Confession #11 -- I Don't Know Everything

Even though Piglet thinks I do.

Piglet is at that fantastic age of 4 where children learn not only better coordination, and social skills, but masses of knowledge as well. I actually really like to see him learn. He is doing really well with recognizing the letters and knowing what sounds they make. He is not so keen on writing, but that will come in time. I love it when he picks up a new skill or somehow applies the new knowledge that has learned.

But, he is also at this lovely age of 4 where they tend to ask a lot of questions. I usually try to answer them to the best of my ability because I believe that it helps him learn and it conveys the idea that asking questions about life is a good thing. I also try to answer them so he knows that I'm paying attention to him.

This is the hard part because sometimes, the questions are so many and they come so fast, that I really do start to tune him out. And he often asks questions when I'm trying to concentrate on something else...driving during rush hour, cooking dinner, typing on the computer. And sometimes I really do get irritated when he asks so many questions. I try my hardest to not let him know that I'm irritated, but that doesn't always work. And my rule of thumb is that I never ask him to stop asking questions, no matter how much I don't like it.

I'm afraid I don't always follow my rule of thumb. Peter asked if I was going to share this next little quip with you and my first response was. "No!" mostly because it was really irritating at the time and I was really angry about it. But in looking back at it, I suppose there is sort of a funny side to it. Here it is:

We were madly trying to get ready for stake conference. Because we have afternoon church, it was much earlier than we normally get ready for church. In all the hustle and bustle of gathering snacks, toys, and other things to occupy their time, Piglet was asking questions incessantly. We finally got in the car and were on the way to the church and I had HAD it with the questions. I said, much more grumpily than I should have, "Piglet, stop asking questions! It's irritating!"

His response: "What does irritating mean?"

Confession #10 -- It's almost 10am and I'm still in my Pajamas

I LOVE PAJAMAS! And being in them is the greatest thing. But I have to admit that I don't usually stay in them until 10am. I usually have already left the house with the kids for whatever errands need to be done or for a playdate with some friends. As much as I love pajamas, I still feel guilty every time I wear them past 8am. Somehow I think that I should be more on top of it all. And I know that I would get more done if I didn't stay in them and that's what makes me change out of them by 8am. I guess I just have this thought that morning people are somehow better than night people.

I am a night person al the way. I could stay up reading a book until all hours of the morning. I could start a movie at 11 and stay up watching it. I could start to bake something at 11 and stay up until it's done. But ask me to get up early?!?! That's almost impossilbe. And once I'm asleep, you better not bug me until I am good and ready to get up. Unfortunately, my kids often wake up before I'm ready to get up and end up being the recipient of a few grouchy comments. Gotta work on that!

I suppose that it doesn't really matter whether you are a night person or a morning person...as long as you are a person working on making yourself better. Even if, for me, it means trying my hardest to be at least a tolerable morning person!

My Encounter with President Hinckley

Because of the recent passing of President Hinckley, I have been reflecting on some of the things he's meant to me. Although he's not the first Prophet I remember, he is the one that guided me through my most formative years. The years that I was trying to figure out just who I am. I have always appreciated his sense of humor because he was able to be funny without being crass or inappropriate, which seems to be a hard thing to do these days. The following experience with him illustrates that.

At BYU I worked in the Marriott Center where many of the CES firesides took place. I had the chance to meet several General Authorities through this job. I often worked in the elevator, pushing buttons and making sure people got to all the right places. On a day that President Hinckley came to the Marriott Center, I had less than a minute with him in the elevator, but the following conversation ensued:

President Hinckley, shaking my hand, "What's your name?"

I told him.

President Hinckley, "Are you married or single?"

Me, "I'm single."

President Hinckley, "What's your major?"

Me, "Family Science."

President Hinckley, "Maybe you should be in engineering where all the young men are!"

I didn't take that advice to be prophetic...I did finally find my Peter Priesthood after I graduated, but I learned a few things about him from this encounter.

