Getting off the couch...

I’m supposed to be making a pirate ship birthday cake.  I will get to it very soon.  I’ve been very sick, very whiny and cranky (poor Shawn), and have had a difficult time getting through each day.  I’m sure I’ll feel better soon; this doesn’t last forever.  Shawn did the dishes for me this evening :).  And the boys even helped clean up after dinner.  I’m going to stick a movie in my laptop and get going on this cake. 

I need to stop stressing.  I’m sure everything will work out.  I’m going to have the baby either in California or Idaho, and we’ll pick where as we figure out what will work best.  If the car breaks down we’ll live, and I don’t need to worry about where we’re going to be stationed next.  I don’t have any say in it anyway and it’s still 9 more months away. 

The little boys think playing school is fun, and Demetri thinks writing is the most horrible thing he has to do every day.  I hope it changes as he gets better at it.  Next week we’re turning in registration for a play.  Demetri’s going to try “A Pocketful of Rhymes” and see how he likes acting.  The opportunities here are wonderful and I thought we should take advantage of them for the short time we’re here.  (Besides, it keeps me busy and forces me to get dressed and leave the house.)

Pirate ship cake here I come!

Some weeks I have more to say than others

I'm home...an hour and a half after cub scouts is over. I did stay and talk, mostly about cub scout things. But I was also pulled over on the way home, and sat there for 20 minutes. I know because I was watching the clock. I was also watching the policemen behind me, who waited for a backup car, walked around my car to see if anything else could possibly be wrong aside from my headlight being out, looked in every window, and purposely shined a flashlight in my rear view mirror every time I tried to look at them in it (that was actually kind of hilarious). I'm not sure if there were slow computers or if they were standing out there just talking about good times, but eventually two came back and gave me some sort of a strange citation...a reversible citation? Anyway, I go get it fixed and show up at the police department so they can make sure I did it. Not a problem...different...but much more sensible than just giving people tickets for things they didn't know were wrong with their car. Demetri was terrified...we spent the 20 minutes going over why we weren't going to jail, what exactly was wrong with the car, why that was a problem, whether policemen can pull people over "for fun," how they can tell things from looking up license plates and looking at a driver's license, etc, etc.

On to life. I'm 8 weeks pregnant. I can eat potatoes and ice cream. Rice makes me instantly sick...even the smell. So do eggs, but I love eggs so much that I eat them once in a while anyway, and pay for it the rest of the day. I lay on the couch more than I should, but usually still manage to get dinner on the table and the laundry done. Evenings are the worst, so I'm slowly going back to the crockpot.

Demetri starts his charter school on the 15th, and for the most part he's excited. I'm trying to put together a curriculum (which I have ample time for as I lay on my couch) as well as a halfway organized cub scout plan. I'm learning a lot. I'm very excited about a website called scouttrack.com; it will eliminate soooo much work if we can actually use it!

Shawn and I are both nursery leaders now. It's much easier than an older class because I can walk or sit and because Shawn's so awesome with the little kids. I'm glad he's having fun...I need to take a video camera.

Shawn is going to China for several weeks. And I think I'm going to cook tv dinners the whole time he's gone. Yep, good plan. He helped a lot with the house over his vacation. Maybe not his idea of a vacation...but, well, he is getting paid to go study (and SIGHTSEE) in China, and I get to stay home with the kids, and I really wasn't feeling that well. I'm very grateful that my husband loves me.

Several of my good friends are moving in the next couple of months (or have moved recently), and I'm depressed. Happy for them...but depressed all the same. It's been so hard to explain to the children why they can't visit with their friends anymore. Well, not hard to explain, just hard for them to understand. The hardest to take is Alyissa moving. It's probably rare to be so close to your next door neighbor, but the kids thought of it as a second home, and walked in as they pleased (even though they still got in trouble for that!). Our kids played together almost every day. Mine have been asking me why strange men are in her house (the management people getting it ready to rent again) and if we're going to eat dinner with her family.

