39 things every mom should know

My sister posted this on her blog and I had to copy it because I loved it so much. Although I'm still gonna go all out for birthdays, as long as they are just with our family. My favorite is number 13 and it's so appropriate for this week...

39 Things Every Mom Should Knowby Kacy Faulconer, Parents Sept. 2009, pg 64

When it comes to raising children, everyone's an expert. Your kids won't be little forever, so enjoy them! Wow, that was helpful. Thanks. But here's something very specific to enjoy about your little kids: They don't know what you're actually up to--so savor it while it lasts. When they get older they notice when you burn food or fall asleep at the school play. But with a toddler you can eat frosting out of a can while watching Blue's Clues adn the kid will never bat an eye-- or judge you for it. Want more unsolicited but totally honest advice from a mom of four kids ages 1 to 11? Of course you do.

1. You never have to go to obnoxious kid-themed restaurants. Ever. I wish someone had told me that.

2. Don't make birthday parties a huge deal.

3. Do your chores while kids are awake. Using up naptime to wash dishes or clean the bathroom is truly soul-crushing.

4. Put Band-Aids on everything your kids want you to. Why not?

5. If the kids are awake, bite the bullet and be awake yourself. You'll waste so many hours trying futilely to extend early-morning snoozes that it's not worth it. If you are sick, pregnant, or it's the middle of the night, ignore this advice.

6. Just throw away the poopy underwear.

7. Don't beat yourself up if you have to use a bribe.

8. Teach your kids not to pee outside unless you're camping-- you'll be glad you did. But if other people's kids do it, don't judge teh parents too harshly-- it's all about karma. (If you're in the midst of potty training, all bets are off. You've gotta do what you've gotta do.)

9. Buy cheap shoes when kids are little. Feet grow faster than you think.

10. Don't forget about board games. You'll suffer through way too much Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders, but Connect Four and Battleship aren't half bad. And Clue rocks.

11. Embrace their quirks.

12. Know this: That stain won't come out. And it's okay. (The sooner you accept this, the better.)

13. At some point it will be February. Things will seem bleak. You will think about vitamins, glasses, more exercise, more sleep, more chores, less TV, more rules, fewer rules, and organic food. Just wait. Things will get better when the snow melts. Know that it will happen again at the end of summer, right before school starts. It's the circle of life, baby.

14. Always get boys' haircuts at barber shops instead of hair salons.

15. Answer this question: What is the worst thing that can happen if your kids sleep in their clothes?

16. Never stifle a generous inclination.

17. Try to like what they like. It kind of sucks when it's Bob the Builder, but the payoff will come when they discover Lemony Snicket.

18. Teach them to pump on the swings ASAP.

19. If your child falls asleep occasionally without brushing her teeth, don't wake her; baby teeth do eventually fall out.

20. I know you are supposed to use natural consequences to punish bad behavior, but sometimes it's hard to think of natural consequences. In these cases try threatening your kids with clipping their toenails or some other activity they dread. I've had great success with this one, but you must find your own.

21. Get used to the word zerrissenheit. It means a state of disjointedness, and it's the new normal for most of us. At least you can feel fancy because it's German.

22. Buy kids deodorant before they need it.

23. Teach your children to make their own breakfast-- and allow enough time so they can do it without pressure.

24. I can't stress this enough: Use duvet covers on your comforters and forget about the top sheet. Not only will you thank me for this advice, but your kids will thank me as well when they are learning to make their bed.

25. Remember clogging lessons are not in the best interest of the child.

26. Don't administer a punishment that hurts you more than it does them.

27. Always pack wipes. If your kids go somewhere without you, send along wipes. It's like having a mom with them.

28. Do not allow the word wienies in your home.

29. Dress your little girls like, well, little girls.

30. Make sure your kids know how they like their eggs and burgers cooked. You don't want them to feel stress when ordering at the diner.

31. It's fine to brag about yourself to your kids.

32. Buy quaint wooden toys and hand-knit stuffed animals, but don't expect your kids to play with them.

33. Just say "No" to any toy or doll that comes with packets that have to be mixed with water.

34. Teach them to like cool music. Why suffer through The Wiggles when you could be enjoying Wilco or counting along with Feist?

