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I am so excited, we are leaving in 2 hours to go to Manti to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant. I’m not from this area, so all these kind of things are new to me. I can’t believe how many cool LDS things there are to do around here. Ash can’t make it because he is backed up with work :0(Â I’ll try and post pictures if we get some good ones.
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I had a horrible week with Weight Watcher. I was sure that I gained all 5lbs. that I lost last week back this week, but when I weighed in this week I was down another 4 1/2 lbs. I really don’t know how this is possible, but that’s what the scale said.
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Half way through the week I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t stop eating. I kept putting things in my mouth without even thinking about it. Then on Wednesday night I realized what week of the month it was, and that explained the over eating. I still can’t figure out how I managed to loose weight this week, but yeah!
This year I seem to be having a hard time swinging into summer. I just can’t seem to get into our normal summer rhythm, so last night I took the kids to Barnes and Nobles to pick out there summer reading books. Every summer my kids have a long list of daily chores, followed by about 3 hours of homeschooling, and then they can have the rest of the day to do fun things like go to the pool (we haven’t been even once this summer.)
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We had a hard time picking out books that the kids and I could agree on. My son wanted to read Star Wars books, and we settled on “Levin Thumps”. Sadie wanted to read books that were more like teen magazines than actual books. I finally talked her into reading “A Wrinkle in Time”.
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As for myself, I got “For One More Day” by Mitch Album (our book club book) and The Nazi Officer’s Wife, a biography of a Jewish women who was married to a Nazi officer, and had to keep her heritage hidden. I am a history buff, I love reading history books, and historical fictions, but I do have a weird fascination with the Holocaust.Â
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Hopefully today we will be able to get a good start on summer, and get at least chores, and reading done. Maybe I’ll take them to a movie since the sun is at a dangerous UV level today.Â
I just realized that with all the business in my life lately I neglected to tell everyone my big news. (Unless you read Ash’s blog then you already know) I’ve been teasing Ash for a few years that I need to have a new baby, or a puppy because my kids are getting older and I need something to cuttle. Of course I said this knowing that he would pick the puppy, and not a baby because we don’t have a lot of luck having healthy children, so a new baby is out of the question.
Finally Ash gave in, and I got a new puppy. She is a 9 week old female Maltese. She weighs 2lbs. and will top out at around 4-6lbs. We named her Bailey (sorry to everyone out there who has a child named Bailey, no I didn’t name my dog after your kid.) Here is a picture of her, and you can see more of them on Ash’s blog.
This was my first week doing Weight Watchers, and I was really sceptical if it would work or not. My mother, and half the women I know rave about how wonderful it is, and how easy it is but I wasn’t buying it. I’ve tried every other thing under the sun, and figured it was just genetically impossible for me to loose weight.
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Finally I gave in when a group of friends decided that we should all do it together. Most of them have just had babies and are just starting over. I don’t have a good excuse like that, but said sure why not give it a try.
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I was very careful this week not to ever go over my points (I’m quit a rule follower), I saved them for mine and Ash’s date night and then ate whatever I wanted (within reason of course). Today when I went to weigh in I was nervous, but when I got on the scale it said I lost 5lbs. pretty good for my first week.
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Now I do have to admit that I have packed on about that much over the last 4 months, so I think that’s why it came off so easy. We will have to see next week if it keeps working. Wish me luck ;0) Next I’ll have to bite the bullet, and go back to the gym. I haven’t been since a nasty injury, but that’s a whole other story.
Last night we went to the ribbon cutting ceremony for our kids new school building. They have been attending a charter school in a temporary location waiting for the buildings completion. We were told that the move in date for the building would be last October, then last December, then January etc. Finally the building is done, and definitely worth the wait!
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It is beautiful. They went all out for these children. There love and care for the children shows through the hard work that went into making this building exactly what the kids need. I can’t wait for the school year to start (today was our last day for the summer, and I’m already saying I can’t wait for school to start.)
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I’m not a big fan of public school, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the teachers. I think they are saints for what they have to put up with, but public school is a very flawed system. It was designed to make children fit into a mold that most kids just don’t fit into.
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I have one child on either end of the spectrum, and the public school can’t help either of them. My child that is behind in school struggles to keep up, but doesn’t qualify for special-ed so they say “sorry we can’t help you” while she falls further, and further behind. She feels like a failure, and has decided that she just isn’t smart enough and learning isn’t for her.
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My son who is about 1 1/2 or 2 grades ahead in every subject has a hard time because he is bored. He refuses to do his work because it is “baby work”, and has decided that he must be smarter than his teacher so he acts off. His attitude at home changed also. He became more and more moody, and sarcastic which is not like him.
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Finally we found a school that will put both of our children in classes that meet the learning skills for were they are at. They test them at the beginning of the year and determine what grade level they are working at, and then let them do break out sessions for math and language based on there ability while keeping them in there grade for social reasons. This has worked wonders. Both of my children have rediscovered a love for learning and a confidence that they lost in public school.
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My son has turned back into the sweet, thoughtful, loving child I knew he was. His teacher even said to me “Do you know what a scholar he is?” Well of course I do, but I’m glad someone else sees it and value’s it in him to.
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My daughters teacher didn’t believe me that she suffers from a learning disability, because she is doing so well. Her grades have come up, and they were able to move her up a grade level in math half way through the year. Now we just need to work on staying organized ;0)
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In my last post, about our sex-ed conversation in the car, I mentioned the “maturation” program my daughters old school taught. Today while reading one of my very favorite blogs I came upon an article on the very same topic. Check it out it is definitely worth reading. I wonder how many of us know what are kids are being taught at school.
