Author: Superpaige (Page 100 of 180)

Warning: This post is all about my kids, so if that bores you to tears, click away right now.

We’re in high gear here. May is like December–it’s full of wonderful things, but there are just. too. many of them. Last week was so terribly hectic that I was in a state of panic for the whole week. What with my rehearsals, concerts, and women’s conference and soccer tournament and softball starting up, I felt like the family was held together by phone calls and sticky notes. And thanks to Ryan for taking care of everybody while I was gone. I just thought, if I can get through this week, next week will be better. Well, this week IS better, but it’s still terribly over-scheduled.

I have a friend in my neighborhood who has 5 kids the same ages as my kids. Her oldest is a girl, which doesn’t help me any, but her other four kids are the same sex as my kids. It’s nice to have a full family of friends for my kids so close. Well, she’s also a bit of a sports enthusiast, and she rounded up teams for all of our girls to play on. She’s even coaching one of the teams, so she’s really ambitious. But with three girls on three different softball teams, that’s 3x practices and games each week. Luckily, since we have a whole bunch of neighborhood kids on each teams, we can carpool or even just send them with their friends, like I did with Megan this week. This is why softball really shouldn’t begin until school is out, right? Because spending a lazy summer evening at the ball field is what summer is about, right? Not running from one activity to the next and sitting there freezing at your 7 year old’s game like I did last night.

So besides the softball starting up, this week has also been band concert week. That meant that two of the kids had to be at school by 7:00 each morning, and then had to be at the school for the concert by 5:30 last night. I went to the 2:00 school assembly concert, and it was very good. I’m proud of my kids! They’ve learned so much through the school band program, and I’m grateful that our school does a band and orchestra. Even Natalie’s beginning strings group did a fine job. The principal announced that this was the 21st annual band concert at our elementary school, and I think that’s awesome. Megan did a percussion number where they did their drumming on garbage cans, and it was the hit of the program. I’m sure she’ll be one of the coolest kids in school for the next few days as everyone wants to be a drummer just like her.

It is also the week of the dance recital. So, they’ve had an extra practice last night, and picture days for both girls. Tonight we will get to see Jenna and Natalie dance their little hearts out wearing their costumes that I paid way too much for (and did I mention that I had a tights emergency and had to go to four different stores before I found a pair of “tan footless tights”?) and they will wear approximately once. It’s one of a mother’s proudest moments. Hopefully we will not forget the camera.

Tuesday night Ryan went to the marching band parents’ meeting with Cole. It’s a good thing that I didn’t go, because I *might* just have FREAKED OUT a bit when I saw the schedule of practices and event. Because I was already so overwhelmed with getting all the other kids activities on the calendar and then there’s this whole new set of activities to factor in, and then where is my babysitter? I wouldn’t want to do something like that in front of a whole new group of parents. I really don’t know if my son can keep his grades up with this kind of schedule, but I’m hoping it’s a motivator to use his time wisely. We’ll just have to see how it goes, and how we like being band parents. And how we’re going to afford this. Oh, and he also brought me his brand new fancy flute this week and said, “Mom, I broke a spring”. As if I somehow could magically wave my hand and fix it. Hmmm. This whole growing up and acting like a high school student is also scary to me. I need to get a handle on it.

Kids are like plants. They grow so fast when you aren’t looking.

I even went to a class at women’s conference about over-scheduling your kids and simplifying. It was a good class and I learned some things about letting my kids make the decision about the extra-curricular activities they attend. Besides piano (which is mandatory), all of these things are optional at our house. They also pointed out that sports and activities are good for your kids, and there’s even been a study done that points out that girls who played on high school teams were 40 times more likely to finish college! Being on a team helps kids develop not only sports skills, but self-esteem and confidence as well. They also learn to work together and feel like they belong, as well as having that many more adults and kids their own age that care about them. And I don’t think it’s that they have too many activities, it’s just that we have too many kids.

While we’re on the sports subject, I just wanted to mention how proud I am of Megan and her soccer team. Last week they started tournament play, and did very well on Monday night’s game. I think it was 6-0. Friday night I didn’t go to the game, but she told me they lost 3-0 to a very good team. Saturday morning we went to the game and finally enjoyed some nice weather, which has been rare this spring. But we did not enjoy some nice soccer. The team they played was playing ugly, and really trounced on our girls. One girl came out crying because she had been wacked in the face, then the other team stole the ball and a goal was made. No foul or penalty was called. Another or our girls took a ball to the back of the head at high speeds, and she was down and out on the sidelines for a while, too (I’m not saying that was intentional, it was just unfortunate). Other girls were getting kicked when the ball wasn’t even around. These girls were just really playing Rough, and unfair. We lost 6-0. Yes, they are a better team, and our girls probably would have lost, even if they had been playing fairly. But to be beaten so badly was very hard on the girls, especially when they felt like they were treated unfairly. The refs are 14-15 year old kids, and they can’t possibly see everything, but some of these offenses were so obvious, we just wondered why nothing was called. When it was over, the girls were all in tears. They did not expect to be out of the tournament so quickly, especially when last year they were the division champions in their age group.

