Swine Flu, Swine Flu

Last week my baby (now 15) really was not feeling well. I figured it was a cold. She has been on a crazy schedule with school, the play, seminary....the list goes on. Well it got to the point that she was pleading with me to take her to the doctor. Now understand that this is a kids who HATES going to the doctor and will do all to avoid.
Sure enough, the doctor says it is Swine Flu and that she is probably at the tail end of it and when her fever is gone for 24 hours, she can go back to school. (They really don't have a test for the swine flu at the urgent care but since it is not "flu" season yet, they are calling it Swine Flu.) She started on Tamaflu (or what ever that stuff is to lesson the effects) and with 2 days home from school, felt so much better. I hear so much chatter on this subject that here I am getting on my soap box. ( You are welcome to check out other blogs now or skip to the bottom...)

There are several strains of Flu. The doctors guess which one will be the most popular for the year and put out the vaccine for that one. The chances of getting just that one is rare. The chances of getting ONE of them is good. The fact that it is a new one (there are new ones all the time) has put everyone in a panic. Yes, I understand that people die from the flu. They die from the chicken pox. They die from getting hit by lightning also.
Instead of getting worried about maybe getting the flu, I am trying to put my energy into what I need to do to get ready for possibly getting the flu. What food do I have in the house so that I do not have to venture out. Do I have meals in the freezer so that I do not have to cook for my family. Do I have meds to help me feel better while riding out the time...
At this point today, I am not ready for the flu. But, after Baby Girl having it last week, I am going to try to get myself ready. I go to work where there are many kids not washing their hands, not covering their faces when they cough and sneeze. I try not to touch the hand rails as I walk up and down the stairs. I try not to touch the doors going in and out of the buildings. Even sitting at the desk not knowing what was there before me...yuck! But, I wash my hands several times a day. I cover when cough and sneeze.
(I do ask that if you have a child with a runny nose, or is not feeling all that well, PLEASE do not bring them to the nursery on Sundays to share the joy with other little ones that lick everything and share so well.)
Just my opinion...I will get off my soap box now.

How to Keep a Husband Home

My husband is a guy who just can't hold still. If he holds still for a day, he really does not feel good. Sundays are really hard for him. He is such a hard worker that most of the guys he hires (20-30 year olds) can't keep up with him. Our son HATES to work for him because he can't keep up. Yes, my husband can out work a 19 year old.
Last week, he was getting out of the pool, walked to the other side getting ready to dive back in when...OOOWWWWCCHHHHH...instant pain.
A trip to the chiropractor finds that my dear husband has torn his meniscus.
( Wow, when you say it like that, it sounds just wrong.)
For a week the man has been on the couch, icing his knee. He uses a office chair to wheel himself around the house. (Thank heaven we have tile through most of the house..) We finally borrowed some crutches from some friends and he found some freedom. Then the other day the chiro got a brace for his knee. More freedom. The really hard part is that the Elk hunt is in 3 weeks. Jeff works incredibly hard during the year for this 2 week getaway. On his hunt he hikes all over tarnation. It has been a real eye opener to me just how busy this man usually is and how much I rely on him for all of my projects. I am loving having him home, but I am sad that he is in pain and that he is tied to the couch. This is one of the hardest weeks for him ever. Poor guy!

Well Said

Today I had a great lunch with a dear friend and we got on to a conversation that really hit home.
We have become a society of outsource-ers. We, as mothers, run our kids to piano to have someone else teach them how to play, then we run our kids to football, dance, tuba, day camp...again, for someone else to teach them how. We expect primary teachers to teach our kids about the gospel. People at school to teach math and how to share. We have people to clean our houses, cut our grass, fix meals that we can pop into the oven for a home made taste. We are great at organizing to keep everyone where they need to be when they need to be there.
Drop kids off at school
Take Fifi to the vet
Pick up dry cleaning
Take Jr. to the dentist
Two kids to piano
Put Costco lasagna in the oven
Take Jr. to soccer practice
Homework
Clean kids
Put to bed
Yes, we are busy all day. But what did WE do.
We have been counseled to Create, Organize, Learn. We are forgetting the pride and feeling of self confidence that we get from a wonderful meal that we make for our family, to nourish them. When was the last time that we did something to show our creativity side? When was the last time we learned something new? When was the last time that we organized something? I am not saying that providing opportunity for our children to learn is wrong..far from it! I think it is great to have our children learn to play the piano. But what are WE teaching our kids? This really made me stop and think about what am I teaching my own children.
Do my children know how to cook?
Do my children know how much I love my Heavenly Father?
Do my children know how to show compassion? Do service?
My friend told me about how she had bottled pears. She had bottled several dozen jars and they were beautiful. She left them on the counters for a few days just so she could see her accomplishment and took some pride in what she had created! GOOD FOR HER! We all need to do more of this. I am worried that maybe I have leaned on others too much to teach my children things that I should have been teaching.
What am I going to create today? What am I going to organize? What am I going to learn? What am I going to teach my children...
This was a good discussion!

