IMPORTANT! This requires a second post today!

I'm completely memorized by this blogger I was led to by my favorite little crackerjack Loralee at looneytunes.com (look left at the blogs I follow). Yes, I like to brag that "I knew Mistress Tunes when". Lo was my first roommate at USU and one of the shining stars in my universe. But you know that, right? So, like, I only talk about her ALL the time. Well on her blog today she is wearing a t-shirt sent to her by a fellow blogger TAMN.

Anyway, look left again and you'll see I added TAMN today. She is the only non-friend/family blogger on my list. Why would I add a stranger to my family blog, you ask? Because I "KNOW" her, and scary, I think I may be her in another dimension. Except not the cool, thin, FABULOUS her. But the elastic pant band, frazzled hair, scary her. The one who actually DOES have a family blog for journal purposes. You know, just so I don't have to write long hand and still follow the prophets' admonitions to write our personal history.

TAMN is a fictional Utah, young, 1st time "Mo-mom" (Mormon uber mother)who shames even the most seasoned LDS Relief Society presidents and Enrichment leaders. The real author hides her genius behind anonymity. Now you don't have to be a Latter-day Saint to appreciate her but the levels of glee and recognizable embarrassment definitely is increased.

So for example...this excerpt comes from her October 13th post (it made me laugh so hard I cried and peed at the same time, REALLY!)

...I started asking this other preggo chica there if she was nervy about labor. Not to be rude but she was seriously HUGE so I figured she was due like next week, only suprise, we're the same amount of weeks.


Um, awkward. Not to mention SAD.


We're way close of friends but things got a little weird when I said next time I'd make us sushi (which I do way well, but I didn't say that) and she said "Um, I don't know if you know this but your not supposed to eat sushi while you're preggo." Thanks, downer. So I said "Um, I don't know if you know this but your not supposed to be so huge." I smiled after so she knew not to take it personal, but she still bawled her head off and I about died.

I meant it nice, you guys!! Didn't mean it RUDE. She's super darling (at least, she use to be) and we're way close so I was suprised she got so ticked. But, it worked out good bc I was able to use my patient response to her lame preggo hormone overreaction as an example of forgiveness, which "just so happened" was the YW lesson! SO greatful for the empathy I was able to take away from that experience. I mean, can't rilly blame her for crying. Guess it isn't very fair for her since she's double my bigness and I'm double her cuteness.


Read her. Love her! And if anyone is looking for Christmas gift ideas for me, each t-shirt on her site is now on my wish list.

Just a couple of cholesterol cuties....

Dear Fellow Moms/Friends/Family Members With Nothing Better To Think About,
How are you today? Have you heard this one?

So what do a two moms, one who does not gamble because of religous leanings, do when they want free money but do not want to lend support to state education institutions by purchasing lottery tickets? They eat McD's until they have to hurl. Oh! Did you guess it was me? Well me and my sister Allison.

Here's the deal. We just know that we are going to find a Board Walk game piece in the next week and a half and split $1 million dollars! If you would like to get in on this action we are calling for all game pieces that you would normally just throw out anyway. We are willing to share with anyone who mails theirs to us. But remember, they are due November 3rd. So if you want in on this little project they have to be to us by the 2nd.

Wait! Stop laughing!!! We're going to win and we aren't sharing ANY of it with you if you keep pointing and giggling. Sheesh. Who'll be the loser then?

Sincerely,
the very rich,
cholesterol cuties

Is there really a depression?

This is just quick blog today. It's more of a reaction to my girlfriend's blog about budgeting (check out Meagan's blog on my list). I commented on her site but I think this is something we are all thinking about it. Especially with Christmas coming on. How do we handle the money we have as well as that which may start coming in more slowly. Please respond here with any great ideas you have for making Christmas special not spendy!

Part of me, admittedly a sick part, has always had this romantic notion of the depression from the 1930's. Having to be scrappers and hardworking. I love movies like The Cinderella Man, Annie, etc. I use to ask my grandparents about what it was like for them when they were growing up during the bottom of the depression. And I liked how creative they had to be to accomplish their needs let alone their wants.

I was listening to NPR the other day and there was a story of a woman who is married with three kids of their own and the guardianship of her sister's three who has passed away. Her husband is in construction in Las Vegas, and business is slowing down, and she recently has lost her job. They were featuring her because with her hair down in a clean ponytail and clean clothes she was panhandling on the freeway off-ramp to pay their, $650-something, electric bill. I really don't believe severe tragedy is our determined future. But I do believe that now is the time to be smart with our resources until this is worked out.

