When Moms Throw Tantrums or the Airing of Grievances

Okay, I like to "keeps it real."  This post is an antidote for all thy lying, deceitful, horrid, perfect mommy blogs out there.  You know the ones I am talking about.  The ones that are so positive you think, huh?  Does that lady really have kids?  Anyway, here it goes, the airing of grievances:

Every year our family has a tradition of decorating the house for Christmas and we have a candlelight dinner.  This year since we aren't getting a tree (we are leaving to go to my in-law's soon) I still wanted to do something.  The kids and I are sad about not having a tree and so I wanted to make the night really nice to help ameliorate some of the disappointment. (Lucy actually came in crying a few days ago, she was so sad.  I told her Tutu would have tree for us in Hawaii and she lit up and said, "I didn't know they had pine trees there, I thought it was just palm trees.") So yesterday I got the house all cleaned up and ready, bought the food for the dinner, and had a few little 'gifts' ready for the kids.  I got everything prepared so it could be perfect, and lit the candles. And then, it seems to have just fallen apart, or rather I fell apart.  Rob ended up being much later than I had anticipated and he missed most of the dinner, the decorating without a tree was kind of lame, and by then I was feeling pissy so of course the mood was fabulous.   So, in dictator fashion, I canceled the decorating part and we went down to watch the Joy to the World DVD that the church sent out in then Ensign a couple of years ago.   Lucy snurled her lip at the movie choice (I don't know if that is a phrase my parents coined describing one of my least-attractive teenage daughter qualities or if it is a real term) while inwardly I was snurling with a vengence, and anyway you get the picture.  And then our perfect family moment, watching a movie together wasn't so perfect because Clara was screeching, Anders kept working on the nativity puzzle, and Lucy and Rob corrected her math homework.  This was not living up to the vision of Christmas perfection I had envisioned. I felt like I was visiting my future life with teenagers.  No one wanted the party, no one cared but me, and then I felt all sad and mad.  Poor me.  And then when I looked at the little messes pushed under tables and other inconspicuous places, my rage boiled over.  My kids were out to get me.  The lego pieces, scraps of paper, broken crayons, books tossed haphazardly on the shelf afterhaving been painstainkly arranged about a million times by me, and a sock carefully stuffed under a cushion by a lazy child so he didn't have to make the long 2 yard trek to the laundry room, all felt like a personal assault.  I had this overwhelming rage bubble up and take over because I knew at that moment that the kids are messy just to spite me! 

 Oh dear.  I guess we don't always get things right, do we?  Turns out I was the saboteur of the Christmas Spirit last night.  So now I publicly admit, I am not perfect, and I probably have PMS.  

Next up: Feats of Strength

Thanksgiving 2008

Having made the rolls the night before, I began my Thanksgiving by working my tail off at the gym, at the annual 2 hour Turkey Jam workout (that's me at the very back in the pink).  It kicked my butt clear until Saturday.  Good times.

Then it was off to make up for the spent calories.  A delicious meal with the Wai's at Dickies. The food was soooo good.  Really.  



The SKT's and Ensigns joined up with us later that evening for pie, which was also so good.  Good food, good times, good company.  What more could you ask for on Thanksgiving?

Clara was very pleased with the festivities.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

Birthday Bash

Lucy celebrated her birthday with lunch at her favorite, Mimi's Cafe, and a party with all the extended family the next night.  We forgot to buy candles so we improvised. 

The Diagnois: Pityriasis Rosea with Secondary Infection of Impetigo

It last from 6-12 weeks and itches like mad.  Poor thing.

Tagged by Court

These are the pictures in my third folder and are from January 2003 (It is supposed to be third photo in third folder, but they were too cute to pick just one).  Tuck must be about 10  months and Lucy just turned 3. Whoah, my babies grew up.  I miss my babies (and my cute Village Green house).  

I tag Maren, Emily, Dad, Jennette, Challey, and Emily S. if they want to.  And especially Katy Kathryn.

Viva La Vida!

Last night we went to the Coldplay concert with Emily and Weston. It was a great concert, and we had a very good time, so thank you so much for getting the tickets Em.  Before the concert we went to dinner and while Wes was eating the honey walnut shrimp he bit down and broke a molar.  There was a rock, not terribly tiny, in his food!!!  What?  Anyway, thanks to the rock and Weston's broken tooth we enjoyed some free dessert.  

When we got to the Delta Center (which it isn't called anymore but who can keep up with name changes.  Now I know why my Mom called stores Skaggs and LaBell's long after they weren't), I hiked up to the nosebleed section to visit Emily and Katy.

Once it got going (9:30) it was fantastic.  We did have to suffer through this agonizing techno/psychedelic performance...but like I said once Coldplay came out it was AMAZING.  A great concert!

Happy Happy Birthday Lucy Dear...

Lu-bug is 9!!  Life goes by quickly is an understatement.  Sometimes I am baffled that she is a real person with her own informed opinions and sound base of knowledge.  I was going through her school work and found this little paragraph she wrote in response to a story about King Midas:  "I don't think people should spend all their life to get rich. I think people can if they want to. If you are rich you can't make friends. When you are rich you can have lots of toys. I think people that try to get rich should share their wealth."  Good on you, Lucy!
And she actually gets jokes now. Anyone who has kids that like to tell knock-knock jokes that make no sense and then have a good fake belly laugh can appreciate this milestone.  She isn't a little kid anymore.  Who is this person who is so smart and conscientious and helpful?  Who is this person who can be so serious one minute and soooo dang goofy the next?  

Lucy is a wonderful person.  She is in third grade and her teacher is very possibly her favorite person on the planet.  Lucy and Miss A= BFF's.  Lucy loves school and is very fond of history and science.  She gets stellar grades.  Parent teacher conferences tend to be gush fests over what an awesome and model student Lucy is.  Her grades are great and a test without a hundred percent is a shocker.  She just finished a unit on Ancient Rome which rocked  her world.  She loved it. She is a voracious reader.  This year she tackled the Harry Potter series, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and so much more.  She also started insisting that she can do her own hair, and she has been very creative and done some pretty fancy do's to school.  She loves her friends and is a good friend.  She still loves American Girl dolls, Polly Pockets, and occasionally Barbies, but it does seem she is starting to grow out of some of her little girl toys.  She also loves cute clothes!  She loves a shopping trip with her Grammie!  She loves her cousins and especially looks up to Madi, who is so sweet and good to Lucy. She is a very good older sister, helping me with Clara, and entertaining her.  Clara loves Lucy and when she gets home from school I get a break from Clara because she prefers Lu's company.  Lu has also honed her swimming and soccer skills, started cooking, and begun playing the piano.  She loves music.  In school they listen to symphonies and she will say things like, "I love the Surprise Symphony.  It is so cool." And then I have to go to iTunes to find out which one that is.  Who could ask for a better daughter?  Not me.  If it sounds like I am bragging I am.  If it sounds like I am making this all up, I'm not. 

We love you Lucy and hope your birthday is a good one!

Talented Chef:

Goofball:

Adventures with the Beloved Cousins:

An excellent score on the Rome final:

A Lucy hair masterpiece:

More of the goofball shining through:

A caring and attentive big sister: