reading it in class. Today I was reading out loud and the students were following in their books. We have been averaging about two chapters a day, but had more time today. When I stopped reading, I asked if they wanted to stop or keep going and there was a resounding "Keep Reading!!!" Ah, comments like that are music to my ears. This is currently book three of three that I have had someone beg me to please not stop reading - the other two were Anthem by Ayn Rand and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Now if I could just get them as excited about writing, although with the assignment to write a mystery, there has been more interest.

In our creative writing class, we are currently learning about poetry and today they are going to read their poems based on an imagery practice and write celebrity slam poetry - it should be a great deal of fun.

Two more school days till Thanksgiving break - I'm just keeping class fun at this point and enjoying every minute.

Working out of perfectionist tendencies

I have in my mind this idea that if I'm going to post on my blog, it needs to be a well thought cleverly worded post full of wit and wisdom. But as I sit in the middle of a messy desk in my classroom, I realize that I've acknowledged the futility of perfectionism at all times, so why am I still holding on to the notion with something as simple and informal as a blog.

I have been having a blast with my kids lately. It seems that now that they are a little older (6, 4 and 2, I know, not a great deal older, but they don't require as much intense take care of time). We snuggle and talk and read books. Will has been practicing better now - if I can just get him in the habit, when the girls have the chance to learn how to play the piano, it will already be a family habit, which is always good.

Enoch's birthday is coming up on Monday, Nov 19 - we are going to see a play and out to dinner the weekend before to celebrate. Those of you who know Enoch know that when it comes to him choosing where we are going to eat, there isn't anything in this town that even comes close to the memphis dry rub ribs at Chili's. There may be times when he switches and adds a half rack of some other kind of rib only to find himself disappointed at the result. So that Friday night, I'm planning on eating at Chili's. I don't know what I'm getting yet, but know that the birthday boy will be happy, and that's what will be truly important.

Survival mode

There is a cartoon out there that shows the pattern of behavior that teachers go through, especially in their first year. At this point I'm in survival mode. Perhaps that is why the powers that be have three days in October when we don't have school to give all the teachers a chance to get their lives back together. I don't know what happened this year, but UEA weekend was held by different districts at different times, which seems strange because it is supposed to be a meeting for all the teachers in Utah to go to if they feel so inclined (I don't - don't think I ever will). After surviving my first quarter teaching my students that NTSSWTSW (that's No Two Sentences Start With The Same Word), sentences should never start with well, but, so or and and that the only time a paper can use the word you is in dialogue or when giving instructions, I'm spending my break once again tackling the monster of potty training, getting caught up on laundry and DEEP cleaning and writing the Christmas program for our ward.

Enoch and I broke down and splurged on our family and ordered Direct TV - we had been debating it for several months now, and seeing as Cable is not even in this "city" we call Enoch, satellite is the only hope for anything that doesn't completely fade out or suddenly switch channels. So far we are really enjoying the DVR feature - especially when we both want to watch a different show at the same time (pretty much only for a 1/2 hour on Thursdays and the occasional monday when the football game is of enough interest so we then record Heroes).

Speaking of football and Monday night, tonight is the great match between the Green Bay Packers (Enoch's favorite) and the Denver Broncos (my favorite). I'm thinking we need to make a wager of some sort - loser has to give a GOOD backrub to the winner each night for a week or something like that. Usually these events are accompanied by bets like serving breakfast in bed, but I'm up a good hour or two before Enoch nearly every day of the week and he really isn't a huge breakfast person, so I guess that really won't work. I guess that is what I can be thinking about when I'm scrubbing around toilets or have writers block for the Christmas program. :)

My Perfect Life

I have been trying to post on my blog for about two weeks now, and everytime that I sit down to do it, life happens.

I really feel l like I'm not as busy as I was before I started teaching, because I have my afternoons and evenings free, and with the schedules that we have had it has been a fabulous blessing. Will and Ellie have been playing soccer, and the nice thing is that their games are generally at the same location, just different fields, so that hasn't been as much of a conflict as I was originally concerned it would be. Will has really developed some great skills - he definetly leans toward being a better defensive player, but part of that is the learning curve, the fact that he isn't the fastest on his team, and that he doesn't have the drive to be offensive yet. Ellie is hilarious because everytime that she gets the ball, she gets laughing so hard at the other girls chasing after her that she can barely remember to run. It has been a great experience for my kids and while it is time consuming, they both love it. Will is constantly dribbling down the hall at our house and takes his soccer ball with him any chance he gets.

Ellie just started dance and she LOVES it - she getst to wear her cute skirt and fly like a butterfly. She is the girl who will always start dancing when the bands go by in a parade, loves loud music that she can sing and dance to - life will be a fun adventure with her. What is really cute about this situation is that Catie is following in Ellie's footsteps, and will be the same type of girl at least for a little while.

I have been working on helping Will practice the piano more - now that soccer is dying down we should have more of a free schedule I have plans to make that part of the evening regular schedule. He is getting to the point where he can practice a little more by himself without me having to sit right next to him, so it will be easier to have him do while I'm helping the girls with something else (like making cookies...). I'm convinced that once we get him to the point where he knows most of the notes, we can really get into a regular habit of practicing - the first part is absoluetly the hardest.

I'm loving teaching. Some things I'm still juggling a little, like cooking a decent dinner, staying caught up on laundry/dishes/cleaning but those are things that have never been my aptitude, so those who know me won't be astoundingly shocked. I truly feel like I'm a better mom in the afternoons because I have had the chance to do what is my passion during the day and I don't feel frustration toward my kids that they just don't stay quiet while I'm teaching piano. It was a job that served a great purpose when my kids were very little, but it wasn't ever something that was a true joy or passion for me - just something that made the money to buy things like clothes a diapers. I realize that there are many who hold true to the fact that mom's need to be home until their kids are in school, but I was really neglecting myself in doing that - frustrated that I was losing me. I know it's not for everyone, and I know that there are many who think I've chosen by putting myself above my kids, but the fact of the matter is that I'm happy, my kids are happy, my husband is happy (he actually gets some quality no mom around time with the kids every day and for two additional hours on Wednesday afternoons) and I really feel like I'm living my dream life. Being 100% honest with myself (and not counting the fact that I live in Enoch - hopefully this will be the last year that I live out there) I wouldn't change a single thing in my life.

