And Then There Was December...

So November came and went, with a late Thanksgiving, and early activities, and suddenly it's a month later and I've blogged nothing. Not a thing. And now Christmas is a week away, we're not done, and, well, I'm just sitting around feeling overwhelmed. So my post is this...we're here, we're alive, we're enjoying the holiday, and hope that it's a joyful holiday for all of our friends and loved ones!

(P.S. Here are the two calendar pages I put together as part of a family calendar that will be a gift for my parents this christmas. I'm a total newbie at this, and I'm sure my siblings' will be much better, but it was still fun to put together.)

Specific Instructions

This week has been one where I discovered that in fact my children cannot read my mind, and when I say something (or don't say something that is obvious to me), I will reap the rewards of my lack of proper communication.

Example 1: Benji has started toilet training. But if I do not say to him the right words, the bathroom is sprayed with urine. Yeah. 'Nuff said.

Example 2: On Wednesdays I am gone in the afternoon from 3:30 to 6:30, when I take Peter into Salt Lake for Salt Lake Children's Choir rehearsals. I usually have something already to put in the oven or cooking in the crockpot on these days. Last week I made up a recipe for a breakfast casserole, with a hashbrown base and and egg, cream and cheese mixture poured on top. I left it on the oven, covered in Saran Wrap, and told specific instructions to Sarah on when to put it in the oven, how long to cook it, etc. It was a busy evening, as we were going to attend the wedding reception of my niece, Kacey, and there would be little time to do anything else but stuff down a few bites before running out the door.

When I came home, everyone told me how yummy dinner was, and that saving any for Peter and me was difficult. I ate quickly, thinking that it was odd that it hadn't browned after an hour in the oven, and that the liquid must have over flowed it a bit, because there was a slight film around the edge of the pan.

Eventually I got around to cleaning it, and realized that the egg film was NOT egg, as I had supposed, but Saran Wrap, melted, and eaten, by my entire family, myself included.

It had never occurred to me that I had to specify removing the plastic wrap to my daughter. But I have learned my lesson. If I want something done a specific way, I have to say things like "Please point it into the toilet," or "Remove plastic wrap before putting it in the oven."

Just thought I'd give you all the benefit of my experience so this doesn't happen to you.

November Heebee Geebees

November has always been a fun month for me. I enjoy the anticipation of Christmas, and the yummy food of Thanksgiving.

This year, however, I am adding a big 'ol stress to that...NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. The challenge? Write 50,000 words in one month, or the length of a full novel.

Never done that before. Ever. But need to desperately, if just to prove to myself that I can.

I almost didn't even start, just so I wouldn't be disappointed in myself half way through the month. But what is life, if not a series of attempts and failures along our quest for perfection?

It's still giving me the heebee geebees, though. I'm terrified!

Benji, Ph.D in Daaaaaannnnce

Isn't this a great picture? Sarah is on the yearbook committee and had borrowed the school's camera to take pictures of Red Ribbon Week. She just shot this for fun while we were getting out of the car one day after school. We need a really good camera so we can take more of these.

The reason I posted this pic (other than to show off Sarah's awesome photography skills) is to share the most recent silly Benji moment.

He and Andrew have watched "Monsters vs. Aliens" a hundred times. No exaggeration. He loves to imitate his favorite parts, one of those being the "Dance Dance Revolution" of Dr. Cockroach. (If you haven't seen it, you're missing out.) Benji kind of bounces around, flapping his elbows in his own version of the Funky Chicken.

So this is this morning: He wants to get dressed by himself, including changing his own diaper. He got COMPLETELY undressed, had all his new stuff ready to go, when this part of the movie came on. Naked little boy doing bizarre Funky Chicken dance while giggling insanely.

Need I say more?

LDS General Conference and My Testimony

So we went to East Canyon this weekend for conference. We invited my parents and my youngest brother and his family to come up and enjoy conference and the tradional joys of rice and bacon. But with my dad sounding like a loaded down dump truck (nasty sore throat), my mom having to REALLY rest from her broken hip, and it raining buckets (probably just normal stuff for say, Seattle, but around here, if water comes out of the sky, people start to build arks), we ended up being by ourselves. It was great to be able to just sit and listen, even though the Sunday morning session I barely heard because that was the one I was yelling through, trying to get the kids to "SIT STILL AND BE QUIET BECAUSE THE PROPHETS ARE TALKING!".

