The Quarterly Report

I can't believe it is the end of the first quarter already! It seems like January was just yesterday and I was sharing about what personal goals I had set for myself this year. But three months really has gone by and it is time to re-evaluate my progress. So if you don't really care how I have been doing, now is a good time to stop reading because the rest of this post is a review for posterity's sake. So am I becoming more temperate? I had set up 3 interventions to help me along the way. Let's look at each one individually to see how it is working. First, I was going to refer often to a talk given by Elder Watson on developing temperance. Well I think it is been about a month or so since I read it last, so maybe it is time to revisit that. Next, I was going to read my scriptures daily. OK, this one I totally suck at. I don't know why I just can't seem to sit down and read daily from the scriptures. Yes, I know all the blessings that come from this and that reading and applying scriptures to my daily life will draw me closer to Christ. And yes, becoming more Christ-like is what I really want and yet, I fall short all.the.time. when it comes to reading His words. Maybe I need to re-examine if I really do want to be more Christ-like since I seem to be having difficulty reading scriptures daily. Am I just saying "I want to be more Christ-like" because I know that's what is expected? And is there something terribly wrong with saying it if I don't 100% mean it--I mean isn't there a saying "Fake it 'til you make it"? Whew, after typing all that out, it really hurt my soul. Yes, I DO want to be more like Christ. I'm not just trying to fake it 'til I make it. I need to do better at scripture study. No more excuses. Third, I was going to try yoga. I was doing a restorative yoga class on Saturday mornings and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately long runs and kids' activities have eliminated that as a possibility for now. But I will get back to it. I will. And finally, I had set a mini-goal to reduce snide, snarky, and sarcastic remarks to only 2 a day. Um, I kind-of forgot about this goal so I really didn't keep track of how I was doing. So with all of that said, do I think I have been making progress on becoming more temperate? Yes, in some ways. Even my kids have noticed some changes, despite the fact that they described me as "freezing rain". The developing of temperance has been a blessing when in regards to a certain naughty black lab that lives at our house. The only drawback to self-improvement? You see how many other things you need to improve on and sometimes it's hard to stay focused.

Can You Spare A Square?

Recently my friend, Jessica, posted about an embarrassing confession. A confession about running out of something. Well, I too, have a confession. At our house we tend to run out of a certain toiletrie item--usually at the most inopportune time. Well really, I guess it is worse for the girls than the boys. And since I'm a girl, you would think I wouldn't let this happen, but it happens OK. And here is why. First, well I won't tell you the first reason because the boys have said "Ooh, TMI". Second, we usually have back-up Kleenex available for use when drip-drying just isn't an option. Third, we never run "completely" out--we have 3 bathrooms so one usually has a few squares available. You just have to plan ahead so you go to the right bathroom. And finally and the biggest reason why we tend to run out of this item is....I HATE going to the grocery store. I find going to the store a huge hassle and I don't even have small children to worry about anymore. Call me lazy, if you must, but I just don't like going to the store and so I avoid it. I plan my grocery store visits every 2 weeks and if we run out of something before the 2 week time period is up, tough. We do without. Hence the issue of running out of certain necessary toiletrie items, because if you don't tell me we are running low, then we're going to go without if we run out. OK, I'm not quite that rigid. I will go to the store eventually, but it usually does take me a day or two to get there. This time it took me 2 days. Fortunately, we had Kleenex and one bathroom with a full roll.