It is PERFECT.

My fabulous Ellie

I have a beautiful little four-year-old red head named Ellie. She is full of life, has very few inhibitions and showcases a personality that I always wished I had - carefree and full of love. I have visions in my head of Ellie needing to have a room at the opposite side of the house from Will, who is very much like me, because she hears a song that she loves and promptly pleads, "OH!!! I LOVE this song. Mom - TURN IT UP!!!" Yes, this is how she acts. Yes, she is four. Yes, she is taking dance starting in September which means that when she hears a song she just loves, she can sing and dance to it.

Here is the funniest thing - she has already decided on the type of music she likes, which is pop/rock. Her current favorite songs are Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne, Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani and Hey There Delilah by the Plain White T's. She is the funniest girl and I can't help but smile when I see her. She wants to be a princess all the time, dress up and what she is looking forward to most is dancing in parades. I can forsee that life with Ellie is going to be very active, trying and fun. I can't wait.

A Period of Change

I thought that it was appropriate to switch the template of my blog again as everything else is changing over the course of two weeks. I, again, changed the title of my blog and template because, well, sometimes I get bored with things being the same all the time. Just a few weeks ago Enoch and I rearranged our living room again because the TV was in a bad place in conjunction with the window, causing beautiful bright rectangles on the screen if the TV was on ever before 9:00 pm. And since the TV was in a bad place, we just decided to rearrange the whole room. I know, crazy, but that's how we work.

I have spent the better part of a week working through tediously long meetings and frantically trying to get my room organized. I just added To Kill a Mockingbird to my to read list because it is the novel that the English department would like all of the 9th graders to read and I LOVE the book, but thought it was a 10th grade novel. It is such an amazing book that I'm feeling a little bit of stress because I want to do it justice - I want my students to get it. Luckily, I'm not planning on that one until Feb after the first round of testing so I have tons of time to prepare.

Speaking of my to read list, I'm almost to the point of giving up on keeping track. I'm sure that you think this is insane, that an English teacher would want to give up on keeping a to read list, but let me explain. The reason that I want to terminate the exisitence of this list isn't because I think that reading is a bad idea, but because I have so many books recommended to me, so many books that I really want to read that I feel like the list is doubling daily but my time is not. I'm drowning in the sea of anticipated literature and the coast guard isn't anywhere in site.

I was lamenting this fact today to a co-English teacher and she laughed when I said that I felt like I wasn't very well read - I feel like I'm at a bit of a disadvantage. The mature women who teach in the all female English department have a leg up on my by sheer existence - they've been around longer than me and have had time to have their minds experience more literary pleasure. And of the two teachers who are just a year younger than me, neither of them are married, have children, soccer practices, dance practice, dinner for five, laundry for it feels like 20 and they can spend their evenings perusing whatever their literary heart desires. Hence, my disadvantage, but blessing too, because I get to do fun things with my family, but don't get the joy of reading nearly as often as I would like. I guess I just have to hope that I live with decent vision and comprehension for a long, long time.

My Marathon of Boredom

Somewhere, someone had the brilliant idea that having some training for new teachers prior to just handing them the keys and throwing them in the classroom might be a good idea, and indeed it is. The problem arises when instead of addressing what it is that the teachers are most concerned about, have the most questions about and could benefit from the most, we have the opportunity of listening to what the administrators think we need to know - most of which is common sense (I think) and totally impractical without hands on experience. And so ended my week of 21 hours of training of which about 3 hrs was helpful.

It was interesting to me how many of the people in this class hadn't thought of things that I think are essential for being a teacher - how to handle late work, what to do with students who are tardy, what steps need to be taken to get more money faster, etc. Either I am just well informed because I have 3 aunts, an uncle, parent, several cousins and siblings who are educators or going into the educator field, or it is just another evidence that common sense is dead. The biggest key to teaching adolescents is to respect them for the progress they've made, treat them like the teens that they are and not tweens or elementary kids and make sure they know that your way goes. Period. No exceptions.

The nice thing is I got some ideas for what bulletin boards I want to do, started to figure out a good schedule to get everything in that I want to get in most of the time (because let's face it - most teachers don't get through everything they want to all the time - but the idea of being underprepared drives me insane and makes me lose sleep at night, and I don't function well with very limited sleep) and finally got the idea of how I want to start my creative writing class. That last one is an exceptional bonus because there really isn't a core curriculum and I have to create my class as I go (this has both benefits and significant complications)

School starts in under two weeks, and if I can just get my students desks (which are apparently on their way) and get some things copied and cut, I'm going to be set and ready to teach with enthusiasm. :)

Fun at Fish Lake

My family has the tradition of going to Fish Lake every year on the weekend of July 24th and this year was the most fun I think we've ever had. A couple of things that were going our way was that we didn't have a 3-4 month old baby or a toddler just learning to walk so there was a little more freedom to just enjoy the time rather than constantly be worried about the youngest. We also stayed longer this year than other years so we had more time and got to visit with family a little more.

We got to Fish Lake at about 8:00 Friday the 20th and set up camp. The kids favorite, roasting marshmallows worked out just right after we got camp set up. The next morning we took our turn going out on the pontoon boat that my dad rents every year when we go up, and believe it or not, Ellie's little Barbie fishing pole and Catie's little Mickey Mouse fishing pole caught the biggest fish!!