Elder Holland's talk during the Sunday afternoon session was impossible to miss, however. Even from the beginning I could tell that this would not be a 'kiss-kiss-nice-nice' kind of talk, but her was revving up to some serious box-breaking. (Italian missionary language, translated from 'rompere le scatole', which means to scold or really get after someone.)

I was so impressed with his statement about going on record for all of the world and heaven to note, that the Book of Mormon is true, both in origins and in translation by the prophet Joseph Smith. We live in a world where we are so PC, trying so hard not to step on anyone's toes that sometimes we don't even stand up for what we really need to shout from the rooftops. It was an amazing talk, and I for one am willing to follow humbly in his very impressive path and say that I, too, know that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God, written by ancient prophets for our day, to give us a path to lead us to Christ. I also know that Joseph Smith was called of God, that he saw, in the flesh, our God and his Son, Jesus Christ, and that all that followed, through the recieving and translation of the Book of Mormon to his last testament given through the shedding of his blood.

Our Family Photos, Part 1

So I'm finally getting around to getting these pictures up. These are the ones we took with my family in July. It was soooooo hot, but everyone looks pleasantly pink in the cheeks. This is one of the 5 kids. We purchased a 16x20 to put on our living room wall.

We could NOT get Benji to take his finger out of his nose for this big family photo. So we bought a not so big one of this.

Okay...I'll post more later....children. What can I say? They are who they are. ;P

Light at the end of the Summer Tunnel

So there is a little over a week before school starts for the oldest three. Sarah is thrilled because the 8th graders get to come to school at 10 am instead of 8 am the first day, and this somehow translates to the whole school year. Peter is semi-excited to go back, with no friends in his class, though, he's less than thrilled. (Of course, he had all of them in his class last year, and it turned into a jabberfest everyday, according to his teacher. Very social, that boy. This year, none of them are in the same class. Makes you go hmmm.....) And Meri is entering kindergarten this year! (Okay, so I'm old.) Of course, the craziest insanity will still be staying and playing here at home, named Andrew and Benji (aka Gorilla and Monkey Boy, respectively).

You know, I distinctly remember being excited about having the summer come, to step off the hamster wheel of school schedules. But after a summer full of run, run, run, go, go, go, it'll be relaxing to get into a familiar grind.

Collins Extraveganza

So I haven't posted for a couple of weeks because, well, my whole family was in town for most of that time. Four of my six sibs live out of state, and my mom was giddy with joy at having them all at her house for almost a week. Well, everyone but us. We live about 20 minutes away, with my youngest brother, his wife and little boy living in the small apartment above my parents' garage, so they might as well have been in the main house. But the rest of them, four siblings, four in-laws, two two month old babies, and eleven other grandchildren. Our 5 stayed home with us, but we spent most of the past weeks at my mom's house, so it was like we never really left. We did some church family stuff, a baptism for my niece Emma, and the baby blessings for the two baby boys, Henry, and Mason.
We also did some swimming:

and took family photos:

(sorry, Tina, I totally stole your photos since we never seem to take a camera anywhere)
The photographer was amazing, Aime Maughan. Check out her work! You might even see one or two of my kids in her galleries.

And one day, my mom and all of us mothers (except Merci and Haley who were already back in CA) went shopping at the outlet mall in Park City. Now that was fun. A full day of shopping...so much so, we didn't even eat lunch!
We said goodbye to everyone last night, so life gets back to "normal". But boring. Oh well. Next year it will be 10 days in So Cal, and we'll get our Collins fix next summer!

Vacation, Staycation, and Escapism

So we spent last week up at East Canyon, where we have a membership. It was horrible getting up there, packing clothes and food for 7 people for several days. I was so grumpy by the time we got up there and poor Andrew, who decided on July 4th to be newly independent from diapers or pullups of any sort, had not yet gotten used to using a toilet not his own. I was prepared for accidents, but not that many. I was afraid that first night all the progress we'd made would be swept away by another toilet, until I figured out it was because the toilet was too tall, and the upstairs ones were the right height. It only took 3 hours and 4 accidents before I hit the "DUH" button and reset my brain.

Honestly, though, after the first day it was great, very relaxing, and I could forget, for a few days, that real life with all its time pressures was waiting for me at home.

