If You Give A Mouse A Cookie...

How many of you have read If You Give A Mouse A Cookie? It has a similar plot to If You Give a Pig A Pancake or If You Give A Moose A Muffin. One thing leads to another and you essentially end up at the beginning of the story again. That was my day today.

Yesterday I went on a walk with the kids and I popped my shoe. Yes, I got a flat tire and my jogging shoes were no longer filled with magical Nike air. Today I decided that I better replace the shoes so that I'd have no excuse to duck out of exercising. I left the house with the intention of finding shoes, but we went to the library first.

At the library, we were informed that there was a Magic show in 45 minutes. Well, who am I to say no to a magic show?! I figured that the kids could check out books, play on the computers, and hang out until the beginning of the show. It's not hard to lose time in the library.

The Magic show was well worth waiting for. The kids sat in the front row and were captivated for 45 minutes. Emma was ecstatic that she got picked as one of the volunteers. She blew on some crumpled up newspaper and a bird came out. She would love to add being a Magician's Assistant to her list of job possibilities.

After the library I knew that if I didn't get shoes I wasn't going to get them. So off to the outlets we went. I was able to find a new pair of shoes...let's hope they make me run more...er, faster. Mission accomplished for the day.

Well, the kids were hungry so I fed them lunch. Then I thought that as long as we were close to the movie theater we could see if a movie was playing. Monsters v. Aliens was just about to start so I thought; "Why not?!"

The kids were REALLY good in the movie. Lily actually sat in her own chair for I think the first time. It wasn't a great movie, but it was entertaining. Once the movie was done, I figured that since I was already at the "mall" I could look for a tie for Jack. We found a tie in the clearance rack at The Children's Place. Successful shopping with the kids.

So, now that we've exhausted ourselves, we'll probably be spending the day at home tomorrow.

Spring Break

Now that it is officially Spring Break, we're having another snow day. Jack has a trip to the Denver Mint planned for today, hopefully the weather will clear up so that he can go.

This will be an interesting week with Emma. She got grounded over the weekend due to poor organizational skills in her bedroom (it was a disaster zone). I let her pick her punishment, she chose no TV. I wasn't thinking that Spring break was this entire week. Denial on my part. So, I will need to come up with lots of chores/activities that will keep her busy. Thankfully we don't watch a lot of tv, but admittedly there are times that it is a well deserved break for me.

Stay tuned for exciting updates on my mental status this week. That would probably go over better on Facebook, but I'm not sure I have the energy to update my status so frequently. Plus, I might come off as more manic than I would care to admit.

The Basement Clean Up

And so it begins....We signed a contract to start construction on the basement. We just need to clean up the basement and construction will start next week. By cleaning up the basement...we essentially needed to move EVERYTHING. This included the storage shelves that Michael built, with all the stuff already on it. Michael has a huge workbench that also needed to get moved, I wasn't looking forward to that.We did get everything moved. We are going to have to move the cat's paraphernalia again. Moving it is not as easy as one would expect. Anyone want a cat for the next couple months?

Early Morning TV

I was up turning on the tv way too early this morning. We did get a considerable amount of snow yesterday and I just wanted to be sure that school was canceled. It's not that I mind school being canceled, I just like to know and can have some expectation of the day ahead. At about 5:15 AM the kid's school district had canceled school for the day.

Spring Break is supposed to start next week, it would appear that we are going to have an extra long Spring Break. Emma was also supposed to have a field trip today. She is a little disappointed that she isn't going. I'm sure she'll feel better knowing that the field trip will be rescheduled.

I need to find more gloves for the kids. Jack went out to play with some friends yesterday and forgot to wear snow pants and gloves. I'm sure he would have played longer but he nearly broke down the front door trying to get inside and get warm. His pants were frozen stiff and he broke down in tears because his hands were so cold. That was a lesson learned on what to wear when playing in the snow. (I need to find some empty bread sacks and tube socks)

Lily didn't want to touch the snow, she was warming up her thumb by sucking on it.

