Sunday Afternoons

This past year we've had the 1-4 church schedule.  While I liked being able to sleep in, eating big breakfasts together, and being able to prepare our lessons on Sunday morning,  it sure made our Sunday evenings seem so short by the time we finished with dinner.

At the beginning of January we switched to the 9-12 schedule.  While pulling kids out of bed and actually getting there 20 minutes early so I can pass out the programs has been a somewhat painful transition, I have to say that I am totally in love with our wide open Sunday afternoons!   

I love being able to spend time cooking a decent dinner in daylight hours.  I love that those who so choose can take naps.  I love that my kids play happily together (mostly) without me having to remind them to get ready.

And the part I'm most excited about.....

The reintroduction of our Sunday afternoon family walks!!! 

It was a bit chilly today,

but, oh how I've missed our jaunts around the neighborhood together...

even carrying around tired Ellie didn't seem so bad...

 

although we definitely had to take turns.  She may only be 40 lbs., but after 5 minutes of carrying her I've decided I may as well rename my blog, "Diary of a Wimpy Mom".    Thank goodness for Daddy's buff arms.  :)

So what's your favorite church schedule?   Why do you prefer it? 



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Weekly Round-up

Favorite Quote of the Week:  Adam asked me, "Mom, why aren't any of the people wearing boots and this is supposed to be a BOOT camp exercise video?"

......so I added boots.


Sad Moment of the Week:   At Ellie's winter party today, they were playing a group game with everyone sitting in a circle.  Ellie was bending over slightly while having a seizure.  A teacher, unfamiliar with her epilepsy, started giving her a lambasting 2 minute lecture about how kids in his class that don't sit up straight get sent to the nurse's office (and on and on).  When she finally "came to" she had absolutely no idea why she was being scolded and was completely mortified.  I was livid at him, because epilepsy or not, I do not believe kindergartners should be embarrassed and lectured in that manner. 

Stressful Moment of the Week:  I taught a Relief Society activity night on Wednesday.  While I am a person who likes to be busy, the whole experience definitely made me realize that I'm not cut out for high stress life (or for teaching people over the age of 3).  On the bright side, I haven't slept as soundly as I did on Wednesday night in a long, long time! 

Happy Moment of the Week:  Glen's taking me on a date tonight!  With teenagers in the house, it shouldn't be such a rare occasion, but it seems that our teens' social lives seem to keep getting in the way of ours.    We're trying out a new Lebanese restaurant not far from home and I'm having a hard time deciding that I want to make dinner for the rest of my family.  

Favorite Recipe of the Week:  Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup in my brand-new crockpot!   Loved the low-stress and loved the soup!   

Proud Moment of the Week:   I flipped my own pizza crust.... 

PS  Don't worry, while I didn't say anything in front of the whole class, that rude teacher did hear from me later. 

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Is that a flake I see?

No, no.  That's just a flour spot on our Thai chicken pizza crust tonight....

No, no.  That's just a white piece of lint in her hair....

No, no.  That's just bird poop on the sidewalk. 

No, no.  That's just my dad with a Santa Claus beard?!  (I didn't know Crains could grow whiskers)

Forget it.  It's just another snow hole over DC...

After last winter's snow totals, I'm not looking for a blizzard or anything, but something a little more significant than an inch would be nice.

Hair Styles by Heather

Somehow I never published this back in October....

One of my girls' most favorite parts about cool Aunt Heather coming to visit is her awesome hairstyling talent.   She's seriously the best tax attorney / braider you've ever met...

She even got Ellie's wispy hair into beautiful braids...

My girls have to take advantage when Heather comes to town, since I do NOT have the patience for this kind of detail...

Thanks Aunt Aitch!

A Glimpse into a Typical Family Home Evening...

Who's in charge of conducting?  5-minute discussion about who did it last week compared to what the job chart says.

Executive Decision:  Mommy's turn. 

Welcome, song choosing:  2 kids dancing to "High on the Mountaintop" 
1 person accusing another of "stealing" their song. 

Lesson:  Given by Mommy and Daddy, based on sacrament meeting topic of "Reverence"

1 person stomps out of room crying because we won't let her page through the Friend magazine during the lesson. 
1 person argues about how sporting a mohawk  could possibly reflect on someone's personal reverence. Good thing the whole argument was only hypothetical. 
1 person forcefully pushes brother out of way to make room for dog.
1 person keeps wandering out of the room randomly.
1 person curls up in my lap and continually tells me how tired she is. 
2 people have a slight difference of opinion on what the focus of the lesson should be. 
4 people (3 pictured) sprawled out in whatever position they deem most comfortable. 

<Sigh>   


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And that's why I'm feeling a tad bit hypocritical to be teaching an Enrichment night on family home evenings this week. 

 On the bright side, our quality may be fleeting sometimes, but  consistency we've got down...and that's got to count for something.   