I've talked to a few people this summer about taking vacations, just getting away from it all, and between those conversations and my own observations, I have realized that even if a vacation means more stress for Mom, they are so important to the sanity of the household. And I have to agree. That family bonding time is important, away from the normal ins and outs of life. It strengthens the family unit through common experiences and memories, even if the memories consist of kids throwing up, kids throwing bottles at the other passengers in the airplane, kids throwing up, "AAAAAAHHHH! Mom, he's pinching me! AAAAAAHHHH", kids throwing up....

That being said, Kendall and I have two different definitions of what a vacation is. For me it is doing whatever will cause the the least amount of stress for all parties, myself being the exception. (And now I know why my mom was always working during vacations. I could never figure it out at the time, but now I know that for mom, if the vacation includes the children, there is no vacation for mom, only the same work in unfamiliar surroundings.)

Kendall's definition is exploring, finding interesting places to visit and learn about, expanding one's horizons. That was great in Italy, where every P-day was filled with those visits to amazing places and vistas all crammed into that little boot, but here in Utah it's all too familiar. And if it's not familiar, it's too expensive for a family of 7.

So this year we opted for the staycation approach, something really close by, and within reason. (This is also because Benji is still a horrible child in the car, demanding after about 45 minutes "Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!" at the top of his lungs, pulling at his carseat buckles all the while. He has occasionally been able to worm his way out of the seat, I don't know how, and wandered freely in the car until we can pen him in again.)

But after we came back and reality with all its pressures had reasserted itself, I find myself searching for ways to escape. Not that I'm running away, mind you, but I just am tired and don't want to do it anymore. So I am reading. A lot. Or staying up until 2 in the morning. Too much Facebook. Any and all of it, just to escape it all for a few minutes.

Sometimes it's harder to come back from vacation than to be on one. Sigh.

Amazing Acappella Music

Kendall and I have sung in a couple of acappella groups over the years, and it has been loads of fun. The joy of making several voices come together to create harmony and beauty is just joyful. A friend of mine sent this link to a Slovenian choir on YouTube, and I just had to share:



The other thing I had to mention was the new Fox show, Glee. They've only shown the first episode as a teaser after the American Idol finale, but it was so much fun, I don't care that their marketing worked. I am already hooked and anxiously waiting for the season to really begin. Here is my favorite song from this episode, though I loved all the music in it.



Anyway, every time I take a break from music, and then come back to it, I'm always stunned at how much I love it and miss it. (I guess that's about right...it's basically July, six months from the Christmas season when I'm singing my brains out.)
Have fun, and I hope I've addicted all of you to Glee (if not, go to Fox and watch the whole first episode) so you can talk about it with me when the season starts in September!

Cold Stone Concoctions

I've always been a fan of Cold Stone Creamery. I love the idea of being able to put together flavors that no one else has ever thought of and have it be really nummy. We don't go often, but when we do, Kendall always complains that I make much better concoctions and then eats half of it.

So after going to see Hello, Dolly! at Hale Center Theatre last night, we stopped at Cold Stone. After tasting my experiment, he said, "You need to blog about flavor combinations, and say things like 'It finished with the deep flavor of oak.'"

He was kidding about oak, but not about the blog. So here is last night's nirvana (and I wish I had taken a picture): Oatmeal cookie batter ice cream, raspberries, and Twix. Fresh raspberries add tartness, the caramel is smooth and chewy as it cools, and the cookie base and milk chocolate bring a satisfying crunch and creamy finish. The oatmeal cookie ice cream also gives it a nice roundness of flavor, rich and buttery, with some cinammon to add a final dimension.

I would also recommend Oatmeal cookie batter ice cream, raspberries, Nilla wafers, and white chocolate chips. It would taste like the fabulously indulgent white chocolate raspberry brownies that my mom makes from Aunt Deb's recipe. (Thanks, Aunt Deb!)

So there's your Coldstone recommendation for the week. If I made your mind work and your mouth water, go indulge your craving with this recipe. It's on the house.

Speed Bumps of Life

What are speed bumps for? Why do they even exist? Physical ones are there to tell you to slow down, drive slowly, cautiously, with careful considerations of your surroundings.

The speed bumps of life do the same thing in our consciousness. These experiences come into our paths to say "Wait! There are things here to stop and ponder! Think through the path you've chosen before you continue!"

Some are small, like a child trying to get you to listen while you're busy 'working the plan'.

"Mom, Mom, Mom! You gotta come see..."
"Just a sec. Mama's got to finish this one thing--"
"But Benji just flushed the shampoo down the toilet!"

