Fun

The drive was long, but the kids had fun and we got to see family on the way :).  We bought apples on the way up, and we're looking forward to apple pie filling.  Although I've only been here since Wednesday evening and we've already finished off a box.  I found some more if I need to go buy more for canning.  We have to wait until the grape juice is done though.

We're doing much better.  Even in the cold, rainy weather.  Today has been fairly productive as well.  The kids have played outside--they pretty much just ignore the rain.  At the moment they (Ashley, Demetri, Logan, and Theo...with Olie standing by as an observer) are doing the disco to the 80's song "Stayin' Alive."  Where's my video camera when I need it?

I have a huge list of things to do, but everything's more pleasant to do here.  If anyone knows how to finish corners and texture...I'm considering it in my bedroom here if I can figure out how.

The kids get to go to Grandma Pitcher's on Sunday :).  We have a present for Anna that they're excited about.

Trying to be more positive, or at least only scream into pillows

I’m done.  I’ve cracked.  I’m going to my mother’s house.  Sometime soon.  When I get my homework done, and the house clean and if by next week I’m still on the brink of meltdown.  I think I’d rather be in solitary confinement than be here.  I don’t know…do they let you have books in solitary?  This decision has made me feel much better (even though in my opinion it pegs me as a weakling) and I’m cutting my hiatus short, because I write every day anyway, and there’s not really a reason some of that writing shouldn’t go on my blog.  I was just feeling anti-social. You know, I've noticed that there are a lot of different kinds of blogs.  My entries are often just a chronology of how the day went, which many people hate, but that's the kind of blog I like to read, so maybe that's why I write that way. 

Today I cleaned marker and makeup off my couches, vacuumed up chips and eggshell from the living room floor, etc.  It’s been one of those kinds of days. 

Okay, I also picked up some books and a new wardrobe for Demetri today at yard sales.  And several organizing bins- with drawers.  I reorganized the bathroom closet, wrote a paper on parenting styles (ha ha), and managed to throw French fries and frozen burritos in the oven (we will ignore the fact that I burned them).  We watched a Shirley Temple movie while I finished a Powerpoint presentation, which I’m proud of getting in before the due date because I’ve missed so many this week. 

We watched Rio the other night, which I hated, and the second Chronicles of Narnia, which we loved.

Today Teddy was busy singing “Oh MisMis Tree.”  It’s so funny because he sings it over and over, and he even has the right tune.  It has felt like the holiday season for the last month because we have this big book with Christmas songs (Winnie-the-Pooh style) and the buttons on the side that actually play the music to go with them.  I can’t believe how quickly they’ve memorized all the songs.  Shawn wonders if Deseret Book might have that kind of book for the primary songs.   Teddy also has some sort of obsession with being a dancer.  His two most common phrases (aside from “No, I Baby” whenever someone calls him Teddy) are “I goin’ to be a dancer when I gwow up” and “I LOVE to dance.”  Funny kid.  He got the whole idea from a Curious George book (his George book, which holds some sort of special status akin to the blanket he drags behind him all day) that has a page about occupations.  All the boys picked occupations by finding their favorite picture, and Teddy’s was the dancer.  So in his words, “Demetri’s goin’ to be a daddy, Olie’s goin’ to be a soldier, and I goin’ to be a dancer.”

Olie’s newest favorite idea probably comes from the book Guess How Much I Love You- although his statements don’t make quite as much sense.  “Mommy I love you SOOOO much you can talk for 8 minutes.”  “I love you SOOOOO much we can drive all the way to Grandma’s house.”  Silly boy. 

Demetri is busy being my helper.  He’s learning how to cook (last night he only drained one of the four cans of soup because he thought there was going to be too much broth).  He is helping me clean the entire house so I can leave in good conscience.  He reads to his brothers.  We went through clothes today and put away all the ones that are getting too small (including mine).  He loves growing into new clothes.

Shawn is having the time of his life.  I think it’s the first time since before we were married that he doesn’t call me every day that he hasn’t seen me (not counting basic training, because he wasn’t allowed to).  He said he misses my cooking though, which is hilarious, because he generally just tolerates it.  What he really misses is vegetables, especially fresh, raw ones.  He tried scorpion, gets to go to lots of little and big marketplaces (any requests?), has been to the Imperial Palace—and lots of other significant places, and is happy with how much he’s learning just by being there.

I'll be back...sometime

Can I take a hiatus from life?  Well, I'm taking one from blogging, and e-mail, and the phone.  So don't be offended if I don't answer e-mails or pick up the phone (it's probably off).  I'll rejoin the social world when I feel more like a functional human. 

The kids are doing okay.  I'm trying to make sure they get out of the house and get to do some fun things.

See you all later--and my apologies to those I may have just recently invited to my blog.  I'll return shortly.