1. President Hinckley was truly interested in me as a person.

2. He cared deeply about young people pursuing and education, AND wanting to be married.

3. His jokes and sense of humor didn't have to be offensive.

How I love that man and I'm sad to see him go. As a family, we have been praying much for his health and that he would be able to do all that he is asked to do. I think Heavenly Father answered our prayers in a way that's better than we imagined.

Goodbye, President Hinckley!

Confession #9 -- I Have a LOVE/HATE Relationship with Food

I LOVE cooking food.



I HATE cleaning up after making food.



I LOVE trying new foods.



I HATE how some new foods (new spices in particular) give me horrible heart burn.



I LOVE crunchy cold cereal...especially Honey Bunches of Oats.



I HATE that no matter how long I wait to put milk on my cold cereal, it always gets soggy because I'm getting stuff for the kids.



I LOVE anything with milk chocolate and peanut butter.



I HATE how the calories of milk chocolate and peanut butter add up fast.



I LOVE ice cream with loads of chunks in them. Especially Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup.



I HATE ice cream made out of berries.



I LOVE fresh spinach. I eat a lot of it.



I HATE green peas. My poor children are going to grow up not eating them at our house. I can't stand even the smell of them.



I LOVE reading recipes. I check out cookbooks from the library often.



I HATE the smell of burned popcorn.



I LOVE the smell of freshly baked bread. That's one of the reasons I make all of ours.





And that's about all I can think of to illustrate my LOVE/HATE relationship with food. I'm sure as I go along with this blog, I'll think of a few other things I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with.

The Coolest Paper Toy Ever

If you need something to do with your kids, try this link out!


http://www.metacafe.com/w/962261

I can't figure out how to put the video in my blog...maybe one of my new blog friends can help me?!?!

Confession #8 -- I Wasn't Always Like This

I love reading Laughadaisy's Retro Pages because I am a product of the 80s and 90s, too. Reading her last post, it reminded me of my college days, too. When I was a much more wild person. Peter often tells me that if he had known me during my college days, he would have never been interested. Truth be told, at that point, I would have never been interested in him, either. Good thing we met after I was done.

Anyway, back to my college memory. I had two roommates that I did everything with. I still keep in touch with them, too, because they are cool like that. One of them was just like me (at the time). We giggled a lot, and we were always on the look out for the really cute guys. You know the kind that were way out of our reach. Whereever we were, we were being goofy. The other roommate was tall, black, and beautiful. She was the one that toned us down. She was always more serious and I think she wondered about our sanity once in awhile.

We lived in a complex that had a pool and one summer there was a really, really, really good looking guy that was hired to keep the pool up. He knew he looked good and he often strutted around without a shirt on. We liked to watch him out the window. One day the three of us were watching out the window and the two of us sillies got the idea to whistle at him. Well, we did, and then we ducked really fast. Our roommate was left standing at the window, mortified that the pool guy thought she had whistled at him because she wouldn't have in a million years. We had a good laugh, but I'm always glad that she forgave us for that one!!

Confession #7 -- I Don't Clean My Bathrooms as Much as I Should

Of all the cleaning jobs throughout the house, the bathroom is my most dreaded one. I get dry heaves just trying to clean the toilet. Usually dear Peter ends up cleaning the toilets and I do the rest.



But because this is about cleaning, I thought I'd tell you about some of my favorite cleaners and tricks.



1. My all time favorite is any brand of disinfectant wipes. Right now I use the Clorox ones, but that's because they were on sale. Usually it's the Costco ones. I have a container of those under every sink and I use them constantly. I especially like them in the bathrooms when I'm wiping down the bathroom sink after my kids have done a whirlwind through there. I also like them in the kitchen to clean up after doing things with raw meat.