Or it could be major, like Kendall's dad collapsing and being rushed to the hospital. The doctors have ruled out a heart attack or stroke (his dad is almost 78), and think he might have a really bad inner ear infection, or something that can be taken care of. We're hopeful that it will be something "minor".

But today as this unfolded, and a few years ago when Kendall's mother was extremely ill, it caused us to stop and think about where we are, and this "plan" we're working so hard to follow. Where are our priorities? Where is our focus? Are we really choosing "the better part"? Or are we settling for good, when better or best is who we should be?

Edelweiss

Edelweiss - Sound of Music - Christopher Plummer's own voice from Mark on Vimeo.

Today we changed Benji's crib into a "transitional bed", i.e., a toddler bed with railings at either end. He's been successfully climbing/falling out of his crib for the past week, and hurt himself a few times.

I don't know why I thought it would be just like any other night, where I could put him in and walk away. He likes his freedom too much. So for almost an hour, we played "Get out of bed and find Mom so she can put me back in bed", including a bonus round of "crying so hard I throw up". I finally figured out (duh) that he wasn't going to stay, so I had to lay him down and sit in the opening created by the two end railings. He still didn't want to stay, so I offered to sing for him.

Now I have to add here that one of the only things that this busy, busy, BUSY boy will sit still for is when Kendall sings "Edelweiss" to him. He loves the sound of his daddy's singing, and will be so still I don't even recognize the tornado that is normally my son. So I usually leave Kendall to sing this lullaby to him, because, well, I love to hear him sing it, too.

But it was my turn tonight (since it was my decision to change up the crib situation) to figure out how to keep him in bed, so I sang to him. I used all my usual lullabies, but he wasn't quite there.

"Benji," I said, "Do you want me to sing Edelweiss?"

He smiled his biggest smile at me and said, "Yeah."

So I sang it to him about 20 times, the last time a gentle humming as I listened to my baby snore. Peace.

So I post the picture of my now FAVORITE flower and a video clip from one of my favorite movies, in honor of Benji, sleep, and peace.

Milestones

This is the summer of learning something new...for me and the three youngest. Meri is on the brink of making a breakthrough in reading...so close. So this summer she will learn to read before she goes to kindergarten. This is awesome, and I look forward to working with her.

For the two youngest, not so fun. I think it's time to teach the two little boys the joys of toilet training. Andrew has been very reluctant, refusing any suggestions to start. But (and here's where the psychology comes in) he always wants to do things BEFORE Benji. But Benji is showing signs of readiness, and I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to get the rest of my kids out of diapers.

So wish me good luck (and good aim).

Make Most of Time

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.

"To The Virgins, To Make The Most of Time", Robert Herrick, 1591-1674

Kendall and I love to travel, but with five kids, (three of them under 5) we don't do it as much as we would like. We went through a period about a week ago thinking about squeezing in a "ROAD TRIP!!!" (insert "Legally Blonde" squeal here) to San Francisco or there abouts (No, Benton, we were not going to crash at your place, so no worries) and find some place like this:

Instead, after reality and sanity returned, we decided that what we really should be doing this summer is this:(And no, this is not our basement. This one doesn't have toys and loner socks float around on the ground.)

Yeah, I know, boring. It's not all work, though. We already had a week up at East Canyon set up, we just wanted a little bit more. We only have 5 or 6 more years with Sarah in the house. How weird is that? I swear she was just 5 years old herself, and we just celebrated her 13TH BIRTHDAY!!!! Ack!

We do want to make the most of the time we have left, make those memories (remember Mazatlan, siblings? Or maybe Europe? Or Yellowstone?). How do you create balance between the responsibilities of today and family bonding time beyond normal life? We still haven't found it, and time's a-flying.

Summer's So Close, I Can Taste It!

I posted these two pictures because this is where I want to spend my summer: somewhere between a cool green forest and the beach. No worries, just letting the kids explore and having a very relaxing time.

You don't realize how taxing the normal schedule is until it starts to lighten up. The end of the school year is close, and the release of pressure is making me giddy. I just want to run away somewhere and let all the rest of the stress seep into the earth and sky. Anyone care to join me?

And Then There Are Those Days....

....where you swear, if they weren't so darn cute, you'd just....

I Sang! Andrew Was Grumpy!