I had to go over child abuse prevention with Demetri as a cub scout requirement. One of the warnings was not to accept gifts from adults without your parents' permission. This evening he asked me if a Bear scout could be a child molester. I, being slightly alarmed, replied that it's possible...another scout had given him a "gift"--an origami dragon he'd made. I chuckled and explained that it was okay to accept the gift, and thanks for telling me about it. He might be a tad bit paranoid after that prevention stuff but better safe than sorry, eh.

I've actually been keeping more busy than I'd like to be, but it'll slow down in a few days, and even more as my friends continue to move :(. I went to a friend's house today and she showed us how to make Hungarian pastries. I can't wait for her to translate the recipes and e-mail them to me. They were so yummy, and I even kept them down. Hooray for friends who are great cooks! But mostly, hooray for friends in general :).

A Typical Day on the Ringen Ranch

14^th July 2011- Thursday

It’s awesome to be back on the ranch. I don’t realize just how much I miss it until I get back here. This morning I got up and stacked firewood for a couple of hours. The kids have disappeared with my 11 year old sister and 7 year old brother, and I doubt I’ll see much of them this week. They did, however, come help stack wood this morning. I can’t believe how much more active a lifestyle I live when I’m here. After firewood Tyler and I went to help Dad where he’s logging (at Solberg’s). I was supposed to drive the skidder and Tyler was going to hook the logs. We got sidetracked picking berries for a couple of hours (at Dad’s instruction), and then we helped. It was good time spent with my brother. I’m pretty rusty on the skidder and the brakes are bad…I’m not sure how much help I really was. I busted one of the logs in two, and forgot to bring the blade up a couple of times. I kind of think he could have done it faster without me but was taking the time to reteach me a skill.

After work we went to town to get diesel. It’s the only time I would go into a store looking like a hobo and smelling much worse. When I’m with others just as dirty and smelly and I’m in Kamiah…people just assume you’ve been working hard.

All in all, it was a good long day. I was so tired I went to bed around 10:30, causing me to believe that my insomnia would be quickly cured by some good hard work. Even the kids are sleeping better.

Oh yes, and Shawn now has a bird--a parakeet to be exact. Our neighbors were driving across the country and were getting rid of it. He, now named Basil I believe, is keeping Shawn from being too lonely.

What- I have blog?!

Yes, I know it's been roughly a month, and I have no excuse. But look at me now- I'm writing on my blog and it's 2 in the afternoon instead of 2 in the morning. :)

Demetri is gone for a whole month and I'm keeping busy so I don't constantly call the poor kid. We had a great 4th of July...with absolutely no fireworks, but a lot of relaxation. It was nice to have Shawn to myself for a few days.

Demetri is now enrolled in a charter school for next year, which I'm very excited about. We're about to start gymnastics (that is, if I can tweak the food budget a bit, haha), and I'm going to attempt, again, to give at least two of my boys piano lessons. I struggle with consistency.

My semester is almost over, and I'm learning a lot. If there is such a course at BYU-I, I want to take an in-depth class in logic...it would really help my critiques. Hmm, and maybe improve my mind as well. My English class just touched on it enough to show me I need to learn a lot more.

Birds have eaten all my green tomatoes off the vine and I'm about to sit outside with a shotgun to guard my beloved produce...or invest in a net. At least it's warm and beautiful outside and the plants are growing pretty well.

I'll be haying at the ranch for the next couple of weeks- just found out. So the kids get to have their own little vacation at Grandma's even if we did cancel most of the other vacation stuff we were thinking of. :)

Recipe overload combined with self-imposed sleep deprivation

I found out this week that there are some awesome music-related games for the Wii. I’m going to have to look into that some more…my position on the Wii is softening considerably. But I’ll still have to go try it out. Amazon reviews are mixed. Wouldn't the kids be surprised?! (And Shawn too:))

Re-learning about pathos, logos, and ethos. Kind of. That’s what I was supposed to be doing tonight. Instead, I amassed 11 pages of new recipes and food blogs to visit “someday.” I spent 2+ hours looking at food! And I still have to go figure out what to make my husband for lunch tomorrow. (Sandwiches are the normal standby but we’re out of bread- though I just made it on Tuesday.) I’m still trying to figure out exactly why I am so attracted to food blogs…because I can’t really cook (okay, not completely true, but my cooking skills are limited) and my husband’s greatest desire is that I learn how? Ah, well, guess I better just buck up and go find the kitchen. I’m sure there is Pasta Roni somewhere in the pantry…which will at least get him through the day. What do normal people-with-jobs do about lunch?