Devine Design

We're in the process of thinking about our basement. Insert deep breathe. We've had several bids on completing about 1000 square feet and the picture above is close to what we want/can afford. The main focus of the basement will be the family room with room for toys/tv/Rock Band.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Snow Day

Well, there were rumor about a big snow storm, but I didn't believe. We rarely turn on the tv in the morning and today was no exception. I guess I should have been watching the news to find out about school closures. In the year and a half that we've been in Colorado the kids haven't had a single "snow day" for school. Today we are having our first snowed in day.

I woke Michael up to take the kids to school. I generally take the kids but I didn't want to go outside today. Maybe I should have thought about that before I sent Michael off to school with the kids. Michael showed up at school and wondered why there were no cars/kids. A nice Mom in a minivan stopped and told him there was no school due to snow. He turned back around and brought the kids home. Ironically the one day I get Michael to take the kids to school, he doesn't have to.

Last night we went to the library and got a few movies and books. Looks like we'll be watching movies and doing lots of drawing today. If we hadn't had "Springlike" weather the past couple weeks I'd enjoy this more. Spring break is next week...let's hope the kids have school tomorrow.

Dad Would Be So Proud

The edge of the cubby needed a veneer wood strip ironed on. I got to use my superb ironing skills in the workshop and made a shoe cubby go from nice to WOW. I kinda want to say; "Suck it Ikea!"

All the credit for the construction goes to Michael, he sees all the flaws, but I think it looks fab. This is a very expensive shoe cubby, but as soon as the next phase in construction goes in, the price per unit will decrease dramatically.

Anyone want to come help this next weekend?

Sharing Time

In addition to teaching my regular Primary class, we were in charge of Sharing Time as well. I've never done Sharing Time before and I was kinda freaked out about what to do and how long we should go.

Luckily a friend emailed a link that got me going on ideas. This was a great place to start on our Sharing Time. I think that the theme for the week was really easy to work with; "I have many family members who can help me." Perhaps it was a deceptively easy. I planned on 15 minutes and I think we barely did 10 minutes. It's a good thing we have lots of songs to practice, it filled in the rest of the time.

The idea to use different hats to show extended family went over well. I somehow managed to scrap together enough hats and picture frames to make a "family picture". The kids got a kick out of solving riddles to figure out extended family members and then coming up to the front and solving situations in which they could help their family members.

I think I only have one more Sharing time to do this year...that's probably a good thing.

Pinewood Derby

Jack's big day at the races. It's pretty impressive how quickly the races go once they have everything set up. Jack finished 12th out of 21, I think he was happy with his showing. His was the best tank in the race.

Notice the paint job...Jack did it nearly all by himself. There is a streak of artistry in him.

TGIF

Well, it's Friday, but I'm not exactly sure that I'm glad it's Friday. I've been home all week with Lily not quite feeling like herself. I braved the gym this morning and somehow missed the phone call from the school to inform me that Emma's wasn't feeling well. I pretty much carry a phone for that very reason. Luckily Michael got the call and picked up Emma from school.

The kids had early release from school due to Parent Teacher Conferences. I was debating whether to go or not, but Emma wasn't throwing up, so I figured that I'd hopefully get in and out quickly. Surprisingly I was able to get to Emma and Jack's conferences done in about 30 minutes. Lot's of head nodding and uh-huhs goes a long way.

After conferences I decided to brave the Croc warehouse sale. I am not a huge fan of these floating footwear. Lily loves her Crocs, she wears them almost everyday. I figured that I would try and buy a few pair and have footwear for the kids thru Summer. For anyone that has been to a warehouse sale...you know what I talk about when I say; CHAOS! There were pallets of crocs in every color and size imaginable. Did they have the cute Mary Jane Crocs in Lily's size? Well, I did manage to find three left footed shoes. Lily ended up with a bright pink pair and Emma snagged a pair of pink camo Mary Jane's.