A few posts ago I talked about whether or not to sing in the stake choir for conference, my reason for waffling being I wasn't sure if my kids (well, half of 'em) are old enough to be contained by one parent and an older sibling. Well, I decided to sing, and it was actually nice! For me, anyway. I felt the Spirit, listened to all the talks, took notes, all from the stage.
I felt bad for the family, though, especially Andrew, who struggled (and lost the battle) to sit still. I think I saw Kendall sit maybe for 20 minutes of the entire 2 hour meeting, poor guy.

So all in all I'd say it was a possitive experience, and (don't tell the fam) I'd probably do it again. At least in a couple of years when the little ones won't be so little anymore. And Andrew isn't so grumpy.

The New Blog, and Why.

(This is an almost word for word copy of the post on my new blog at meganoliphant.blogspot.com)

So for any of you who have been following along with this blog, I decided that it was time to branch out and have two different blogs, one that shares the family stuff (for all the family that lives so far away), and one about my other passion in life, writing. I started this blog to blog about writing, but family got in the way (doesn't it always?) so I had to start a completely different one.

On the other one I'm going to talk about all the aspects of writing that affect me and my quest to be a published author. Like actually making time to write. Some days I have the writing flu, to the detriment of all else, and other days I forget that I actually can write more than my signature on a check to pay for piano lessons.

I also need to be accountable somewhere else besides my own mind on writing in a more scheduled fashion. I found this cute progress meter from Writertopia, and decided that this was as good a way as any to see some progress. So you can follow along with my struggles in getting this novel done, finally!

The Better Part of Valor

To sing or not to sing...that is the question. I was asked to participate in the women's choir that is singing for stake conference, and because I sang in the choir for our stake Women's Conference, I was on the list.
Because I was called and asked, I couldn't say no. But now we have a dilemma: 5 kids, one parent. Last year it would have been a no brainer, with Benji still nursing. This year, though he's past that stage, he's moved into the refuse-to-sit-still-on-pain-of-death stage. And you add Meri and Andrew to the mix, and it becomes a full blown juggling act for 2 hours.
And have you ever noticed that the kids who can't tell time can last 1 hour and 10 minutes exactly before they start going nuts in Sacrament Meeting? The 2 hours of Stake conference is a study in early childhood insanity!
So do I let my poor husband do this on his own (with Sarah's help, of course) or do I quit to keep our added chaos to a minimum? What whould you do?

Two year old boys

So I just cleaned up the cat's water that Benji spilled all over the floor so he could splash in the puddles. That, and my brother (totally tongue in cheek)commenting at Easter dinner that Benji will be a bad influence on little Alan (as Alan followed Benji around the ottoman, both of them throwing puzzle pieces onto the floor as fast as they could go), made me realize that I have one of those kids that everyone looks at and secretly thinks "Thank goodness that's not my kid!" I guess it's my due, since I was the one thinking that about everybody else. Karma, eh?

Youth Pageant, Writing, and FREAKING OUT!

So Kendall and I got roped into participating (actually directing, producing, and writing) in our ward's youth roadshow. It was kind of interesting, how Kendall was asked to head up our group. The bishop called us in and said, "The stake is putting on a youth pageant, and three wards are combining to do one show. Will you be our ward representative?" And that was it. He didn't know anything else, and neither did Kendall for a week until he met with the rest of the wards and the stake leaders in charge. And after a few meetings with the other two ward representatives, it became obvious to Kendall that he would have to be in charge. Not his favorite thing to do, by far.
So how did I get involved? They needed someone to put all the ideas together and get them a coherent script, and I was available. Actually, it was rather fun, collaberating with Kendall in writing the thing. But then one of the ward's representative is involved with other plays around the valley, and can't participate, and they really needed to have one more adult to help get things organized. So here I am.
Anyway, last night was our first rehearsal. And even though I was trying not to throw up from tension before it started, it went pretty well. Now I have to be honest. Teenagers scare me. Not because I was a teen so long ago, but because I was a teen at all. I know what I was like, and I was a good girl. I'm not sure how to interact with teens anymore (which is why my next calling will be Laurel advisor or something equally scary).
The other stressful thing is having to bring all the kids to rehearsal because our built-in babysitter is in the show. So I had all three of the little ones wander through at various times during the 3 hours we were at the church, needing attention when I was trying to help get things going.
I guess I just had to vent, because just writing about it now is making my heart race and my brain leak out my ears as it melts from the residual stress. I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end, but for right now I'm FREAKED!