Enoch also had a great experience catching fish - I think he caught

one of the biggest fish that day. We got rained on two nights in a row and decided that we had had enough camping and left a day early after going to church at the Fish Lake Lodge, visiting with family on my mom's side of the family, having the traditional whole Madsen family pot luck dinner and fishing a bit more. The nice thing about leaving early was we got back in time to watch Grandma Decker dance with the Lawn Chair Brigade in the parade and Grandpa Keith march with the drill team. We had a fun 24th of July, catching two parades and some sun kissed cheeks in the process :)

NEW CAR!!!!!

Two weekends ago, we were in Glendale, UT and while driving home (either on the way home or shortly after) we lost the overdrive gear on my stupid Pontiac Montana. We toyed with the idea of fixing it, but when we realized that it would cost as much to fix the dang thing as it would to sell it outright, and knowing that I can walk into our local mechanic shop and have them know me by name and vehicle, and the fact that I need a reliable vehicle to get to and from work in the upcoming school year, we decided to upgrade.

What I didn't plan on or expect is how much it would cost to buy a new vehicle, and not in the way that you are assuming right now. I looked at used first, have a thrifty minded tendency that occasionally surfaces, but I did not want a vehicle with more than 70,000 miles on it because that is what my van had on it when we bought it (maybe a little more) and most vehicles, when they hit that mileage, have lots of problems start to pick up, and as much as I like visiting with my mechanic, I think that our relationship is too familiar and one sided - me always giving them money. The problem/great thing I discovered is that all the vehicles that had under 70,000 miles on it were only $5,000 less than new models...which I would easily put into repairs over the next few years, along with the stress of not knowing how long the vehicle will last, etc. So we bought a new car!!!!

My new mode of travel too and from soccer games, Walmart, Cedar High, etc. is a 2007 GMC Yukon. It only has the first bench behind the driver/passenger chair, which is exactly what I wanted because now I have four feet behind the kids seat to put groceries, chairs, strollers, change of clothes, backpacks, etc. I love it, the reliability, the WARRANTY!!! and the lumbar support in the front seats. I'll take a pic and post it in a bit.

My Classifications of Books

If you are reading this and you are even remotely tuned into the world, you will have realized that for the last month or so, there have been multitudes of people carrying around various volumes of Harry Potter for one of two reasons; they are either trying to remember what the volume that is coming out in the theaters is really supposed to be like or they are rereading the 6th volume to gear up for the 7th, which brilliantly is being released just after the newest film. It was brilliant because it gets all the people who are Harry Potter fans geared up for the new book, and because, sadly, if they had released the book first, I think it would have lost sales in favor of those who would rather experience the fantastical wizardry on film.

After that very long introduction, I get to the point of the post. There are books that are classified by various people into different categories based on numerous qualifications. I almost never read a book because it is on the NY Times best selling list unless it is pure coincidence - that has no bearing on my book choice at all. And since I have not yet read a single volume of the wizardry adventures, clearly popularity doesn't have much pull on my topping my need to read list. So, here are the explanations of why I read what I read.

First are recommendations of merit. The books that fall into this category are those who were suggested by someone who I admire for their intellectual gifts, similar interests, etc. Because of these suggestions I have had the opportunity to read Anthem, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I had several people suggest them and have loved them so much that those individuals are permanently on top of my If-they-suggest-I-will-read list.

Also on this list I work in the authors whose work I have read a large part of and either make time to re-read or to experience the joy all over again with a new work. These authors typically didn't vomit up a book once a year to make lots of money over a crappy plot or tell the same story over and over again but in a different city and from a different point of view, marketing it with some big company and a past name recognition because they had a book made into a movie. Generally at most, they have written about a dozen books, more essays and are humble about their writing abilities and the press that is awarded to them. I can't think of one that is currently alive.

Second (and this could be first, but the first needs to be dedicated to the true desires of my heart, eyes and brain) are those that I need to read to prepare for ____________ - depending on the assignment at hand, fill in the blank. At this point in my life, this reading category is filled with preparation materials for the adventure quickly arriving othewise known as my first year teaching experience. I just read The Old Man and The Sea, several books on teaching writing, and today plan to get through some modern one act plays.

Third are the classics, but not a classic for the sake of saying that it is a classic. For instance, the every popular Moby Dick was such a chore for me to trudge through, never capturing my interest or even amazing me with it's description, word choice, etc. While that may be close to the top of books that I never want to go near enough to know I'm near, that award hands down goes to One Hundred Years of Solitude (Marquez) - in fact I've never found a real person (real as in not a professor who has had his appreciation of good literature tainted by the weird and abnormal or someone who thinks that just because a book recieves an award it is worth reading) who has been able to read this without wanting to have a burial by fire afterwards. I love to read the really great classics - The Scarlet Letter, books by Hemingway, Shakespearean plays, great poetry, epics, etc. Generally the authors of these works have been dead for at least a hundred years, although there are some exceptions to that rule.

So there you have it - I don't know what is going on in Harry Potter - I would like to read them some day with my children and experience the phenomenen with them for the first time, but if you know of a book that would fit in the other categories above, please let me know. Perhaps you may even find yourself placed in the first category.

I am Victorious!!!

I am finally triumphant over a foe who has been avoiding my efforts to stop his little existence for several weeks. Yes, that foe was a mouse who never ran on the floor (where I first set the traps when I found him) but across the countertops which drives me crazy and has had me scrubbing them often.

Last night after I set up two peanut butter baited traps about three feet apart, I finally caught him - HAHAHA. I know, it's stupid, but I hate those stupid things. We even tried to put Benny (our 9 month old kitten) on the countertop on Sunday when I saw him out, but the mouse managed to escape him (and I'm not totally convinced that Benny is quite sure what he is supposed to do...)

