Mother of the year...

another take on survivor
i saw this on another blog and i couldn't pass it up--have you seen it? it's a new take on survivor that they are considering doing next season.

let me break it down for you just one time:six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 children each for six weeks. each child will play two sports and either take music or dance lessons. there is no fast food.

each man must take care of his 3 children, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money. in addition, each man will have to budget extra money for groceries each week.

each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out.on time. no emailing.

each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment, and a haircut appointment. they must also make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the urgent care clinic.

the men will be required to make one batch of cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside, and keeping it presentable at all times.

the men will have access to television and internet only when the children are sleeping and all chores are completed.in addition, the men must shave their legs and bikini area, wear make-up daily, keep finger and toe nails polished, and eyebrows groomed. they must also wear a pair of uncomfortable but highly stylish shoes twice weekly for a two hour stint.

during one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and extreme, unexplainable mood swings.

they must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or similar setting.

they will need to read one book to the children each night. every morning they must wake them, fix a suitable breakfast, brush their teeth and comb their hair by no later than 8:00 a.m.

a test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. they must also be able to memorize each child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

at the end of the six weeks, the children vote them off the island based on performance.the last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

the winner then plays the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years, eventually earning the right to be called Mother!who wants to play????

i was voted off before the season started...

I thought this was funny...somedays, it feels like that.

It's TOO quiet downstairs...

Today Allie suprised me with a goumet lunch of Pasta ala Allie...which is Italian 3 year old for

"a box of noodles, ALL of your cooking spices, some water and salad spritzer (raspberry vinagrette, of course). All lightly tossed in a skillet on my kitchen floor".

Although appetizing, I was in the middle of exercizing up in my bedroom. She even had the option of 2 movies(one up, one down), a coloring book, and Little petshop. I guess I am going to need to find other means of entertainment for her if she's awake during my run! I have to say that she did go all in for my lunch and was soooo proud of herself! It's hard to be mad when they are being so thoughtful... She of coarse had to prep the cooking space with a tower of spaghettios and all of the Easter eggs she could find to get her artistic juices flowing...I guess...I love what she has done with my pantry here...very interesting choices in organizational flow?
Thank you SWEETHEART!!!! You make the funniest messes ever! I love that it was all for me!

The Big Trip

Pretty good-looking crew!!

Our boys went camping with Brian's family a couple of weeks ago. They had a great time! I had a breakdown...I have NEVER sent them anywhere without Brian or I with them...It was very traumatic for Allie and I, but we survived!

It is crazy how much I take them for granted! They entertain Allie alot more than I ever realized! She was lonely and wanted constant attention from her parents! We had a good time focussing everything on her, but we were so happy to have them home!

Sweet little Jake came up the stairs and immediately started crying when he saw me. It was so cute...he sat on my lap with my arms around him in silence for 20 minutes...they both said they had fun with only one exception! So I guess it was a success! They sure love their Grandpa and their special aunts Chelle and Lycia, and their husbands, Uncles Mike and Gary. Uncle Jared is always a favorite too...and they think Uncle Brad is pretty cool.

I appreciate that they do all care about my kids and took extra care to make their trip a great one! It was fun for them to have such an extended period of time with their cousins...they all get along so well and are ALL beautiful, smart, and hilarious!

Nate is secretly part Mountain goat, Jake, on the other hand, is sadly part me. He is terrified of heights!

Sad, but true!!