Nursery continued...

A bit ago one of our boys was standing on a chair looking out the window with a few girls around him on the chair and he was talking to them at great length.
Teacher: McKay..What are you doing?
McKay: I'm showing the girls my car.

Well we can see where this is going...Watch out for this one! (Too Cute!)

When I first started in the nursery we were having a lesson on families. I was asking the kids about some of the things their parents tell them about how much they love them.
Me: Aubrey, what are some things that your parents say that show they love you?
Aubrey: At our house, Daddy says Christmas is canceled!

Be careful what you ask!

Birthday Weekend

This last weekend... (Nana and Pompa)
These wonderful people came all the way from Utah to spend the weekend with us celebrating LuvLump's birthday. While they were here..we went to the UNDERGROUND. Now I have been living here for over 3 years (this time..we lived here before for 2 years, thus we have lived here for 5 years) and I did not know about this place until one of my friends blogged about going to it with her family. (It is very educational to read others blogs...but that is another entry)

This is looking at it from top side. Just driving by you would never even know that it is here.

A man came from Italy and all by himself, dug under the ground for over 40 years, making this catacome of chambers.

He planted trees undergound with the tops just rising up on ground level. (Makes it easier to get the fruit off..you don't need latters...just go topside.)

He had a tank for water that was topside that was warmed by the sun. The water ran down to his tub by a hose. SMART! And he had a place to save fresh fish for several days until he was ready to eat them.

He carved out places to sleep...

He carved these beautiful arches all through the tunnels.

I took a lot of pictures, but you will just have to go see it for yourself! So glad we went! I may go again!

A fun ending to the day... When we finish at the underground, we went across the street to In and Out for lunch. A wedding party was there having lunch also. What a great way to share your day with your family! Good food and someone else cleans the dishes.

Luvlump Turns 15

This weekend my baby turned 15.

It is amazing how fast it happens.

What I know about Luvlump:

1. Has a tender heart

2. Loves to be busy

3. Is obsessed with Twilight

4. Hates to wear pink

5. Loves Sunday Dinner

6. Loves to sleep in late/stay up late

7. Loves to go to the movies

8. Loves her cats

9. Rather not go out to dinner unless her brother is with her

10.Hates to shop. (Still don't understand this one)

11.Really hates to be ditched

12.Loves going to the beach

13.Hates rollercoasters

14.Loves to draw

15.Is very musical/sings alot!

16.Falls asleep with her contacts in all the time.

17.Loves her Daddy and misses him when he is not home

18.Hates to clean the litterbox

19.Excited to learn to drive

20.Loves to laugh

I love my baby girl!

School Has Begun!

I have been enjoying my summer and it has been hard to go back to school. Klaira took a independent study class (World History) so that she could have more electives this year. She was really excited for the drama musical production of..."Into The Woods" which is the first drama production for this school year.

All summer she has been watching the DVD so that she could try out and hopefully make it since it is a small cast. For those that don't know what this production is, here is what Wikipedia says...

Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch, and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife, brought acclaim to the production during its original Broadway run. Into the Woods won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by The Phantom of the Opera. The musical has been produced many times, with a 1988 national tour, a 1990 West End production, a 1991 television production, a 1997 tenth anniversary concert, a 2002 Los Angeles production and a 2002 Broadway revival.[1]
Inspired by Bruno Bettelheim's 1976 book, The Uses of Enchantment, the musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and follows them further to explore the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from the stories of Little Red Ridinghood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, tied together by a more original story involving a Baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, most likely taken from the original story of Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm. It also includes references to several other well-known tales.

Well, the first day of school was tryouts. Klaira was shooting for Little Red or Cinderella. (I was hoping for her to get Little Red..) Klaira made call backs for Tuesday. Ok..We are really excited. Tuesday, I get a sobbing call.."K mom, you can come pick me up." She is heartbroken. The drama teacher let her go without explanation. So she thought she did not make it. (Lets just say at this point I am thinking the teacher should see this act because there was PLENTY of drama going on..) Later that night I got a email from the drama teacher with the list of the cast...Yep she made it. But as a step sister. BUT SHE MADE IT! (Other end of drama spectrum..) So now we begin the crazy scedual of up OHMYGOLLYITISWHATTIMEDARK in the morning to ITISWAYPASTDARKANDNEEDSLEEP time at night.

I so miss my summer....

Cookies

Some of my little swim buddies came last night and brought me the most adorable cookies. We put our feet into the pool for a minute..the pool is getting cold. I think swim season is about over. For this I am sad! But the cookies...HOW FUN!