Temple Square

I finally got around to taking the few pictures I took in Salt Lake off my phone. This was my favorite picture. I can't believe how much Salt Lake has changed (the few city blocks that I saw), but I guess that what progress is all about.

Feeling Blue

Lily hasn't been feeling well and she "barped" last night. She feel asleep on the couch at 4:45 PM, which as we all know is the kiss of death when it comes to getting a good night's sleep. When we tried to wake her up to eat dinner she started complaining that she didn't feel well. I'm awfully glad that we didn't force her to eat because she laid down on the couch and nearly threw up on it. LUCKILY, she got off the couch and barped on the floor. Michael gently reminded me how much he appreciates having wood floors instead of carpet in the family room. The good thing, I've been needing to clean my flors for a while. Nothing like instant motivation to get going on a tedious chore.

A few weeks ago someone mentioned that their kids thought it was a treat to sleep on their bathroom floor when they were sick. I don't think that we've ever had one of the kids sleep on the bathroom, until last night. Michael had the forethought to put a sleeping bag on the floor and have Lily "camp out" on the floor. I think it saved my sanity last night.

Blimey Pancakes

I'm not sure where the emphasis in blimey should lie, but try BLIMEY, or b"LIME"y. In honor of our Irish heritage we had green pancakes for breakfast. (More like lime green pancakes). I know, there is a missed opportunity to make green eggs and ham for breakfast, but I wanted to make sure the kids actually ate something before they headed off to school.

Emma's "Loch Ness Monster" pancake

Jack's "Four Leaf Clover" pancake (one leaf is in his mouth)

Lily's "Four Leaf Clover" pancake

Crazy Week Wrap Up

I feel like I should go back and write posts for all the days I missed last week, but let's not go crazy.

Michael flew out to Salt Lake on Thursday and I flew out on Friday. I was able to finish last minute packing for myself and the kids and pack anything Michael forgot (which he always does:). I'm not scared to fly, but I seem to get a lot more nervous when Michael and I fly together. Something about spontaneous combustion and our children not have parents. Anyhow...

I'd like to say that I'm now fascinated with Family History, but I'm not..right now. While I'm interested in a slightly detached manner, it seems very consuming (and never ending). I was enlisted as Michael's "research assistant", which meant that I helped find microfilm. I did bring a book and enjoyed the two days of being "kid free".

Back to reality.

Switching Places

Michael cleaned up the garage this weekend and it looks great. We're kind of in limbo, we'd really like to organize it, but we need to decide what belongs in there and what doesn't.

In the midst of cleaning, we decided to switch where we park our cars. It's like switching sides of the bed. Once you have established "your" side, it remains yours. Once in a while I will switch sides of the bed just to mess with the kids. I strategically picked the side of the bed furthest from the door. Well, our sleepwalking kids know how to find me. Luckily, Michael has become a much lighter sleeper and will hear the kids before they even get to our door.

It'll be a while before I've retrained myself to park on the other side of the garage. I tend put things in a spot and leave it there. I thought long and hard where to put things in the kitchen cabinets before I committed to putting things there. Every once in a while I'd like to shake up my house (like a snowglobe), but I find that I'm really a creature of habit. Have you ever completely rearranged your kitchen after you'd lived in a house for a while?

Built It

Jack had a busy Saturday, he went to a Home Depot building clinic and he started his Pinewood Derby car. A friend invited him to go to Home Depot and they ended up making a mini race track. Perfect practice for the derby car. I guess I should remember to take my kids to these activities, Jack had a great time.

As for the Pinewood Derby car, much research went into the design. Michael had Jack look online for a car that he would like. There are lots of very cool designs, a little involved for some of them, and not exactly made by kids I'm sure. Jack decided on a tank (thank goodness) and got to work using graph paper and drawing out the dimensions. Then Michael and Jack went to work on the basic cuts. They still have to work out the weights and paint job, but they still have two weeks to get it done.

