Read Kiddo Read

Have you been to Read Kiddo Read? It's a site dedicated to turning kids into lifelong readers.

And I love it.

I spent some time last night looking through the lists of books they recommend. I got a strange sense of satisfaction each time I found a book that we own.

I think I'll write down the books they've suggested and go get them from the library. I may even pick up a few of the advanced reads for myself.

Liken the Scriptures

Last year for Family Home Evening on Memorial Day we talked about what the holiday was about and named all of our family members serving in the military (then we were at five, now we're at six), and called it good. We probably could have repeated the lesson and been fine except that Peter is like an elephant and never forgets. (Not true, he "forgets" stuff all the time, but only when it's convenient for him or gets him out of trouble or gets Cooper into trouble.)

So I spent a little time today thinking and praying about my lesson. I pulled our Book of Mormon Reader out and flipped to the story of Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. Looking over it made me think of the Pledge of Allegiance. I still wasn't sure where I was going with the lesson until we started.

I asked the boys what today was (Cooper, "Monday!") and we reviewed the purpose of Memorial Day. Then I read them the story of Captain Moroni. Bryan read Alma 46:12 which talks about the Title of Liberty. We discussed that the Nephites fought for their freedom, their religion, and their families just like Uncle Ian, Uncle Paul, Aunt Amanda, Uncle Dallin, cousin Josh, and cousin Mike are doing.

I told them that our country has a version of the Title of Liberty and we started memorizing the Pledge of Allegiance. We'll keep working on that throughout the week. Maybe next Monday we can make a Title of Liberty for our own family, something to hang on the wall as a visual reminder of what we hold dear.

It was a very good Family Home Evening.

For the Grandmas, Part 5

Peter is doing T-ball this summer and he had his first practice this week.

Up To Our Ears In Stuff

I'm in the midst of a major organization project. I've slowly been getting rid of stuff. Toy stuff, clothes stuff, junk stuff. When did we get so much stuff?

It's difficult to see the progress I've made because it's been a tiny bit each day for the last several weeks. Our DI box is overflowing and that's about the only indicator that I've been doing our annual purge.

Getting rid of our superfluous belongings is becoming an obsession. When my mind wanders (which it frequently does) it finds its way to closets and drawers, searching for more items to add to our donation pile.

Several years ago Bryan read about a family that decided each persons belongings should fit into one suitcase. Whatever didn't fit they got rid of. Can you imagine all of your earthly possessions fitting into one small suitcase? I can't. And yet, there is an appeal to the simplicity that would provide. If we only had the contents of five suitcases to worry about (for our whole family) I bet the laundry would go much faster.

Ah Weem Oh Way Ah Weem Oh Way

Peter is a funny kid. He's amusing, certainly.

And he's quirky.

We have a leash backpack that looks like a monkey. Peter found it last week and has been wearing it and carrying it around since. The tail/leash portion is tucked away in a high drawer, so Peter has just been playing with the backpack part.

We went to the park in the late afternoon today. The skies were gloomy but the temperature was lovely and warm. The boys wore shorts. Peter walked into the living room prior to leaving and announced that he was ready to go. And, he added, he was going to look cool.

I turned from the diaper I was changing to look at Peter. He was wearing the monkey.

"Is it because you're wearing the monkey?" I asked.

"No," he said as if that was a silly question, "I'm wearing tall socks with my shorts. Some people think that's really cool."

Hmm... I hadn't heard that.

Later, while he was playing with some of the neighborhood kids at the park, a little boy looked at Peter's backpack and asked, "Why are you wearing a monkey?"

Peter didn't even look at his friend. He just replied in a nonchalant way, "Oh, because I found it in the jungle."

Hello Hello

Cutest. Movie. Ever.

Of course, I may be a bit biased...

Because After Easter Sales are Awesome

Bryan's mom sent the kids these adorable church clothes. When we got home from church yesterday we staged a little photo shoot. We already had Cooper's vest, but everything else was new.

Me: Okay, you can do a silly picture.

Me: (aiming for a reverent picture) Look like you're walking around the Temple.

Me:(trying for a serious picture) Now look like you've just been sent to timeout.

Me: Smile!

It was hard to get a picture of Phoebe because she was more interested in rolling than sitting and having her picture taken. I love this little dress! Also, I love this little girl!

Thank you for the clothes Nana Shari!

Freestyle Cooper

I think he's preparing for his concert debut.

Always Winter But Never Christmas*

I think May is kind of magical. It's before June, thus triggering the excited anticipation of my birthday. It's Spring, but the weather and temperature are often more Summer-like which means more time outside and more sunshine during the day.

Except for this year.

I know, weather changes. Some years are rainier than others. Some are warmer. It's normal to have shifts.

But this year? This year is straight up insane.

