Flashback Friday - Kazoo Review

Our house was always the "hang out" house. One night Farrah and I had a bunch of friends over and I guess mom thought we needed to liven up the party so she brought out a bag of kazoos. Just a little something she had on hand for such and occasion as this. So we had a little kazoo party right there in the living room. I like how everyone is blowing on the kazoos and then you look at Farrah sitting on the couch with her hands clasped together at her mouth, thinking, "Umm hmm, are y'all about done yet?". I don't know for sure that that is what she is thinking, it is just what it looks like.

Sitting Pretty

We played musical bedrooms when Addison was born in order to make enough room for our new arrival. Steve and I moved our bedroom to an unused room in our house. It wasn't used because it needed a lot of work done on it before it could be used. It is now a beautiful little sanctuary type retreat for us. Except for one thing. The toilet that was in the bathroom that is in our bedroom didn't work. When we redid the room, we took the toilet out and got rid of it. So we have had this big hole in our bathroom floor since Novemberish. We would have to go on this big long hike downstairs and across the whole length of the house just to use the bathroom. This is so not fun. Especially in the middle of the night, to have to get up and go walk the mile. A few nights ago I was complaining that I should have asked for a toilet for mothers day instead of an i-pod. Well, my dear and ever so loving husband came home yesterday with the best present he has ever given me. Comfort in the form of cold white porcelain. It is lovely. Thank you honey.

Get A Clue Abuot Peru (wouldn't it be nice if the spell check also worked on the title and not just the body of the post)

As heretofore stated on this bolg, the theme this summer at our library is "Get A Clue". I love our local library. They always have neat programs for the kids. We have seen so many neat things at the library over the years. During the year they have a special program once a month. In the summer they are every week, sometimes they even have a couple things each week. They have a summer reading program for children and adults and if you complete the program by the end of the summer you get to choose a free book. The kids and I all got a really nice book last year.

The theme this week is "Get A Clue About Peru". They had a one man band from Peru come and perform. It was so much fun. The kids loved it. Addison was even bobbing to the beat.

When we were getting ready to go to the library Emily asked where Peru was. I looked up at the ceiling, squinted my left eye in concentration and said, "it's uhhh, I think it is in....". And Zac said, "It's in South America mom. Duh." And then the strangest thing happened. I had this little glimmer of the former knowledge my brain once possessed. "Oh, Peru. Yeah. South America." At one time I knew that the capitol of Peru is Lima. At one time I knew things. I really did. Hmmm. That was nice.

Anyway. The kids and I had fun listening to the sounds of Peru the other day.

Did You Just Say What I Think You Said?

I was getting ready this morning and the TV in my room was on. It was tuned to the Today Show and I was just half paying attention to it when I heard the promo for their next segment come on. It was entitled "Slacker Mom vs. Alpha Mom". The whole segment was to try and find out which was better the "Alpha Mom" who is picture perfect and everything in her life follows suit or the "Slacker Mom" who is more laid back. Her kids hair isn't perfectly done, clothes might be a little wrinkled, store bought cupcakes as opposed to made from scratch. Apparently I fall into the latter category. But would I characterize myself as a "SLACKER"? Uh, no. Are all of the mom's out there who aren't "PERFECT", slackers? Uh, again, I must answer a with a huge NO!


This is why I don't watch the "news", if you categorize the Today show as news. I can't stand the media. Seriously. They just severely irritate me. All of 'em. Where do they get off calling the majority of mothers in the world slackers. Honestly. Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs on earth and I just really would have to take offense if I cared enough about the media to be offended by them. But I don't, so I will just end it right here.


So I will go forward today, with my head held high, to serve my children cold cereal for breakfast, dig through the pile of clean yet unfolded laundry for underwear for them to put on, and bake them cookies by scooping the pre-made dough out of the container I purchased at Sam's Wholesale Club. But before I do that, I leave you with this rather large quote from Oprah:


I'm in awe of good mothers—those heroines all around me who sacrifice daily out of love for their children. In our society, we give motherhood plenty of lip service. We pat moms on the head, bring them flowers on Mother's Day, and honor them before crowds. But at the end of the day, we don't extend them the same respect we would a professor, a dentist, an accountant or a judge. Women who choose full-time mothering are often put in a box by their friends and former colleagues—a container labeled "just a mom."