Now I can rest a little better and scrub a little less, knowing this gross creature is out of my life. Hopefully Enoch can foam in the little spot by the gas where we think they are coming in before I have to prepare for battle again.

Almost Friday the 13th (OOO-WEEE-OOO)

I don't know how it happens but another week of good intentions has nearly flown by and here I am once again not having everything done that I planned to do. But rather than focus on all the things that I'm failing miserably at (LAUNDRY!!!!!) I thought I'd look at all the great things I got done.

First, we are in the midst of potty training Catie. She is doing okay, some days better than others, but seems to be improving and where she is the only one in diapers I think it is helping her want to be like everyone else. I'm really hoping that I can get her most of the way if not completely in less than a month...we'll see.

I just got the schedule for my first year teaching training. There are three days that I will be gone for seven hours a day, but then I have 21 hrs of the 39 I need to get each year to progress to the next level of teaching licensure, which I have to do. While I was figuring out all the contract stuff and paperwork, I ran across a name that I hadn't seen for a while - Valerie Pack and found out that the woman who is going to help me with all my first year training was also my third grade teacher. It was a funny experience and thankfully this time around I don't have to pass of my multiplication tables to her - I remember having a serious amount of anxiety over those dang sevens in 3rd grade.

I found someone to watch my girls, in my home for this upcoming year. She is really nice, has two kids who are 13 and 7 and then has a 8 month old baby that she will be bringing to my home during the week, arriving in time for Enoch to take Will to school and then I will be here between 3:15 and 3:30 in the afternoon. She is so nice and I'm very hopeful that she will do a good job with my girls.

I have arranged for all of the piano students I'm letting go to switch to my sister Tari, I'm going to fill out all the rest of the paperwork tonight for my employment and I set up the blog that I'm going to maintain during the school year so parents know what is going on in the classroom - something that I think the parents of the freshmen are going to appreciate the most. Along those same lines, I think I've figured out a rough idea of what units I'm going to teach this next year - now I just need to figure out what I'm going to do in each of those units. It should be a fun year, full of health insurance, free admittance to CHS sporting events (especially good so I can see Ryan play), Ellie and Will are going to start soccer and I will have all my afternoons (with the exception of one hour for my last two piano students) free to be with my kids!!! YEAH!!!!!!

Two black eyes and the Fourth of July

First off...for some reason I can't put a title in right now...it's having a quirk so I'll title this post after it lets me :)

I have had a week of accident prone children. First, Ellie sprained her wrist (which thankfully after a few days got feeling better and she decided that she was even good enough to do this session of swim lessons) and then both Will and Ellie got black eyes. Will got his by jumping over the couch to get behind it when he needed to pick up some of his toys, and his face landed on the window sill and Ellie was standing on a card table in the basement playing castles or something and she fell off and landed face down on the concrete. I'm sure if people were really paying attention, they would think that we are the most abusive parents ever!!!

We had a fun Fourth of July. We first went to the local Cedar City parade, which always has lots of people throwing lots of candy, and Will and Ellie have got the collecting candy talent down. Catie even got into it, realizing that it was more fun to get up off of her chair and get candy. The girls loved the dancers and Ellie told me that she wants to be a parade dancer. I had already thought about starting her in dance lessons, but after she said that I knew it was something that I really needed to get seriously looking into.

The kids also had fun playing with the Snap Pops and I didn't buy any fireworks at all because we would have had to go to a designated location to set them off and because they are really expensive. We can see the fireworks that Enoch City sets off from our house and this year it was a decent show. Catie even stayed awake this year to watch. It was a fun, relaxing Fourth of July without huge crowds and limited arguing - which goes down in my book as perfect.

I'm trying to get Catie mostly potty trained before I have to start school, so I'm sacrificing my workouts for this goal. As it is there have been a few days when we have had tons to do and I've just put a diaper on her so that I didn't have to take the time to switch out the soiled underwear, but I have less than 40 days before I go back to school so I need to buckle down and really focus on this for a little while. If she doesn't get it by the time I start school, I'll have to come up with a plan B - but if it isn't consistent there's no way that she will get it this school year, which wouldn't be the end of the world, but I am really looking forward to having kids out of diapers after 6+ years of constant diaper changing.

The highlight of my week was receiving a phone call from my dear friend Tiana. I haven't really heard from her for a while - I had a baby, she got married (which voids out the first year) and now is pregnant (again, a pretty awesome excuse) but I had the chance to talk to her for over an hour yesterday and it just made my day. There are a few people who I consider to be a really great friend and she is one of them and I love her tremendously.

Injuries, Interviews and Tball

Wednesday night, just after Enoch went to Scouts, I heard a thud and Ellie started crying. Now, as a parent or even if you have been around kids very long, there is a clear difference in the cry of minor injury, things aren't going my way and a major owie cry, which is what I heard from Ellie. Of course I wasn't in the room, that would make it too easy to figure out what happened, but when I walked into the living room, Ellie was on the floor sobbing, and not sitting up, just lying there. When I got her up, she was holding her wrist and screaming in pain, so I thought for sure she had broken it. I called my nurse friend and after a very brief conversation, she thought it was broken too, so I had to have Enoch leave scouts quickly to bring me the van (which he had because his piece of crap truck is at the shop....again) and I dropped him off to borrow a neighbors truck, took Will and Catie to my mom's house and headed to the Instacare.

First of all, I love the instacare - so nice that we finally have one after so long and Cedar is big enough that it was a long time coming. We were in quickly and the doctor thought that Ellie had broken her wrist too, so she had her first chance to have x-rays at four years old. She did a great job but when they processed (digitally and very fast) the doctor didn't see a fracture and said it's just a very bad sprain. So Ellie is now sporting a fancy wrap, taking lots of Ibuprofen (last night was much better) and being very careful. They say if she is still in lots of pain in a week to have it re-x-rayed because sometimes breaks in that area don't really show up very well.

