Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas 2012

This is still going to be an about me blog, but I miss not being able to post photos to my other blog, especially at this time of year. So, I am commandeering this blog for a post so others can see what we have been up to this month. There are about 24 pictures, so hang in there.

In preschool we learned about Christmas in Korea. Yep, even though it is pink it is a boys traditional Korean outfit.
 I DON'T like this picture of me, but it is the only one of Mallory at the ward Christmas party.
 Marcus was trying to act serious as Joseph. Instead i think he looks like an angry Jedi.
 Anneke the grumpy wiseman.
 Anneke sang carols at Barnes and Noble.
 Super Elf, Mo.
 This is a better shot of our Christmas super hero.
 Chris, our elf, was not as mischievous this year. BUT, he did demonstrate the 4 basic elf food groups; candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup. (The bottle of syrup was there but got taken away because Daddy needed it for breakfast.)
 Ninja bread men. A mom made these for my preschoolers. It was hilarious. They would fight and whatever piece got knocked off could be eaten by the destroyer. A big hit.
 Spirit week was just before school got out. This is Anneke on crazy day. (She has 10 ponytails in her hair. Sound familiar?)
 Marcus on crazy day. Yes, he has shorts on his head and shirt on his legs.
 One of my favorite Christmas movies is White Christmas. I always wanted a dress like the ones in the end. I have never found a modest one for me, but when Anneke was little I found this one. I was so excited Mallory fit into it. She has worn it every week to church since November.
The whole crew before church on Sunday. (Marcus wore the outfit Luke has on when Anneke wore the dress.)
Christmas Eve Marcus was messing around and broke the nativity set I got when I was in young women's. I was a bit sad, but kind of expected it. I continued what I was doing. Marcus was really upset. He set a little baby Jesus in front of me made out of paper. He was trying so hard to make it better. I hugged him and he started crying. He felt so bad and I had to tell him it was okay and not important. It really taught me about being Christlike and Christmas. Marcus completed the set anyway. (Luke made one, too.)
 Christmas Eve we went up to the temple to see Andy (working security) and unwrap our jammies. It was fun being all alone up there in front of the nativity. Then we read Luke 2 and came home.
 I made the pj bottoms for each one but Marcus. There is something uniquely wrong with each one. Haha. Anneke and Mallory's are opposites with the main material and cuffs.
 Carrot, and apple for the reindeer and cookies & milk for Santa. They also left Santa notes and Luke carefully spelled out "Welcome Santa and Merry Christmas - Luke".
Mallory decided to sleep in. These 3 were up at 4am begging to be let into the room. (I had put up the baby gate because I was not sure what Mo might do.) At 6am we gave in. They got to see the Santa gifts and waited for Mo to wake up to actually open the presents.
 Santa gifts. (Marcus couldn't find his stuff. It is on the trunk by the tree.)
 Mallory woke up and was a bit confused. Here she is opening her gift from Daddy...
 these fabulous shoes. I won a give away and this was the prize. They are GREAT quality and durable not plastic.
 Wearing all her presents including hat and vest from great grandma Bahlmann and bracelets.
 Andy gave me a very special gift. He had several people write me notes/letters about my influence and impact on them and their lives. I am pretty sure every one had me in tears. It was so humbling, actually, to see what others notice about me. I am so very blessed.
 Finding out about Disneyland. (see other blog) Pretty excited, I think!
Sorry it was so long, but you are now caught up.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Rejection

We got our first rejection letter today. Though it was expected, it was still depressing. 

BYU sent a form letter and then took the time to write a personal note on the side. Obviously, he did not get an interview. The note said, "Your specialty just isn't a good fit for our department, but we appreciated your application and learning about your work." Andy is afraid that this will be a trend. He is afraid he is too "cutting edge" in his field right now. 

Once again, good thoughts and prayers sent our way, please.

Jobs we have applied for lately - Alabama, Arkansas, New Jersey, Tennessee 

Monday, December 10, 2012

I need a little Christmas

I don't know how to begin this one. I see how excited everyone else is about Christmas and it makes me sad. They are baking cookies, visiting lights and displays, wrapping presents, etc. I am having a hard time.  

I started listening to Christmas music early because I needed that magical feel it brings with it. I decorated earlier than usual for the same reason. I wish I knew what was wrong.

Usually, I am all for anything Christmas. I have an activity every day leading up to Christmas for my kids. I have my gifts planned and ready for everyone. This year not so much. Thinking about doing half the things we normally do makes me feel tired. I wish I knew how to fix it.

