Did you know there's only five weeks until Christmas? Did you know I have not yet purchased a single Christmas present, written any planning lists or even made an unofficial plan in my head? For heaven's sake - I haven't even thought about Thanksgiving yet!
Know what I have made list after list about? What I've price compared around the city for? What I have plans being made, evaluated, kept and discarded constantly in my mind? Our ward's upcoming Relief Society dinner and program.
As I was checking out with my 150 plates, napkins, cups and cutlery today at Costco the checker commented that there's only four more Costco shopping Saturdays left until Christmas. I was so depressed by that I had to buy a bag of Christmas M&Ms at the next stop. Too bad I don't have time to exercise tomorrow. Do you think a new wardrobe in a slightly larger size would be a legitimate ward budget reimbursement request?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
It's Not My Fault
After a few months without any posts you might expect a long chatty post, with lots of pictures, updating you on what is going on in the Sperry household. And it's precisely those expectations that make it so hard to start blogging again. So stop it.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Emotional Baggage
The last day of school finally came, and it really wasn't soon enough. Along with the usual end of year longing for a more relaxed schedule, warmer weather and family fun, I've also had enough of school budget concerns that eliminated eighth grade at our school and might possibly make Ella's kindergarten next year half day, every other day.
As glad as I am to leave all that behind I wasn't prepared to face our new challenge today - swim team. We talked Carter into joining the YMCA swim team this summer. It only goes through June and July, but they practice everyday for an hour. Today was the first day and he spent most of the time sitting in a chair crying by the side of the pool, insisting nothing was wrong but a stomachache. The rest of the day he periodically burst into tears and begged to quit swim team because he doesn't like it. To be fair I think it was an overwhelming experience. There were about twenty kids in his age group and most of them clearly had more experience swimming than Carter, but I told him over and over he was only there to do his best, get some exercise and practice swimming. He was not comforted in the least.
Later as I was putting the kids to bed tonight Maddy asked when we were going to have her birthday party. Her birthday was in April. I told her we weren't going to have a party this year and she burst into heartbroken tears. I have to admit this one was all my fault, because although Ryan had a birthday party most of the first ten years of his life I have had a hard time extending that tradition on to anyone else. In fact, I'd have to say as much as I used to enjoy birthday parties, they now make me about as excited as going to the dentist.
Anyway, after all this I felt an overwhelming urge to make brownies, which I'm pretty sure would qualify as emotional eating. Which makes me wonder how someone so easily overcome by emotional issues herself can possibly be in charge of helping little people figure out their own emotional issues. It really doesn't seem fair to my children that they have me to turn to because I certainly don't have any answers. Sheesh. This parenting thing seems like a pretty messed up system to me right now.
p.s. I didn't have all the ingredients to finish my brownies so I had to settle for licking half made batter.
As glad as I am to leave all that behind I wasn't prepared to face our new challenge today - swim team. We talked Carter into joining the YMCA swim team this summer. It only goes through June and July, but they practice everyday for an hour. Today was the first day and he spent most of the time sitting in a chair crying by the side of the pool, insisting nothing was wrong but a stomachache. The rest of the day he periodically burst into tears and begged to quit swim team because he doesn't like it. To be fair I think it was an overwhelming experience. There were about twenty kids in his age group and most of them clearly had more experience swimming than Carter, but I told him over and over he was only there to do his best, get some exercise and practice swimming. He was not comforted in the least.
Later as I was putting the kids to bed tonight Maddy asked when we were going to have her birthday party. Her birthday was in April. I told her we weren't going to have a party this year and she burst into heartbroken tears. I have to admit this one was all my fault, because although Ryan had a birthday party most of the first ten years of his life I have had a hard time extending that tradition on to anyone else. In fact, I'd have to say as much as I used to enjoy birthday parties, they now make me about as excited as going to the dentist.
Anyway, after all this I felt an overwhelming urge to make brownies, which I'm pretty sure would qualify as emotional eating. Which makes me wonder how someone so easily overcome by emotional issues herself can possibly be in charge of helping little people figure out their own emotional issues. It really doesn't seem fair to my children that they have me to turn to because I certainly don't have any answers. Sheesh. This parenting thing seems like a pretty messed up system to me right now.
p.s. I didn't have all the ingredients to finish my brownies so I had to settle for licking half made batter.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Babysitter
Wynn and I went out tonight and left Ryan to babysit. We pay Ryan for this service, but tonight he didn't get his full amount because when we got home he couldn't tell us where his youngest sister was (she was asleep on the couch). He was surprised to find out this was an expectation.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Germ Warfare
Things Ella learned in preschool today:
1. You should wash your hands with warm water and soap to get rid of germs.
2. Use a tissue to blow your nose.
3. Don't pick your nose.
4. There are people inside your body waiting to catch any germs they see and squash them.
1. You should wash your hands with warm water and soap to get rid of germs.
2. Use a tissue to blow your nose.
3. Don't pick your nose.
4. There are people inside your body waiting to catch any germs they see and squash them.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Hockey
Last night our family went to an Idaho Steelheads hockey game, our first. We went with the Stubbs family, but I didn't see much of them. I sat in the seat on the opposite side from them and the seats were so narrow and the arena so loud that the only person I really talked to was Carter, who happened to be sitting next to me.
