I think I won't make my bed tomorrow

This is a little long, and maybe not a typical blog entry. But my most wonderful Aunt Jana wrote a blog entry once about how it's fun to use blogs to show friends and family what's going on in our lives, but they should also be used to show how we sometimes don't have it all together, so everyone can relate to one another. So, I'm taking that as permission to post this because I think it will help me make some changes in my life.

So, for book club this month, we read The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. You've all probably heard of him or seen him on YouTube. Anyway, I, of course, waited until the week of book club to start the book. But it was okay because it is a super easy read, so everyone should take a few hours and read this book. There is something in it for everyone.

Anyway, I started it on Monday night, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about this one particular story he relates. When he was a teenager, he asked his parents if he could paint things on the walls of his room. When his parents ask what he would paint, he says, "Things that matter to me. Things that I think would be cool. You'll see." Which was enough for his father to say yes. His mother was more skeptical, but gave permission as well. I know I would never allow that. What would guests think? What if we wanted to sell the house? Anyway, his friend and sister helped him paint all sorts of funny, teenage things on his walls. In all the years that have passed, his wise parents never painted over it. Even in his 40s, when he would go home to visit, he could go in his room and remember that he won the "parent lottery."

He concludes the story by writing, "Anybody out there who is a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let them do it. It'll be okay, Don't worry about the resale value of your home."

So, this has been on my mind all week, and I really want to be like his parents. And not just allowing my kids to paint their walls. I think there is more to it than that. I have become so consumed with keeping the house clean and organized, and following a schedule, and being on time, and not making messes. I'm sure it is because I feel so totally out of control in my life right now with Scott's schedule. But, I actually told Alysson the other day that she couldn't have Ritz crackers for a snack because they make too much crumbs. Then a few days later, she had some other crackers and got crumbs everywhere, and she apologized to me. And I felt so bad about that and tried to tell her it was okay, but she started helping me clean them up. And tonight, my dad came over to watch the kids so I could go to book club. So, I heard him say something to Alysson about reading books, plural, after she was ready for bed, and I said, "No, just one." Like Alysson getting to read an extra book with her grandpa is going to throw all my little routines out the window.

At book club, I mentioned all this, and someone told me about this quote from Sister Hinckley.

"My mother taught me some basic philosophies of rearing children. One is that you have to trust children. I tried hard never to say "no" if I could possibly say "yes." I think that worked well because it gave my children the feeling that I trusted them and they were responsible to do the best they could."

So, this is my new goal. I know it's not going to be easy. But I'm going to put that quote on my mirror, and I'm going to try really hard to lighten up, and let my kids be kids. And someday, if Alysson or Carson want to paint their walls, I hope I've had enough practice by then to say yes.

What I've done

I was blog hopping and found this on someone's blog and decided to do it.

Things I have done... Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done and make sure to put your score at the end.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (if $20 counts)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (I played a solo on the oboe, so I think it counts)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Gone without food or water for 24 hours or longer
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Stayed up for 24 hours with NO sleep at all
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Changed a light bulb
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Mowed the lawn
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

My total is 46.

Christmas and Alysson's 4th Birthday

I'm finally getting around to these photos. We had a great Christmas. Scott had to work in the morning, so Alysson wrote a note to Santa to take the kids presents to grandma and grandpa's house. Then when Scott got home about lunch time, we all went over there and did the santa thing. I was kind of sad about it, because I love seeing the kids faces on Christmas morning, but at least Scott got to spend the rest of the day with us.

Then 4 days later, it was Alysson's 4th birthday party. She wanted a dinosaur party. The kids each got dinosaur masks, and decorated a bucket and dug in the sand for eggs to put in their bucket. And we had a pinata and did a volcano. My mom made the great cake! I love the cookie cakes she makes!

Then 2 days later we left for two weeks. More on that in the next post. Anyway, here is a slide show for anyone who has time.

Cracking up

It's been a while because it was Christmas and then Alysson's birthday and then we left for almost 2 weeks. So, we are finally winding down from the holidays, and I have tons to report, but I'm very tired, so one quick story.

I really try not to laugh when Alysson says things that are funny because I don't want to embarrass her. But this made me laugh out loud on a plane full of people today.

She was talking about how she doesn't remember when she was a baby like Carson. And then it led to asking if Carson remembers when he was in my tummy. I reminded her he never was in my tummy and told her the adoption story again. Then she said, "But I was in your tummy, right." And I said yes. And then she says, "Yea, until I cracked out." Like an egg! So funny. I love her view of the world.

Hair

Alysson hates to have me do her hair. She always cries, so we usually just do a headband to keep it out of her face. But this past week, I've tortured her into doing her hair a few times. I'm so proud of the results, so I'm posting pictures.

These are some curlers my mom got called curlformers. You put them in wet like sponge curlers.

This is the end result. So cute!!

I found a blog from a friend's blog that shows hair styles. So I tried this one on Sunday.

SNOW DAY!!!

Because the city has no snow plows or trucks to spray de-icer stuff on the roads, we are shutting down tomorrow. Gov't workers and schools are cancelled. We are having a snow day!! 11 years in Utah and not one snow day. I really hate the snow worse here. In SLC, it was expected and we put up with it, but here it's just wrong to see snow on palm trees, so it makes me mad.

Global Warming?

So today we woke up to snow. It started out typical for here. A few small flakes and nothing sticking. Then the flakes got bigger, and it started to stick a little. Alysson was freaking out. She has been asking when it was going to snow, and I keep telling her is didn't snow here. So when she saw this, she had to call daddy and grandma Marty to make sure they heard. We went outside ASAP to build a snowman because I assumed it would melt quickly. Then it snowed for 8 more hours straight. NO JOKE! I bet we have 4 or 5 inches. I have never seen it like this here. So, of course we had to go back out, and this time Alysson wore snow pants so she could make snow angels. And before I get any comments, I know our snowman is pathetic. We made him earlier when there wasn't as much snow. Everyone is so funny here. It seems like everyone was outside taking pictures of their houses in the snow, and I could here all the neighborhood kids playing outside when school got out. I wish I got as excited about the snow. But I did feel at home with all the snow covered roofs.