2. My next one is a great product called Bar Keeper's Friend. I have copper bottomed pots and they work great for getting rid of the discoloration that happens when you cook. They also are great for getting the burned crusty things out of the bottom of your saucepans. And it even gets out things that you think have permanately stained your counter. But be careful with that because it can take the finish off. Test it in a corner or something.



3. Number three is a laundry cleaning trick to get out the grease stains on clothing. It's just plain dishsoap. I put a bit of it on the grease stain, give it a good scrub, let it sit for about 3 minutes and then throw it in with the rest of the laundry. I also usually hang dry the things that are treated just in case. But never fear, I have used it on grease stains that have been dried in and it works for those, too.



4. This one is also a laundry trick that my RS Pres told me. It gets rid of ink from pens on clothing. Just spray a bit of hairspray on them, give them a little scrub, let it sit for about 3 mintues and then toss it in with the rest of the laundry. As with any stain, these come out better the sooner they are treated, but I've had it work with stains that were set in, too.



5. And my all time coolest one is called Mostenbocker's Lift Off. There are different numbers (1-5) that each target something different.

1. Removes food, beverage and protein stains.


2. Removes grease, gum, tape, and adhesives


3. Removes permanent marker, pen, and ink


4. Removes spray paint and grafitti


5. Removes latex paint.

I've used #2 and #5 and I love them! One day I wasy painting my bedroom wall a dark blue color and I got latex paint on the carpet. And it wasn't just a little. It was a stain about a foot long. Of course I panicked! We're renting!!! I found this stain remover at Home Depot and it worked magically! There is still a little bit of blue, but if you aren't looking for it and you don't know where to look, you wouldn't find it. And it got rid of the paint so well that even the towels I used to clean it up didn't have blue left on them either! And the best part is that it advertises that it works on dried latex paint, too! I've never tried it, but I just might have to try it on a baseboard or two that the previous people got paint on!

So, what's your favorite cleaners? Has anyone tried the Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner? The one that is supposed to spray all of your shower every day? I've just gotta know if that one works, but I'm too cheap to buy it and try it myself!!

I Deserve a Place to Rant

So, what does being a mother mean?

• It means being responsible for another (or many other) human beings who are totally dependent on you.


• It means waking up at all hours of the night to help kids with any/all of the folowing: vomit, bad dreams, dirty diapers, trips to the bathrooms, scary noises, feedings, etc.


• It means teaching them about the gospel through example and planned teaching situations.


• It means answering their questions to the best of your ability.


• It means feeding them using the basic food pyramid.


• It means being the referee for squabbles.


• It means teaching them to work hard for what they get.


• It means having fun with the kids.

So, now, what does it NOT mean to be a mother?

• It does not mean that you let your children dictate what you do all the time.


• It does not mean that being a mother is your only identity.


• It does not mean that you have to plan a "meaningful outing" every day for your kids.


• It does not mean that you buy a new toy every time you want them to do something.


• It does not mean that the kids have all of the "rights" just because they are a member of the family.


• It does not mean that your education has to be sacraficed to the kids.


• It does not mean that your freedom has been taken away.

So why do I say all this? I have a friend who, sometimes, I just want to shake and tell her some of these things. She lets the kids be the be all end all of everything. She always says things like, "If the kids want to...". And if you ask her about who she is, the first and only answer she gives is, "a mother". I do agree that being a mother is one of the most important things we will do on the Earth, but it is not the ONLY important thing we will do. I, too, think it is a huge part of my identity, but not all. Besides being a mother, I am also a musician (I play piano and violin), a cook (I LOVE cooking!), an organizer (Everything has it's place and every place has it's thing.), and an athlete (at least on some level).

Back to my friend. Of course I would never tell her that she is parenting all wrong. It's none of my business. She is really just doing the best that she knows how. It just blows me away how many toys they have, though. Everytime they are in a store, the kids get something new. And she wonders why they don't care about any of them. They don't have to. They'll just get a new one. And she wonders why they throw screaming tantrums when you say no about something. It's because kids are smart. They know that if they just keep screaming, you'll break down and give it to them anyway. Who's in charge, anyway? You or the kids? I think she needs advice from the SuperNanny!