We had a little meeting afterwards, to discuss the team’s plans for the upcoming year, and try to lift the girls’ spirits a bit. But when we left, I had one sad, disappointed girl. We had to run a few errands, and we talked along the way, reassuring her that I was very proud of her and proud of her team for not playing dirty, just because the other team was. I even let her pick her choice for lunch, and we stopped at a garage sale or two. By the time we got home, she was feeling a little better, but hated to have to tell the rest of the family that they had lost and were out of the competition. This was a hard experience for her, but one that builds character. So, even though I complain about the schedules and the practices and the time away from the family for sports, I do believe it helps kids. They have to learn to be good winners AND good losers. And isn’t that something we all need to learn? Better to learn it in sports when you are little than to learn it later in life.

I heard this song on “Showtunes Saturday night” late Saturday when I was coming home from a concert. I pulled into the garage but didn’t turn off the radio, because I just had to hear the end of the song! When I looked it up on You Tube, there were all these other people’s videos of them singing this song, so I’m guessing it’s been out there for a while. But since I just discovered it, I’m sharing it with you. I love it so much it makes me want to run out and buy Kristin Chenoweth’s CD (maybe for Mother’s Day).

Last night I dreamed I was out perusing the garage sales with a friend, and we happened upon Tom Cruise’s house. He was, indeed, having a garage sale. I guess baby Suri is growing up and they were getting rid of some of her designer baby things. We met and talked with him as we were picking over his stuff, and then I asked if I we could take a picture with him. “Sure!” he enthusiastically replied.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera, but my friend said she had one, but it was just one of those disposable cameras. But we figured it’s better than nothing, (what, Tom Cruise doesn’t have a good camera around? No paparazzi at his garage sale? I guess not) so we took the pictures with Tom Cruise with a crappy disposable cameras.
After we had taken the pictures, I said, “Here’s one for the blog.” I don’t think I said it very loud, but Tom Cruise heard me, and said, “Oh, yeah, I love your blog! I laughed so hard at that one about the sandals! Oh, are those the shoes you were talking about?” and he pointed at my sandals.
I laughed, and said that yes, they were, and was a little shocked that Tom Cruise would read my blog.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, DeEtte pointed it out to me, and I love it. Keep it up!”

Now, DeEtte is a friend of mine, who I’m pretty sure doesn’t read my blog, and I really don’t think she knows Tom Cruise (but I guess it’s possible; I’ll have to ask her), and I wish I knew what blog post “about the sandals” he was talking about. If Tom Cruise liked it, it must have been good, right? I wonder if Katie reads the blog, too?

So when I was rudely awakened this morning by Natalie telling me it was ten minutes to seven, and didn’t I remember that they had to be to school at 7:00, it was really a shock to me. I was in that “just woke up fog” wondering if I had really met Tom Cruise, and did I buy any of their cute designer baby things?

Back in reality, I’m pretty sure there are no famous celebrities reading my blog. I did find out recently that a few of my friends have been reading my blog, and my neighbor told me that once she found it, she stayed up until one in the morning reading through all the back entries. But did she post a comment? No.

So, I’m asking you to just leave me a comment every once in a while so I’ll know you’re out there. If you’re new here and have never left a comment, just say hi and let me know who you are, and if you’re Tom Cruise (or if you know Tom Cruise), WELCOME! (and maybe you could tell me that story about the sandals, because I’m sure it’s a good one).

It’s a stressful week around here at Casa Erickson. This week is my concert (and I’ll try not to be pushy, but I would LOVE it if you came, and you can get tickets here. Or I’m sure it won’t be full, and they’d probably let you in without a ticket if you decide to come at the last minute). Which is great. I’m excited and quite a bit nervous. I mean, as of our last rehearsal, I know I wasn’t ready for a concert. But we’re going to think positively here. So, that means I’ll be gone tonight, tomorrow night, Friday night and Saturday night.

And did I mention that it’s soccer season tournament week? Oh, yeah. That means that Megan has games last night (which they won 4-0!), Friday night and Saturday morning, with a practice on Thursday night.

And did I mention that it’s women’s conference this week? And I, foolishly thinking that I can do it all, signed up to go on Thursday. I knew I couldn’t go on Friday, but I somehow thought I could squeeze in Thursday. I’m sure we can do it. I’ll be picking up my friend Robin from the airport at approximately 8:35 am, then whisking her down to Provo with me in the rain or snow.

The kids also have a primary talent show this Friday, and the girls are getting ready for their dance recital and band concerts next week. So, no, we’re not busy. Just figuring out how everyone is going to get where they need to go, and who’s going to stay home, and who’s babysitting is a full time job right now.