Fate and the Italian Language

I read the other day in the blogosphere (don't remember who or where, or I'd link it) that Jodie Foster would get the most amazing desire to work out, hard, right before she was offered a big movie. She didn't know what movie, no advanced notice from an excited agent. It was her own intuition, her life path giving her a heads up about something coming.

I'm sure everyone has these kinds of moments, something that starts to rattle around in your brain, telling you to get prepared, because a big life change was coming to adjust your perceptions. I remember specifically having the bizarre desire to learn Italian in college. I struggled with the language, mainly because I couldn't figure out why on earth I was taking it. I even audited the class a second time, trying to pick up on what I'd missed the first time around. Then after several weird and painful years, I found myself in the MTC, desperately cramming Italian and the discussions into my head, wishing I'd taken that prompting a little more seriously. I would have been a much better missionary had I just followed through and been prepared.

I've also gotten those pushes from fate and made the conscious choice to say "No, thank you. I'm not interested in whatever this means for my life." And the promptings have gone away, and I've moved on through my existence, with no knowledge of what great experience I had missed because I said no.

I think (pray) that this time, I will listen and do what the whispers say. I don't know what is coming, but I know it's big, and I know that this time I want to be prepared for it. So I'm going to take the classes and learn the theory before it's time for my lab work to begin. Wish me luck.

Cleanliness, Godliness, and the Unholy Mess

So I don't know how many of you have troubles keeping a house clean. I've never, ever, been keen on keeping house. I never understood my mother's desire, need...no...Obsession...to keep a clean house. Until I realized that I really do like things tidy. When I'm not stuck by my guilt over having a messy kitchen, I can get all sorts of things done. Theoretically.

I guess the old adage "Cleanliness is next to godliness" has some foundation in truth. My brain is as scattered as my house is. Or is it my house is as scattered as my brain is? But when it's not scattered and cluttered with the surface things, with the other stuff that really doesn't matter, I am able to be centered and find that well of feelings and emotions that scream out to be explored. So I guess what I'm saying is that I let my life get cluttered with extranious stuff so I don't have to deal with the unholy mess that is my well of feelings and emotions. How's that for catartic revelation?

Rice, Bacon, and Conference.

It is that time of year again...General Conference. And for the first time in years (not since we lived in AZ), we are on our own for conference.

Now you have to understand. It's a family culture kind of thing. My grandfather and grandmother on my dad's side both come from West Virginia. They lived here in Utah for all their married lives, but brought some of their culture and food traditions with them. And one of them is Bacon and Rice. You cook up rice and serve it with bacon, and there you go. Thinking back on it now, it seems like a poor man's food, the kind of stuff you have when it's the only stuff you have. My understanding was that my grandfather used to eat the rice and bacon with the bacon grease poured over the top. All I can say is Eewww.

But then I guess our tradition isn't that far removed. For as long as I can remember (and I remember being 2) we had this for breakfast on Sunday morning. We take the cooked rice, crumble bacon on top, sprinkle sugar on top of that, and pour milk on it to create a warm, salty/sweet meal. I think the toasted English muffins with raspberry jam and grape juice came a little later, but it rounded out the meal.

To any newbies to this post, you may be saying Blech. And I would understand. There were years where I would eat the bacon on the side, but not add it to the rice and milk. And to this day the bacon has to be the right level of crispy or I won't add it, because there's nothing worse than soggy bacon. It 's like eating straight fat.

We used this meal as a litmus test for all potential in-laws. If they could eat it without gagging, they were acceptable. It was always funny to see the first bite reaction. I don't know what my other siblings did, but I gave my future hubby lots of info before his formal introduction. And he actually likes it now (better than I do, I think.)

So for years, every conference, we, and as many siblings as were around, would come to my parent's house for the traditional breakfast and Conference. Three of my four brothers moved out of state this past year, and my parents are in California with my VERY pregnant sister, so we get to do it on our own. The food won't change. Not a bit. And since I'm cooking the bacon, it'll be perfect.

I feel a little forlorn, though, realizing that yes, at nearly 40 and with 5 kids, I guess I'm finally a grown up and can do this on my own. But on the other hand, it's kind of exciting being handed the baton, carrying on the torch of tradition. So onward Oliphant family, along the well-tasted path of tradition. Yum!

On Being a Writer

I have to say that writing, for me, ebbs and flows with the needs of family. I wish I had the time to really devote to it, but then, would I really? Or would I spend my time avoiding the work by surfing the internet or finding other ways to distract myself?

