Fantasy Copying and Pasting

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Highs in the low-seventies, low humidity, bright sun, blue skies....

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(that would be 365 times, in case you're wondering)



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Who Am I?

Tonight was our first Relief Society Enrichment night of the new school year and with the number of new move-ins we've had over the last couple of months, we ended up doing a little get-to-know you activity.  Each person was to bring an item that described themselves and then take 30-60 seconds to share a few tidbits about themselves.  I always love hearing about other people, but struggle knowing what to share about myself that's actually somewhat interesting.  For the most part, with my crazy life, five kids, graying hairs, and a few pounds to lose, I feel like I'm a boringly average Mormon mom. 

At the encouragement of my friend (Sue), I brought my camera as my prop and talked briefly about my love of taking pictures and then sharing them and my stories on my blogs.  But with all that self-reflection going on there, it got me to thinking...

Who am I...really? 

Things I am:
a child of God
an oldest sibling to seven
a mom to five
a wife of almost 18-years to Glen
an avid reader
a recipe experimenter and collector
a very slow runner
a blogger
a wannabe photographer
a spelling snob
an I'll do it myself kind of person
an up and coming scripture studier
a list maker
a do three-things-at-once kind of person


Things I am not:
a good shopper
a gourmet cook
a home decorator
a neat freak
a rock star or a musician of any sort
a shoe hoarder
a good delegator
an on-your-feet thinker
a seamstress
a fashionista
a party planner


So, perhaps that doesn't really change your perception of how exciting my life is,  but now at least I've got it all of it written down in one place (you know, so my posterity knows how boringly normal I am).  Now, what about you?  What one item would you pick to describe yourself?    What item would you have picked for me? 

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

Her fall wardrobe is out of the bin  and let me just say....

it is as awesome as ever.   

How awesome is it?  So awesome, that I've decided to make her the newest fashion advice columnist of A Day At a Time. 

Please send all of your most perplexing fashion questions to wawadehut@gmail.com and Ellie will personally answer each and every one here on the blog.  Look forward to hearing from you. 

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Tis the Season...

....for long, hot showers, pumpkiny treats, sleeping with the windows cracked open, dressing in layers,  hearty soups,  changing leaves, and....

CROSS COUNTRY SEASON!  

After 4 years of being a middle of the pack high school cross country runner (including a year as captain), I still experience a touch of nostalgia every time Cami comes home with mud splattered legs and sore knees. 

Okay, maybe it's more than just a touch of nostalgia.   In what can only be described as a subconscious attempt to relive "my high school glory days" (sarcasm alert), I just let Glen talk me into running a half-marathon with him in November.   Looking back,  I'm not quite sure why I said yes since I run like a snail and anything past about 5 miles is torturous for me, but I'm hoping the muddy, sore knees will make me feel like a teenager again.  


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Old Dog, New Trick

In 16 years of watching General Conference with kids, I've tried a lot of tricks over the years to keep them quiet and engaged while we watch.  Some of the tricks have been more successful than others, but even the best of them only seem to work for a while....maybe one session if I'm lucky. 

This past weekend, though,  we stooped to a new low and  tried something I swore I'd never do.  Well, it's not actually new new.  In fact, I daresay that plenty of people have tried it before me, but it was new to us. 

We bribed the kids to listen to Conference with good old fashioned....

candy. 

We picked two words before each session (Lord, Heavenly Father, temples, love, inspire, and eternal life) and let them each take a piece of candy every time they heard the pre-chosen word. 

It was a little amusing to see how, instead of running around the room, they stayed in close proximity to the candy bowls. 

Eventually we had to appoint a fierce looking candy guardian to help ensure proper bribing rules were being upheld. 

So even though the whole family has been floating on a sugar-high the last couple of days, and a couple of them hardly touched their dinners tonight,  guess what?  We'd do it again in a heartbeat, because I guarantee that my kids have never paid that close of attention to what was being said during Conference....ever!    



What do you do to help your kids listen to conference?  Have you ever tried the candy bribing method?  If so, how did it work for your family?

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