I’ve stocked the fridge, so hopefully no one will need to go shopping this week, but someone does indeed have to fix the meals. In fact, this morning, I cooked up two dozen scrambled eggs so the kids could have something besides cereal (those complainers–just eat the cereal, why don’t you?). I’m trying to get a jump on the laundry, but that’s nearly impossible on a good week. And the house? I’m afraid it probably won’t be ‘company ready’. And I obviously have a problem with my priorities, since instead of going out and spraying those icky dandelions or cleaning off my kitchen counter, I’m in here blogging about it.

I just need an Alice. Where do you think she’s working today? Those Bradys had it good, didn’t they? 6 kids? Ha! That’s not so many. I’ve got 5, and I don’t have a housekeeper. But I sure would like one, wouldn’t you? Someone to cook the dinner, vacuum, dust, and keep the house tidy. I believe she also helped the kids with their homework, bathed Tiger the dog, and generally kept the house running. So what did Carol do? Did she have a job of some kind? Did she have to help Mike at the architecture firm? Did she volunteer for the PTA? Was she a primary president or relief society president? I mean, really–what did she do? I can’t remember. But I’m thinking she had it pretty easy there at the Brady house. Especially since all their problems could be tidily wrapped up in a 1/2 hour (well, an hour, if you count getting lost in the grand canyon). Wouldn’t we all be a little happier with a little more ‘Alice’ in our lives? Too bad we don’t live in tv land.

Happy Birthday to my Mom! It’s her birthday today. We had a little birthday bash for her last night at our house. When I say “little”, I mean about 27 people–10 adults and 17 kids for dinner. We cooked up this London Broil, and it turned out so yummy! Of course I didn’t add MSG like the recipe says (who ADDS MSG? I thought we were supposed to avoid that stuff?) and I didn’t have Tarragon vinegar so I used red wine vinegar. I also made these simple oven roasted red potatoes, and some yummy baked beans. I set up extra tables and chairs inside, even though it was finally nice enough to eat outside, but our trees haven’t leafed out yet and we have no shade. So, we told people they could eat outside if they wanted, but most everyone stayed in. After we ate, the kids all scattered and played outside, some downstairs in the extremely messy unfinished basement, and some upstairs. It was so fun to look out and see a dozen kids all playing happily together on the playground. I’m amazed taht the cousins get along so well, and are always so excited to see one another. Maybe it’s a good thing we don’t get them together very often. It was a fun family get together, and I’m glad it went so well.

Speaking of birthdays, I never posted any pictures from Megan’s party back at the beginning of the month. So, here’s her cake.

Made by Julene, the awesome cake decorator. That soccer ball is actually made out of rice crispies. But when Julene asked her husband to “press” the rice crispies into a bowl so they could be soccer ball shaped, he took that job a bit to seriously and smashed them together using a jar to really pack them tight. When we cut into the soccer ball, it was SOLID rice crispy–not even crispy anymore, since there was no air.
It was enough to break a tooth on, but the kids still ate it.

The girls had a great time, , and it turned out to be a fun, and relatively easy for me, party. A funny thing happened with her present, though. I was going to give her an MP3 player for her birthday. But when her friend’s mom brought over a present for her, I just peeked inside to see what it was, and it was an MP3 player! I couldn’t give her one if a friend was giving her one, too. So, I got a few other things together, and remembered I had a guitar stashed in the closet that I had bought at a garage sale a while back. I gave that to her. She was so excited! And all her friends thought she was SO cool that she got her own guitar, and it was so COOL! Turns out that guitar has a bit of separation at the neck, and we’re going to somehow stabalize it, and I don’t know if it even will stay in tune (so if anyone knows anything about guitar repair, let me know), but I already won cool mom points because all the girls were so IMPRESSED with Megan’s birthday guitar. Even if it doesn’t work out for her, she was cool at the moment, and therefore I was cool, right? I was just glad she was so excited about it.

Dog Diary

8:00 am – Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm – Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm – Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm – Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with my people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Cat Diary

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today, I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies’. I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today, I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

(thanks to my friend Kristi, who sent this to me. It made me laugh)

Today, April 25, is World Malaria Day. And through the Bite Back campaign, people can give a one-time donation of $10 and provide a mosquito net for a child – or a family, if they’re all sleeping in the same place – who otherwise would have no protection from this completely preventable disease. That $10 will also provide education and treatment for people who are already sick with malaria.

Boomama has challenged her readers to donate 50 nets in 50 hours. I don’t have that kind of readership here, but I think it’s a great cause and I’d like to do my little part to spread the word. Remember, this is a one-time donation, not a long-term commitment.

So here’s how you can help.

Click here to donate $10 that will provide a mosquito net for a child (you can donate more than that if you feel led). Each net lasts three years, so for $3.33 a year – less than a penny a day – you can save a child’s life.