Go ahead and TOOT!

...Now I know what you're probably thinking from the title.....this is going to be some sort of boy humor blog post or something. Not this time people.
This is some real honest to goodness horn tooting. Not mine, mind you. That would be rude.

But it's okay to toot our kids horns every once in a while, right?
Maybe for me it's a little bit of vicariously living through my children. You see, when I was a teenager, much to my mothers shagrin, I was not the most studious student on the block. Or the whole neighborhood for that matter. In fact, I was pretty lousy, by choice, which made for an unending amount of heart ache for my parents.
....So years and loads of regret later, it makes me more happy than you'd ever know to see this on report cards....

4.0!!!!!!

(I think they should add the exclamation marks on good report cards)

Tonight was the induction ceremonies for the Junior National Honor Society, and it's was awesome! Most of you probably know all about that because you were all probably members back in the day. However, that whole experience escaped me for all the years I was in school. To be a member of course your GPA has to be above 3.75, but you also have to do at least 15 hours of service in the community - which is SO GOOD for kids (what am I saying....it's SO GOOD for adults too!) So, they had a few kids talk about what they did for their service hours, then spoke about the importance and origins of education. Tanner got called out of the audience for an object lesson by the keynote speaker, and - not being a lover of being in front of people- he was pretty beet red - but he still did great!

We're super proud of him, and hope he keeps it up next year when grades 'really count'. (who-ever came up with grades DON'T count before 9th grade is silly. Of course they count.....don't the habits they form NOW affect what will come LATER?)

Alright, I hope this hasn't been too much horn tootage, but I really just had to get a big WAHOO off my chest!

Just wondering......

For the last little while I've been paying attention to all the questions that seems to pop up all in a days work here at home. Some are great questions. Some make me smile. Some make me completely shake my head and think 'are we serious people?'.....Here's some examples.....

1. Where's the socks? (this is kind of a funny one, because - due to my lack of inconsistency (in SO many areas of my life), the pile of unsorted socks may be in any number of places.....the laundry room, my bedroom, the master closet, under the clothes the need to be ironed......so.....the poor children never know from day to day just WHERE on earth to find their socks!)

2. Is Heaven an actual planet somewhere.....or does it just sit right above the clouds?

3. Why don't we have anything to eat? (I'm shaking my head at this one.....let's see son.....we have gogurt, string cheese, apples, pudding, grapes......what other choices do you need?) (said child STILL mumbles and leaves the kitchen with out eating anything)

4. Does Heaven have neighborhoods like Layton, and do people up there come to the middle of heaven and look down at us here? (this one took me by surprise, and I think I said 'what?'...so the child replied "you know mom, like, if YOU were there, would you come to the middle of town and look down at your children?) (that's one of my favorites) (except that it DID make me a little worried at first - you know how a mom's brain works......'is this a sign of something? Is this child trying to tell me or prepare me for something????

5. Where is the phone? (as if my body is any more able to push the 'phone locator' button and follow the beeping sound any better than the person asking)

6. Could you get me a fork? Doesn't seem like a bad question......except when the child is 20 feet CLOSER to the fork drawer, and the mom is on her way OUT of the kitchen with a full load of laundry in her arms. After this question I honestly just stood there and must have looked a little dumb-founded, because the child quickly realized how silly this request was, and hopped up to get themselves a fork.

7. What dessert do we have the ingredients for? (this is a somewhat embarrassingly re-occurring question........)

8. How many carrots do I actually have to eat?
(given that the same child probably asked the question about dessert, my answer should have been 3 heaping scoopfuls...however, they were let off by only 5)

9. Can we read one more chapter please? (this one happened twice - 2 different children...2 different settings. One was at scripture time - the chapter we read was fairly short, and one child wanted to KEEP GOING (this one made my heart happy....that doesn't happen hardly ever!) The next was reading to another child at bedtime, which happens to be one of my very most favorite things to do ever. Glancing at the clock that is getting closer and closer to 'far BEYOND when you should have already been asleep child!'.......but reading is one thing I LOVE when they want MORE!

10. Did you hear THAT? This happens when any child (I think I've heard it from all 3 olders this week) as they are preparing for piano recital and finally 'getting' their songs. Another one I LOVE to hear!

Children definitely make life interestingly fabulous, don't they? Some days I wonder if I'm really up to the challenge of motherhood, and if I'm doing any good at all. But most days I'm truly humbled and grateful for the opportunity!

RANDOM

For lack of ideas or interesting things going on here.....but still with a desire to blog about
SOMETHING....
here are seven completely random, and in no particular order, things about me that you may or may not know....


1. I've been deported from a foreign country (not a super fun experience).... (I was INNOCENT I tell you......really.) (A long story for another day....)

2. When I was younger (much younger), I could play a few piano pieces while sitting backwards.

3. I am a LIST-MAKING FANATIC! I love lists, and make a to-do one every day, including anything and everything I may do that day - just to have the satisfaction of crossing things off. It's pathetic, I know....but I will include things like "shower & ready", "kids ready", "lunches made", "pray". And if I've done something that I happened to NOT write on the list....I will quickly write it on the list, and just as quickly cross it off the list. (that really IS pathetic, I know!) But yet, somehow - it's a fabulous thing!
There truly is something gratifying to me about crossing things off my list.

4. I am somewhat claustrophobic. Elevators are mostly fine (unless the door takes too long to open). Caves are an absolute no-no (although, I hope to overcome this fear at some point in my life).

5. Because of #4...the sheets and blankets have to be UN-TUCKED at the end of the bed, or else my feet start to feeling completely TRAPPED! (this is much to the shagrin of Jason...who prefers his side tucked in!)

6. I OFTEN feel very socially awkward. (I don't have to expound on that one, do I?)

7. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Chips and salsa (the good homemade kind....), chocolate milk, and swedish fish. Oh, and breadsticks dipped in alfredo sauce. Also you could just go ahead and add anything else that is creamy and full of starch and carbohydrates. It's kind of a problem I'm having.



There you go. 7 random things about me.
I'm realizing that's probably too much of me for one post! Sorry people.