I'm a mom who's trying to stay-at-home. When I'm done with school I won't be above working midnights at a care home or taking care of kids in my house to stay here until the youngest is in kindergarten and I go back for a masters. But as a SAH I realize that my job is not to bring money in, but to utilize all of my talents in keeping it. I pore over grocery ads, and coupons, doing a little shopping all the time with where my driving routes take me. I also have been very thankful this summer that I live in walking and biking distance to just about anywhere I have to go in town. I try to not have the t.v. and computer on at the same time and am vigilant with lights (energy efficient of course) and heat/AC that's what clothes and windows are for! I'm realizing how hard it really can be. I think about our budget all the time. The first things I'd like to get rid of would be our cable. I hate how much time is suffocated by the t.v. I'd like to be better about utilizing our library for movies. If it wasn't for keeping in touch with you guys I frankly would do away with the Internet as well. Of course...hmmm....well I'll come back to that. Who would like to start writing letters with me? It's fun to get snail mail sometimes, right?!

As I was reading Meg's blog and thinking about this topic Jacob came up to me, "Mom, what's for dinner?" Phil's in So.Cal. and I've been trying to keep the kids occupied. Swimming at the YMCA yesterday (free and in walking distance)/Halloween specials on cable ($3.87/day) tomorrow a trip to the pumpkin patch for games and pumpkin buying/painting (approx. $8 plus gas) and dinner at Grandma's. Tonight I planned on a trip down the frozen crap aisle with a movie rental, not big money but bigger than we usually do on an average friday night; especially frozen food which I think is pure garbage and in someways worse than drive-thru. Kid Cuisine? Are you kidding me? It has more fat and sodium than a plain hamburger at McDonald's with apple dippers which my kids, LOVE! Of course that's why Jacob thinks Kid Cuisine is so wonderful.

I digress, when I offered the frozen aisle this was his reply. "I KNOW! How about PBJ's?!" Ahhhh, I love that kid, and I think we'll be taking a little trip to the library as well.

Just a little stream of consciousness for you this morning, not really so quick. :-)

My Sweetheart

Most of you know how Phil and I met and married. If you are reading this blog with any regularity you are probably close family and/or friends and don't need to have our funny song and dance act shoved down your throat ONCE AGAIN!




But I thought I'd take some space and just remind myself, him,and all of you, how much I love him.

Yesterday, my sister Allison had an all day crop at her house and it was a blast! 8 hours of gossip, food, and crafting. Phil then had 10 hours of quality father time. Lately, he's been having a lot of that. You might say, well of course, he IS the other half of their DNA! But it goes beyond that. He really looks for ways to serve me out of love. Sometimes the effort is a hit and sometimes it's a miss. But it's always done with the right intention and many times I'm not appreciative enough of that.



Unfortunately, marriage in our culture isn't given the respect that it deserves. I'm grateful for my marriage and the companionship that I share with my sweetheart. He is my intimate on so many levels. We share inside jokes, our thoughts on world headlines as well as opinions that sometimes have to be held close to the vest in most social situations, we share fears, embarrassments and bitterness. It's all there, laid bare on the table and I still love him and more importantly, today I'm secure in knowing he still loves me too. And I'm grateful.

I love you honey, happy 6 1/2 years!

TAG - I'm it!

This is very cute. I was tagged by my sweetie in Oregon, Megan Conser: http://meganeconser.spaces.live.com.

And I honestly don't think I can come up with 7 random facts about myself that she doesn't know but here goes nothing....

1. When I was in Jr. High I wanted to only adopt 5 children. The oldest was white boy, Brigham LaMar, then an African-American girl, an asian boy, a blonde white girl, Emma Ruth, with a girl of eastern european descent as the youngest. I had a sketch card from a charity group (UNICEF or something) that I kept on my bedroom mirror until college because they seemed like the perfect family to me.

2. I count steps because I want to be prepared for when I go blind, childhood habit.

3. For YEARS I thought bi-racial people were called Mandarins because when I was in the first grade I had a friend who was bi-racial with very curly BRIGHT ORANGE hair. And when I talked about him my mom must have called him the old fashion term "mulatto" (remember this is the 70's) and I mis-heard her as having said mandarin which made sense to me because his hair was the same color as mandarin oranges.

4. Even though I grew up on planes, now that I have children I am terrified of flying alone and dying leaving them motherless. I just plead when I have to do it that nothing will happen to me. If we're all together I'm much more relaxed because then no one has to be left behind. Kinda creepy?