Matthew 25: 35-40 
35 For I was an ahungred, and ye bgave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a cstranger, and ye took me in:
 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye avisited me: I was in bprison, and ye came unto me.
 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
 39 Or when saw we thee asick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.
This is what I wanted to base my season on. We dropped off invitations for others to attend the First Presidency devotional. Yesterday we spent a long time writing notes and inviting people to our ward party. I have tried to visit people and reach out to them. I don't have much I can give beyond myself and that is not well received. It doesn't seem like it matters much. 

I am an afterthought. I am a bit sad about it, but it is true. My personality makes it so that I am almost never the first person people would think of or turn to. No matter what I do, short of changing my personality, it will always be that way. I try to reach out to others, but I feel like it would be better from someone else. I am not saying this correctly, as usual, but I am trying and it is not having the desired effects in any way. So, now what?

(Thanks for reading Carianne and Mom. I am pretty sure you are my only audience, anyway.)

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Mommy-Daughter Date

Anneke needed some one on one time. I felt we should go out and do something fun together. I struggle a great deal with my relationship with her. Mostly, I do not understand her and get easily frustrated with her. I let her choose and she decided we would go shopping for her gift for Marcus and get hot chocolate while browsing at Barnes and Noble. I am not a shopper, I get overwhelmed. BUT I went for my girl.

I ordered 2 peppermint hot chocolates and we looked around while we waited. When we got our drinks it tasted weird. I am not a huge Starbucks hot cocoa fan so I thought that was the problem. Anneke asked to try mine and she said, "That's gross." So, I had to try hers. Yep, mine was a mocha. I took it back and they apologized. Right on the cup it said hot cocoa. They started making me a new one but then a person in charge said they needed my receipt which I had thrown away (not usual). After digging through the trash for a couple of minutes I realized it wasn't worth it. *sigh* I didn't even want to go back but didn't want coffee. Not the best ending to our day. She did find a gift for Marcus, but not what she wanted.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Learning from Experience

Last night for my birthday my husband took me on a date. We don't usually get to do that. On this date he took me to dinner and then shopping for clothes. For anyone that knows me that makes my husband VERY brave. I don't like shopping and I am not very good at it. I don't spend money on myself, especially this time of year. My birthday money rarely goes to myself. By the end of the night I did have a couple pair of jeans, and a nice new shirt and camisole to wear to church. I learned a few things I will share, too.

*It is a lot more fun to go shopping without children in tow.
*Old Navy is not the only store to find inexpensive clothes that fit me.
*My husband likes me to wear different clothes than I would like to wear. (ie button up shirts and slacks vs. jeans and t-shirts.)
*The clothes I would like to wear are inpractical for a stay-at-home-preschool-teacher mom.
*It is nice to get new things every 3 years or so.
*Don't expect children to be asleep when you get home. You are happier if they are and not as disappointed when they inevitably aren't. 

There you go. My birthday was fun. I got the new Junie B. Jones book and a sterling silver Mockingjay necklace from my family on top of my little impromptu shopping trip. Anneke made me an easy bake oven chocolate cake, too. Don't be jealous. I can send her your way for your birthday if you would like.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Stuff

Yesterday there were a few English professors visiting from BYU-Idaho for a conference. (The conference was quite expensive so not much of an option right now.) My husband is awful at small talk, so I guided the conversation a bit. They were quite pleasant. With the new mission age, they may not actually be hiring though. :(

We got behind in job applications, so this week we are playing catch up. Getting Georgia mailed off, Tennesse, New Mexico and New Jersey. If there is time (which I doubt) I think Texas would be another good one to send off.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Details

Here is the situation I alluded to yesterday. I want some feedback, so I will post it in full. My children have seminars in school. They choose a topic that interests them and for 3 weeks, one hour a day, they focus on that. Marcus is currently in one about the Olympics.

Last week the teacher told them that the original Olympics took place with everyone competing in the nude. Fine. It is a fact. But, then he showed a cartoon clip of this. The men were full view, women from waist up. Marcus was quite uncomfortable. We contacted people about it, etc. Andy watched the video and said it was not horrible, but very unnecessary. 

I thought it resolved well until this morning. They had told the teacher the child that was uncomfortable. Marcus is so worried about upsetting the teacher and now is trying to distance himself from the situation. (Remember my post about confrontation. Guess who is the same?) I am very worried he will not come to us with something like this again. Especially if it means he will be singled out and embarrassed in front of others. So, now, how should we proceed? Suggestions?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Confrontation

Briefly, Andy is applying to a school in Tennessee, Indiana and possibly Alaska this week.