As you can see, she is doing okay with it now, but she still will start whimpering when it hurts - and she can't finish her swim lessons this week - the next session starts on Monday and I'm playing that one by ear - I thought I was doing great by paying for both sessions at once but if she can't swim, I'll have to negotiate a refund on both Ellie and Catie.

I had another interview yesterday for a Language Arts Position at Cedar High and I found out yesterday that I got the job. I'm very excited about teaching, getting my foot in the door and, if all goes well, never having to go in for a job interview again!!! An additional bonus is that Enoch and I will finally have health insurance that really covers most everything, not what we have had to be stuck with because we don't make enough to buy our own and what is offered for lower income really isn't much at all. That in and of itself is a wonderful relief.

Will has been playing Tball since we got back from Texas, but I just haven't had a chance to post much on it. Tball here is pretty low key, kids falling on the ball, throwing gloves around in the outfield, coaches reminding kids to run. I like that they aren't forced to do things at this age, but sometimes I think it is a little to lax in that many of the teams aren't really trying to teach the kids techniques or anything, which is what I think Tball should be doing. But Will has fun with it all the same and in his second year, he is doing a great job and understanding better what he should be doing.

Things I Remembered I Like

Yes, that seems like a weird topic, but it is what it is. I made a necklace for my sister Roni because her birthday is just six days after mine and because it is always right around Father's day, we always just do a three in one Sunday. As I was making her necklace, I remembered that I really enjoy making jewelry. I started because I decided that I needed a hobby (and reading isn't a hobby, it is just a necessity of life) and scrapbooking takes tons of time and money that I didn't want to contribute to paper and glue, and I don't really enjoy needle work (sewing, crocheting or knitting) so I defaulted to making jewelry and I love it. The bonus is that Enoch gave me a tackle box with additional storage trays for all of my beading stuff, so now I'm more organized!!!

Organization - I don't know what happened but just after March, my house just went to pot - I couldn't stay on top of things, toys were everywhere, paper, dishes, etc. I have recently been buying and labeling all sorts of things to make my house more organized and I'm loving it!!! Now if I could just figure out how to get my room clean....

Grapes - yea, I buy them all the time for the kids but really haven't eaten many in a long time - I don't know why, just haven't. They're delicious!!!

The apple slicer/corer things that you just push down over a whole apple and it slices and cores the apple. I had one that broke last summer and have since just sliced apples, but those things are so slick that it's truly a shame to waste time with a knife.

Cooking - yea, eating out lots over a two and a half week period helped me remember that I wanted to cook more. The only problem with that is I hate the cleanup which directly contradicts my liking things organized so I'm in a conundrum.

To Kill a Mockingbird - I just picked this up because I didn't have enough to read already :) and I love this book!!! I don't know how many people realize what a great book it is the first time they read it, but I think what makes a classic a classic is that you can return to it again and again and learn something new and see it's brilliance because both you have grown and the book is just that good.

My Last 20's Birthday

Yea, I turned the age that I hear everyone talking about wanting to be - Today I'm 29. In all honesty, I really don't feel like I am old enough to be as old as I am and while I'm really not that old, the idea of being almost done with my 20's seems strange. I guess it is because when I was in my teens, I felt like I was stuck at an age that I just didn't get and couldn't wait until I was old enough to have a job - driving was a bonus, old enough to vote - turned 18 in an election year, and was considered legally an adult.

Now I'm 29 and I have everything in the world that I could want. I have three amazing children who I adore, a husband who I fall in love with again at least once a week, a degree in a subject that I am continually fascinated with and a teaching certificate with the chance to teach at CHS this fall (we'll see if the fact that the principal asked me to apply for the job the second time increases my odds of having the job more than the first time). In all honesty, there isn't a single thing that I would change in my life (okay, maybe a van that the door doesn't occasionally fall off of would be good) and I am continually amazed at the great life I have. I have seen so many marriages that for one reason or another just don't quite make it, and I feel very blessed that my sweetheart and very best friend in the whole world is so amazingly good to me, making me laugh and smile all the time. I am truly blessed.

Okay, now the reality part. I really don't have lots of close friends. I never have, but the friends that I do have I love with all my heart - Kristine in Reno who makes me laugh everytime I talk to her, Tiana in the DC area who just gets me because we are English nerds together eventhough she is much smarter than I am, and recently Jessica here in good ole Enoch who I met because her husband and Enoch are two peas from the same pod, so double dating was a natural thing and luckily we get along really well. Yea, those are about the only people who I really keep in touch with and there are times when I wish I had more friends, but the ones I have are truly priceless and eventhough I don't always get to talk with them, they mean the world to me.

So, there you have it - I have a great life and I AM NOT OLD, but feel like I know a little more now than I did even a few years ago, and as GI Joe used to say, knowing is half the battle, so I guess I'm winning.

While Traveling to Texas

We had a fun trip to Texas and I thought while I was on my way that I would get some reading done, which I did. First, I read Eragon, which really is the first fantasy novel that I have read all the way through since it was required in high school and I found it an enjoyable plot line with some amateur writing, but the story kept me engrossed and engaged, so I guess it's a split thumb vote for me. I read Raising Topsy-Turvy Kids that Paula had at her house about children who are visual spatial learners and I could see Will almost throughout the book, which helps me understand a little better why there are things he just doesn't yet understand, especially that I need to make things clearer and more concrete, especially in math.

I found my new place where I would like to live someday when we were on our last day driving home - Dillon, CO. It is beautiful, about an hour away from Denver, green, not too hot, has a lake - just heavenly. We had lots of fun on our trip and now I'm returning to the reality of being a mom, TBall, swim lessons, laundry (argh), gardening (trying to figure out what is eating my plants) and hopefully getting grass soon!!!

