Noble Cow Prizes

Do you know who won the most recent Nobel Peace Prizes? No? Me, neither. And why is that? Why don't we know who got a big ol' check and spiffy award for doing something astounding? It's probably because here in the real world, knowing about the wonders of cosmic microwave background radiation doesn't really help us get dinner on the table any faster. So let's give out some real prizes! We shall call them the Noble Cow Prizes because I can't think of a better name.

Noble Cow Prize for Peace - Whoever invented Midol. Try and convince me that this fine product has not brought many, many moments of peace to all.

Noble Cow Prize for Literature - Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott , the writers of the Baby Blues comic strip. It doesn't fail to make me smile, if not flat-out laugh. I think they deserve a prize.

Noble Cow Prize for Physics - Judson Laipply. Anyone who can do all these moves surely knows a whole lot about physics.

Noble Cow Prize for Economics - I think the prize should go to this guy because he really understands the value of money.

Nobel Cow Prize for Chemistry -My husband. Do I really need to state the reasons? They'll make you blush.

Noble Cow Prize for Medicine - I don't know...but it certainly won't be the doctor's who's grand advice for my out-of-socket-very-painful shoulder problems was - and I quote - "Just use your arm less."

So there you have it! Anyone have someone who needs a Prize?

Date Night!

I have a calendar of chocolate quotes that I've had for years (thanks, Kelly!). It sits on my desk. Very inspiring. This quote is from Feb 15th but it's one of my favorites:
"All men are created equal. But some men get the last peanut butter cup in the dish."

I actually got a date this weekend! Nevermind that I had to plan and plot the whole thing, still had a date! We went with another couple to dinner at Fazoli's (where a local high school debate team was eating after a tournament...brought back some fond memories). Then we saw Music and Lyrics. It was really funny! LOVED the 80s songs and especially the music video! Highly recommend it. Before the date, when I decided that I needed one and recruited our friends to come with us, I explained to the man that I needed wooing. So periodically, I look at him and say "Woo." He would then hold my hand or do something else romantic. It was the nice evening that I so needed after the last few days dealing with overly sensitive kiddos. He definately gets the last peanut butter cup.

The Boy is Sick

That is one clever title, eh? Well, the boy is sick. He's had a cold off and on for the last month (thank you, LDS nursery!). Today it's pretty gross...and I mean bad, his cold is bad. Very much reminds me of the comedy bit by Bill Cosby where he refers to his sick, snot-crusted child as the Glazed Donut Monster. In fact, THAT is what my title should be! Oh well...

So when the kiddos are sick, they need a LOT more attention. They go from High Maintenance to Super Ultra High Maintenance (Now with more WHINE). And I'm totally a sucker for it. When one - or both, as is frequently the case - gets sick, all I wanna do is cuddle with them, give them any comfort I can think of and hope they get better soon. One thing they always ask for (even when not sick) is to lay on my bed. So I tucked in the Sicky Boy in with his meme (that's Boy-speak for his blanket), his Bee Baby, my old teddy bear, a book and a kiss on the forehead. What more could he possible want? A truck, apparently. What good is sick-vegging without a little four-wheel drive? So I brought him a truck.

Ever the consciencious big sister, da Boo had her own way of helping him feel better.


She put her shoes on him. Since he first located his mouth as an infant, the Boy has loved shoes. That sentence doesn't quite make sense, does it? It should probably read "Since he first located his mouth as an infant, the Boy has loved eating shoes." See here. Shoes are still very much an important part of his diet. (And if you are wondering why da Boo is not wearing her glasses, it's because they are broken but that is a WHOLE other post.)

Since the Boy is sick and medicated, I've decided to do a little experiment. I am going to pick up some toys (shocking, I know) and see if the house stays cleaner with him out of action. I have my suspicions about the results...

Time to Make the Donuts!

Being the loving mother I am, I determined that store-bought doughnuts were not good enough for my precious babies! So I made my own.