It's been cold and rainy and overcast for days. Let me write that last word the way it actually feels:

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyysssssssssssssssssssssss.

We're all still wearing jackets and socks instead of short sleeves and flip-flops. The boys want to play outside, but it's too cold. What am I saying? We ALL want to play outside.

Every Winter I tell myself, "Spring will be here soon. You can make it through the cold. Just don't think about it too much." I imagine that people who are claustrophobic talk themselves down in a similar way, "It's okay. You'll be out of this tiny little airplane soon. Don't think about the fact that the windows don't open and that there's no air in here."

I really hope Spring shows up soon.

*Anybody know where the title comes from?

Who Are You?

You Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home!

Bryan is home!

Granted, you didn't know he was gone. I never talk about his trips on the blog, at least not until he gets home. That's like hanging a big banner outside my front door saying, "My big, tall husband is away. Please, feel free to rob us!"

Oh, is that my own odd paranoia showing through? Huh...

He was only gone for two days, and we only had a few crazy moments (including both boys running out the front door and off down the sidewalk in the cold rain with me chasing them down while barefoot and holding a socks-less Phoebe) (and the boys pouring what I can only assume was buckets* of water on themselves and their bedroom floor and Cooper's bed and some library books which was then followed by spitting and general back-talk naughtiness), most of which happened during the few minutes here and there that I put Phoebe down for a nap or was in the bathroom.

I'm sooooo glad he's back.

*Sometimes I use hyperbole.

This Little Piggy

About a month and a half ago I was at Wal-Mart with my entourage. We walked down the aisle that houses the nail polish and both boys asked if they could pick some out for me. Apparently my children believe I need to be girly. I acquiesced. Cooper picked out a hot pink while Peter stuck with his favorite color, turquoise (although it looks more like a sea green out of the bottle).

I painted my toenails first with the pink. My plan was to paint my finger nails with Peter's pick, but it never happened. After several weeks I decided I would switch and paint my toenails turquoise. I started the process but, as so often happens, my attention was needed elsewhere and I had to stop partway through the process.

And that's how they've stayed for a week.

Does a nearly unbroken stream of blurry pictures mean your camera is dying? If so, I think I need a new camera. Or maybe my camera is fine, but my feet are blurry...

Rolling in the Deep

This is Phoebe's chosen form of locomotion. She doesn't crawl, but my word, she certainly does get around. Bonus: if you listen you'll hear her doing her new trick of clicking her tongue.

This is where the title comes from. (Do listen to the song. Don't read the comments.)

Cheating

Blogger, you've thrown off my groove. I nearly had a panic attack when I saw you weren't working yesterday. I watched throughout the day, waiting to see if you would come back. See, I didn't want to miss a single day of posting. But every time I looked, I saw this.

I woke up this morning, and you still weren't working.

You're working now, which is great, but I still lost a day.

That's why I'm cheating. This post was written on Friday night but, darn it, I'm changing the date and time to say it was written on Thursday. It's one of those "I-would-have-if-I-could-have" situations, you know?

Kindness Begins With Me

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

We went on a walk to the grocery store last Friday. Peter walked (and didn't run off, which is an accomplishment) while Cooper and Phoebe rode in the stroller. At one point during our excursion I looked down and saw this:

It made me smile.

Let Them Eat Cake

I'm eating cake right now. My computer is on the kitchen counter, next to the Mother's Day cake that Bryan made for me. I'll type a few words, then lean over and have a little bite. Don't worry, it's a reduced sugar cake, so I shouldn't have (too much of a) sugar reaction.

I had a lovely Mother's Day. I got to sleep in. I had a lovely breakfast of French toast and fruit smoothies. Bryan got the boys dressed for church, and we sat down in the chapel during the prelude music. I don't think we've been to church that early in ages. Then Bryan took care of dinner while I was at Stake Choir practice. The boys even helped me fold laundry. Well, they helped for about five minutes, but that's better than nothing.

Peter and Cooper also made cards for me. Bryan told them to draw pictures of things that they like about me. Peter drew a picture of a corn dog, but instead of a hot dog on the inside, it was filled with sugar-free candy. Huh, not really something he likes about me, but it is a combination of two things I enjoy. Cooper drew a picture of someone that was really angry and was putting on socks. I'm a little concerned about the motivation for that particular drawing. Am I angry too often? Do I wear lots of socks? I don't know.

The best gift I got yesterday was given by Peter. The Primary President, both of her counselors, and the secretary all pulled either me or Bryan aside after church and told us that Peter was exceptionally well-behaved in Primary today. HURRAY! I was called out of Relief Society last week to calm Peter down. He wasn't angry (thank goodness) but he had been turning over chairs and trying to climb the window. Yeah, not exactly appropriate church behavior. I've been wracking my brain since the end of church trying to figure out why today was different than last week and how to duplicate this outcome in the future.

