The word of the day is......

FASCISM- any movement, tendency, or idealogy that favors dictatorial government, centralized control of private enterprise, repression of opposition, and extreme nationalism.

I don't know about you, but I when I looked this up to read what exactly the word meant, I was afraid.

My life is complete

I can die happy

I have met with the most amazing girl who took the most amazing photos of my family.

I don't have my own CD yet, so for now you will just have to go on over and click to see a few previews from our photo shoot for yourself...

Dc Photo Booth

And yes...I totally am aware that my kids STOLE THE SHOW...isn't that the way it should be?

Maybe if you hurry you can book a photo session with Carrie before she gets so busy you can't get in any more.

I LOVE THEM!

Why I boycotted the Science Fair

I understand that kids want to make volcanoes and see steamy things spew in the gym, but my loathing of the science fair began years ago. My oldest son is somewhat of a perfectionist, so just agreeing on a display and how we would do it was a fight.

We have done bean sprouts, DNA strands, and phases of the moon......but see that is where the hate began. I am not even going to get into the hours and hours of searching, painting, typing, gluing loss of sleep that goes into each one of these.....

Oh no.....what bothers me is that my child can pick a topic, like the above mentioned, and if his board doesn't ask a question a certain way and have a certain type of guess, then show the calculated answer, then all of his work and research just earns him a bad score.

See , it isn't about learning..it is about how you present the scientific method, which is usually the same display year after year done by different kids. My son wanted to learn how a GPS works. He studied it, he used his dad's GPS, he created a Travel Bug and logged all the places it went on the earth, for 2 years, then made an awesome display board with measuring tapes and maps and let kids figure out how coordinates are tallied.... it was a hit, but not with the judges.

(my boys geocaching in Williams Arizona, a few years ago on vacation)

While he had parents and kids alike figuring out map locations and measuring them with 3 separate tapes, the judges did not approve of his display...there was no obvious layout of the scientific method.

SO now when my kids bring home a science fair memo I toss it aside and say, "If you want to do it, go ahead..." but I am done with the searching and preparing just to present something within the confines of the district judges. Maybe I am mean, but to me thinking outside of the box is great for kids.....

Our elementary school science fair is today. Guess whose kids do NOT have a display there. My poor, deprived children.

How to Have a Great Valentine's Day

Here are the instructions for a fabulous Valentine's Day.

1- Plan for Book Club to meet at your house. Once you get past the panic that you must host it on a special day, the ideas and excitement begin to flow. Reading Jane Eyre give you a valid excuse to break out the china and enjoy the moment. Great conversation about Jane Eyre (the covered book) and Atlas Shrugged makes you feel excited to be alive and free and have friends. Hubby is shopping with kids and going to Basketball....relax and relish in the adult conversation..

NEXT-
2- Have your husband and kids walk in at the end of book club carrying a balloon, roses, chocolate cake, a giant kiss, (I always wanted one of those!) and the new David Cook CD. These all score major points in the Valentine's Day score book, especially when we 'celebrated' the night before and went to dinner. Bonus. I felt like Phyllis, on The Office.


3- Declare you are exhausted from all the excitement of the day and plop on the couch with a quilt, by your Valentine's side where you both fall into a long winters nap. Naps. What a gift.

4- Be woken from your nap by a phone call from your cool cop little sister that is visiting from out of town and decide to join her and her husband for dinner. Yum. (plus this means you don't have to cook and clean!) Double Bonus!

5- Hang out, kick back, send kids to bed, and head up to your bed with your Valentine for a night of proving your love......well, you get the idea.

Valentine's Day. Awesome.

I hear you

I may not be fighting the foreclosure of my home, but I can relate to the frustration of feeling like nobody hears me. Please don't even get me started about the hidden agenda of the "Stimulus/Spending/In debt our Children Forever Bill".

I am typing the 9 principles of Glenn Becks "We Surround Them" unity group. There are MORE of us then the people pushing the laws and spending the money that they don't have... if you believe these too snap a photo of yourself and send it to ;

wesurroundthem@gmail.com

9 Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and he is the center of my life
3. I must always be a more honest person today than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for ME.....I do not answer to them.....they answer to me.

The first time I read these, I was moved by the simplicity and integrity of each statement, but as I have re-read them over the last couple of days and typed them today I am moved by the profound nature of each principle. I am moved and comforted by these words. I feel strength in knowing hundreds of thousands of other people are standing, even 'raising there arm in a square of promise' - as said by Glenn, and committing to living these principles. I would love to explain more of my passion behind these principles, but for now I just want you-anyone-someone to add these ideals to what you think about in the next few days, and act on them.