35. Don't buy the most expensive school-picture package. It's a waste of money.

36. Give out awards for actual acheivements.

37. You're never too old to dress up and decorate your house for Halloween. And it's more fun for everyone if you are into it. It also entitles you to more candy.

38. If the school year, new babysitter, or karate class gets off to a rocky start, don't totally stress out about it. Instead, think of the improvement that can be made by the end of the year.

39. Independence is a wonderful thing. For everyone. So is together time. Make sure you have a healthy dose of both.

It's Fair week!

One of my favorite parts of living in this small town/county is Fair week. It's not like the fairs where you live. It's a week long community event with 4 FREE meals, two rodeo's, a demolition derby, a parade, free concerts, free swimming, races, vendors, and a home arts show.

Today we had to go to mandatory school registration, and then we made our way to the IFA for a free lunch, and then to the community building to look at the quilts. Well, I looked at the quilts, while the boys looked at the lego sets built by 4-H kids.

Here's Dillon in the middle of the exhibits. I probably shouldn't have taken him into a public place after his free cheetos, hot dog, brownie, and root beer. He was required to keep his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't touch anything. The problem with not having a baby/diaper bag is that I no longer have wet wipes everywhere I go!
I quilted this quilt for one of the young women in my ward. She made it with her Grandma's help and did a GREAT job! This is her first quilt, and it's not an easy pattern.

Here's a close-up of the "yarn balls" that I quilted in the pink border:

I quilted this one for Vanessa. I love the thirties fabrics, and I will always love nine-patches.

I have at least 5 or 6 quilts of my own waiting to be quilted, but I didn't get them done in time for the fair, so I borrowed this one from my parents. I made it six years ago, right after I got my quilting machine.

Oh, and my mom (and Vanessa) will be thrilled to know that I finally finished the binding on that wall-hanging that's been displayed on my wall for the past 6 months, just so I could put it in the fair also. I forgot to take a picture of it, so I'll post it next week.

Oh, how I love the ocean!

While we were in Washington, we took an over-night trip to Westport and Ocean Shores with Grandma, Aunt Elizabeth, cousins Devon and Brandon, and Uncle Aaron and family. We wanted to go to Forks 'cause they're supposed to have the best shells, but because of that silly vampire series, there was not a hotel to be found. Next time we'll plan ahead and go to Forks, and the rainforest.

One of my favorite parts of visiting Washington is all the water! Todd's mom lives near Silverdale (see map above) and it seems like every park we've visited has water access. It is so different from Utah...

Here is a picture of Brayden, Caleb, my neice Makensie, Dillon, and Todd waiting for the fishing boats to come in at Westport. While we were there we got freshly made salt water taffy (they had every flavor you could imagine from pomegranate to mint oreo), and of course we had seafood for lunch. I had deep-fried breaded salmon. I'll admit that I wasn't too thrilled that so much of the menu was deep-fried, but I have been CRAVING this salmon ever since. I want to drive back to Westport just for another taste. Really. I wonder if Barbara's by the sea will deliver to the middle of nowhere Utah...

The rest of these pictures are out of order, but I'm too lazy to fix them. After Westport, we drove to Ocean Shores where we had a quick dinner at "McDonald's by the sea", played on the shore for an hour, and watched the sunset. We stayed in an inky-dinky motel that had a few "issues" but I thought it was perfect. Food, family, and fun.

Dillon had a great time in "the world's biggest sandbox" and couldn't have cared less that there was water nearby. He played in the sand all day.

"Us older kids" spent our day knee-deep in the ocean searching for unbroken sand dollars. Our goal was to collect 25, but I know we found more. The water was a bit chilly, but once you couldn't feel your feet anymore it was just fine :o)

Here I am, flapping at the seagulls. We "kids" figured out that if we stuck a handful of wheat thins in various locations around one of our sandcastles, and then backed up and waited a minute, we could gather quite a crowd of seagulls. Then we'd count to three and take off chasing them. It was GREAT fun until Grandma discovered where all her wheat thins were going and killed the fun. ;o)

I love memories like this. The whole family sitting around in the inky-dinky motel, enjoying McDonald's by the sea, and letting our true colors shine. I don't remember what Uncle Aaron was saying, but it looks like it was important. (I took a similar picture a minute later, and Grandma had her finger up just like Aaron. I love it.)
Here is the sunset at the beach. There were cars lined along the shore waiting for this, and we got through the drive-thru and back to the beach just in time to enjoy.
Did I mention I love the ocean?