I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is. To create an environment that's stimulating and nurturing, to pass on a sense of responsibility to another human being, to raise a child who understands that he or she is created from good and is capable of anything—I know for sure that few callings are more honorable. To play down mothering as small is to crack the very foundation on which greatness stands.


The world can only value mothering to the extent that women everywhere stand and declare that it must be so. In our hands, we hold the power to transform the perception of motherhood. Whether we decide to work full-time while raising children, stay home with our kids, or bear no children at all, we need to understand that any put-down of the decision to mother is a threat to women's choices everywhere. We should no longer allow a mother to be defined as "just a mom." It is on her back that great nations are built. We should no longer allow any woman's voice to be drowned out or disregarded. As we affirm other women, and as we teach our sons, husbands and friends to hold them in the highest regard, we honor both the mothers whose shoulders we've stood on and the daughters who will one day stand tall on ours.

Bad Hair Day

This post is dedicated to my dear husband. He is a WONDERFUL husband and father, not so much a great hairstylist. Darling, this is to help you understand why I make such a big deal about how the girls hair is brushed after they take a bath and go to bed. You are not here in the morning when they wake up so you don't realize how much fun it is to try and fix this (see above photo). I know you are not so experienced in the art of hair brushing (see photo below) which is why I have been so understanding in the past. However, do you remember last night when I was feeding Addison and you were putting kids in bed and I asked you to brush Aubrey's hair a little better before she went to bed so her hair would look decent in the morning? Do you remember saying that it was brushed just fine and it would be fine in the morning? I just wanted you to see what fine looks like. I ♥ U!!!

Summer Lovin'

We have a pool in our neighborhood that we join every year. It is so much fun. We go swimming several times a week and the kids love it. Since it is in our neighborhood and since we live in Utah where everyone knows their neighbors, there is always someone there we know. The kids love it because they get to play with their friends and I love it because I get to talk to my friends.

Copy Cat

Ever since my sister Farrah put pictures of the ice cream cookie sandwiches she made on her blog, I have been CRAVING them. So last night for Family Home Evening Emily made these yummy ice cream cookies. We changed them up a bit so we could use the ingredients we had on hand. They were soooooo good.

Happy Birthday Hot Hula Lady!

Happy 80th Birthday Grannie Snow

This is one of my favorite pictures. It is a picture of my Grannie Snow. Today is her 80th birthday. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Fathers Day!

“Any man can be a father,

but it takes a special person to be a dad”

This picture was taken when I was 18 years old and my dad

came with me to help me move to Utah.

Thank you dad for all you have done for me. Thank you for always being there to take me and my friends anywhere we wanted to go. I remember one night close to Halloween when you took a whole group of us around to Haunted Houses for hours. Thank you for always being there to take me shopping for a new outfit for a dance. Thank you for ironing my shirts at a minutes notice so I could go out. Thank you for teaching me. I remember one time when Farrah and I were fighting and you brought out your scriptures to read to us and teach us why it was so important for us not to say we "hated" each other. That is still a lesson I carry with me today. Thank you for loving me and my children.

Steve and Roy

Roy, thank you for raising a wonderful son. He is a good man and a wonderful father and I know that it is because he has a good example to look to in you.

Aubrey, Emily, Zac and Steve playing football

Thank you Stephen for being such a wonderful father to our children. They love you more than anything and they get so excited when you come home from work. I love you.

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's in my life. I love you all.

Flashback Friday - I'm So Glad I'm The One BEHIND The Camera

Lauren, Farrah, Kristy and Sam

Hee hee hee hee! Haaa ha ha ha! OOhhhh! Ah ha ha ha ha! I don't even know what to say. Every time I try to think of something I just start to laugh. Ha ha ha ha!

On a more serious note- what's up with the gang signs???