That is more in line with the kind of CHANGE I was looking for.

I have no reason to complain, but....

I am going to do it anyway.


I really should be dancing with twinkly flowers falling from my heels as I go, but instead I am sulking around the house. Why, may you ask? Why?

I am not excatly sure. Perhaps it is the NEWS and the same stupid politics as usual and realizing they really DON'T CARE about US as a people at all....
perhaps it is the dreary weather and my need for sunshine and warm air (no, the tanning bed isn't cutting it)
perhaps it is the Sundays and the tricky kids (that's one way to describe them) that I chase around for hours and come home and crawl into bed with exhaustion over
perhaps it is the son who is still missing assignments
or the son in new braces that have to be cranked and I can't crank the device
perhaps it is the bill that came with the braces....and the fact that Ihave been paying debt FOREVER and feel like I will be paying it FOREVER more...
perhaps it is the number on the scale
or the fact that everyone else in my running group is way way better than I am
perhaps it is the messy house I don't even care to clean


on days like this I often resort to the following measures;





(actual cake I drove to the store and bought just for myself on a similar bad day...I know, don't say anything about the scale bit)

see....it is like nothing REALLY is wrong, but I kind of wish I could disappear for a few weeks and come back happy and bubbly and funny again.
Allow me this misery for a few more days...then , please join me in praying it will GO AWAY!

She's wierd like that....

I find the way boys relate to girls oh, so amusing...... take my 9 year old's observation, for instance....

As I was reading Jane Eyre he asked what I was reading, and I told him. He rolled his eyes and said "A girl in my class is reading that". My jealous parent side (what? what 9 year old girl is smart enough to understand this book...further more, making her parents better than I am) flashed into gear as I read to him an excerpt full of lengthy words and long descriptions and said..."are you sure she's reading THAT!!!!????"

He started laughing, "Yes mom," he said, "She is reading THAT. She's loves that kind of weird stuff......." pause....."She even plays the cello!"

Okay....that explains it, then, if shes plays the cello. Meanwhile, at my house, that same child is home "SICK" (quotations are the key here) watching Full House re-runs.

Oh yeah.....I am the worst mom ever.

I am also extremely superficial. I can't stand the cover of my book (pictured above) so I covered it with cute paper and stamped the title on it. Who wants to read a classic with a strange face on the cover? It kind of looks like Uma Thruman with constipation, and I just can't look at that every time I pick it up!!

Artsy Entry

I am posting my first little attempt at a 'twinchie'. A 2 inch little square of art or collage, as discovered in Somerset Studio magazine and since seen around the web and other places. This challenge was to create a twinchie in black and white- very hard because of my obsession with pink and light teal in artsy pieces. I am sad that the white/silvery stamping I did doesn't show up, but oh well.....lesson learned.

After finding a few pictures that I loved last night I decided to sleep on it, only to toss and turn all night thinking about what paper I had and what picture I should use. I finally decided to use a bit of a photo I had taken of David in Florence, Italy. My thought was also to pay tribute to the movie "Office Space" that me and my brother can never get enough of, while also giving a nod to my Facebook Flair (is anyone else so sad our bulletin boards disappeared?) and this is my humble little piece of art.

Then, while out soothing my symptoms of PMS by shopping for both clothing and crafting supplies I found this sparkly butterfly in the JoAnn's Crafts dollar bin that I HAD to have. Just like a tween girl I envisioned it dangling somewhere by my bedside. After bringing it home I dressed it up with a few of my ETC. embellishments that I have forever loved and not dared to use. Now I have a silly reminder of beauty and radiance waiting to greet me every morning. (And perhaps a husband questioning my sanity) Am I the only one who remembers what movie this line comes from, "Why yes, Darling, you look positively radiant!" (points to you if you know).

So here is to whimsical little pieces of paper and glitter that somehow make me feel young again and remind me to be creative. Best of all...it's calorie (and caffeine) free.

Mommy Diaries

It is the eternal debate as a mom; do I sign my kids up for sports or let then relax and take it easy, and simplify my life? There are pros and cons to both sides of the debate, but for me, I knew I had done right by signing Masty G up for basketball when I went in his room to put away clothes and saw this set out on his dresser (set out on Tuesday- game day is Saturday)

I thought it was so incredibly cute of him to set everything out all nice and neat like, especially the shoes which were a new purchase for the sport. He loves it. He smiles and nods at his adoring fan (me) as he runs his little body up and down the court. I wish I could do the wave for him.

