My Least Favorite Household Chore

I rather scrub toilets than wipe out the microwave.  I have always despised cleaning out that little thing.  For one thing I am just about an inch too short to really get into it without getting on my tip toes.  I remove and clean the turntable and then spray cleaner in the microwave.  Whether I use a wash cloth or a paper towel the food particles just seem to smear around or squish down into the minute seams along the sides.  I try to wipe out any spills as soon as they happen but not everyone in our house does and so often I have some caked on gunk that stubbornly resists my scrubbing.  However, if I put off the cursed task it is only gets worse so I dutifully roll up my sleeves, rise up on my tip toes, and lean into the migraine inducing chore.

End of school party

I helped out with Sheila's end of school party.  They had an ice cream party.  I scooped the ice cream while the other mother helped with the different toppings.  Sheila refused to have any ice cream.  It was vanilla ice cream which she usually likes but not that day.  She finally had a small bowl of m&ms and sprinkles.

 Sheila and her bff, Makayla.  Unfortunately, she will be moving to another state over the summer.

 Timmy and Kimberly enjoying their ice cream.

 Sheila and all the girls in her class that were present.  I think there was only one not there that day.

Sheila and her teacher Mrs Lee.  Sheila sure loved Mrs. Lee.  Hopefully she will love her first grade teacher just as much.  The school year went so fast.  Next year Sheila will be in first grade and Timmy in pre K.  Sheila will go all day while Timmy will be only half a day.  They will both ride the bus in the morning but I will be picking up Timmy at 11 every day.

Sheila's Kindergarten Recognition (aka graduation)

Tuesday we all attended Sheila's kindergarten recognition in the morning.  They sang a few songs and then each got their certificate and then sang some more songs.  It was very cute unfortunately a lot of my pictures turned out dark and blurry but here are a few that turned out.

Now it is on to first grade.  Next year I will have two in school for half a day.

So weird

My post from yesterday is not showing up.  I have had a little bit of trouble with blogger lately.  It takes forever to load my photos and seems to slow way down at times.  I will wait to see if it shows up at some point but if not I will try to repost my post from the other day.

Be an Example

I have not always been the best example to my children.  I don't read my scriptures every day, I sometimes say things they shouldn't be repeating, and I often yell.  However I do try to instill in them good values and to do the right thing.  Today when I was finished with another headache inducing shopping trip at Walmart, with my daughter not happy the whole time and my son trying to quiet her in a not so gentle way, I was loading the van with the purchases and lifted up my purse to discover the birthday card I had picked up for my mother that I had totally forgot about and didn't pay for.  My heart sank.  I rarely do that but it made me sick.  Someone was waiting for our parking spot but after I got everything else loaded in the van I took the card and my children and headed back into the store.  A nice older couple let us go ahead of them since I only had the card. I told the cashier what had happened and she thanked me for bringing it back in.  I had explained to my son why we were going back in to the store because I want him to know that it is never right to take something without paying for it even if it was an accident.

On a sad note, my mother called me last night to tell me that the lady I use to babysit for passed away yesterday from a heart attack.  She was a very active woman of seven children.  She was only 50 years old.  Her children range from about 29 to 10.  Three still live at home and one son is on a mission.  (I babysat the oldest three mostly.)  She will be missed by those who knew and loved her.

The rest of Easter and catch up

Ray was gone during Easter so it was sort of spread out in what we did.  We attended Sheila's school Easter egg hunt.  The kids all came back with a huge amount of eggs.  I sent 54 with Sheila to school but she only ended up with 8 full ones and 12 empty ones when she got there.  So I bought another 30 for Timmy and Kimberly to contribute.  I think 24 more might have actually made it in since one of the little girls in her class that rides her bus but doesn't celebrate Easter because of her religion brought in some eggs but I couldn't get the whole truth out of Sheila so who knows.

Then Sunday morning the Easter Bunny came to visit out house. He just hid eggs this time for the kids to find.

The kids wore their Easter outfits to church although Sheila has refused to wear her since.

Daddy came home Monday, May 2.  On May 4, we joined Sheila's class on their field trip to the strawberry farm.

The kids got to pet one of the baby bunnies.  They have chickens, bunnies, bees, peacocks, geese, cows, turkeys, and pigs there.

 Then we took a wagon ride around the farm.

Finally to the picking.  Unfortunately we were at the back of a huge crowd and didn't get many big berries.  It was actually quite frustrating because I had my three kids and another little girl trying to pick and all they were finding were tiny ones and they wanted to get big ones.  I had bought a box for Timmy and Kimberly to share and good thing I didn't buy anymore since we barely filled the two we had (Sheila got one with her field trip fees.)

For  Mother's Day, Ray took me to the movies (on Saturday) and then we also got another two charms for my charm bracelet.  He was going to buy me a quilting foot for my sewing machine but we got to the shop 8 minutes after it closed so we will have to pick one up some other time.

While Ray was gone the kids also attended two birthday parties for little girls in our ward.  Other than that I have been busy sewing and crocheting and knitting.  I will be updating my other blog hopefully tomorrow with one of those projects but I have to get pictures of some others that are completed.

Easter Bunny

Ray was informed that he would most likely be going out of town for two weeks on Monday the 18th, missing Easter.  Then on Tuesday while at work he found out for sure he would be going the very next day and not scheduled to be back until Thursday, May 5th.  So our Easter was a little different this year.  We made a call to the Easter Bunny and he gladly delivered the children's baskets while we were out at dinner (celebrating Easter early since my ham was still frozen.)

The kids were truly surprised to see their baskets sitting on the coffee table when they got home.  Sheila almost walked right by them but Timmy shouting and running to them alerted her to it.

He didn't bring everything since all their eggs weren't ready but he brought them a basket full of goodies each.  Ray left the next morning and was gone until Monday, May 2.  Glad that he came home 3 days early but it was hard having him gone.  He didn't get to help the kids dye eggs or see them find eggs the Easter Bunny left for them Sunday morning.

Easter cookies

The family loves sugar cookies.  So every holiday we make some and then decorate them.  I give each kid a few cookies to decorate themselves, since they like to lick the knives.  Ray and I do the rest.

Proud to be an American

Once again patriotism is showing its glorious head on the news.  For years I wondered where our patriotism had gone; what with a president going around apologizing to other world leaders, making sure we didn't step on anyones toes, and rejecting the faith of our forefathers to coddle those that believe differently so we wouldn't look intolerant.  I have said we are so tolerant we are intolerant.  We are so compassionate we are incompassionate.  Etc.  It seems like we are so afraid of offending someone we offend everyone.  But this morning, or rather last night when the news broke that Usama Bin Laden was dead, people came out to celebrate and show their patriotism.  I got out my Times magazine and Newsweek from the day after 9/11 and showed my children what that man did to us so they could understand why this moment is so important to us.  I knew he wasn't holed up in cave somewhere.  I knew he was probably staying somewhere nice and plush so he could be having his little laugh and spitting in our eye thinking he would never be found. And to get him just before the tenth anniversary, what a bitter sweet moment.  Bitter because we lost so many innocent lives but sweet that their memory will be honored now by taking down the mastermind.