I just know that when I do it, when I exhaust my brain and body to create something, my soul soars. Just had to share.

Mini Vacations

So here is a general question to the blogosphere. I want to do something with the fam for spring break, but what do you do with a kid range from 13 to 2? And with a 2 year old that hates, HATES the car. He does okay for about 30 minutes, and then it's all over, including crying so hard he makes himself throw up.

So we're thinking day trips, you know, something like a visit to the acquarium, Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum, etc. What do you do with your kids when you want to get away close to home?

6th Tag

Well, I actually got tagged for a photo. When people say in "x" folder, and the "x" picture, they assume you are actually up to date and have that many picture folders saved on your computer. We only last year got a video camera/camera, and I'm still learning the ins and outs of the digital age.

That said, I did have 13 folders total, but most of them are weird things that have nothing to do with family. And the sixth folder only had 3 pictures in it (of boiling liquids for Sarah's science project.) So I went to the next one, which happens to be the family pictures we just took. So here it is, all five kids from about 2 months ago. Notice Andrew's grumpy face (blue shirt). His favorite mad look, up through his eyebrows.

So left to right, names and ages: Benjamin, 22 months; Sarah, 12 3/4; Andrew, 3; Meredith, 4; and Peter, 10.

I am Tagging Merci, to get her to blog something before the baby comes, Tina, because the pictures of Alan are adorable, Shelley, to help her keep her promise to her boys to keep blogging, Haley, to blog something before the baby comes, and Michelle, just to see what she's taking pictures of.

Balance

So I have discovered something about myself. I have no sense of balance. And I don't just mean literally (though the same vertigo problem that got me sent home from my mission in Italy still plagues me from time to time). Learning to find 'moderation in all things' truly is the journey here on earth.

So as I was saying, I have discovered that I lack that crucial element in my personality that would keep me from overbalancing in one direction or the other.

Sweets are a perfect example of this. If I eat them, I can't stop, because they just taste too good. They do not feel good, however, an hour later when I have a stomach ache and sugar rush headache.

Or take reading. I can't do this as much as I used to (which was ALL THE TIME), because nobody does my mommy job but me. Very annoying. ;-) But I would get so wrapped up in it, that I couldn't stop, not even if I was late for something.

Let's take household chores, too. Now I am not a perfect housekeeper by any stretch of the imagination, but when I get into a job, I can't quit until it's done, and done perfectly. Which is probably why I put it off so much, 'cause there is no "perfect" in this house. Far from it.

I could go on, but I'm sure you get my point. In all this areas and more, the trial and effort is always in finding the razor's edge between done and not done, too much and not enough. I share this for one reason and one reason only. IT IS DANG HARD!!!

Not so Boring!

So I found this list on my cousin Merrill's blog, and I thought it would be fun to add. You can copy and paste it yourself. Maybe I'm not as boring as I thought!

Here is a list of 99 things that you can copy and paste. Then you bold the things that you've done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Life, burnout, and happiness

Well, no one is sick. That is happiness.

My glasses got broken. I am sick (burned out) of small children not respecting things that don't belong to them. (But when three out of your five kids are still in the toddler stage of "If I see it or want it, it's mine", what can a mom expect?)

Peter moved back to Layton Elementary, out of the Spectrum program. He was burned out (and so was I) of the homework and stress that came when he didn't do it and I had to ride him to get stuff done. He had been happier the past three days since the move than I have seen him all year. That is happiness.

Laundry Burnout. 'Nuff said.

We've changed our lifestyle to be healthier. Kendall and I have each lost 20 pounds. That is happiness!!!

Andrew had stopped having major meltdowns three times a day. That is happiness.
He had one the first day of primary and I had to drag him out screaming. Burnout.

Benji is a monkey with no sense of fear. I am burned out of finding laundry baskets, garbage cans, and the ottoman used as a stool so he can climb onto counters or get into the pantry shelves.

I don't think I'm cut out to be a parent of teenagers, tweens, or four year olds talking like their teenage sister. Burnout.

I actually got an entire plot line written down for my novel series. A road map, finally! That is happiness.

So, if you weigh the burnout vs. happiness, I guess life isn't so bad. Besides, I actually got a full night's sleep last night. There's nothing happier than that!

Five Words

Stomach flu. Whole Family. Yuck.