I am not good with confrontation. If there is a problem, I deal with it. I would babysit and never tell the parents if the children were bad. What if they didn't think I could handle them and never asked me again? If there is something wrong with my food in a restaurant I just won't eat it. I don't send it back. I am a wimp. It's kind of the same with sickness of pain. I deal with it until I really can't handle it. I don't like inconveniencing people. In order for me to speak up I have to feel really strongly about something and then that usually leads to me getting heated up quickly.

When something came up with Marcus at school I sent an email. I didn't want to have a face to face confrontation. Then, I made my husband call about it. So far, things are going well and we are dealing with it. In this case I did not want to say something wrong and offend or upset anyone. I am so afraid if this is handled wrong Marcus won't come and tell us important things anymore.

Is anyone else like this or is it just me?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

This week on the job market...

For any interested parties, this week Andy is applying to 2 schools in Texas, one in Pennsylvania and possibly one in Nebraska.

Last week he forgot to apply to the Illinois school.  However, our good friend told him about a job opening for BYU Idaho.  After researching it he is quite excited.  They are doing things for which he would love to contribute. He quickly sent off the application and is trying to gather transcripts. (That is harder than you may think considering he has attended 4 schools.) This is the one Luke is praying he will get. We are trying to be open minded and go where the Lord wants us to go. The schools in Texas would be nice, but one has a very heavy workload and the other has very specific classes so he would not get to grow. Pennsylvania is perfect for him with the description and Nebraska is just a community college. Anyway, keep us in your prayers. We just want a job. This job hunting thing is overwhelming.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Follow Through

Sometimes it is hard to be a mom. 

I have been looking forward to the Vegas Valley Book Festival for about 3 months. Meeting Brandon Mull was the kick off and this weekend was the big event. It was separated into 4 sections; Children's, Young Adult, Adult and Comic books. They were all at the same location except Comic Book which is the one Andy wanted to (and felt he should) attend. I was most excited about meeting David Shannon (No David, David Gets in Trouble, Too Many Toys, etc.). However, I don't like driving, especially downtown Vegas.

This morning one of my children decided to be incredibly disobedient. They didn't care about the festival and purposely made it so we couldn't go. Andy took Marcus to the comic book portion, though. I am disappointed and frustrated. I am afraid I will regret this as much as not being able to meet Gail Carson Levine because it was moving day in Boulder. More importantly I am not sure how to handle the choices my child is making. Argh!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Applying for Jobs

Every Monday for the next 6 weeks (about), Andy is going to apply to 3 schools. This week's schools are in Illinois, Georgia and Utah (BYU). I am not sure people are truly interested in the actual schools. If you are I can tell you. Last week he applied to a school in North Carolina. I will keep you up to date on the actual schools each week. If you don't care, then skip it. I am doing this as much for me as anyone. This way you know where we could potentially end up.

Friday, October 26, 2012

SUPER photos

The previous post was about the capes. Here is the evidence. (I like the first shot because you can see my husband in the background rescuing escaped balloons.)

Thursday, October 25, 2012

SUPER YW

I spent 36-48 hours making 31 crude capes for SUPER YW in Excellence. My hand was cramping in the end. Then, I forgot my camera. I took some pictures on my phone, but they are incredibly blurry. *sigh* Much to my delight the girls embraced their inner hero and seriously enjoyed there capes and personalized symbols. I even made them for the stake leaders. (Their capes were black, all the value colors and I didn't get any pictures of their symbols, either.) Each girl's cape was the color of their value project, unless they didn't tell me, then they chose from what I had. (Orange was not popular at all, but Luke got one.) I tried to do their symbols in colors I knew they liked, but several I just guessed. If I get some decent shots from somewhere i will try and post them. (The one below is from my phone.)

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Preschool Quote of the Day

I am really enjoying my fun little preschoolers. It cracks me up every time Luke corrects himself and calls me "teacher" instead of "Mom". I would prefer Miss Heidi, but at least it isn't "Hey you".

This week we are focusing on food. We talked about to food guide pyramid. (Yes, I know it has changed, but it is the easiest way to teach food groups to this age.) I gave them fake food and we put it in the correct food group. When a little boy tried to put lettuce in the grain group I asked him, "What is the food you have?"
He said, "Cabbage."
Me - Why would it be in the grain group?
Him - Because it is made of beans.
Me - Oh, well, this cabbage is a vegetable.
Him - My mom makes my cabbage out of beans, so it goes here.
Me - Hmmm... Ok. (I did not want to argue, I knew who would lose.)

I wanted to giggle so badly. I forgot to relate this to his mom when she picked him up, but it was so fun.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Blood Type

A friend pinned this on Pinterest. It is an article about eating according to your blood type. I am not sure how the doctor can research and know the origins of the blood types, but it was fascinating. My husband and I have very different blood types and they described us pretty well. (Except for a couple of points under Andy's that made me giggle because they were so far off.) 