Carter noticed right off that hockey is a violent game. He commented on it to me after watching players get smashed into the sides of the rink a couple of times. He said it was a good thing they wore all that safety equipment so they wouldn't really get hurt. I know all about hockey, because I'm Canadian, so I explained that sometimes they do get hurt, especially when the players get really angry and start to fight, and that sometimes there will even be blood on the ice. I think Carter was a little bit skeptical about my hockey knowledge, but then there were three good fights, the last with a nice display of blood on the ice. There was even the added bonus of a bloody eye we could see from our seats in the second level that really impressed Carter and now he knows better than to doubt my expertise in all things Canadian.
We had to leave with two minutes left in the game and a score tied at five goals apiece because Ryan got sick, but that was okay because it looked the fighting might have been over. All in all it was an entertaining game, more than I was expecting and I didn't even need to pull out the book I had in my purse just in case. On the way home Maddy asked what were those black things on the ice when the players were fighting? Oh, I replied, those were their gloves. They take them off so they can punch better.
Isn't hockey great? Wynn's taking some of the kids to a basketball game tonight. I decided basketball might be just a bit too tame for me after the hockey game so I'm staying home - I'll wait for a good pro-wrestling tour.
Carter noticed right off that hockey is a violent game. He commented on it to me after watching players get smashed into the sides of the rink a couple of times. He said it was a good thing they wore all that safety equipment so they wouldn't really get hurt. I know all about hockey, because I'm Canadian, so I explained that sometimes they do get hurt, especially when the players get really angry and start to fight, and that sometimes there will even be blood on the ice. I think Carter was a little bit skeptical about my hockey knowledge, but then there were three good fights, the last with a nice display of blood on the ice. There was even the added bonus of a bloody eye we could see from our seats in the second level that really impressed Carter and now he knows better than to doubt my expertise in all things Canadian.
We had to leave with two minutes left in the game and a score tied at five goals apiece because Ryan got sick, but that was okay because it looked the fighting might have been over. All in all it was an entertaining game, more than I was expecting and I didn't even need to pull out the book I had in my purse just in case. On the way home Maddy asked what were those black things on the ice when the players were fighting? Oh, I replied, those were their gloves. They take them off so they can punch better.
Isn't hockey great? Wynn's taking some of the kids to a basketball game tonight. I decided basketball might be just a bit too tame for me after the hockey game so I'm staying home - I'll wait for a good pro-wrestling tour.
Friday, January 14, 2011
January Revisited
It's January again. I don't know if I have fully recovered from last January and it's back already, just like last year. Maybe I need to move to Mercury.
Anyway. This week we have a stomach bug at our house. I have to admit the first day with sick kids home from school wasn't bad. I didn't feel like doing all my errands anyway and now I had an excuse to stay home, and I didn't have to care if the kids just watched t.v. all day because that's what you do when you're sick. The second day wasn't quite as fun. People were starting to get bored. Then the third day added a sick husband to the mix and that was not fun at all. I am not naturally nurturing to sick people, especially sick people I did not give birth too, but I am, by a strange twist of fate, married to a man, who at the first sign of illness is instantly on his deathbed moaning for someone to hold his hand while he makes the journey to the other side. We are not a good combination in the face of illness (his) and I'm just thankful he doesn't get sick often.
Today I'm back to just sick kids. Unfortunately it's the kind of sickness where everyone seems just fine with enough energy to be tired of lying around, and then boom - they throw up, or other less pleasant things, so I really can't send them to school, but they are bored and I refuse to take responsibility for entertaining kids who should be at school (see - I'm really not very nurturing).
Luckily after this week of being stuck at home doing nothing we have a day off from school on Monday.
Anyway. This week we have a stomach bug at our house. I have to admit the first day with sick kids home from school wasn't bad. I didn't feel like doing all my errands anyway and now I had an excuse to stay home, and I didn't have to care if the kids just watched t.v. all day because that's what you do when you're sick. The second day wasn't quite as fun. People were starting to get bored. Then the third day added a sick husband to the mix and that was not fun at all. I am not naturally nurturing to sick people, especially sick people I did not give birth too, but I am, by a strange twist of fate, married to a man, who at the first sign of illness is instantly on his deathbed moaning for someone to hold his hand while he makes the journey to the other side. We are not a good combination in the face of illness (his) and I'm just thankful he doesn't get sick often.
Today I'm back to just sick kids. Unfortunately it's the kind of sickness where everyone seems just fine with enough energy to be tired of lying around, and then boom - they throw up, or other less pleasant things, so I really can't send them to school, but they are bored and I refuse to take responsibility for entertaining kids who should be at school (see - I'm really not very nurturing).
Luckily after this week of being stuck at home doing nothing we have a day off from school on Monday.
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