I certainly don't claim to be a perfect parent of have the perfect kids. I, too, sometimes give in just because I don't want to hear the whining anymore. I probably need just as much help from the SuperNanny as anyone else does. But thanks for letting me rant!

Confession #6 -- Peter and I go to bed Way TOO Late

And gals...get your mind out of the gutter. That's not why...at least not every night.



But you see, I like to talk to Peter. And Peter likes to talk to me. And because of our schedules, most of the talking gets done at night. After the kids have gone to bed. We are constantly making it our goal to go to bed earlier because it's killing us! (Probably literally, too.) But it seems to just get later and later every night. It gets to where, during the day, if there is a quiet moment I begin to look like this:




Not so attractive if you ask me. And I supposed I shouldn't complain too much. Our relationship keeps getting better and better. We are beginning to understand each other better. And at least he likes to talk with me, which is more than I can say for one couple I know. In that relationship, he is on the computer constantly and she is really critical of him. But enough about them. They are still good people.



I hear lots of older women say that we should enjoy the time we have with our kids while they are young because it doesn't last long. I wonder how I am supposed to do that when all I want to do is sleep through it?!?! I suppose all we can do is keep trying...and trying...and trying to go to bed earlier!

Confession #5 -- I Wore my Workout Clothes to the Grocery Store

I would like to say that I'm "put together" every time I step out the door, but then I would be lying. And truthfully, "put together" for me is certainly not Paris Hilton's idea of put together, either. I'm happy if I have the chance to blow dry my hair straight or even put on a little mascara. Forget having a good haircut. I keep going to the cheap place and I regret it every time...but it's cheap and I'm poor.

But until I had kids, I was always a bit judgemental about people wearing work out clothes in places other than the gym. I wondered why they didn't have the self respect enough to put on some nicer clothes. But then the kids came along and now I'm pretty lucky to even put on the work out clothes. And sometimes I have to get some food from the grocery store and as luck would have it, I don't have time to change. Luckily, it's cold and I can use my coat to cover most of it up!!

Confession #4 -- I Hate the Mass of Papers Tigger gets from Nursery

Tigger is 2 and therefore still goes to the Nursery. He absolutely LOVES it! As soon as the closing song from Sacrament meeting starts, he knows its time for Nursery next and he begins the rapid clean up. He practically jumps for joy all the way to the nursery room.



And I absolutely love the 3 Nursery teachers that are with the kids. They think about each kid and they really care about each one. They come early every Sunday to set up "stations" of toys throughout the Nursery room. They have absolutely everything planned out and organized. And, because I'm Primary President, I love that they ALWAYS get substitutes. Even if they only have to leave 15 minutes early. They are 100% reliable! And they are fun ladies to chat with.



But, I really HATE all the little papers that they get. I hate them for two reasons.



1. They always end up covering the floor of the kid's room, usually with pieces or corners torn off.



2. They use the dreaded Primary Partners books for their ideas.





I certainly don't mind having papers some of the time. I think it's good for the kids to color and cut, but IT"S EVERY WEEK!! And usually I have to find a moment when they aren't looking to toss the scraps in the bin. Now really....the kids are 1, 2, and 3 years old. Are they really going to remember what a hand out was for even a month later? Okay, maybe a 3 year old might.



I have to admit that sometimes I do take the good ones and put them in my file of props for Family Home Evenings...but that is rare.



