You say it Reagan

Stuff

My Canadian photography friend posted this on her blog--and I have heard it before, but loved to see it as a reminder.

“We invest a great deal in the acquisition of stuff. Companies bombard us with slick, relentless propaganda as to why we must have their stuff and judge an individual’s success by their stuff’s sheer quantity and supposed quality. I like stuff. I especially like the word stuff. But consumption never was creativity; it brings few lasting satisfactions and can bring burdensome debts. Stuff beyond our basic needs does not liberate. Consider the overall investment of your time. You have to shop for stuff. You have to clean, maintain and organize stuff. You lose stuff. You look for stuff. You polish stuff. Secure it against theft, trip over it, recharge it, upgrade it, accessorize it, pack it, move it, unpack it, insure it, fix it, and eventually sell, trash or bequeath it. Stuff has no use beyond this life and it takes a lot from us. Very much unlike stuff, knowledge has few such liabilities. Knowledge does not depreciate but grows deeper, stronger and more valuable with each use.”
                        - Shawn W. Miller, BYU Devotional, August 3, 2010 (punctuation altered)

I am blessed to have many friends who subscribe to this way of life.

I am not a stuff person.  In fact, my poor kids have often asked where their toys went--because they just up and disappeared on them.

I hate paying for bullcrap. Toys, clothes that kids will outgrow, Pajamas--does anyone else hate paying money for pajamas??

But what I will spend a bazillion dollars for is memories.  Road trips, camping, outings.  Now that to me is where I have to watch myself with money.

We are still in the middle of trying to buy a car. I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a vehicle.  It seems ridiculous.

The only thing that I have realized that is going to make me do it----road trips. Having a car with no mileage on it, a good engine and a warranty.  So in short--memories.

That major deciding factor on which vehicle we choose--cargo room. How many coolers and suitcases can we fit back there??

I am already planning our east cost trip for next summer, and the West coast to Canada trip for the summer after that.

I love the reminder this quote gives me. 

Now I am going to go throw away some STUFF.

Fuse

My girls are performing and it's AWESOME. You should go.

Bahhahaaa

I didn't hear the conversation leading up to this--I just heard this:

 3 year old cousin: "My buttocks"

 Kizzy:   "You're butt talks????"

Ford Flex

Does anyone know someone who owns one of these? And do they like it? I'm considering this instead of the minivan. Let me know.

Ballet shoes?

Does anyone have a pair of these lying around? About size 12 or 11?  Josie lost one of  hers and her dance performance is Saturday and I am NOT going to buy her a new pair.

Mothers Day Video

I had a great mothers day, minus when I was napping and was awakened with a wet washcloth tossed on my face and a giggling 3 year old. 

Watch this sweet video.

Sup with me?

hey Jill--what's up with you?

Well, thanks for asking

We went camping with friends and that was beyond loads of fun. We went swimming in freezing cold water and laughed our butts off, and sent the kids to bed early and sat around having fun adult time until the wee hours.  See marlo's laughing it's so cold face. We had a created the 1 minute club and you had to stay in up to your shoulders for  one minute.  That is one long minute.


Then we came home and Hyrum got a migraine so severe that he had to go the ER (this was his first trip for a migraine), so we spent all sunday night until 3:30 a.m. there.  The doc was talking to him about it and then she asked what he did for a living, and when he replied nurse she said, "well why didn't you say so? Here I am talking to you like a baby."  And then gave him the low down. She was great.  And then the nurse that was taking care of him said that he should have mentioned that he worked for one of their hospitals and we could have been hooked up with a room faster---isn't that random?  It's like getting a good table at a restaurant.  The only thing good about Osborne hospital is they have a cool hot chocolate machine--why did I know this?

OH-because one week prior I was in the same Emergency room with Beck and his head that was split open. Not clean split--big chunk missing split.  ceiling fan. Luckily he slept through the whole stitches thing.

OH, so anyway, on the way back from best camping trip ever, the ol' '94 Suburban starting making rattling noises.  But not at high speeds--so when we got home I took it to the mechanic, and it is something to do with the air conditioner. Which was fully replaced two years ago.  Lame.  So now we have to spend more money to fix the same thing.  And it needs new tires.  So that is over a grand, so we thought maybe we should buy a new car. So we looked into how much our suburban would be for trade in.  $216.  BAAHHHHAHHHAA  Isn't that crazy?

So we decided just to keep the burb for life because it doesn't cost that much to register or insure.  But then we need to buy a new car, because that thing is almost 20 years old and the other car isn't going to last forever either--so we need to stagger them.

Yeee--ikes!! Cars are so flipping expensive. Well, if you need to have 6 passengers. And minivans--if you want a good reliable one, like Toyota or Honda--those puppies hold on to their value. So a used one is only a few thousand less than a new and it has tons of miles on it. And there aren't very many for sale. UGH.   I looked for a used one and I would have to pay $13,000 for a car that has almost 100,000 miles on it. Ridiculous!  And we haven't had a car payment since 2004. And it makes me want to vomit having one.  So we may get a new car, like brand new. And I think that is bratty and weird and I don't like the idea of it. Because then I will care where I park and what the kids eat etc. etc.