This one's for you Jer-- Today's Gratitude List

I am grateful for the Relief Society activity that kept me busy for the majority of the day, and that the kids could run themselves to distraction in the sealed-off parking lot.

I’m grateful for the baptism of one of Demetri’s friends that we were able to attend.  I got to answer lots of questions from the little kids, and it was nice to see them excited about being baptized and behaving so well there (okay, until the last 10 minutes!).

I’m grateful that my kids think tuna sandwiches, fruit smoothies, and popcorn for dinner is an awesome treat and that they sing my praises for letting them help out with making such a treat.

I’m grateful for friends and family who care, even though I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.

I’m grateful for my neighbors and their working internet connection which they’ve sweetly provided me access to, so that I don’t have to go to the library anymore to do my homework until the provider decides they have time to fix it.

And for those interested, I've decided to stay.  In part because I really need this van to last for approximately another year, and at 200,000 miles accompanied by some strange noises, I'm trying to prevent more wear and tear issues than absolutely necessary.  But I reserve the right to arbitrarily change my mind at any time, even if it means going without a car for 6 months (which my husband has deemed an impossible pipe dream).

Inner conflict

I’m okay at handling conflict with other people; it’s usually short-lived, and everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.  It’s when there are two or more differing opinions (on the same subject) residing in my own mind that I start to have trouble.  You see, as is true of many other people in the world, I have debt.  I also have choices.  The current choice is whether to stay here while my husband is in China, or go home.  I don’t want to be here.  It’ll be a tough several weeks and I’m already prone to some degree of depression with this pregnancy (I’m not sure why).  I’m doing much better than I have been, but it’s still a struggle to get through the day until Shawn comes home.  I didn’t think it was even a possibility, but it turns out I really could scrape together the gas money to go up there.  However, I seem to be several different people right now.

1.         Fiscally responsible me says if I have any “extra” money at all it should go toward paying debt down faster.  It’s been really weighing me down lately and I’ve been on a crusade to exterminate it more quickly by paying more than just the minimum payments.

2.        Emotional me thinks I may have a nervous breakdown if I have to stay here all by myself (with the kids) for that length of time.

3.        Responsible me says I have a lot of obligations here that I shouldn’t shirk, since I’m ditching in December anyway.

4.        Another logical voice likes to point out that I will be spending 8 months of the next year at my parent’s house and I should just stick it out here for a month and be happy.

5.        All the other voices say go back to bed.

I’ll probably end up staying here, since it seems to make the most sense (except to my poor children who will be stuck here in the house with me!), and as a result of “not deciding.”  Often, avoiding a decision for too long is really just making the decision in a roundabout way.

Children Keep My Life Interesting

1^st October 2011

I enjoyed what I could listen to of conference today.  The connection is slow, so sometimes it would stop and buffer.  Part of conference was interrupted by the parakeet.  The bird (I’ve been told his official name is now Diggory, but everyone still calls him “the bird”) decided he liked us and started landing on Demetri.  This was fine until he tried to preen Demetri.  There were no feathers for him to pluck out so Demetri ended up with some pretty good welts.  He spent the rest of the day (whenever he was allowed to) training the bird not to bite him (after we convinced him that the bird was only doing it because he liked Demetri not because he was trying to hurt him).  We looked in a book and found that they like to play with balls, so Demetri put one on the cage and waited for the bird to knock it off.  They both thought it was a fun game.  By the end of the day, whenever Demetri came near, the bird would land on his shoulder and sit there while he walked around. 

I’m going to have to read some of conference over again, but I’m glad we got most of it, and that I’m able to read it later too.

Olie wanted to do something fun after we went shopping.  He was whining at me about it and I told him he could help me make dinner.  He said that wasn’t a fun thing to do and I could make dinner while he did something fun.  I suggested that maybe he should make dinner while I did something fun.  The poor shocked child said, “What?!  But I don’t know how to cook!”  Then he thought about it for a minute and said, “But if you teach me how to cook then I would know how.”  So he decided he was going to make spaghetti and salad tonight all by himself.  He did most of it, although it felt like the most work I’ve ever done to get spaghetti and salad on the table.  And he was extremely proud of that dinner.  He thinks it should be his new chore every day.  We compromised on once a week.

Our current project is table manners.  Small bites, chewing each one 20 times, sitting upright, using cloth napkins (and keeping them on laps!).  I am the worst offender, and wanted to work on it.  So far, they think it’s really funny, but they’re doin’ good.

Great ending to the day…I got rid of all the stuff I didn’t want in one fell swoop.  A lady came by for a bed, saw some other things around that were metal and said she sold scrap metal.  We loaded her trailer and pickup good and full.  And I’m very happy.

Looking forward to another good conference day tomorrow, and I’m considering whether Demetri is too young to start family history work??  (Sigh) I would have to learn how to do it all again, it’s all changed.