Finally, Not Cold Cereal

I finally planned ahead and got a dinner prepared for tonight.

It was nothing fancy. Oven bbq'd chicken, carrot sticks, fruit.

I was so proud of myself to finally have prepared a family meal.

I think it was the first time for this school year.

But it was just Carson and me.

That seems to be how it has gone since school started, one or two somebody's are always gone for dinner.

I think that's why we usually just have cold cereal.

Heaven help us when we are empty-nesters. I won't want to be bothered at all to cook.

And eating out is too much of a bother.

Poor Dave. He better improve his culinary skills for his own benefit and survival.

He has a couple of years to figure it out.

Or be prepared to buy stock in a cold cereal company.

I'm Here, Really I Am

Things have been busy.

Busier than usual it feels like.

The last two weeks, we have had something on the calendary every night. (sometimes more than one thing).

I can't even remember everything that has kept us out of the house.

If you saw our kitchen table you would know we have been busy.

Because it is covered with papers.

It only gets covered with papers when we haven't been home to eat family dinners.

We've gone through almost 12 boxes of cereal the last 2 weeks because that is our "go to" meal when things are crazy.

I want things to become less busy.

But busy is actually good.

It keeps my mind off of things like the fact that Katelyn is a senior and turning 18 in a couple of weeks.

Busy also keeps me distracted from the sadness I feel about Grandma Carol's passing.

She passed this morning. She will leave a hole that will never completely fill.

Busy helps fill the hole. But sometimes during the busy, I find myself tripping over that hole and then my eyes starting leaking because of the hurt.

Champagne Dreams on a Beer Budget

We are shopping for a new car.

I don't like the process at all.

We are in a transition time, not quite ready to completely get rid

of the SUV, but also ready for something a little smaller.

I want something with the bells and whistles.

I'm ready for something with the bells and whistles.

Our finances can't quite support something with the bells and whistles.

Because we pay cash for our cars.

The SUV has been a good car, but it's starting to show its age.

We would like to replace it sooner rather than later.

Did I already mention that our cash reserves are not quite there yet?

So what are we looking for?

I have no idea!

But here are my must haves:

Somewhat practical...

(meaning cargo area for the dog & gear)

Good gas mileage

Reliable

Under 30,000 miles

Heated leather seats

Dual front power seats

Sunroof

All-wheel drive

Power liftgate

Rear back-up sensors

Sirius radio set-up

Bluetooth capability

Smokin' deal

Any suggestions?

Blech, It was a Long Week

I forget how hard it is to adjust to the working full-time gig. The lazy days of summer overnight turn into a frenetic-paced long days of work. Everyone is tired, which causes crankiness. The crankiness raises the stress level of all family members and tension in the house is palpable. I know it will calm down after a couple of weeks, but for now it's "blech."

There isn't a first day of school picture because the kids didn't have to go to school until 11:15 a.m. on the first day of school; therefore, they weren't ready when I had to go to school. I missed documenting Katelyn's "last first day of school." Blech. But at least I got a "second day of school" picture. And for some reason, the picture is turning out all fuzzy when I post it to the blog. Blech.

I'm so inundated with paperwork at work that I haven't been able to see any kiddos. Blech.

Carson missed his first driver with the driving school. That cost us an additional $30. Blech.

Katelyn got to the testing center late so she couldn't take her ACT. She called to tell me that and I really snapped at her. Blech.

Worrying about Katelyn getting into college totally stresses me out. When I'm stressed, I turn into a not very nice mom. Blech.

I thought I finally found a new car to buy. The sales manager was a total jerk and kept us waiting for the numbers while he was out smoking a cigarette. Then once he found out we weren't interested in financing, he was no longer interested in negotiating selling the car. We wasted a whole afternoon. Blech.

Last night we went to the fair. But Katelyn refused to go. I was hoping that she would grant us just this one last "going to the fair as a family" tradition. But she didn't. Blech.

Today is 9/11/2011. It is the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks on the United States. And now I seem like a total jerk and whiner for blogging about how bad my week was last week. Blech.

It's got to get better next week, right?

A Parenting Success? I Think So.

Carson doesn't usually offer up much talk about what was discussed in priesthood class, even when prodded and asked specific questions. And he for sure doesn't bring it up on his own, except for today. Today, the lesson irritated him and he told us all about it. It was a good conversation.

The lesson was on the delicate nature of women. The teacher spoke of how women needed to be treated with care because they are delicate. He also stated that women should stay home and cook and clean, but shouldn't be expected to do such things as yard work. Ugh! Are you kidding me? I had no idea this was still a commonly held notion taught to the young men. Carson was so offend by this lesson because he felt that it greatly diminished women and made women sound as if they didn't have any ability to fend for themselves or express any sort of coherent, intelligent thought.

I was so proud to hear that Carson had the good sense to state that in our family everyone is treated equally and that he wasn't buying into the notion that "women are delicate". The teacher didn't believe that was really the case. The teacher told Carson that he thought surely the girls in our family would never be asked to do such a thing as scoop up the dog poop because "they were daddy's little princesses." Carson replied that indeed it is Katelyn who scoops the yard while Carson mows. He also went on to say that he unloads the dishwasher and Katelyn loads it. Carson could have also shared that they are expected to sort their own laundry on laundry day, help fold the clothes, and are responsible for putting away their own clothes. He also could have shared how I am the one who pays the bills and has a better idea of the budget although major purchases are discussed between both parents, and sometimes the whole family. Carson could have shared that I have a higher college degree than David. But I think he shared enough to get the point across that while women need to be treated with respect, they do not need to be treated as delicate, fragile flowers.

The conversation then turned to what lessons are presented in Young Women's. Katelyn said that the young women's lessons usually revolve around how the girls have to help the young men honor their priesthood and not behave immorally because, you know, boys will be boys and all they think about is sex. I find this message as equally disturbing as the message that Carson heard in priesthood. Basically, the girls are being taught that men are bad and it's only the sweet-spirited girls who can save them from themselves. Fortunately, Katelyn realizes that boys are responsible for themselves and she is responsible for herself and her actions. She expects boys to treat her with respect, and she treats them with respect.

We finished the discussion stating that if you just treat everyone with respect, you can't go wrong. We also talked about the fact that whether you are a girl or a boy does not automatically relegate you to certain roles. You can pretty much do anything you set your mind to. David and I both testified that above all else, being a parent is the best job in the world and we loved both of them very much and were proud of them for standing up and sharing how things work in our family.