And Welcome to Monday

This morning I finished my run early so I thought I would help the kids out with their morning chores. This meant unloading and re-loading the dishwasher. I unloaded the top shelf first, then the bottom, and finally the silverware. No sooner had I taken the last fork out of the silverware holder when there was a giant crash. The very full shelf holding all of our glassware broke and all of the glasses came cascading down onto the countertops, sink, and floor. There was glass everywhere! And I, being somewhat ridiculous, picked up all the large to medium sized pieces of glass and carefully put them in a bucket because I didn't want to throw away perfectly good glass--surely some artsy-crafty sort of person could use it. So I sent an e-mail to my co-workers stating my disaster could be their treasure. I got a few takers. So I thought it could the day could only get better. Then I came home and my cleaning lady left me this note: "Could I re-arrange your furniture? I think you are too busy to take the time to arrange your new furniture so your home feels cozy. Sincerely, The Cleaning Lady" POST SCRIPT: Please let today end...I took Katelyn to the mall after dinner. The boys were at the athletic club. Kate and I enjoyed a nice time wandering around. We were gone about an hour. We arrive home. The camera case is on the kitchen table (not where I had left it) and one of the memory cards is out. I asked Dave why he had the card out. He was rather vague in his answer. I then asked where the camera was. Again a vague response about how someone opened the case, turned on the camera, chewed the lens to bits and jammed the memory card slot shut. It was no someone it was a SOMETHING or should I say a rather naughty black lab who has killed her third camera. I AM SO DONE WITH THIS DAY!!! Carson said it was a sign of the apocalypse. Yeah, I guess so because references are made about killings/murders. The dog might be done for except my husband rocks and was able to salvage the memory card.

Growing Pains

(I tried to find some deep meaning for this picture to relate to this post, but really I just thought is was super cute)

We all enter this world as tiny little babies (OK, some of us come in bigger, some smaller, but we all start as babies). For the first year of life we are dependent on others for our learning and welfare. But we also start to show signs of independence. That we are individuals with unique personalities. And then we turn 1, and many of us begin to venture out a little more on our own. We take those first few baby steps. Some of us are wary, willing to hold on to a parent's hand so that they can help us navigate through those first unsteady steps. Others of us push that hand away, like it was an nuisance seriously impeding our independence. So the parent steps away, holding their breath, knowing that there are going to be some nasty bumps and bruises, but at the same time realizing that this is an important developmental step. And then before you know it, that toddler (whether cautious or fiercely strong-willed) is no longer walking, but they are running. And the stage is set. Grade school years see the child continuing to learn, grow, and establish even a little more independence. That little person that once relied on a parent for everything now can feed themselves, dress themselves, advise you of what they need. But there are those tender times when they still want to cuddle on your lap or snuggle down in your bed to soothe them after a bad dream. And you find that you couldn't be more in love with your child. And then in the blink of an eye that grade schooler is now a teen-ager. Teen-ager. Just the very word can strike terror in the heart of a parent, even though we all know it is coming and unavoidable. So you hope and pray. You wait to see what type of person will emerge. And just like when they were babies learning to walk, some are willing to hold a parent's hand (figuratively of course, because what teen-ager would be caught dead literally holding a parent's hand?), willing to take advice, and letting go just often enough that parents remember that establishing independence is a necessary step. And then there are those who push the hand away. They want to see just how much they can do on their own, even when it seems to be a little self-destructive. And these are the ones that the parents want to cling to the most, to help them see beyond the now and understand how their decisions/actions affect everyone. And then you're done. The children move on and the parent is left hoping that all works out. Hoping that the strong-will that led to all of the turmoil is now channelled in such a way that the now grown child is successful. And you hope that the child who was satisfied in holding on here and there has established enough independence that they, too, can be successful. And the growing pains are suffered by the parents just as much as the children.

Hey, That's a Lizard Trick

I don't miss much about hospital nursing. The politics and backbiting got old really quick and the hours were crap. But there are times (like when I am nit-picking a child's head for the 3rd or 4th time) that I find myself wistfully daydreaming of some of the more interesting things that I saw at the hospital and clinics--the herion addict who was hallucinating because the resident decided to use ketamine as a sedative while he drained an absess. That was interesting--the guy thought I was Bugs Bunny. Or the guy who nail-gunned a board to his hand. That was definitely not run-of-the-mill. And I'll never forget the gangbanger who came in with a gunshot wound to his calf and then cried like a baby when I tried to give him a shot of morphine for the pain. I almost told him to quit acting like a baby. Yes, those things were interesting. But now I am in a place where it's more often ice pack and band-aids that get doled out. So when something interesting rolls through the door, well, I get almost a little giddy. Like the broken arm a couple of weeks ago--the one that was almost u-shaped. And then there was the bloody nose on Friday. Most of the time a bloody nose is no big deal. Often, the bleeding has stopped by time the kiddo gets to the health room because the blood is from them picking their nose. Sometimes, though, it takes a little bit longer for the bleeding to stop. Usually some forceful pinching for about 15 minutes will be enough. When that doesn't work, I usually have the kiddo gently blow their nose to eliminate any clots. Gentle blow, clot comes out, pinch for 5 minutes and Viola, bleeding stop. Friday, pinching for about 15 minutes. Not really stopping so have the kiddo gently blow. Blood squirts out from his eyeball, just like some lizards can do. So cool. Haven't seen that before. Sent the kiddo home with his mom with instructions to take him to the urgent care. Would have loved to have been at the urgent care to see what size of clot came out of his nose.