Screamin' hot deals at Albertson's

My sister and my friend/college roommate, Melanie, have gotten me hooked on coupons.

This is my third time doing this, but every time I've gotten more food for less money.

Here's what I got tonight: Grand total (after I get my $20 rebate in the mail):

$75.82

I saved $165

I do have to say, however, that I EARNED that $165 because it took forever and it was kind of a pain in the checkout line. I had to make 5 different transactions, with a trip to the car in the middle, and I spent at least 2 hours printing and cutting coupons, and then matching them up with the sale ad...only to get to Albertson's and find that they were out of some of the things I wanted so I had to re-figure in the store.

Luckily I went without kids or I think I would have given up. I probably spent a total of seven hours on this grocery trip, if you include the prep time, the travel time, and the store time, but with the amount I saved I was "earning" $23.50 an hour so I still think it was worth it.

Here's the breakdown:
13 boxes of cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cookie Crisp, and Kix)
4 boxes of Quaker something or others for a breakfast on the go
2 cake mixes
1 triple chocolate brownie mix
1 blueberry muffin mix
10 hamburger helpers
5 Skippy peanut butters
4 gallons of milk
8 pints of Breyers ice cream
10 Ragu's (spaghetti and alfredo)
2 Bertoli spahgetti sauce
2 boxes lipton soup mix
2 cans progresso chicken noodle soup
2 frozen pizza's (and they're not tony's)
3 cans frosting
2 boxes fruit snacks
4 bags chips ahoy
4 Old Orchard juice concentrates
20 Yoplait yogurts
and a Ty beanie baby for Dillon (shh, don't tell, I'm saving it for Christmas)

Mt. St. Helens

Brayden has long been a fan of any kind of science, including volcanoes,

so we took him to Mt. St. Helen's on our way to Grandma's house.

(Actually, Grandma drove down and met us there which was lots of fun).

The visitor center was built around this tree. All of the stumps on the mountain have this "shredded" look. None of them burned, because they were buried in ash so quickly that there wasn't enough oxygen to allow them to burn. The trees look like toothpicks all around the mountain.

Gotta have the family photo in front of the mountain to prove we were there. It was a gorgeous day. Not too hot, not too cold, and CLEAR! We went to Mt. St. Helens when Brayden was 9 mos old (with Grandma and Grandpa G.) and it was so foggy we couldn't see the mountain.

This time when the movie ended and the curtains opened up we were staring straight into the crater (instead of clouds)...very cool.

We had Aunt Elizabeth with us, also. It was good to spend some time with her. The boys are wearing their Jr. Ranger badges that they earned. The rangers could tell that our boys were really trying to do their best to learn, and fill out their packets, so they gave them extra stuff with their badges. They each got a certificate, a copy of the seismograph chart from the eruption, and postcards.

Some interesting facts:

Mt. St. Helens was active from 2000-2004 with several small eruptions. The dome in the middle of the crater kept getting bigger, but in 2004 it quieted down.

The 1980 blast was relatively small compared to other volcano eruptions, but the ash circled the entire globe. 56 people died, but 150 others were rescued from the mountain.

Mt. Rainier (which is further north) has been having small earthquakes, just like Mt. St. Helen's had before the 1980 eruption. If it erupts in our lifetime, it will be much worse because of it's location and the large cities that surround it.

Brayden was able to earn a cub scout medallion for visiting the volcano.

And this is my favorite:

The elevation of Mt. St. Helen's is just over 8300 ft.

I laughed out loud when I learned this, because we are over 8000 ft.

every time we drive over the mountain to get to Wal-Mart.

Makin' Mii's

Did I mention that before we left Washington, Grandma Linda bought us a Wii? Yeah, I know. She's awesome. Anyway, I've been having fun creating Mii's that look like us. Can you guess who everyone is?

Now I need to quit making mii's and start EXERCISING!

A quick post from Washington...

This little pig went to market...

(kind of sad when you are so excited to go to Goodwill that you take a picture)

And this little pig stayed home...

(luckily he was the only one to get sick)

This little pig loved the ocean...

And this little pig loved the shore...

And this little pig's gonna cry

wii, wii, wii all the way home.