I called my friend who is a Dave Ramsey follower as well, and talked to her about it. And she tried to go used too, but it ended up being  a better deal to get a new one.  I told her I thought it was bratty to have a brand new car and asked her if I was old enough to own a brand new car. And she said, "Newflash. You're old."  So apparently I am old enough.  It still seems weird though.  I blame this weird feeling on my father--damned penny pincher.  I inherited that which is mostly a blessing, but sometime a curse because I don't like to spend money much.

Hyrum asked what I wanted for mothers day and I said I'd rather have money in the bank than a present.  Pretty lame of me eh?

There is more, but I"ve talked enough already

Wishing for super powers

Dear Punk teenage kid,

 You are so lucky that I don't have super powers. I was at the stop light and saw you in the passenger seat, flipping all of us traffic the bird while your friend blatantly drove through a red arrow. And yes, you would have had so much crap running down the back of your leg--onto your friends seat, that he would have dumped you off on the sidewalk--and fast. You are exactly the reason I invented my super powers.

 xoxo Me

Unions

Sorry, I have to go political again--but a phone call set me off.


First off--I was raised with a Father who worked shift work. They were unionized--I think it did wonders for his job and career. I remember as a kid taking food to the strikers at the picket line.

So I have always seen Unions as a good thing.

Until recently. What I've read and seen--makes me stuck.

I don't like the unions that I read about. The City of Detroit is drowning financially and they have unions protecting the workers from any changes. The city is bankrupt--and they can't do anything. Does it suck to get laid off or cut back? Yes. But it is what happens when there is no money left. Not even no money left,--up to your eyeballs in debt.

And theirs isn't the only story.

I also know someone who is a manager at a local factory that hasn't been outsourced to China. Unions came in and the workers took a vote and said, "no thanks, we're good". Guess what the union did? Sued them, and lost. So what did the Union do then? Add more charges to keep the company in court.

I just got a phone call with a very meticulously worded script from the "Taxpayers of america" or something of that sort. Through her thick southern accent she told me something about local fireman and police losing their ability to make decisions to protect my family. And she asked if that concerned me when my family was affected. And then I realized--you are trying to scare me. And you are not from Arizona. So I politely told her that I wanted to get more information.

And that's what I want. I think it's union thing from what I know. I believe in Unions taking care of their workers and creating a fair wage system and benefits. But I don't believe in unions promising unsustainable provisions for their employees on the backs of the taxpayers. Like a lot of cities across the U.S.

So I'm stuck. Are there good unions left? Somewhere?

And I want to give a tip for people trying to do phone solicitation for politics. If it's legislation that you are trying to meddle in out of state. Don't hire people with thick southern accents to call the west.

It doesn't work

Lenka

Lenka is my new favorite artist. Check her out on Panodra or Spotify.

This is one of my favorite songs:

Somewhere about Montana

Do you remember my mental breakdown and spontaneous trip to Washington? I never followed up with that. I am really mad that I didn't do it, because my post would have been a lot more detailed and something that I would have like to use as a journal entry. Anyhow,



It was somewhere about Montana. I can vividly, vividly remember in my mind what it looked like out the window, in the middle of nowhere--when it kicked in. It was amazing. It was seriously like a taking a drug--i looked over at Hyrum and said--"I'm good", and I was. I didn't ever take any meds, or even drink caffeine or meditate or anything. We just drove and drove--and the therapy of seeing new country that my brain didn't recognize--cured me. U.N.B.E.L.E.I.V.A.B.L.E.

We had the best trip ever. I wish I could have everyone look through my pictures and I could tell stories of getting donuts in Provo, buying the kids coats because we didn't own any, and surprising my friend in Idaho and her letting us crash on her floor, and the cute headband she knitted me, and the picnic at the rest stop in Montana, or driving through gorgeous open Montana, and then gasping at the beauty of Northern Idaho (amazing!!), it snowing on us as we drove, and meeting a friend and her fun family for the first time in real life, and eating apples off trees in an orchard, and seeing Temples along the way, and staying in a hotel--just once so we could, and surprising Hyrum's sister in Boise, and having breakfast with a photographer friend at Kneaders, and realizing that ORE-IDA fries is named that because the factory sits directly on the OREgon/IDAho border, eating at Chuk-a-rama in Provo with friends, and then cruising on home totally cured.

It was the best thing I've ever done. When we were in Idaho I called my brother and told him about our trip because he was the one person I knew would get it. Because he takes more trips than me. He told me that other people don't get him either--when he takes trips. It's just what we do. It is our medication.

And a good and effective Medication it is.

Dear Hilary

Dear Hilary Rosen (democratic strategist),

Seriously? You said that Mitt Romney's wife, "never worked a day in her life". That makes me want to punch you in the face. She raised 5 boys. Why is it that when a mother stays home to raise her children it's not considered work, but when a mother chooses to work outside the home and hires a nanny-it's called a job? PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE.

xoxo Me

p.s. you need to watch Mona Lisa Smiles and listen to the best line delivered ever by Julia Stiles.

