The new facebook layout makes it easy to see posts and status updates from previous years. It is kind of fun to see what I've written. A couple years ago I wrote something like this: (I post it here because it made me laugh when I reread it.) When Dave walked by the bathroom he heard Matthew yell out, "I won!" When Dave asked him why he said that Matthew replied, "sometimes when I flush the potty I pretend it is a race." I signed Matthew up for t-ball. He had his first practice last week. Mapleton has a "parade" on opening day of baseball. All the teams get in the bed of a truck or on a trailer that is decorated with their team name on it and all the players are in their uniforms and they drive a few blocks to the baseball fields. I love that Mapleton does that. I saw the parade last year. It went right by my house and Matty and I went and watched a few minutes of it. It was the cutest thing. I was hoping that the games would be at the fields across from my house, but only two of them are. The practices are there, though, so that's nice. All the other kids on his team are so young. They seem so little. In fact, I asked the coach's wife if I had him in the right group. The ages are 4-6. I wonder if I should have put him in the first grade group. But that didn't occur to me since he's not in the first grade. I guess since we don't watch baseball and it's new to him that it is better that he is in the younger group. And I have good news. Dave was accepted into UVU's MBA program. For the last two semesters he's been taking prerequisits for the program and he applied at the end of March. It was no big deal if he didn't get in, as we had not planned on him doing this. Circumstances just happened to be that it would be beneficial and doable to have him get an MBA and we just decided to do it. It won't necessarily benefit him financially at work, but more education is always a good thing. And I figured while my youngest is still taking naps and I'm home bound a lot still, now is a great time to get it over with. I'm proud of him and how hard he works for his classes. A couple weeks ago we did the earthquake drill. I practiced with my girls in a few different rooms. I actually emailed Matthew's teacher to see if they were participating in the Great Utah Shake Out drill. He didn't know but he wanted me to email him the website for it, which I did. They did do a drill that day, which I know schools do earthquake drills. I remember doing them as a student. I think I scared Norah a bit during one of our drills. I turned on the computer that had the earthquake sound during the drill I did in the office. She wanted me to turn the sound off. I wondered if during a drill I should stay where I am or get to the closest child to make sure they are safe, and Dave said odds are I won't be able to walk during an earthquake. I'd be too off balance and I think he's right. Duck, cover, and hold on. I think those are the three steps during an earthquake. I look around in each room and figure out the best place to be. In our office I grabbed Norah and Molly and huddled over them under our computer desk. But I wonder if I should have run and huddled in the doorway of the office. And we huddled on the couch in our living room, under the counter in our kitchen. I told the kids that at random times I'm going to yell out "earthquake!" and they have to respond appropriately. It's fun. I've been thinking about modesty lately. On facebook there have been a lot of pictures of girls in their prom dresses. I'm kind of surprised by some of the dresses that they wear. Most that I see are sleeveless. I worked with a girl right after my mission who was going to go on a mission and she said she had to buy a whole new wardrobe because her clothes were not wearable with garments. I wonder what she will teach her girls. Will she teach her to dress so you don't have to change your wardrobe after you go through the temple, or will she teach them to wear tank tops and short skirts and shorts while they can? Does she regret wearing such short skirts? As the mother of a son I'm going to teach him not to objectify women, and at the same time I'm going to teach my girls not to dress immodestly so men won't look at them like objects. I hope that makes sense. I see some girls in short short shorts and I wonder how their mothers let them leave the house. I said that to my mom and her response was basically don't blame the parent and don't give them all the credit. Meaning (I guess), sometimes kids do what they wand regardless of what their parents teach them. I am glad I don't have to face these things yet. Ramblings. My mind wanders. I've been listening a LOT to my Lionel Ritchie "The Difinitive Collection" cd. I especially love this song. And here is a pretty version of it on glee. And it's funny. Even if you haven't seen glee. I think the girl has a crush on her teacher at this point in time in the show. I'm kind of a sucker for love songs. I don't seem the type, do I? But I am.

This video is awesome. It's called "If I wanted America to fail." It's about who controls the energy, and environmental extremism.

Link for the great utah shake out earthquake drill

Here is a link that has some audio and video of what to do during an earthquake. I listened to the audio just now and it is just basic stuff: duck, cover, hold on. There is the sound of an earthquake in the background. Tomorrow morning at 10:15 is the Great Utah Shakeout--a statewide earthquake drill for those who choose to participate. It's just basically everyone doing a drill at the same time. It also said to look around your room to see what might fall during an earthquake and to stabilize them now, i.e. bookcases. I am so terrible at doing that. They also have radio stations and tv channels that will broadcast the earthquake drill sounds and instructions. One question I have is that should I duck and cover, or run to the kid/kids and duck and cover with them? The audio is only a minute.

