My Mother Taught Me...

 I read this and it put a smile on my face...I hope it does yours as well. I don't know who wrote this, but whoever it was...I am sure she is a mother because I say/do these things all the time!

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me about GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Two Green Thumbs Up

Remember our garden boxes that we built last summer? Well, they are now all planted with tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, peas, green beans, raspberries, cucumbers, pumpkins, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, and some marigolds scattered in there to supposedly keep the bugs out.

Why did we go to all this work?.....

• to be a little more self-reliant
• to have a living and growing science experiment in our backyard
• to teach my kids to work
• to have fresh, healthy veggies throughout the summer
• to be able to can salsa from the tomatoes and peppers
• to have something to share with my great neighbors

So here's two green thumbs up for our garden...hopefully it tastes as good  as it looks!

Picture Perfectionism

Family pictures...I get all tense just hearing those words. Those of you who know me know that I am NOT a perfectionist...I like to do things the simplest and quickest way possible. But when family pictures are looming around the corner I turn into an obsessive monster who stresses over having the perfect family pictures. I go shopping for hours, finding the right outfits that go together, yet aren't too matchy-matchy. I make sure we all have haircuts, finding that right balance of not too short right after a cut, yet not waiting too long when it starts looking sloppy. And after all that, the day of pictures comes and trying to keep everyone clean and happy is exhausting!

I did it. I found cute shirts that compliment each other yet don't match too much. I gave everyone haircuts about 2 weeks before - giving the mistakes time to even themselves out. And on the day of pictures I managed to keep everyone clean and in a somewhat good mood...with some bribery of ice cream afterwards. I guess all the picture perfectionism paid off...if you ignore the bags under my eyes from being so exhausted.

Now my problem is trying to decide which one to print for my wall...any suggestions??

What was I so worried about? My family is beautiful to me no matter what! I need to remember that for the next time...in at least 3 years!

I will not let family picture de"feet" me again!

Happily Forever After

I was fascinated by the Royal Wedding. It was so beautiful. Kate and William looked amazing. She walked in as a commoner and walked out as a princess and future queen. But one thing was sad to me....the phrase "till death do you part". She will have this potential for royalty just for this life.

It made me think of my wedding. No, it was not perfect or extravagant. The entire world was not analyzing my dress and watching my every move. But I married my prince for eternity. I was married in a beautiful temple where we were promised to have the potential to become King and Queen together forever. Talk about a royal wedding! I am so grateful that what we created in this life will not end when we die.

 “If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; . . . and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depthsand if [they] abide in my covenant, . . . it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world” (D&C 132:19)

Sarah's Key

 Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay is about the importance of remembering history. The history of this book takes place in Paris in 1942. 10 year old Jewish girl, Sarah, along with her mother and father are arrested as part of the Vel'd'Hiv' roundup. Before they were arrested, Sarah told her little brother to hide in a secret cupboard in their house. Sarah locked him in to keep him safe, thinking that she would be back to get him. Sarah carried that key, trying to get back to her brother locked in the cupboard, thinking of him as she endured one of the worst times in Paris' history. It is this history that helps a woman, Julia, 60 years later as she researches about the Vel' d'Hiv' and discovers that Sarah's family lived in the same apartment that her husband grew up in after Sarah was forced to leave. Sarah's key unlocks a dark secret that brings these two families together.
I know, another book from WWII...I am just fascinated with that time period. It is in these books that I read about the very worst and the very best in people. I even have another one on hold at the library. This was a good book. It was sad because of the time period of WWII. It does have some strong language, which I hate. I also thought that the ending was too drawn out...but a good book nonetheless.

Sloppy Joes and Sweet Potato Fries

This was a yummy combination:

Sloppy Joes

recipe from my Grandma W. 

• 2 lbs ground beef or turkey
• 1 onion chopped fine
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 12 oz tomato juice
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

Brown beef and onion, drain grease. Add flour and stir thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. ( After I added the flour to the beef, I just through it all in my slow cooker and let cook on low for about 3 hours).

Sweet Potato Fries

recipe from Ina Garten

• 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Cut sweet potatoes in wedges or like french fries. Place wedges on large baking pan or cookie sheet. Pour over olive oil, and toss to mix. Now sprinkle over brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat wedges. Spread out in a single layer. Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes, then take out and turn wedges over. Place back in oven and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Sprinke with extra kosher salt to taste. The cooking time will depend on how big the wedges are. Enjoy! Note: These are also good with a little ground cumin sprinkled with the other seasonings. Have fun and experiment!

Enjoy!

Some Real Thrills

Here are some of our favorite things that my kids and I have done during this year of blogging:

SpEGGtacular Eggs - different ways to dye eggs
April Fools Pranks - a LOVE a good, clean prank...especially on my kids
Rub-A-Dub-Dub Fun in the Tub - 4 activities to do in the bath
Hi Ho! Chocolate-Chippy-O - not your ordinary Hi Ho! Cherry-O game
Kool-Aid Play Dough - make your own play dough that smells good too
Fall Nature Hunt Bracelets- a fun Fall scavenger hunt that makes a fashion statement
Magic Mud - ooooey and goooey fun
Oobi Eyes Glove Puppets - fun puppets made from gloves and hair accessories
Kid Wash - my most popular post...make your own sprinkler to ride bikes through
Shaving Cream Finger Painting - finger painting that cleans your counter tops
Goin' On a Bear Hunt - fun activity to do with a classic song
City Construction - turn your floor into a busy highway and city

I hope these ideas help you have a thrilling time with your kids!!