Today while reading a mile in my Birks blog I found out that I had been tagged for this meme which originated at Christy’s Coffee Break. So here it goes:
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When did I start Blogging?
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Well I started blogging about a year ago for work, and started my personal blog about 3 or 4 months ago. Blogging on my own personal blog is harder than I thought it would be. Trying to decided what is blog worthy or not, and trying to remember that I can say what I want and not have to worry about making a client mad.
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What is my best quality?
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Wow, these questions are always hard for me its not that I’m shamefully modest its just that my mind draws a blank. I can think of a whole list of qualities that I wish I had. I guess I would have to say that I am a positive person, very optimistic, and always try to see the good in others. (that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be)
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What is my worst quality?
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I don’t think I have enough room to type it all. I’m a girl so obviously there is a lot I would like to change. I think the biggest one would be I wish I was better at showing my appreciation for others, especially remembering to tell my kids and husband how great they are. I can be a bit of a task master.
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What makes my blog unique?
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Not much, I think that I use this more as “blog therapy” more than anything else. It’s a place where I can rant and rave my crazy A.D.D thoughts.
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Now I’m tagging Devenie (welcome to blogging), Lucky Red Hen, Caroline, and just for fun my hubby Ash (because he hates these girly things).
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Carpool is a funny thing. I love listening to the kids after school talk about there day, and about there opinions. They say it with such authority, like did you know that it takes 1,000 years to count to 1 billion or the debate about Pluto, and if it’s a planet or a moon.
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Today I overheard a very random conversation about a teacher that they think is “psychotic” I mean come on does a 2nd grader really know what that word means. When asked why the art teacher is psychotic the second grader responds that she has dirty books in her class. I totally understand how art books may seem dirty to a little kid.
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This is where my daughter chimes in, the conversation went something like this:
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Sadie:Â yeah she is crazy, when I was in her class she gave us THE talk during art class.
Me:Â What talk do you mean?
Sadie: You know mom THE talk?
Me: Know Sadie I don’t know what THE talk is.
Sadie: Mom you know the one I had in 5th grade. (notice she still won’t say what it is.)
Me: Oh you mean the maturation talk (dumb word, but it’s what the school called it)
Sadie: Yeah mom, she asked us if we knew all about IT and even though we told her yes she still gave us THE talk.
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At this point I could not help but crack up laughing, that she thought it was such a big deal she couldn’t even say it, and the way she emphasized the words IT and THE.
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I do have to say that the sex-ed talk in Utah is much more G rated than the one I got in Seattle. Here I was invited to go with her, and all they talked about was body hair, and the need to use deodorant at there age. The lady giving the maturation talk held up a stick of Secret deodorant, and said to the girls “ladies the secret is you stink”. I tried my hardest not to laugh at her cheesy jokes while all the girls sat horrified that someone was talking about this in public. Where I’m from they are talking about AIDS, different condom choices, and how to use them. I’m glad we are raising our kids in Utah!
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* This post was written 2 weeks ago *
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Yesterday we went to see Thomas the Train in Heber Utah. My 12 year old and 9 year old were not very excited about it, but I told them they needed to “suck it up” for there little brother who is 4 and loves Thomas.
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The problem with the plan was our 4 year old woke up in the middle of the night and threw up. We bought non-refundable tickets 2 weeks ago, so I wasn’t excited about letting the money go to waist. It turned out he had a cold (my kids throw-up no matter whats wrong with them) so our trip was still on.
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We got there and looked around for a while (a little disappointed over how hokey the whole thing was) then got to ride the train. The highlight of the trip! Right after the ride you can go up front and have your picture taken with Thomas.
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My nephew Gage, who was the whole reason for the trip had a total melt down and refused to get his picture taken, (in his defense it was really hot, and I think he was overwhelmed) or do anything else. So we loaded up in the car and went home.
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Over all it was worth it to go once since the regular train ride is around $24 for kids and $35 for adults and the Thomas event was only $16 a person. I don’t think we will be doing it again, but we have fun memories.
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My father-in-law is one of the most amazing people I know. Every time I am around him I learn something new.
This last revelation blew me away. We were shopping for stuff for our new bathroom while Ash was out of town, and we decided to go get a bite to eat and his favorite burger place, Fudruckers (I hope I spelled that right). While we are there he starts looking around at all the star memorabilia, and casually asks me if I have ever heard the story about when he met Marilyn Monroe, (yeah you read that right Marilyn Monroe, can you believe it) my jaw dropped, and he got excited and started telling me about going to the airport with his mom when he was 8 or 9 to meet Marilyn Monroe, and about how his mom carefully positioned him so he would be right in her pathway so he would have a chance to see her face to face. The plan worked and he got to meet her. He says that what he remembers most, is that she had no make-up on and still was the most beautiful women he had ever seen.
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He then proceeds to tell me that he also spent some time with Tony Curtis in his home in Hawaii were they sat around and talked about his career and about Marilyn Monroe. He can remember in detail the whole conversation, and tells me about it as if it was yesterday. Tony Curtis invited him back to his bedroom, and showed him a picture he drew of Marilyn while on set for “Some like it hot.”
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Later I’ll have to tell you about when he went to Sharon Stone’s house. The man needs to write a book.
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Life has been insanely busy. It has been so busy I can hardly remember what I did over the last few weeks, lets see:
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Did I also mention Ash was out of town in Las Vegas, on vacation with his brother, not that I’m jealous or anything. I’m tired, and need a break but the bathroom remodel has hardly begun.