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"Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results. “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33). Consistency is a key principle as we lay the foundation of a great work in our individual lives and as we become more diligent and concerned in our own homes."  Elder David A. Bednar

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Start at the Bottom

˙ʇɥƃıu ʍoɹɹoɯoʇ ʞɔılɟ ʞɔıɥɔ ʎsǝǝɥɔ ʎllɐǝɹ ɐ ɥɔʇɐʍ uɐɔ ǝʍ os 'ʇǝq ǝɥʇ uıʍ ı ʇɐɥʇ ǝdoɥ puɐ ǝɯɐƃ llɐqʇǝʞsɐq ʌlun-nʎq ƃıq ǝɥʇ sǝɥɔʇɐʍ uǝlƃ ǝlıɥʍ ƃolq ʇsnɾ ll,ı ssǝnƃ ı

˙ʍou sʇɹnɥ ɟo puıʞ pɐǝɥ ʎɯ ˙oƃ ɐʇʇoƃ ı ¡puıɯ ɹǝʌǝu

¡¡¡¡plɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ɹǝnbuoɔ uɐɔ ı ˙ʎpɐǝɹlɐ ɹǝʇnɔ puɐ ɹǝʇɹɐɯs lǝǝɟ ı ˙ƃuıʇɐuǝʌnɾǝɹ ǝɹɐ sllǝɔ uıɐɹq ʎɯ˙˙˙˙ɥɐǝʎ ɥo

˙ƃuıɥʇǝɯos ɟo ʞuıɥʇ ǝɯ dlǝɥ llıʍ uıɐɹq ʎɯ oʇ poolq ǝɹoɯ ǝlʇʇıl ɐ ǝqʎɐɯ˙˙˙˙ɯɯɯɯɯɥ ˙pooƃ ʎllɐǝɹ ƃuıɥʇǝɯos ˙ǝɹoɯ ƃuıɥʇǝɯos ǝlʇʇıl ɐ pǝǝu llıʇs ı ʇnq

(ǝuo sıɥʇ uıʍ oʇ ƃuıoƃ ɯ,ı ǝɹns ʎʇʇǝɹd ɯ,ı) ˙ʞǝǝʍ ʇxǝu ǝɥʇ ɹoɟ ǝʇoɯǝɹ ǝɥʇ sloɹʇuoɔ sn ɟo ɥɔıɥʍ sǝʌloʌuı ʇɐɥʇ ʇǝq ɐ ɥʇıʍ 'ʇı pıp ı os ˙spuǝıɹɟ ʎɥs ʇuǝɯɯoɔ sıɥ ɯoɹɟ sʇuǝɯɯoɔ 0⇂ uǝʌǝ ʇǝƃ uɐɔ ǝɥ ɟı ǝǝs puɐ ʞooqǝɔɐɟ uo snʇɐʇs s,uǝlƃ ǝʇɐpdn ll,ı 'ǝɯ uo pǝuʍɐp ʇı uǝɥʇ

˙ɹoɟ ƃuıʞool sɐʍ ı ʇɐɥʍ ɹoɟ ǝlqɐʇɔıpǝɹd ooʇ ǝlʇʇıl ɐ sɐʍ ʇı 'ǝɯ ɹoɟ lɐnsnun ǝq plnoʍ ɹǝɥʇıǝ ǝlıɥʍ ʇɐɥʇ pǝpıɔǝp ʇnq 'uǝɥɔʇıʞ ǝɥʇ ƃuıddoɯ ɹo ǝuop ɹıɐɥ ʎɯ ƃuıʇʇǝƃ ʇnoqɐ ʇɥƃnoɥʇ ı ˙ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ƃuıɥʇǝɯos ʎɹʇ oʇ ɥɔʇı uɐ ʇǝƃ ʇsnɾ ı ǝlıɥʍ ɐ uı ǝɔuo ʎɹǝʌǝ

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The mission:  Make this garbage bag full of old important papers disappear from our bedroom.




The options:

1.  Spend hours and hours hovered over an obnoxiously loud paper shredder that overheats every 20 minutes or so. 

OR

2.  BURN THEM!!!!!

So we chose option #2 and made a fun day out of it.   We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows to glorious perfection.  Ran, climbed, and chased.  Ate s'mores.  Got covered in mud.  Explored in the woods.  And burned our entire bag of papers to a pile of worthless ashes. 

Then we went home and slept in our own beds...which made it the best camping trip....EVER! 

Mission Accomplished! 

A Real Life Story of Sweetness Gone Too Far

Once upon a time there was a woman who got an idea in her head that although her family had been making and enjoying graham cracker gingerbread houses for years, that it was time to become a real woman and bake gingerbread from scratch.  A week of being snowed in right around Christmas last year provided the perfect opportunity to try it.  It was fun.  Everyone liked it. 

This Christmas vacation she decided to try again.  Never mind that this year they were not snowed in so instead of leisurely days at home, her days were being spent as a chauffeur, errand runner, housemaid, and really lousy Mario Kart driver. 

As she raced through entire bags of flour and molasses by the quart, she soon realized that the gingerbread baking squeezed in between picking Spencer up, refereeing another quarrel, trying to make dinner, and dropping Cami off, just wasn't as much fun as she had remembered it being.   

By the time the houses were decorated with 8 lbs. of royal icing and an assortment of colorful candies, her entire dining room was caked with a sticky film that brought curse words to the woman's tongue. 

The woman's husband assured her that the extra work was worth it for their increased beauty over the easier graham cracker version, but alas the woman is sure that  although the memory of the hardened icing footprints leading out of the dining room will be slow to fade from her memory, that eventually the memory will fade.  

So  in an effort to prevent the pain of birthing gingerbread from scratch from slipping from her mind in a fog of sugary memories,  the woman decided to write all about it in a public forum along with a vow.  A vow that she will never again judge her own womanliness by whether she uses graham crackers,  homemade gingerbread, or even no gingerbread at all. 

The End.   

 

 

Notice the ornate house front and center in our little village?  That would be the woman's husband's house.  Who knew he was so artistic?


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