Seven Random Things About Me

My sister in law Harmony posted seven random things and I decided that since she really didn't put any names, that I would just do it because I should be packing for our trip to Texas, doing laundry, washing dishes and I really just don't want to - so I'll waste some time and jot down seven random things...
1. I can feel the weight of fingernail polish when I put it on my fingernails - and I really don't function well with it on.
2. I have a 34 inch inseam - buying pants generally sucks.
3. I love politics, but get very annoyed with people who vote strictly by party lines because they always vote that way.
4. I love smelly lotion - but they have to smell like fruit not flowers.
5. I love it when my husband puts his hand on the small of my back, reaches for my hand or puts his arm around me just because.
6. It drives me crazy when people talk with their mouth full of food or chew with their mouth open.
7. I think people who interrupt a conversation all the time are among the rudest in the world.

My Guilty Pleasures

I have had a really long day full of all sorts of adventure and just sat down after getting the kids in bed and realized that I loved to end days with a few of my guilty pleasures.

First and foremost, and anyone who knows me at all knows this, I love Diet Coke. Yea, it has things in it that when fed to rats by the gallons, it caused cancer, but that doesn't really bother me. I guess if I consumed gallons and gallons of Diet Coke every day, I'd be worried, but I'm not.

Second, I really love dark chocolate, and dark chocolate M&M's or Snickers are just to die for. Sure, milk chocolate is the more preferred kind, but it's flavor just isn't as good to me - it doesn't make my tongue celebrate the opportunity it has to taste. Yup, I love it that much. That's probably one of my downfalls as far as a healthy diet, and I probably only indulge once or twice a week, but I love it.

Third, my Mother's Day present that I got early. See, I HATE vacuuming and sweeping, and do it rather begrudgingly, but Enoch, being the sweet, loving, caring husband that he is, bought me a Roomba http://irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=95 from Woot www.woot.com Mine has a scheduling function on it, so it starts and vacuums my kitchen, dining room and living room floors everyday when I'm at the gym. I love it - and to know that a room is being vacuumed while I'm working on something else is just heavenly.

Fourth - I really don't have tons of time to watch TV (outside of winter when it's too cold to do anything else) but there are two shows that I just really like that have plot lines that build off of the previous episode, and they are Grey's Anatomy http://abc.go.com/primetime/greysanatomy/index and Heroes http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/. Yea, Enoch and I like to watch Scrubs http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/ reruns at night, but I really haven't been following it at all the last year or so. Grey's captivates me - the writing is witty, the actors hilarious and always in character and the plot twists and turns are a great roller coaster ride, especially for someone who doesn't like roller coasters. Heroes is completely captivating, engrossing, suspenseful and each episode ends with me on the edge of my seat wondering what in the world could possibly happen next. Since I seem to be missing these (both are on at 8:00 pm here in Cedar) I love the fact that I can watch the whole episode online, pausing when I need to and enjoying with fewer commercials and thus taking less of my ever dwindling and increasingly precious time.

Fifth, the gym. Sure, going kicks my butt, makes me sore at least half of the week, makes me feel totally out of shape and weak when watching younger women who have had fewer babies doing more than me and at a higher intensity. Yeah, I wish that I could get the results in less time, but I love to have the chance of having an hour of just me time. I have recently started doing the abs class twice a week - a 30 minute class of crunching, squeezing and wincing, but that has helped a bit and I'm hoping that by strengthening my core more I can finally get rid of the semi-permanent back pain that I've had for the last 4 1/2 years.

So, these are some of the things that I enjoy in life, that help me stay sane, and give me a few moments of quality time for myself. I'd love to add sleeping in...but that's not something I get to do much of at this point in my life - I'm told that teens help that process, but it seems that staying up late till they get home would negate the benefits of sleeping in...Guess I'll know more about that in about 10 years....

The Oxymoron of Political Values

Yea, I'm writing in response to the statement made by the so called Rev. Al Sharpton. He gets in the face of a radio personality who has it written in his contract that he is supposed to be over the top and borderline obscene, then says that he is going against the horrifically crude and degrading people of rap by picketing the producers of the, as Glenn Beck says, poison of our society. He didn't go after CBS or MSNBC for what Imus said, why doesn't he go after the people who are making the horrible noise and degradation of women. But the comment that he, a Christian leader who is a promoter of peace and equality, can time after time degrade the Mormon faith. True, there are things about religions that I am not a member of that I just don't get - the whole smelling thing that the people wave around during mass, why the men of the Jewish faith wear those little hats on their heads all the time, the symbolism of the star and the moon in the Muslim faith. But I'm not out there, or even on here talking about how they really don't believe what they say they believe. The double standard that is in politics has always been apparent to the rest of us normal people, but now it is pouring over into the "religious" field.

I guess what I'm having a hard time with is poeple who are questioning Mitt Romney's values based on the fact that he is Mormon. I don't hear people questioning Rudy Guiliani's values even thought he had an open affair and is currently on his third marriage. I don't hear people questioning Hillary Clinton - it seems to me that if someone is going to be a representative of the strength of women and the necessity of Americans to have enough self respect that we take care of ourselves can say anything when she clearly doesn't have the confidence or self respect of herself enough to leave a man who has cheated on her so many times that I doubt anyone can keep track. I don't know a mom out there who would teach her daughter to keep staying with a man who will continually and regularly betray her, disrespect what is supposed to be most important to her relationship with him, and she stays and smiles. What am I supposed to think about John Edwards, who is talking about how he is the president who is going to end poverty, when he is forking out $400 for a haircut? He's paying more to get his hair cut than most people on poverty can even dream about spending just to feed their families.

I guess the questions that really need to be addressed are how can people vote for someone who goes against everything that they say they are doing? And why is it that when there is someone with values that are indisputable, people can't get over it, in the original land of free religion, because he is a member of a church that isn't familiar to everyone? Why were these questions brought up when Joe Lieberman was running for president, wondering if he would work on Saturdays, but no one says anything when Christian presidents, the only ones this country has ever had, work on Sundays, the Christian Sabbath? Political Values, indeed.