Ha! There's Research to Back Me Up

Sometimes it is so nice to receive random bits of information that validate what you are doing as a parent. Especially when there are times that some people look at you like you are crazy for some of your parenting strategies and so said strategies at times cause your children to cringe in embarrassment. Last week the school nurse specialist sent me a link to a research artilce on adolescent depression and bedtimes. The study found that adolescents whose parents let them stay up past 10 p.m. had a statistically significant increase in depression when compared to same aged peers whose bedtimes were before 10 p.m. Guess when my children go to bed. 9 p.m. during the school year. That's right. Somehow, we have managed to get our 16 year old and almost 14 year old to adhere to the same bedtime since they were about 10. We sometimes make a few allowances during the summer, allowing a bedtime of 10 p.m. So gratifying to know that we are doing something right in this parenting adventure.

Unreasonable? Me?

I have come to realize that I might be being a little bit unreasonable. But here's the kicker...I don't think I am ready to be reasonable yet, even with all of the pleading and trying to reason. Have you seen the movie Dan in Real Life? Remember when the teen-age daughter yells, "Murder of love" at her father? Well my teen-age daughter hasn't yelled that at me, but I think she is on the verge of yelling "Murder of social networking fun". She of course is talking about my balking at getting her a cell phone and allowing her to have a Facebook page. Of course she has provided me with a list of reasons why she should be allowed these privileges, but her biggest reason is always "Everyone else has one". She really is a good kid and probably deserves these two things. But, truth be told, I'm scared to let her have them. I just want to protect her from all of the ugliness that is out there. I am sure that if cyber-bullying had been around when I was in high school, I would have been a recipient. It was bad enough to have my car egged and side mirrors bent all crazy on a regular basis. I don't want Katelyn to be subjected to any sort of bullying. I know I can't protect her at school, but I can protect her at home. And one of the ways that I have chosen to protect her is to not provide her with a cell phone or a Facebook account. She says that she would only give her number to friends and would only "friend" people that she knows on Facebook. And every time I get ready to give in, I hear a story from my girlfriends with high school girls about how their daughters were subjected to mean, ugly text messages or awful things posted about them on Facebook. Ugh! I just can't do it. It makes my stomach hurt every time I think about Katelyn having a cell phone and Facebook. On the other hand, OK, right now there is no "on the other hand" for me. I guess I will just keep on being unreasonable. Unless someone can provide me with a really good counter-argument that does not involve "Everyone else has one" because keeping up with the Jones's has never been a good argument to me.

An Interesting Transformation

There has been a metamorphosis occurring in our house. No, I'm not talking about me reaching "at my age" status or my haircut rebellion (but here's a picture for my brother Nate).

No, this is about that transformation that is happening to a certain teen-ager in my house. Last year I couldn't believe that this teen-ager was still watching the daily offerings of Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zac and Cody, and Wizards of Waverly Place. I was going crazy, especially when said teen-ager would watch a show that had already been seen at least 3 times!!

But we've moved on and grown up a little in the last 6 months or so. Now the daily viewing includes What Not to Wear and Say Yes to the Dress. And because of the first show in particular, it seems that clothing styles are becoming a little more important to this teen-ager (but not enough that it is causing major issues, because this teen-ager is just good that way).

And I'm usually a little be mournful when I think about my children growing up, but I'm not this time because I was so done with Hannah, Zac, Cody and the whole Disney Channel gang!

He HATES It...And No, I don't think that is too strong of a word

My husband is usually a very patient, tolerant man who supports me in almost everything I do. But I have cut my hair. Short. We've been married long enough that he only pretended he liked it for the short amount of time it took him to recover from the shock. I'll be growing it out now.