That simple statement does not convey to you the intense process of getting the recipe, contacting my wiser older sister for clarification (seriously, just what is scalded milk? Why not say "simmer milk" instead?), making the dough, setting my alarm for an early morning, getting out of bed (only to realize that in the process of setting my alarm, I also reset time itself and it was actually a hour earlier), calling my sister twice more for help, seriously doubting this whole "homemaker" label, rolling, cutting, frying, covering in cinnamon sugar and finally, serving it to my loved ones.

I was not able to take a picture of the doughnuts, carefully displayed, because my family was too hungry. So here is something better: the kiddos enjoying them!

And here is a picture of what happened while attempting this simple domestic task:

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...

I was recently sent one of those "Get to know your friends" questionnaire thingies. Actually, I was recently sent several but that's not the point. I like these emails. I like reading my friends/family's answers and I like to reply (because, as mentioned previously, I just LOVE talking about myself). This particular one asks you to list 4 things in different "favorites" categories, like food, movies, etc. It also asks for 4 places you've lived and 4 places you've traveled. The friend who sent it to me (and Kristin, if you're reading this, you know I love you!) had gone to exotic locales, like New York City and Jerusalem. I had gone to...Missouri. She watches thinking shows (also known as shows that are on tv early in the morning). I don't get to watch tv that doesn't have a cartoon character. And here's the kicker: I don't think I am missing much.

So tomorrow when the characters I'm watching on tv aren't dicussing matters of law, I won't feel bad. When we plan our next trip to the local campground instead of Alaska, I won't sigh longingly. I am happy with my life. I love my life. And I want everyone to know all the little details about my life because to me, there is nothing more fascinating than living.

And just in case you are morbidly curious, here are my answers:
4 Foods I Love
Dark chocolate
Chicken Parmesan
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
BBQ Brisket

4 TV Shows I Like
Heroes
CSI
Medium
Food Network Challenges

4 Places I've Traveled to
Kansa City, Missouri
San Diego, California
Honolulu, Hawaii
Moab, Utah
(I don't travel much...)

4 Things I Always Carry With Me
Kids
phone
pen
credit card :)

4 Things I'd Love to Be Doing Right Now
reading
eating chocolate
cuddling with my babies (but they're in bed right now)
getting a pedicure

4 Places I've Lived
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Carrollton, Texas
Provo, Utah
Pleasant Grove, Utah

4 Movies I Could Watch Over & Over
The Fifth Element
The Princess Bride
Monty Python & the Holy Grail
Stranger Than Fiction

4 Things That Make Me Smile
Chocolate (duh)
Getting flowers
Hearing "I love you, Mommy"
Being in the Temple

Fruits of Forgiveness

The topic for today's Sacrament talks: Forgiveness. The speakers had some good points (at least from what I heard between dispensing of Teddy Grahams and Time Outs). So it got me thinking...is there anyone I should forgive? Is there a grudge that I cherish too much to part with? The answers to both questions: Yes!

So I am going to offer my forgiveness twice. And if you aren't on the list, then send me chocolate and perhaps you'll make it next Sunday.

1) I forgive da Boo's preschool friend who asked me when my baby was due. My response - after my initial instinct to run weeping and wailing to the farthest corner of the playground - was a gentle "I'm not having a baby, sweety. I'm just fat." She's just a kid! And as such, still has the possibility of finding herself in the exact same dress size one day (I so believe in karma).

2) I forgive the banana. Well, not all bananas, just one. The one that I was eating in the backyard that fateful day...the one with it's tiny black seeds oh-so carefully arranged in a frowny face. That banana permanently turned me off to the yellow-skinned evil for years. Until today.

Today, in honor of the banana's new status of "Forgiven," I made a banana cake. For Christmas, one of the man's co-workers gave us a loaf of banana bread. Now, I've never had anything against banana bread. It never gave me a dirty look. This particular banana bread was beyond tasty. I got the recipe. Okay, so I made the man do all the gross stuff, like touching and peeling the bananas, mashing and mixing them, but I did the rest (and da Boo helped by stirring a bowl of flour for 10 minutes). Had to make it acceptable by adding a quick chocolate glaze but it was very good. I even ate a piece.

But I'm still not eating a full banana. Not even one dipped in chocolate.

Average, ordinary post...with LOTS of pictures.