Getting Creative At Bedtime

A way to mess with your children. Let Jack and a friend play on the computer for "as long as they want". When it gets close to bedtime, use a remote desktop to start messing with the computer that Jack is on.

Jack's friend; "Umm, Mrs. Deller, the computer isn't working!" "You have a HACKER!"

Jack; "Mom, we have a virus or something. The computer is typing H H Hello?"

Me; "Oh, that's no hacker. It must be a ghost."

Michael walks out of our bedroom (looking very innocent) wondering what is going on. He nearly loses it with laughter. I wonder how many more times Michael can get away with this before the kids figure it out.

Terribly Tired on Thursday

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I took the kids swimming for the sole purpose of wearing them out. Ok, I did have a hidden agenda, I wanted to sit in the hot tub for a few minutes. I'm hoping that the kids pass out at the dinner table and have no energy to fight with each other. All this under the guise of; "I'm the best Mom ever!"

Christmas in March

Michael had some gift certificates burning a hole in his pocket and he went shopping at Amazon. Some boxes showed up yesterday and today. They say you need the right tools for the job. Well, Michael now has a dovetail jig.

What should the first project be?

Logical Consequences

Jack has been forgetting his homework folder lately. As a consequence, he is grounded from all activities for that day. That seems pretty logical. Unfortunately, Jack is none to pleased with this consequence.

Today when he got home from school, he took a look in his backpack and realized he didn't have it. Tears started to well up and the bargaining began. "But Mom...that's a bad rule!" "It's not fair. I didn't agreed to this." "When you ground me, it only makes it worse."

I was very calm today and asked him if I should throw a party when he forgets his homework. He didn't think that was funny.

Birthday Parties

Lily had her first "drop off" birthday party on Saturday. She was a little hesitant to be left by herself, but like always, she warmed up and jumped right in with the rest of the kids.

If I tried really hard I could dislike the mom, but I really do like her. She is really good at putting things together and even had a theme for the party. The theme of the party was Fishing/Under the Sea. They delivered the invites which were fish shaped cards attached to a stick/fishing pole. For the "treat bags" she put Swedish Fish, goldfish crackers, bubbles, fish tub toy, and a grow your own mermaid all in a fish bowl. Super cute.

Lily and Emma were VERY interested in the mermaid and went right to work trying to make her grow. The mermaid started out about the size of a small Polly Pocket, now she's at least twice that size. It's a little freaky looking at the bowl, but the girls want to see how big she gets.

Last Supper

I signed up to feed the missionaries a few weeks ago and nearly forgot that today was the day. When they called to confirm, I asked the Elder what he would like for dinner. I usually fix whatever and call it good, but it was the Elder's last day before he goes home.

If you were to pick a favorite supper, what would it be? Oddly enough he chose manacotti. I've made it before, but it's been a long time since I've gone to that kind of effort. I like it just fine, but since my kids are morally against all things with sauce, this dish is like poison to them. I caved and made plain noodles for them.

I had to laugh at myself when I made dinner. It was a three ring circus as I made the brownies just in time to put the manicotti in the oven and then shape the rolls to throw in the oven just in the nick of time before dinner. All this while trying to run in and out of the house watching the kids play outside in the last of the sunlight. This is going to be even worse when we have the time change, I'm not going to want to make dinner until 8pm.

Like a Lamb

It's hard to believe that March is already here. If the saying is to be believed, March is going to go out like a lion. The weather has been mild lately I'm almost dreading looking out my window and seeing snow. There is something psychologically wrong when you have Spring on the brain and there is still time for a snow storm or three.

I can't complain about the weather this past Winter, but I am looking forward to Spring. I actually want to plant a garden this year. Well, let's just say, I need a good laugh. My neighbor has already watered, raked, and mowed his lawn. Luckily everyone else on the block has the same brown lawn as we do.

So, for the next week it looks like flip flops and capris. I guess I shouldn't put away my snow boots yet.