I am not smarter than a 5th grader...

...and it wouldn't hurt to redo 1st grade.

Why don't teachers send home instructions on how to do homework with your child? Ethan and I argue over how to do it every night. And what 1st grader uses words like: bask and elated?

The weeks when we don't have the definitions provided on vocabulary words, Ryan and I try to figure out what definition they want the students to know. Can you guess what Ryan thought of when Ethan had "romp" included in his vocabulary words?

I guess we both need to redo our elementary educations...

She is 11 months old

She likes to help in the kitchen:

She gets into things she shouldn't. This is Stockton's homework. He had used a dry erase marker to practice his name. Peyton found it and cleaned it for him with her tongue! And check out that messy hair. I try to keep it out of her eyes and Ryan thinks she needs a hair cut.

So one night I tried a full ponytail. She looks so grown up!

♥ My Valentines ♥

We each had a valentine mailbox backpack on our chairs that were filled with special surprises.

Ryan surprised me with 2 roses (one for his best friend and one for his lover). I really don't think roses are worth spending money on so there was a little drama over the gift. All in all when it all came to an end, I realized there should never be a price put on love and if he wants to do something nice for me it is ok.

We enjoyed a nice family dinner complete with the stemwear and pina coladas!

Desert was chocolate dipped strawberries which the kids ate up...

♥ I love my sweethearts! ♥

♥ and my best friend and lover! ♥

My Signature!

I just got a signature! So easy to do too. I learned it all from Amy at momswhoblog. This is what she says:

Go to My Live Signature. Click on "proceed" and "create signature".

You can then either click on creating a new signature, or uploading a scanned image of your real signature. Let My Live Signature walk you through the steps to create a signature you are happy with. If you create one with their fonts, you can chose the look, size, slant, etc. (You also can waste way too much time and also feel a little crazy at the end because after seeing your name 120 times in different fonts it ceases to have any meaning, lol! That is the fun part. ;-) )

You can save the final product as an image to your hard drive by right clicking on the signature and choosing "save image as", naming it and placing it on your computer where you see fit. Or you can click on "Want to use this signature?" at the end of your process and it will create HTML code for you to place on your blog.

If you decide to use their HTML, copy it, then go into blogger. Click on "Settings" in your blog dashboard, and then "formatting". Scroll down to the bottom where it says "post template." Paste the code you just copied into that template. When you next go to make a new post, that code will already be in it. Just make sure you type your post *above* the code, or your signature will come first in your post.


Enjoy!

more domestication

My Sister can be likend to Martha Stewart. She bakes from scratch, sews cute clothes for her kids and is always working on a project. She has me roped into making these this week:

This is a valentine mail bag chair backer from Pottery Barn kids (which is no longer available to purchase, except on ebay for outrageous prices).

Creative, Amy has a tutorial to make your own on her blog http://ourscoop.blogspot.com/2009/01/valentine-chair-backers.html

Sister says she can make 5 of them for around $16! Amazing!!

We are making them Thursday if you want to bring your machine over for the fun.

Miss Ambitious has also scheduled us a "cook day" this has turned into scheduling a "planning day" and a "buying day" all so we can stock our freezers with delicious and nutritious meals for our families... One day of cooking will = many easy nights of simply thawing and heating dinner.

With being home all week I have gotten some craftiness accomplished. Stockton's valentines are done:

And Ethan's class suckers look yummy!:

Can't forget about sharing love with teachers and friends too:

22 lbs! and a date...

Yes, just 3 more to go to hit my goal. And surprised by being asked out on a date for the 3rd week in a row (I think the Family Relations class is paying off), my husband is taking me out to a movie. He says it is my choice but has ruled out all chick flicks...

It is a good day! I am blessed.

I've had enough!

After watching Ugly Betty last night and seeing how her little blogging vent session ended her into a bit of a mess... I second guessed writting anything at all... I should really stop here but then again sometimes a girl just has to vent!
This week I have learned... life is NOT a bowl of cherries! Yes, there are lots of good to be had in this life but it seems this week was full of devistation, heartache and frustration.

Bad news over the phone is never a good thing. Anxiety began over answering the phone after 10 pm when news came of my uncle's death just a few years after I was married. Ever since then when the phone rings past 10 pm my heart races and I don't dare check the caller id to see who might be calling me with tragic news. My heartbraking news came early Monday night when I learned that the horrific accident in Sardine Canyon had taken the life of my little sister's father in law. I grew up with Bob and his family just down the street from my parents. He was a wonderful man that loved and cared deeply for his family. He will be missed by many!

So with instances like this you alway ask "why do bad things happen to good people?". I don't know the driver that caused the accident but I am sure he is living each day with regret for falling asleep at the wheel. May this cause us to realize the privilege we have of driving and the responsibilies that comes with it.

Lately I have had the feeling of "poor me". Sometimes sounding like my kids - "But I don't want to..." It seems like everything hits at once and I have to deal with it - not going into details but things like - finacial matters, family scheduling, household responsibilities, etc... and then you must throw in Church service! Now don't get me wrong, I am happy to serve where there is a need and I understand all must do their part, BUT when is it ok to say enough is enough?? Between Ryan and I, we have 7 callings.

Frustration mounted last night when my supporters failed to show up to support. What is with people not being committed? I am a planner and I put 110% into making a night successfull - but I have realized I CANNOT DO IT ALONE! When my support team wasn't there I came undone - luckily I was able to regroup and the night went on (and no one noticed the missing details) I am so grateful for people who showed up unexpected and helped me pull things together at the last minute.

I think for the rest of the week I will be on vacation.... Please hold all calls and problems until next week.