The kids had a very difficult time going to sleep tonight, so hopefully they’ll sleep in. And then, the weekend. Weekends make everything better. Sleep helps. One of these days I'm going to write about something much more interesting.

Side note: Ebay is my best friend. Love it. Bless the one who thought it up! (Pierre Omidyar- courtesy of Google and Wikipedia.) Amazon is a close second.

The very short version of the past week.

I'm getting in the habit of going to bed earlier, but my house is getting messier and messier all the time. I think I'm going to have to revert back to my old habit of cleaning the house after the kids are in bed but before homework. Life is just easier when I start the day with a manageable house.
Goal for the weekend: tame whatever living things have taken up residence in the refrigerator.

"We" started violin lessons today. I'm learning along with my son so I can help him practice at home. I'm dubious about how much help I'll be, and crossing my fingers that we can keep the violin away from little fingers.

The Raingutter Regata (comparable to the pinewood derby, but not as big, and with boats) took place yesterday. It was a success, as far as those types of activities go, but I'm rethinking my position on competition. Other than that, yesterday was a pretty difficult day...but today was much better. In the end it probably all balances out.

My research paper is on music and art in public schools. I'll feel better about it when I can see the progress.

If you can't tell from my short disjointed paragraphs, I don't really have a lot to say...but I felt I've been neglecting this blog, and I just didn't have the energy to write about some big political, moral, or other reflection-worthy issue.

The Recent Goings On

30^th May 2011

I have forgotten so many things I intended to write. I suppose that’s just what happens when you put things off. It’s been a long but good day. We went hiking around Point Lobos State Reserve with our neighbors; it’s very beautiful. We had a BBQ that also doubled as a birthday party. And we bought a piano. It’s not perfect, but it’s a piano. :) Now…where to put it…

The things that stand out…hmm. Oh yes, ½ day stint potty-training a 2 yr old before I figured out he didn’t even know what a toilet was for. He absolutely refused to wear diapers that morning and I got ahead of myself and thought it would be a good time to potty-train. Nope. He never did quite get it figured out and I’m perfectly content to wait another year. In the meantime I just have to put the diapers out of reach because my 3 yr old thinks he wants to be a baby again and kept putting the diapers on himself. Strange.

Baptism! It went very well. Shawn’s parents were here and it was so nice to have them :). Demetri was excited to be baptized with his friend, he picked a place to go to dinner, and he was ecstatic to see his grandparents. Now the others are asking when it’s their turn. He’s trying to focus on reading a few scripture verses every day and understand what each verse means.

My little brother graduated and had his Eagle Court of Honor this week. I don’t remember him being old enough to do either of those things. But I’m proud of him!

I’m now a Cub Scout Den Mother. No joke. I’m a tad nervous about that, the entertaining and teaching several 8 yr olds part. I can do one of those at a time, sometimes, but it’ll take a lot of practice to do both. Guess I’ll have some time though.

We’ve been here for 5 months. 11 more to go, and I have no idea where we’re going next, but the kids and I will probably spend next summer at my parents’ while Shawn is in Texas. Then, we’ll be notified 30 days in advance of Shawn’s new duty station. He joined the army so I could learn patience and be flexible. Well…I guess flexibility is more of a family trait, so I’m good there.

The kids have made friends in the ward and now love going to church. It was pretty difficult for a couple of months. I’m glad they are adjusting. I'm glad I'm adjusting too. It's pretty, we have good friends, and I'm learning some new skills (cooking, laundry, and how to ignore messes when I don't have the time to clean them up, haha).

Ah yes, blackout curtains. We now, thank goodness, have them. A necessity when children go to bed an hour before it really gets dark. It is for my children at least. These curtains also help break the established habit one of them has of waking up the moment any light enters his room, and staying awake. I'm getting more sleep= everyone is happier. Really.

I tried to upload images- pictures from today, but I think they're too big? So I'll have to learn how to resize them and then try again.