Why God Made Moms

Have a little laugh today:)


 WHY GOD MADE MOMS
 Answers Given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
 1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
 2. Mostly to clean the house.
 3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

 How did God make mothers?
 1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
 2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
 3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

 What ingredients are mothers made of ?
 1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
 2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

 Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
 1. We're related.
 2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

 What kind of little girl was your mom?
 1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
 2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy
 3. They say she used to be nice.

 What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
 1. His last name.
 2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
 3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

 Why did your mom marry your dad?
 1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
 2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
 3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

 Who's the boss at your house?
 1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
 2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
 3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

 What's the difference between moms & dads?
 1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
 2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them
 3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
 4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

 What does your mom do in her spare time?
 1. Mothers don't do spare time.
 2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

 What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
 2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

 If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
 1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
 2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
 3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Batter's Up!

Hey batter, batter SWING!!  Aaron's baseball team had a great season, winning 7 games.  This was his first year of machine pitch.  Aaron was one of the youngest on his team and he did great.  He had some great hits and defensive plays.  He also had some moments of sitting in the outfield picking grass, chewing on his mitt, and chasing his teammates.  I must admit that this year was A LOT more fun to watch than T-ball!

I must admit that I am one of those crazy moms who screams at her son when he is up to bat...in a good, excited  way.  Some parents are truly crazy when they scream at their kids and get mad at them for making mistakes...come on people, this is machine pitch for 7 year olds!!

Way to go Aaron, I am sad that the season is over!

"Shut your Mouth"

I hate it when I say something dumb and my kids call me on it.  The other day, I was scrambling to get my kids out the door for school.  They were "eating" their breakfast while they talked, teased, and sang.  Not a lot of eating going on.  I got frustrated and said "Shut your mouths and eat your breakfast!"  Well - I didn't realize how dumb that was until I heard laughter and looked over at my smarty-pants kids to see them trying to put their forks in their tightly closed mouths.  Ughh!  Why do they finally choose to listen and mind in my moment of stupidity?  Oh well, I've got to hand it to them, it was pretty funny and we all had a good laugh and they still made it to school on time.  I guess I better think about what I am saying before it comes out of my mouth!

If you have a funny story please share to help me get through the first Monday of the long 3 month Summer Break!

Encircle our Little Ones

My favorite story in The Book of Mormon is in 3 Nephi chapter 17 when Jesus visits America and blesses the children.  Verses 23 and 24:  "He spake unto the multitude, and said unto them:  Behold your little ones.  And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them."

Elder M. Russell Ballard said: "Clearly, those of us who have been entrusted with precious children have been given a sacred, noble stewardship, for we are the ones God has appointed to encircle today's children with love and the fire of faith and an understanding of who they are"

I have always tried to imagine what that must have been like for those Nephite children.  I have always wanted to be there when the angels encircled the little ones.  Our children can feel of Christ's love for them, just as those Nephite children did, when we as parents encircle them in love and faith.

The Hiding Place

I'm not sure why, but the World War II genre fascinates me.  It is a time period of horrific events, but also one of inspiring and remarkable stories.  One of my favorite books, The Hiding Place written by Corrie ten Boom, is one of those stories.  It is the true story of Corrie and her sister and their courageous efforts to hide the Jews from the Nazis.  It is one of those books that I just couldn't put down and it contains so many true examples of love, forgiveness, and courage.  Here is a few lines from the book:

"All through the short afternoon they kept coming, the people who counted themselves Father's friends (Jews). Young and old, poor and rich, scholarly gentlemen and illiterate servant girls—only to Father did it seem that they were all alike. That was Father's secret: not that he overlooked the differences in people; that he didn't know they were there." 


"Happiness isn't something that depends on our surroundings. It's something we make inside ourselves." 


If you have any favorite books centered around WWII , please leave me a comment so that I can read it too!

Super Sides: Ranch Potatoes & Baked Beans

For Memorial Day, we fired up the BBQ and had some fabulous steaks with the following sides:

Original Ranch Roasted Potatoes (Thanks for the recipe Jessica!)

2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered (or whatever potatoes you have at the time)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 packet/1 oz. Hidden Valley® Seasoning & Salad Dressing Mix

Place potatoes in a gallon size Glad® food storage bag and add oil; seal bag. Toss to coat. Add seasoning & salad dressing mix and toss again until coated. Bake in ungreased baking pan at 450°F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are brown and crisp.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans (Thanks for the recipe Karen!)

1 cup dry pinto beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups water
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T molasses
tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried mustard
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine beans and water in slow cooker and cover. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or until soft. Drain liquid and add in the rest of the ingredients. Stir. Cover and cook on LOW for an additional 3 hours.  This is a great way to use those dried pinto beans that you have stored.


Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy!

Gone F-I-S-H-I-N-G

I got this idea from Eric's Grandma who taught Kindergarten out of her home for years.  She is such a great teacher even still!  We love to go and visit them.  Grandma will pull out her little chalk boards and have the kids practice writing their letters and numbers correctly.  Last time we visited, Grandma wouldn't rest until Aaron learned how to write his 8's properly...and he loved it!

Supplies needed:

Mason jar lids

permanent marker

dowel

string

magnet

On each lid, write one letter of the alphabet - one for each letter.  I did capitals on one side and lower case on the other.  I also did a separate set of numbers.  Make the fishing pole by tying the string onto the dowel and the magnet on the other end.  Now you are ready to fish!

For smaller kids, you can name a letter or number and have them fish for it.  Or mix the letters/numbers up and have your fisherman put them in order.

My older kids love this as well.  To make it more age appropriate, I have them spell out words on their spelling lists from school, or call out a number and they have to fish for the numbers that add up to that sum.  

This is such a great simple activity for any age...Thanks Grandma!!