How you know you are a child of the eighties.
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "SIKE".
2. You watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air"
4. You wore biker shorts under your skirts and felt stylish.
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
7. You know that "WOAH " comes from Joey on Blossom.
8. Two words: M.C. Hammer
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock ".
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars.
11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales".
12. When it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" on the big screen.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH " (Mansion, Apartment,Shelter, House)
18. You wore Jordache jean jacket and you were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear....need I say more
20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM " in Kindergarten.
21. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing " and all the Ramona books Ramona completed in 1st grade.
22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off...
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took Lunch Pails to school.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to! say "NOT " after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
32. You thought She-Ra and He-Man should hook up.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and like 24, probably in neon colors, too)
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I? " 36. You remember "I've fallen, and I can't get up "
37. You remember going to the skating r ink before there were inline skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
42. You remember Popples.
43. "Don't worry, be happy "
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do... getting yelled at by "younger hip" members of the family)
46. "Miss MARY MACK MACK MACK, all dressed in BLACK BLACK BLACK "
47. You remember boom boxes vs. cd players.
48. You remember watching both "Gremlins " movies.
49. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!! "
50. You remember watching Rainbow Bright and My Little Pony Tales
51. You thought Doogie Howser was hot.
52. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
53. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.
54. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By the Bell ", the ORIGINAL class.
55. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THRU THE HEART.
56. You just sang those words to yourself.
57.You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
58.You cut your t-shirts in half and wore it with your homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
59. You remember when mullets were cool!
60. You had a mullet!
61. You still sing "We are the World "
62. You "Pegged " your pants ritually. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head aren't you!!!
63.You french rolled your jeans.
64.You owned a bannana clip
65.You owned garbage pail kids.
66.You wore leg warmers.
67.when the berlin wall fell, you wanted a piece.
68.The Snorkles were the best next to fraggle rock n smurfs.

Is it spring yet?

Brian took our boys skiing for last time in April...
They had a wonderful time!

I have to say that Brian is always trying
to give them the best of everything.
He really puts a lot of effort into being a dad!
I know that our children appreciate him. He collects rocks with Nate, and helps him learn
about science, animals, geography, and world/Utah history. Nate has a passion for writing and I
appreciate that Brian helps to spark his creativity! I can't forget soccer! Nate LOVES soccer!
Brian is very supportive with any physical activity the boys decide they are going to shoot for...
Nate is a terrific soccer player! He has try outs for his competition league on Wednesday and Thursday next week! We are confident that he could make any team he wants to
be on! He has some serious foot work skills! I am biased of course, but he is pretty good. We are hoping that he sticks with the same team he played with last season.
The coaches are perfect for Nate! He has gained so much confidence and learned so much about being a smart player! His best friend is a year older than him and plays on a competitive team as well, his dad (Ian, who is also Jake's soccer coach) has been so kind with helping Nate improve with so many different skills!

Jake is a very coordinated boy. Brian and he have a lot in
common as well. They play video games together and
sometimes even have a pretty even playing field!
Jake LOVES any sport! He and Brian are both
fans when it comes to watching any sport on TV or in
any stadium or arena. Brian puts a lot of time into the
role of "coach" even when he doesn't officially hold the title.
Jake is a very intelligent boy, like his brother and Brian
does a great job encouraging both of them to do their
best at everything they try...and boy do they try! They are
both willing to try anything...and they are usually
pretty good at anything they put effort into.
Brian feels strongly about them playing the sport
that they love, so we will be signing Jake up
for tackle football any day now!

I am grateful for my "boys" and I hope they know how proud I am of all of them!

Happy Mother's Day!

My Mother Taught Me...

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE."If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION."You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL."If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC."Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC."If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT."Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY."Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS."Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM."Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA."You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER."This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY."If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE."I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION."Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY."There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION."Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING."You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE."If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP."Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR."When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT."If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me about GENETICS."You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS."Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM."When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

I saw this on my friend Stacy's blog and got a kick out of it! Those are great!

I have a wonderful Mother and I adore her for everything she is! She is a sweet and thoughtful woman and I cherish our friendship!

My Mother-in-law was also an incredible woman, who I wish my children had the opportunity to know! She was everything that the word Mother means. I want to grow up to be just like them! I know that I am a FAR shot off from that, but I will keep trying and hope that my children will be patient with me while I am learning!

I also have some pretty wonderful examples of motherhood in my sisters and friends! You guys are such great examples of womanhood to me! Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

Mom, Karrie, Amy, Becky, Michelle, Alycia, Christine, Shanna, Paige, Kim, Grandma DeVries, Grandma Beckstrand, Jamie, Stephanie, Janet, Laurie, Jeannie, Grandma Dalton, etc......thanks for helping me raise my children! I love you guys!