I've decided trying to sleep in is a lost cause. It not going to happen. I need to accept my fate and just get out of bed. Couldn't have a better alarm clock, though. When the Boy is ready to get out of bed, he sings what we call the "Mama Song." It's basically him saying Mama in various manners and frequencies. It's actually kinda cute...until he's been singing it for too long and then it starts to take on a decidedly irritated tone. Some days, I'd consider putting him in a big kid bed if it meant I get a few more minutes of snooze time. Other days, I decide that would be terrible considering what I discovered when I got out of the shower the other day. The Boy had decided to redecorate the toy room...

Today was a bright sunny day. The snow and ice that's been hanging around since before Christmas is finally melting away. So I did what every mother wishes she could do on such a day: I sent the kids OUTSIDE! Ahhhh, blessed fresh air! And no couch cushions to be strew across the floor.

And since I forgot to post earlier, here is our Valentine's dinner! Note to self: make more jello molds next year or again face the Boy's dramatic disappointment when he discovers it's all gone.

I Can't Watch The News Anymore

Seriously, I just can't watch the news. It makes me cry. And not just once, where I get a little teary eyed at a particularly well-done piece. We're talking full-on sobs and a handful of tissues. Ask Q, he'll roll his eyes and tell you all about it.
On Monday a 18 year old - just a KID - went to a popular shopping mall in Salt Lake City and opened fire. He began shooting the minute he stepped out of his car in the parking lot. His next victims were in a card store (I could make a joke here about waiting until the last minute to get Valentine's, but humor is not the point). In total, he killed five people, including a 15 year old girl, with several others seriously wounded. Each of his victims had a life, had a whole story. One woman he killed was there to meet her husband. They had been married for four years but when they wed, they couldn't afford the rings. He called her and asked her to meet him at the mall so they could get real wedding rings. I had to leave the room when the reporter was interviewing him. Another night, the newscaster talked about a phone interview with one of the four SWAT members that ended the shooter's rampage. This man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that he didn't feel like a hero, that he didn't want accolades for shooting someone. That got me, too. A hero is someone who doesn't do what they do for the glory, but for the good of others. Who knows how many lives were saved because these men acted.
Then there are the good stories that send me looking for a tissue, like the man in New York, who, without a moment's hesitation, jumped onto a subway track and saved a stranger's life. The teen he saved was not his son, not his friend, not even his ethnicity. Those factors did not stop him. I couldn't even watch David Letterman's interview with this man.
Whether good or so very bad, I can't watch the news. I can't watch the worst and the best of people without crying, without feeling. When the night comes that I can sit through a broadcast without so much as a sniffle, then that is when I really need to worry.

Move over, geese! Here come the cows!

Afternoon, folks!
Well, I've been told by many people that I should have a blog. So I was goofing off on the computer (like usual during the kids' naps) and I decided, why not? I like talking about me. In fact, me is my favorite topic. And some things happen that are just too good to keep to my journal and a few long-winded phone messages.
Today is Valentine's Day! The man and I decided that we would not exchange gifts. Instead, we are giving each other a list of 10 things we love about the other person. I had to narrow my list down to 10. I mean, have you met my husband? He is pretty perfect! Well, he is NOW. I've had to work on him a little but I am pleased with the results. And I am pretty sure he broke the "no gifts" rule which is another reason why I love him!
Also, for dinner, we are having a Heart-Shaped meal. I tried this last year and it was pretty fun. We had heart meatloaf and heart biscuits. I tried to make heart carrots slices but to be honest, they looked more like a carrot Pac-Man. So this year we are going for heart pizza, heart pears, heart jello (if I can get them out of the mold, that is), and of course, a heart dessert. I will try and get pictures.
This morning I went with da Boo to preschool. Thought I ought to brush up on my alphabet. Oh, and they were having a party. And I had offered to make a cake (because I ALWAYS offer to make a cake - "Oh, your sewer line just broke? That's too bad, but I have a really great idea for a cake! We could use chocolate pudding and tootsie rolls..."). Here's a picture (of the preschool cake! Not the sewer one, silly!):

Just so ya know, I didn't decorate the cookies...