Why didn't anyone warn me of the dress code? This is not like Soccer where parents show up in sweats and flip flops. These moms are DECKED out in there MEK jeans and D&G handbags.....I feel the need to dress equal to a dinner date with my hubby. Ugh. Saturdays are for scrounginess, people!!!!

One pleasant surprise was running in to my bloggy/real life friend Marie. Her little boy and mine apparently share not only their names (yes...first and middle, same names....long story), but their passion for all things basketball.
I declared "This is a bloggy moment if ever I saw one!" as I whipped out my camera phone on our way to the car.

If we look relaxed and at ease (in spite of the cold) that is because our boys are tossing a basketball around, rather than another boy. We discussed the horrors of wrestling (my middle child favors this sport) with its singlets and face-sitting-on techniques. We applauded our son's baskets with promises of cash. (My idea).

Lastly- one quick reminder of why I love snowy/wintry days. Hats and braids.



ahhhhh. You would never know what my hair really looks like or if I am on day two or three of that straightening. I love snow beanies. Too bad I snag them at Wal-mart off the 88 cent rack, instead of the mall. Remind me to get a nice one before the next basketball game.

Blast from the Past

All right, then Brittany. I'll match your puffy sleeves and equally puffy bangs, and raise them to a pair of jeans with the front panel a different color than the back. (look close)

Don't forget the short 'new wave' hair a la Pat Benatar style, and if you are especially hip you throw on a super thin tie and man's styled shirt. Extra points for finding someone with bandanas tied around his legs....BOTH LEGS! Way to go, big brother!



In case you didn't figure it out yet, I am the second from the left. On my right is my sister from Someday I will Soar and on my left is my big sister/roommate/ bunk-bed sharing sis Lynnae from Little White Attic.

Smart alec comments and condolences now being accepted below.

The Latest Pages

Well, seeing as how I am back to counting calories, I feel starving, I added a power pump class to my week and haven't lost an ounce, I am not in the mood to write anything funny or nice. (Plus no caffeine lately! Really? Body, are you sure?)

I am going to have to celebrate something different. I haven't had time to watch LOST yet (just need to get the kids out the door and plop down with blankies) so we are on to my next source of comfort. My pages.

I have really been working to complete the adorable Lisa Bearnson book I have, and adding these few pages has been an acoomplishment for me. Her book is so easy, with pieces included and instructions spelled out, so smothering it with more stuff is just the icing on the cake for my creative impulses.

The LOVE page ......






















And the feeling pages....(not journaled yet- to spare you the curiousity and embarassment of reading my silly fears temper pushers)













Now, doesn't that take some of the sting out of this mornings weigh in?

Actually, NO, it doesn't. But I hope you enjoy them anyway.

History in the making....

and no, I am not talking about the new president putting in a fresh stick of gum as he rolls past in his limo.

I am talking about American Idol. Long before it was even a twinkle in Simon's eye families like mine gathred around their fuzzy picture, rabbit ear supported ( or metal hanger at times)television for Star Search.

So..... imagine my shock when a little fedora wearing, striped shirt tune toting dude walks in to sing his orginal version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

Was I the only one at home having flashbacks of the top of the lung belting, jacket grabbing, mullet loving, Converse sporting, ladies swooning (which team does swing for) Sam Harris?

We had the cassette tape (yes, it was that long ago) and I think we literally wore it out.
If you have forgotten (or didn't know in the first place) then here you go.
If you are short on time, skip to the last 60 seconds.


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What do you think?

More deep thoughts...

Just when I am done pondering coincidences (read a story in Friend for family home evening and it was on the exact subject....weird, I hadn't read it before I read it to the kids) and thinking deeply about Atlas Shrugged.......I find myself watching this, yes that's right, True Beauty.....and getting completely sucked in!

I vowed that I would pass on this little tidbit of media hype....but last week was flipping through my PEOPLE and turned this on in the background. Seeing Ashley get kicked off felt like healing to my vulnerable teenage self. I can't say why....

Why is it so satisfying to see these people have to watch their mean moments on a TV before they go? They had no idea their threats, cussing, and burps were even being filmed. I am not sure.....but I kind of liked it. Please don't tell anyone.

Next time you see me I will be posting about the deep and wonderful things in life. But True Beauty.....that is just guilty pleasure viewing at it's finest!

Now if we can see BOB have another meltdown on Biggest Loser my day will be complete! Bliss!