Tony Robbins youtube video about federal budget

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboTeS9Okak&sns=em


The above 20 minute video breaks down the national debt into understandable terms. Millions, billions, trillions? From the video: A million seconds ago... how long ago was that? 12 days. How about a billion? 32 years. And a trillion? I think the video says it was almost 32,000 years ago. And we have 15 trillion in debt. It also says if you earned a million dollars a day, starting at the birth of Christ, you would need perhaps 1,000 more years from this year to reach a trillion.

Tax the rich?! Tax the rich?! A friend of mine on facebook posted something that was about how much time it would take someone to earn the amount of money that Mitt Romney has and a friend of hers commented that she wishes people who were more representative of us should be our representatives. For president? Really? The average household income in this country is about $44,000. You want someone who makes 44K to run our country? I sure don't. I WANT someone who is rich and has a LOT of higher education degrees running the country. Seriously. Besides, to people who complain about rich people: do you have a cell phone? a home phone? a place to live? a few changes of clothes? do you have a cd player, a dvd player? an ipad? an i-anything (I don't, btw--which I think is funny)? do you have a car to drive, maybe even a bike to ride? do you have a book to read? Do you have a toilet to use? Do you have shoes to wear? do you have a stove to cook on? do you have a chair to sit on? do you have running water? Our version of poor in this country is seriously skewed. I'm sick of people whining about what they don't have, in comparison with "the rich". You know what? I AM THE RICH. The person complaining is the rich. If you have a computer to complain about how rich the rich are, YOU ARE THE RICH. Stop complaining and be grateful.

This article is a reason why I can't spend much time on blogs or pinterest. I have a few blogs that I follow, but I read them fast and am done. I can't read crafting blogs because that would just mean more things on my to do list, more things that I'll never get around to doing and that would stress me out. As it is I spend too much time on facebook, and it's not even a ton of time. I don't do twitter. As moms we tend to compare ourselves, or at least I do. I'm not doing this like so-and-so is. So-and-so does such-and-such and I don't. Then I had a realization. It was about my friend Jana, and I told her this, too. She and her husband like hiking and they take their kids hiking. And took them even when they were very young (which they still are). In my mind I always thought, "I don't take my kids hiking when they are a month old." Or camping, or do crafts all day, or frolic in the pool, or decorate the house all cute-like. Then it occurred to me: I don't hike. With or without kids, I don't hike. Jana hikes. I don't. And both ways are good. I yell at my kids, I'm impatient with my kids, my house often looks like a tornado came through it, and some days we don't even leave the house. I'm going to put that on pinterest (not really because I'm too lazy to figure out how to pin on pinterest). And hope that no one turns me in.

But I do tell them many times a day that I love them, I smother them with kisses and hugs, and I DO give them food and a fairly clean home. I have always thought that, if at the end of the day they are alive, fed, and laughed, loved, and learned a little bit, then I've done my job.

At our house we do Easter simply. They got a couple chocolate bunnies and about a dozen jelly beans. Then the candy and coins from the Easter egg hunt. I know some people do lots of gifts and it's almost like Christmas, but we don't.










This is a picture of Dave, who right now is putting together a desk thing for my dining room. I said tonight, "how about for FHE we go to Walmart and buy that desk thing I want for the dining room." And we went and got it and he's putting it together as we listen to Radiohead. I know I talk too much about Dave. I simply adore this man. I was out to lunch with a friend and a friend of hers a couple months ago. I mentioned how I'm not a naggy wife (at least I don't think I am one). And my friend's friend said, "how can you NOT be a naggy wife?" He is not a naggy husband, and that makes it easier. I think the fact that I don't nag (much) allows for him to happily buy this desk and happily put it together for me.

Fake Plastic Trees


This is Norah jumping up saying "Happy Easter!"

Why I cried on Easter

Easter was yesterday and we had a good day. The most memorable time of the day was dancing with Dave in the kitchen. I was making "funeral potatoes" for Easter dinner. We had Dave's parents and some friends over for dinner. I had been listening to Lionel Ritchie and Dave was in and out of the house. The kids had been chasing each other. I made Dave come into the kitchen and dance with me. We danced to
this song and it was a perfect moment. The kids were playing nicely in the living room and Dave and I were left alone, slow dancing in peace. The song is kind of quirky, but I like it. In fact, I started crying. I was so touched by my love for my husband and children. I had to leave the room. I walked to the bathroom wiping away my tears and said, "Dave, that was a perfect moment."

Marriage

This article was posted by a friend on facebook and I thought it was worth reading.

The survival mom

I found the coolest website today. I bookmarked it. I'm so excited to read it all.

The Great Utah Shake Out

This website is a good resource to prepare for an earthquake. I just registered to do it. It is on April 17th at 10:15 a.m. This is one reason I want that water barrel storage thing. Makes getting access to your water incredibly easy. And that is a lot of water. I also want to get things in my car ready. You won't necessarily be home when a disaster strikes.

I want this so bad!

http://www.youtube.com/v/FGqoAkUBD0s

On the road

The husband in this family is an old friend from my singles ward days. What a fun adventure they are about to embark on. I don't think I'd ever have the guts (or patience) to do this, but I think it's awesome.

http://www.7as1.com/