The Adventures of a Pseudo Stay at Home Mom

First, the explanation of the title. Yes, I stay home with my kids, but if you look at being a stay at home mom in its truest form, there have only been a few spans of as many weeks when I have held that title. I have always had some sort of job while I have had children - teaching piano lessons has been the most common, and really, there are days when I think I'm the greatest masochist because the noise from the wrong notes resounding throug my home and kids fighting, whining, arguing and crying don't generally mesh. However, it gives me the opportunity to teach others the value I see in music, and it really is very exciting when I get to see them figure out a tricky rhythm, finally learn their notes (celebrate that occasion for a dual purpose - generally once that momentous occasion has occured, the piano lesson isn't nearly as challenging to listen to) and perform a piece that they have been working on for a long time. I've also been a breakfast hostess at a hotel in Mt. Vernon, WA http://www.bestwesterncottontreeinn.com/mtvernon/index.htm (best breakfast in a hotel ever!!!), accompanied a children's choir, again in Mt Vernon, WA, babysat for various people in different locations, etc. And when you add that I've had a baby in the middle of a semester of college twice, it becomes apparent that I really never was destined for true stay at homeness (I don't know if that is really a word, but Enoch is making up words all the time, I figure I should be able to too.

Today I awoke still suffering from the only allergy I have, that to the pollen of Russian Olive Trees, which, as luck would have it, grow in the wild around this area and are in full bloom. Add the winds that are blowing at 30-40 mph and I'm a mess. But then, I had this great idea (yes, it was a great idea, and yes, that was a bit of sarcasm...) to make strawberry jam. I knew that the strawberries were coming to the end of their season, so I bought 30 lbs of them on Monday. (pausing while you reiterate that I really did say THIRTY pounds). Well, yesterday I taught 2 hours of piano lessons, bought and picked up the kids a "new" trampoline, and plus the regular mom stuff, and I just didn't get around to doing them yesterday, so they HAD to be done today. But it takes a long time to get that many strawberries done when I have kids running around, the girls didn't take a nap, I ran out of containers and had to go to the dreaded Walmart, which always takes forever, and incidently, when I have to stop every five minutes to blow my nose and rewash my hands, strawberries take a long time. But they are done - I don't have to do them for another year, and tomorrow it is (hopefully) supposed to rain which should drop the pollen count and make me less aware of the presence of my nose and the pressure in my head.

You know, I really am liking the name of this entry....I think I'll switch it to the name of my blog.

Climbing back on the wagon

So, I fell off of the healthy wagon with a resounding thud about three years ago when I started having complications with a pregnancy, and figured it would be my last, so I milked the pregnancy cravings for all they were worth, which went through the holiday season, and gained more than I should have and then with building our house, going back to school, student teaching and juggling just being a mom, I really neglected my overall physical health. I love to workout - I love that it's me time and I can just zone and sweat and wake up the next morning hurting and excited to do it all over again. However, I'm starting to get tired of being sore - all the time. I was talking to my youngest sister after she ran the two hurdle races in a NCAA track meet and asked if she was sore at all and she said no. That's when I realized that I was nowhere as close to getting into shape as I thought I was. Honestly, if you hadn't seen me for a while and were to see me now, you wouldn't notice a difference, but I feel better, not as tired, more toned (still in the same size of clothes...BLAST!!!) but still sore most of the time. It's when I realized that desperately climbing back on the exercise bandwagon is really hard, and it is my motivation to never fall off again. It's much easier to keep on keeping on than to start and stop...and start and be sore all the time. So, an hour a day five days a week, usually in the mid morning, I'll be in the gym, listening to Hoobastank, The Killers, Evanescence, Los Lonely Boys - burning calories as fast as I can and grimacing with the lovely weights. :)

Women in our World

I have been thinking about this for a while - why it is that women are known and recognized in our world today. I'm betting that 90% are some sort of prima donna who had a little bit of talent and a big agent, acted like an idiot at least half a dozen times, and has had to go to rehab for one reason or another. I was recently thinking about who my girls have to look up to in their lives, people in the media that they are going to want to emulate. With the infiltration of Bratz dolls, www.bratz.com and even Bratz babies, little babies that are dressed showing off as much as they can and covered in makeup, and all the reasonable dolls, like American Girl dolls www.americangirl.com costing an arm and a leg, is it any wonder that parents tend to lean toward the ones that don't cost as much as a car payment? Maybe the lesson I'm supposed to teach my girls is that virtue and morals aren't as convienent as immodesty and self-degredation. I can't believe how hard it is, in Southern Conservative Utah, to find a swim suit for my four year old that isn't a bikini - not just a tankini, but a full bikini. I'm in a battle already to help my girls learn how to be true to themselves, their morals, their intellect (not something I've seen from any public female figures under 20 in YEARS) and to trust their instincts. I guess I'd better start preparing for battle.

How I know I'm a nerd

Sure when I'm wearing glasses or have my nose in a book, it isn't hard to figure out that I'm a nerd. No really, I'm okay with it. I understand that means that I just don't get things that others get, and vice versa. But there are several things that I enjoy that just push me over the edge from educated, or academically inclined, and into the nerdiness.