Coolest Video Ever

You HAVE to watch this. And show it to your kids.

And then watch the making of. Awesome. Jelly Beans.

Parenting Fact: I am not my mother

Parenting Fact: I am not my mother

In my memory I rarely can recall a time when my mother lost it. In fact after in light of my morning (you will soon learn of) I was trying to think of examples.

I came up with one.

My brother and I asked my mom not to sing so loud in church--and that hurt her feelings, so she took us home and we bolted from the car and she chased after us and as we ran down the hall a conservative high heel came flinging after us--nailing my brother square in the back.

That is all I have, and I hold on to that memory with both hands to prove that--even the calmest most patient of mothers CRACK.

Now, I already mentioned, I am not my mother. And although no shoes were flying at my house this morning. I CRACKED.

Most people would describe me as laid back and chill. But here is an insight I have found true with myself and my other friends whom I would describe as "laid back" or "chill". We snap. And when we do--duck and cover.

I think it is possible that every parent has a child that . . . well . . . makes them . . . crazy. My other three kids combined don't make me CRACK like this kid does. Ironically enough she is also the one that is the biggest party, first to laugh--and the most quick witted. I guess that isn't Ironic--it's telling.

This morning. She did it. I lost it. And it was her, of course, that I lost it on.

I'll spare you the details but it involved her whining, trying to distract me with conversation so that I wouldn't notice her not working, hiding under her covers, disappearing and not answering to my calls, grabbing some clothes and marching out of her room and flinging on the floor and running, hiding in the suburban in the garage. Oh--all while fake crying (with actual tears--she's nailed that) and mumbling words like "little kids" " so unfair" "why me".

We barely made it to school on time. The only reason it ended is that I told her that she didn't have to finish what I had asked her to do. Yep you heard me. I wasn't about to keep going on like this.

Her consequence for not doing it--I am taking away all of her clothes for the week and I will be choosing her outfits. That got a big "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" from her. Not a sassy no, but an oh please no. She frantically started picking up clothes and I informed her it was too late. OH, and you're banished from TV for the rest of the week.

So the sobbing continued. As I pulled up to the school she asked if she could stay in the car for a while and compose herself before getting out. Wrong time to ask missy. The last thing I am going to do right now is let you sit in the car with me so you can recover from your fake cry. "NO. Get out"

"You're SO mean!!" is the last thing I heard as she walked away with her backpack.

As I drove away I felt awful. I felt a bit heartless. Mostly for the part that I didn't tell you about, which was when I drug her from the garage to her room and tossed her in and told her to clean it or else.

But like I said, I am not my mother.

When days start out like that I am amazed that one kid has so much ability to make me CRACK over something like cleaning the clothes up off her floor.

So I get home after dropping her off and I am so riled up I don't want to start doing all of my chores. So I plop down on my computer chair and start reading email and checking other sights, and then I think that Pinterest might clear my mind so I start perusing.

I see a pin by one of my friends that said something like: "How to connect on the most difficult days" Bingo. this is it. The wisdom I need right now. I go on to read the article which offers me nothing. One tip was to walk away when you get angry. Too late. I didn't walk away. And does anyone? Not helpful. So I came up with my own parenting tips for days like this:

My parenting tips for when your kid makes you CRACK:

#1 Go Ape Shit on them. If you aren't familiar with this term--it's when you crack and go crazy. Do irrational things like take away their clothes for a week. Often threaten things that later you will regret when you realize it will be more of a punishment for yourself by having to administer your threat. Raise your voice. Dig your fingers into their arm, drag them with their toes barely touching to their room. Growl.

#2 Stand back and marvel at the miracle that it takes only one child and probably only about a few minutes to wipe out an entirely inspirational Sabbath that you had the day before. Thus resulting in your unashamed use of the word "Ape Shit."

#3 Throw something. Punch Something. OR Break Something. I suggest you don't do something that requires housework on your part, or something you might regret later. Pick a toy of your child's that you want to get rid of, but you feel bad every time you try to get rid of it. That is pretty satisfying. Or an egg--smash it in your sink, it feels good and you just rinse it down the garbage disposal. Or Spaghetti noodles. Empty the whole box into your hands and break it in two. It feels good--and you are one step ahead for dinner.

#4 Make a goal to enjoy the punishment you decided on. Consider making really odd and silly outfits for the child to have to wear in public. (HMMM--CAN they wear their underwear outside of their pants? Is that against dress code?) Warning: may result in more fake crying.

#5 Make whatever you want for breakfast. Previous behavior may have had something to do with your propensity to get low blood sugar. And if you happen to flip your egg over in the pan and the yolk breaks, just get slightly pissed and chop it into little tiny pieces with the spatula--TAKE THAT STUPID EGG!. Fry yourself another egg.

#6 Make some hot chocolate and sit down at your computer and write a blog post of Parenting Tips. *consider expanding it into a Book of Parenting Tips

#6. Feel much. MUCH. Better