5. My favorite "sick time" movie is Clue with Tim Curry. It is very relaxing for me to watch. And I'm still counting figures in every scene trying to remember who was where, when.

6. Monopoly is my favorite game but when I'm not doing well I start to have panic attacks because it becomes too life like and I can't handle the pressure.

7. When I grow up I want to be an accomplished gardener with lush overgrown English gardens and stone walk-ways.

8. Um...I'm kind of eccentric... oh wait! you already knew that....

TAG, YOU'RE IT! (I don't know if I should tag my sisters because I'm not sure I want to know what I don't know about them...hee hee)

1: Nicole Kinnunen: http://iapet.us/nicole/index.shtml
2: Julie Gates http://juliemoyer-gates.blogspot.com/
3. KayLyn Wescoatt and kids http://wkidsgang.com
4. Loralee Choate (who is a professional blogger so I don't expect her to post this on her blog but maybe she could do a list in my comment section as her dear old friend) http://loraleeslooneytunes.com/
5. Jana Brown: http://jimandjana.blogspot.com/

Oh I give up, I have limited friends and lots of sisters which actually puts me over the 7 count.

6. Tiana Gates: http://randomgates.blogspot.com/
7. Allison Taurence http://acat16b.blogspot.com/
8. Meghan Elison http://paganmeghan.blogspot.com/

The NY Giants Largest Ohio Fan Base...the W's!

This actually happened a few weeks ago but I'm just now getting to it...

Phil and I came to a compromise when we were first married and he had just joined the church. I came from a strong stance of "no sports on Sundays" and he came from a family was sports on Sundays (and any other day in which any sport of any team might have air time) was how they connected and enjoyed their time together. So as the brand new heads of our new family unit, we decided that when the NY Football Giants play Sunday games, that are broadcast in our local area, we would watch as a family.

This year their first game was on Thursday, the 9th, against the Washington Redskins, which we won! It was extra special because Michael Strahan, who retired after their Superbowl win, returned to present NY with the championship trophy. I'm going to miss him. He was my favorite player. Now I'll have to pick a new favorite teammate to cheer on for equally obscure and ridiculous reasons.

As part of our tradition we all dress in gear for the game and I make a big deal of making tailgating cuisine for dinner for the first game of the season. Chili, soda pop, wings, am I a fantastic wife or what? Not a single vegetable or fruit was forced! Both of my babies have scrapbook pages of their first televised Giants game in their baby books. This is actually a big deal for us and a really fun family tradition.

Hey, hey, here I am!

So I've been taking pics of the kids and mentally creating awesome blog notes about the fam, and work and school, BUT... then I get caught up in fam, and work, and school...and voila! Here I am 10 days later without a post and that on the 3rd was a cop out.

I do beleive in getting out the vote. Please remember that I was a voting deputy registrar and Perot campaigner in the '92 elections. I am a complete POTUS08 and NPR addict this go around but I'll be honest, cutting and pasting on the 3rd?! I didn't even make one single comment on how I FEEL about this election! What kind of blog entry was that? One in which I didn't have to download and cut and paste any of my adorable pics. So I'll be getting to the new family photos soon enough.

So about school.

I am in an awesome craft of fiction class that is already kicking my butt and making me fabulous. Oh yes, brothers and sisters I think this may be ticket on the train of stardom. OK maybe not. But I love my two stories this week and one still makes me giggle and when I get back it back on Monday from my instructor and tinker with it a bit more I'll post it for you guys to read.

The second I think is well crafted for an amateur of my experience but it does have two bad words, which are character appropriate, but I won't post. If you are interested in a suspense driven non-traditional story arc with a handsome rover who says "1" bad word that isn't even one of the terrible 5 but on the fringe, just let me know and I will e-mail it to you. My mom read it, gasped, and wouldn't let my grandmother take a turn because she said Grandma wouldn't look at me the same. There you have it, I like it, but I have to own up to the word choices.

In fact I'm only posting now at 7:30 am on Saturday because I'm at my mom's taking care of her dogs for the weekend and ignoring a 3-5 page paper on how character and setting effect the short stories "Cold Snap" and "Brokeback Mountain".

I'm in two other classes as well and besides having to memorize a speech for Wednesday (I chose Emma Goldman's "An Anarchist Looks at Life") and trying to stay awake in a warm dark classroom from 4:30-5:45 to look at slides and read from a pre-composed lecture handout. They are boring and not worth talking about today, even in avoidance of my paper.

Love you guys, talk to you later.