I am sharing this because it made sense to me. I am not a big meat fan and feel awful if I have too much sugar. (I am type A blood.) I would rather have a salad than a steak. I crave fruits and veggies. Plus, my personality quirks, such as OCD, were described. The only one of my children that I know their blood type is Anneke. She is also a type A. (The circumstances behind how I know are weird, though, and I am not sure if it is accurate.) If I go off of what I read though I would say Marcus is O and Luke is A, but I am still not sure of Mal. 

Andy says this article could just be like horoscopes. There is enough true about each person that they believe it. He could be right. I am going to try eating and exercising the way it says for a while and see how well it works, though.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Using resources

I have been wanting to make a few things, but money has been tight. So, I used what I had on hand to make some projects.

For my preschoolers I needed painting/craft aprons to protect their clothes. My mom gave me some bandanas this summer so I made these with some ribbon I had.
 You know those rings you get on cupcakes that break right away? Well, I found a use for them.
I have been wanting to make the googly eye bow for a while. I think it is fun this time of year. 

That is what I have been up to lately between my many other things. I forgot to take pictures of the lollipop super hero invites to YW in Excellence. I will try and find one so you can see the amazingness.

Friday, September 28, 2012

I'm Done

I try to help make things easier for my husband. We are a team. In his last year of the Master's program at CU I researched potential PhD schools. I made charts and gave him a list of 20 possible choices. I showed him how they stacked up in necessary areas, the cost, funding, etc. I am now making charts and tables again for potential jobs next year.

The way it works is similar to applying to grad schools. The applications are due in the fall. They don't go over them (for the most part) until January or February. Then you start hearing back and getting interviews for a job that won't even begin until the end of the summer.

I am learning all sorts of interesting language. I am quite impressed with my husband's experience and expertise. I can now navigate most university/college websites and find what I need. Yep, I am gaining new talents. Our potential schools are at 18 now and will hopefully get larger. They include places in Alaska, Ohio, Nebraska, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Utah, Texas, and Hawaii (BYU). It has been a lot of work and he hasn't applied to a single one yet. He is just getting everything ready. Plus, every school is different. One wants this, another wants that. One wants a video of him teaching for 15 minutes and a few want a statement of Christian faith. 

Now, Andy is getting worried. How can he do it all? Write the dissertation, get everything out for the jobs, magnify his calling and be there for his family. He is worried he won't finish by the spring. He will. I know he will. We may be here another year with him working adjuct all over the place, but he will finish and we follow the Lord's will.

I am done. Over 12 years of struggling. Worrying about what to buy and what not to. Worrying because another sock was worn through. A sock! I am a worrier, yes, but I would like slightly different material. I know that things will not necessarily be better money wise, but at least my husband will not be working 80 hours a week for practically nothing...oh wait, maybe he will. 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

A real service project

I am trying hard not to be judgmental and gossipy. I really am. I have tried to let this one go, but I am having a hard time with it. Since, it is venting, feel free to skip this post.

Yesterday our young women watched several children at the church for 7 hours. We were asked by another ward so their ward members (including youth) could do temple work all day. While hesitant; 7 hours is a long time; we agreed to it.

For a couple of weeks we have been in communication with the ward and this week we got a head count with the ages of the children, 7 kids between the ages of 2-9. Very doable. Imagine our surprise when 3 children show up that were not signed up. Imagine our further surprise that one was a 10 month old. The mother left no instruction, no bottle, nothing, just a pb&j sandwich and a granola bar. (Seriously, who does that?) I am in awe that there was no, "She likes..."or "When she gets upset..." or "To put her to sleep..." or "She is weaned..." It was a hard day with the poor baby. She didn't seem to know how to eat much. She didn't take a bottle, really. She slept for about 1/2 an hour but was exhausted and starving by the end. I was putting away our art supplies when the mom came, luckily. I was not happy. (Not to mention the laws surrounding infant care. They are very strict and we would have said no had we known any child under the age of 18 months was coming. You know me and following rules.)

Top all this off with the young women I had "helping" me. They sat at the table by themselves and drew pictures for an hour, then left. I just thought, "And that is why I have never asked you, and probably never will ask you, to watch my children." I feel like I should have an activity on how to babysit now. What seemed like common sense to me is apparently not. My own children were amazing helpers, even the younger two. I was very impressed and feel so blessed to have them.

Venting done. By doing what we did, we enabled 35 youth to do baptisms, over 40 adults to attend and do work and several unendowed adults stand in the presence of the temple and learn more about it. Keeping it in perspective helps.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

How do you know?