1. I'm learning Latin just because. Yea, I'm not getting credit for it (although I did already once, but that semester has since slipped my memory since I was pregnant most of it, and had a baby half way through...so most of what I knew is now lost.) Incidently, there is an online independent group for anyone who would also like to close in on their nerd title at http://www.ravendays.org/latin/wh2007.html

2. I really like classical music, and even operas. No, I'm not highly educated on them, and really only recognize the music of a very few, but I LOVE them. I would love to have the chance one year to go see all the operas that the Utah Opera Festival http://www.ufoc.org/ but I would probably have to go alone because eventhough Enoch is a GREAT sport at going to things he may not otherwise take the time to attend, asking him to go to that many operas, or maybe even one is just above and beyond the duties of love. I would also like to be a season ticket holder to the Utah Symphony, because if I could afford those tickets, I should reasonably be able to afford the gas that it takes to get up there or I should be buying the tickets in the first place. I love to listen to Classic FM out of the UK - they don't let you stream from their site anymore if you don't live in the UK but for some reason the link I have in Windows Media still works, which makes me very happy.

3. I don't know if this counts towards being a nerd, or just wipes me out of the normal female population, but I really don't like chick flicks. I did for a while, but part of the problem is they all start being the same movie to me - there's a girl who is the always a bridesmaid, never a bride type who finds a guy in some peculiar fashion, and they fall in love, have a complication, misunderstanding, break up, realize how much they really love each other and live happily ever after. Also, I don't like the idea that falling in love is the most important part of the movie - it's the staying in love through all the following complications that is really worthy of screen time.

4. While I mentioned it before, I really love to read, but not just anything. I like books that have a purpose, that are thought provoking and even challenge the standard ideas of society, whatever ideas the author deemed necessary to challenge. Dickens did it with several of his books, challenging how the society was set up and the problems that everyone looked away from. Steinbeck does it and Hemingway, while I've only read one of his novels, showed in A Farewell to Arms that war really didn't make sense to the lead character when he really started looking at the cost of it.

5. I like knowing the origin and evolution of languages - which is probably a reason why I'm so interested in learning Latin. I'd love to learn Greek too, but that involved different characters and making my mouth make sounds that I don't know if it could do. Maybe after I feel confident in my Latin, I'll tackle it. I've heard there are some great programs out there for this language.

Those are the reasons I can think of now...I'm sure more will come up later.

Ayn Rand Interview

I really like Ayn Rand - Here are some of her thoughts in a 1959 interview with Mike Wallace. Very interesting ideas. If that gets you thinking and you are close to me, I'm more than happy to lend you a book or two to read more. I promise you'll be hooked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-pHxlwFgOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wsr768hdk4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5poUSQ4L8pY

Why Not?

I've often wondered, and now I'm doing it out loud - so to speak, why it is that more people don't read. Really, I know - too busy, slow reader, whatever, but really, why not? There is nothing that I enjoy more, after a long day when I feel frazzeled and just want to get away, than opening a book whose characters come into my mind throughout the day and see what is happening. When I was reading Atlas Shrugged, I thought about how that book was going to end, who was going to end up where and with whom, all throughout the day for the whole time that I was reading it - and it's a 1100 page book!!!

I'd much rather read a great book than see a movie where all the lose ends are feebly tied up in just the 2 hour time frame. Sure, there are some great movies out there - the new Bond is really fun, and Enoch and I both enjoyed The Prestige and The Illusionist, but these were movies that kept us engaged in conversation afterwards, trying to figure out how everything happened that really happened. There aren't many movies that do that anymore, but there are tons and tons of great books!!!

I think I'll add a list to this blog of books that are on my list to read - feel free to recommend some that you thought were great. Just a couple of thoughts on the books that I have read recently. A Farewell to Arms is the first Hemingway book that I've read - I don't know how I got an English degree without reading any of his novels, but I did. I was completely in awe - what a great book!!! If I ever get a job and get to teach American Lit, I will definitely be including this as a novel to be read some years.

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer. I got this book from the teacher who I did my student teaching with (Thanks Danna) and when I heard what it was about there was a part of me that groaned. But there were so many students who were riveted by the book, I thought I needed to at least give it a shot. It's about a girl who moves to WA to live with her dad and ends up falling in love with a vampire. I know, it sounds really dumb, but it completely consumed my life for the 6 hrs it took to read it (no, not all at once, I don't have that kind of solid time to read) :) It's written by an LDS author from BYU, but it's not completely cheesy - really, it's a great book. I just need to get my hands on the sequel...

Ayn Rand has changed my life - I bought a bunch of her books off of ebay and I just want to keep reading them. I'm forcing myself to read other authors, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if I've read all of her works that I have - 10 or so - by the end of the year. I love her philosophy and the more I see the ridiculousness of the world, the more I love her works.

Okay - anyone who has some suggestions of great books - let me have them - I'll add them to my list.

Introduction

I'm Tasha - mom of three kids, Will, Ellie and Catie, hence the name of this blog. We have a family blog (see the links) where I post what has been happening with our family, etc. but wanted to have a space where I could post more about me, my thoughts, life, experiences, etc without taking up all the space of the family's site.

I'm currently on a quest to get in shape, and not doing a great job. My dad's going to help me figure out what I could be doing better and for the next week, I'm going to write down everything I eat everyday and everything I do physically everyday. It's not the number on the scale that's bothering me as much as not fitting in what I want - so I'm going to see about changing that.

I LOVE reading - I can only remember one book that I truly hated reading and Oprah had it on her list as well as it winning a Pulitzer - I don't know what - It's One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez - I dreaded the whole book after the first chapter. Since I love reading so much, I just have a running list of what I've read on this blog.

I also love classical music, and a great deal of rock, but I'm kindof a music snob I guess because I'm very picky about what I'll listen to - I'll get around to a list of that sometime soon.

I'm currently trying to get a job as a high school English teacher - I just missed out on the opportunity to have a job next year - lost it to a teacher who had been teaching at the local university, so I guess that's good that she has experience and is going to add to the English program at Cedar High, but I'm still incredibly bummed that I didn't get the job. It's one of the two things that I'm completely passionate about (the other's being a mom if you didn't figure that out already).

Well, Scrubs reruns are on- what a great way to end the day. More later.