And the second reason. The Primary Partners books. I personally think they are a cop out for a good lesson. The manuals the church puts out are fabulous. They have activity ideas, and attention getters. They have great stories and pictures to go along with them. I feel that when a teachers uses the pre-made Primary Partners versions of the lessons, they are missing out on a great opportunity to prepare their own lesson, AS GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT. I just don't like the books. And why should people make money off of the Primary lessons? Good grief!!! When we are teaching in the church, shouldn't we use the things the church has prepared for us? After all, a TON of thought and consideration went into those manuals. Wouldn't you feel terribly guilty teaching a child the wrong thing because you taught them something that the church didn't put out? I'm not even saying that the Primary Partners (or anything else like it) is teaching the wrong things? I'm just saying that the church has spent so much time and energy putting things together for us, we might as well use it! I will say one positive thing, though, that sometimes they do have good ideas for Family Home Evening topics. And yes, they are okay for Family Home Evening, because I know what I am teaching my kids.

Confession #3 -- Sometimes I Eat My Kid's Snacks During Church

This year we have afternoon church. Terrible time, IMHO, but what are you going to do about it?



There is a grandmotherly lady that sits right next to us every Sunday at church. She absolutely adores Piglet and Tigger. She has adopted them as her grandkids since she doesn't have any of her own. Fine by me. Each week during church she has a little something for the kids. Usually there is a toy or two involved. Always there is a snack involved. And she brings good stuff, too. The stuff that I can't afford, and truthfully, probably wouldn't buy even if I could. (My favorite is when she brings chocolate covered peanut butter balls.) Occasionally, I find myself sneaking one or two into my mouth.



Ya know...if she just brought some plain Cheerios, this wouldn't be a problem!



BRING ON THE CHEERIOS!!

Confession #2 -- I Don't Have a Current 72 Hour Kit

But, I do have an old one.



I make this confession because awhile ago I (along with my other 7 siblings) was at my mom's house helping her clean out her garage. We came across a 72 hour kit that I remember putting together as a child one night for Family Home Evening. Because we were cleaning, we thought it would be interesting to see what was in this kit. We actually found some things that could still be used in one today. A hatchett, a flashlight that still worked (with new batteries), plastic eating utensils, etc. We also found things that we wouldn't use, even if our life depended on it. Food mostly. Old cans of Vienna Sausages (who eats those things?), packages of instant oatmeal, and some unidentifiable stuff. We found other things that were unusuable...bandaids that didn't stick, rubberbands that were cracked, shoes where the rubber soles were hard. Stuff like that.



But the thing that rocked my boat was the fact that we found diapers. My youngest sister is now 17. That means that this 72 hour kit was last updated minimum of 15 years ago. At least my parents were trying.



And that's what I like to remember when I think about my 72 hour kit. The food in there is still edible and the bandaids still work. The clothing might not fit any one of us, but there are at least blankets. My 72 Hour Kit is just one of those things that I keep thinking I should be diligent about keeping up, but with my busy life as a mom of two, being a primary president, having my husband in school still, and having my husband in the bishopric, it's just not happening.



And that's okay. In my kit, I may not have underwear for Piglet, but I have diapers for Tigger and they are the right size!

Confession #1 -- My Dishes Are Not Always Done

Some people may think that when they come to my house, the dishes are always done. Little do they know. If I know someone is coming over, the first thing I do is clean the kitchen. Why? Because doesn't the kitchen reflect on all of our skills as a woman, a mother, and a wife? Sometimes I bend over backwards to make my kitchen spotless. Even if someone is just planning on dropping something off, you never know when they are going to need to come inside. I feel the need to make a good impression.

Although I, with Peter's help, try to have the dishes done before we go to bed, this doesn't always happen. And when it doesn't happen, the next morning doesn't go so well.

You see, when I first wake up in the morning and trudge downstairs to the kitchen...the cold kitchen, I might add...if I see that the dishes aren't done, it practically ruins my entire morning. I start off the day grumpy and it goes downhill from there.

So there you have it. My first confession. I know, I know...Most peopple don't get their dishes done all the time. But I had to say it...or at least type it...because awhile ago I had a friend comment on how clean my kitchen was every time she came over, and it just bugged me.

Nope, I'm not perfect, either.