This has been a wonderful Mother's Day.

A Peek Inside My Brain

My brain has been on vacation. I haven't felt terribly clever lately and I think the blog is suffering because of it. Each night I've sat in front of the computer and tried to piece my thoughts together to form something coherent and interesting. Even now I'm struggling.

I blame the weather. Today was the first warm day we've had this year. Did you read that? THIS YEAR. We took advantage of it and went on a walk. Perhaps sunshine fuels my brain.

I've had lots of short thoughts bouncing around in my head, but nothing long enough for a whole post. That means it's time for a brain dump.

• I realized halfway through the day yesterday that I had already written a post about songs being stuck in my head and singing a few lines over and over again. Blargh. At least they were different songs.
• Cooper has a new game. He spins around in the dining room while saying, "Look Mommy, I'm being a princess." I've explained that he can be a prince because he's a boy. Nope, princes don't get to twirl.
• Cooper keeps asking, "When is Phoebe going to be a boy?" Clearly, we need to have a few more discussions about gender being an eternal part of our identities.
• Peter hasn't had a violent tantrum for almost a week. That's huge.
• He has however started cutting us off as we speak and saying "Whatever" and "I don't care." So, in other words, he's become a teenager.
• I don't like playing with Legos. They make me anxious. This week I discovered that I do enjoy building with Duplo blocks. Duplos are just big Legos. Why do I like one but not the other?
• Phoebe is very wiggly. She hates sitting still. She'd rather roll than sit. Standing is also an option. But not sitting.
• I have 99 posts waiting for me in my Google Reader. That's too many. I need to play catch-up.
• I've had Total Eclipse of the Heart stuck in my head since yesterday.
• I've also had Friday stuck in my head (Original version - don't watch! Literal version). I just heard it for the first time on Wednesday and now it won't leave me alone. Maybe that's why my brain won't work...

Stuck on Repeat

I almost always have a song playing in my head. Often that song finds its way out of my head through my mouth. Sometimes only a few phrases of a song get stuck on a loop in my brain, which means I sing the same two or three lines over and over again.

Yesterday Mary Poppins was stuck in my head, specifically the song that Jane and Micheal sing about the advertisement they've written to find a new nanny. Cooper caught hold of the last four words: Jane and Michael Banks. He sang them, said them, assigned them to toys he was playing with. This went on all day.

Clearly my habit of just singing a few words of a song is having an effect on Cooper.

It's influencing Peter too. Last week I overhead him singing, "Turn around, Bright Eyes. Every now and then I fall apart."*

What? Don't all five-year-old boys sing 80's power ballads?

*I was going to post the original video of this song, but dude, it is weird. Like, one of the oddest things I've ever seen. If you're in the mood for something bizarre, go here. If you'd like to hear a much better version of the song, follow this link.

Chicks Dig Scars, Right?

Head wounds tend to bleed a lot.

Not to worry, Peter's fine. He just got a little too excited while entertaining Phoebe last night after dinner and met the corner of our sideboard with the corner of his head. It was a small enough injury to not need stitches, but awesome enough to get to watch an episode of Word World on Netflix while we stopped the bleeding.

I hope Peter's future wife is one of those girls that likes scars.

Dance Break

Seeing Spots

Last night as we were getting Phoebe into her pajamas I noticed that she had a rash on her legs. She had been fussy for the last few hours, but I thought it was because we had battled a crazy wind storm on our walk home from church. (She is not a fan of wind.) As the night continued it became obvious that her legs were the cause of her pain. We had to hold her very carefully and she would scream whenever we tried to lay her in her bed. We finally gave her some acetaminophen and she calmed down so she could sleep.

This morning when she woke up she was in better spirits, but the rash was still there. And it had grown. It was now on the back of her neck, her ears, and was creeping onto her cheeks.

I checked the spots again after her nap. They had spread to the insides of her arms, and her hands and feet were red and swollen.

I called our Pediatrician and explained Phoebe's symptoms to the receptionist. We were told to come right in. After a quick exam it was concluded that Phoebe was suffering an allergic reaction.

Now, with all of my talk about Peter's allergies you'd think I would have been able to recognize an allergic reaction. Those spots? They were hives. I've seen hives before. The difference is that Peter's reactions have always been on his face. Phoebe's was almost everywhere else.

We have two suspects for her trigger. She had apricots for the first time on Saturday, so we need to consider that that might be the cause. The second possibility comes as a result of an ear infection she's had for the last few weeks. She was taking amoxicillin. If that's the culprit, then chances are good that she has an allergy to penicillin.

She's feeling better now that she's had Benedryll (under doctor's orders) and is asleep.

Is it awful that I hope she's allergic to the penicillin and not the apricots?