****Warning**** You may want to make sure your children aren't reading over your shoulder.

Yesterday my friend told me that she had to have a hard talk with her girls (ages 8 & 7). I immediately thought of the birds and the bees, but it was about Santa Claus. She said they straight out asked her and she couldn't deny it. She was distraught and we chatted a bit. Marcus asked once. (I have mentioned that before on my other blog.) I didn't think much about it until this morning. Apparently one of her daughters told Anneke, but she didn't come to me. I am not sure how to proceed. 

I am not mad or even sad. I am just curious. My oldest daughter has an interesting personality. She will believe if she wants and you can't change her mind, or she will go along with something because she has no strong feelings in either direction. Plus, she will not hesitate to be that no-it-all and tell everyone, either. (I really wish that people could let others believe what they want. Especially lately people really harsh about what others believe. But, I digress...)

I don't want this to happen. Part of the magic of Christmas will be lost. I don't want my child to be the one ruining other children's dreams. (Marcus and Anneke tell others the ending to books. *Gasp* I know, we are working on it.) 

I was never told. I was afraid to ask and just kept on until just one day...I knew. I want that to be the way with my children, but in reality, probably not. So, how do you know? In my family growing up "If you don't believe, you don't receive" was the motto. 

This is kind of rambling, I am trying to sort out my thoughts. 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Journals

When I was pregnant with each one of my children I started writing in a journal to them. I would frequently update and record events. However, I have done horribly since Luke was born. In fact, the last entry in any of their journals is 2 weeks after Mallory was born! I was horrified and have been trying to do better. As I tried to hit all the high points for the last (almost) 2 years I went back and read a few entries.

I was, of course, the best at keeping up to date on Marcus's. Once a week I wrote. Being my oldest child, I have kind of put his early years in this glowing, happy place in my mind. After yesterday I am so grateful he was my first, I could not have handled him otherwise. He had tantrums practically daily where he would be so out of control he could not calm down. He would bloody himself while he flailed around. Somehow, I blocked this out. I do remember being on campus at SUU and we were killing time until my class. We were playing and I made Marcus mad. He threw a fit right there and I couldn't get him to stop. I almost literally dragged him to the child care center with tears running down my cheeks. The director looked at me and said, "You can bring him here anytime you need a break." That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Eventually Marcus grew out of the tantrums...sort of. He still gets so worked up he can't calm himself down, but at least he doesn't bloody himself up.

So, rose colored glasses have come off and I have seen the light. I am scared to go back and read Anneke's journal.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Look Up

I wanted to share this with you guys. Hope it has an impact on someone.

THE BUZZARD:
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and
is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its

ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is
that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a
run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit,
it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner
for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable
nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level
place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it
can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully,
until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can
throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like
a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there
until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the
means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find
some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will
seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys
itself.

PEOPLE:

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the
bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and
frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look
up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution
to any problem! Just look up.

Sorrow looks back,
Worry looks around,
But faith looks up!





I read this and immediately thought of this talk from General Conference, "It is Better to Look Up".


http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/it-is-better-to-look-up?lang=eng&query=look+up

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Daughter of God week - Day 7

This is the last day of letters for Daughter of God week. This letter is from our stake young women leaders.

Cover - 
 Inside left:
 Inside main:
Andy is going to wear the bee on his suit tomorrow. He gets to conduct for the first time and the bishop is out of town.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Daughter of God week Days 2-6

Every day I thought of putting these on here, but was not sure who was really interested. So, I didn't want it to be a wasted effort. (Insert crickets chirping.) Today I realized that even if one person was in fact interested I should do it. I now apologize, and am playing catch up.

In the envelopes each girl got a packet of M&Ms with this:
 Day 2 accompanied by a pencil (I had to come up with something fast since the person did not come through for this day. Hope it turned out okay.):
 Day 3 (by me) on being a temple:

 Day 4 on the atonement:


 This made me cry. I have read through it a few times now and am grateful that I read it.

Day 5 on Integrity - the woman that wrote it had her a baby boy on August 19th. (She named him Samuel David which I think is fabulous.)


 Day 6 on Choice and Accountability:



Remember those M&Ms I lovingly put into the envelope for the girls? Well, apparently dogs like them. One poor girl lost several letters because her dog ripped into the packet. I was able to replace the missing ones except I gave up my Day 7 envelope so she could have one. I hope to post Andy's so it is on here. 

Tomorrow night is a pizza party at my house for everyone and then we start our fast. I have completed the slide shows and now need to figure out how to put them on DVD.