google.mom

Corinne thinks I know everything. Here is a sampling of the questions she asked me one morning, all within a couple of hours. And these were just the ones I remember.

“Why does the sign say trucks can’t drive on this road?”

“Why is there an American Flag? We don’t live in America.” (It took Evan and I awhile to convince her that we do live in America. “But you said we live in Utah? We can’t live in two places.”)

“Why are peppers spicy?”

“Why don’t we want the weeds to grow?”

“Can I play with Aidan?”

“Why do cousins live so far away?”

“Why do people lock their doors when they aren’t home?”

“What does ‘vorce’ mean?” Vorce? “Yeah, like when someone gets a divorce?”

“Why can’t Hayley eat peanut butter?”

“What is facial hair?”

“Why does Heavenly Father create hurricanes and tornadoes? I think it’s a bad idea.”

“Why do we need baptism to wash away our sins? Can’t we just go in a pool or bathtub?”

“Why are Ashley and Morgan getting married? They seem like they are already married because they’re together all the time.”

“Can I watch the Harry Potter movie with skeletons?”

“How does a baby get out of your tummy?”

“When I turn eight or ten can I have my own laptop?”

“Why isn’t lying OK with Heavenly Father?”

“Is tricking or kidding OK?”

She obviously has the cross-examination skills, and she’s also working on her reasoning and negotiating. After church today she wanted to jump on the trampoline but I told her she should find something better to do on Sunday. “Mom, jumping high on the tramp makes me closer to Heaven, and that makes me think about Heavenly Father and Jesus. So it’s actually a great thing to do on Sunday.”

Is it too early to apply to law school?

Here We Go Again!

Yes, it's back-to-school time at our house! Grant and Jillian are just finishing up their first week of 6th and 3rd grades. Sometimes I think it's harder for me than for them that they have to start school in July. You'd think I'd be used to it by now after six years in Utah (!!!) but every summer it just feels wrong to start a new grade when it's 100+ degrees outside and stays light until almost 10pm. I just love trying to get them to bed on time, especially when they are the only ones in school so far. Evan and Alyssa won't start for 4 more weeks, and soon after that G and J will be out for the whole month of September! Crazy.

It's Great to Be Eight!

Jillian celebrated her 8th birthday with a Backyard Camp-out (that ended at 10pm so they didn't really camp overnight). Seven girls (plus Jillian and Corinne) played games, went on a treasure hunt, sang around the campfire, told scary stories in the tent, ate campfire cake, and lit sparklers. It was a great party, and now we're looking forward to Jillian's baptism on Saturday! (Oh, I almost forgot to thank Mitchell and Erin for their suggestion about making a log cake. It was a big hit!)

She's Off the Charts!

But the wrong way off. As in, not even on the shaded portion of the growth curve chart--in the 2nd percentile. At least she's consistent. Hayley's 9 month dr. visit was last week and she weighed exactly 15 lbs. However, her head circumference puts her in the 89th percentile. Good thing her head is big enough to support such enormous bows.

She is so much fun these days! You can look in her eyes and tell that she is soaking up new information daily. She claps and squeals when excited, and tries to imitate the sounds she hears. Hayley is a great eater even though she usually makes a face at the first bite of something new. She spends more and more time playing contentedly, as long as Jillian and Corinne are close by, and doesn't constantly need to be held. She's almost crawling, and loves to stand and walk with help. She usually sleeps through the night, which is wonderful when it happens, and still takes a couple of good naps each day, as long as we're home during nap time. Corinne is sitting by me and wants me to write that Hayley knows how to say "dada" and "mom", which is true, but at this point those are just experimental sounds--I don't think she knows what she's saying. This little girl gets so much attention from her whole family--we love her!

Give her FIVE!!!

I hope Alyssa isn't embarrassed that I'm posting this. Yesterday in the mail we received the results of her first AP test. She scored a FIVE (the highest possible) on her AP Human Geography test--as a freshman! I always knew she was smarter than me.

I’m failing second grade

The teacher gives too much homework. To me. I’ve been valiantly trying all year long to keep up but my motivation is gone. Each week Jillian has spelling words to practice (hard ones!), vocabulary words to learn, a poem to memorize, two math timed tests to take, reading minutes to record, a math story problem to write and illustrate, a story to read three times (one of those must be aloud to a parent) and then write and answer questions about, as well as extra projects like book reports, dioramas, and other extension activities. Each of these things are due on specific days. (secret word: rant) Her organized teacher sends home planner pages each week with spaces for parents to sign indicating that our child completed each item each day. If ever I forget to sign, the next day I find the blank signature lines circled in red with a question mark next to them. The teacher is very clever. This way I am the bad guy--the homework police--instead of her. Grant had this same teacher three years ago and I thought she was tough then, but she expects even more this time around.

Jillian spends 1-2 hours on homework each night, even on Fridays. (Although it seems like much longer because of the extra time spent complaining about all that she has to do and whining that her friends, and her 5th grade brother, barely have any homework.) A few weeks ago I decided I was tired of having Jillian correct all of her mistakes from every language and math assignment (only two or three per page but those add up in a week!) so I just started throwing them away. I felt a twinge of guilt, but shrugged and thought, “so what’s going to happen? She probably won’t even notice.” A couple of weeks later I read this paragraph in the teacher’s weekly online newsletter. “Some children have not been turning in their corrected papers. Please remember that correcting assignments is part of our weekly homework. Help them understand their mistakes and make sure they fix them accurately.” Arrggghhh! In my defense, let me point out that in order to correct the homework it is necessary to log on to the class website and view the photographs of the white board to see the math and language assignment for that day.

Last week I forgot to write the secret word (from the newsletter posted on the teacher’s website—her way of making sure that parents are checking the site each week) on Jillian’s reading/math log. And I turned in the log a day late! I just finished reading the newsletter from the past two weeks and was reprimanded, “I expect to see the secret word on every reading log!” Without the secret word on their paper, the kids are not eligible for the prize drawing that week. Sorry, Jillian. And I discovered that the teacher still needs more parent volunteers in the next two weeks to help with Water Day, Dinosaur Fair, a field trip, and T-shirt painting. Sign me up. Again.

Two more weeks. Will I make it? Will I pass second grade? At least Jillian will, and that’s all that matters! I, on the other hand, am expected to complete second grade two more times.

PS—Please remember to include the secret word in your blog comments if you wish to be eligible for the weekly prize.

Don’t Judge a Mom by her Book Covers

My current library stack:

Simply Living Smart: Everyday Solutions for a More Organized You

Play Together, Stay Together

The New Strong-Willed Child—Birth Through Adolescence

Walking into a Hug: 52 weeks to a home that’s more embracing

Contentment : inspiring insights for LDS mothers

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

The Fiber35 Diet : Nature's Weight Loss Secret

Worldwide Ward Cookbook : More than 440 recipes from LDS cooks around the globe

Losing it! (that’s weight, not your mind or your patience, though I probably need books about those, too)

The ultimate career : the art of homemaking for today

Phenomenal Family: Treats, Traditions, and Activities

Family Preparedness Plan

The Thirteenth Tale (this month’s bookclub book which I haven’t started because it’s a bit long and I’m not sure I want to commit to attend next week)

Judging by these titles, you might assume:

• That I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and overweight.
• That I love to cook and eat.
• That my house is not as clean and organized as I’d like.
• That I need to have more fun with my kids.
• That we’re not as prepared for emergencies as we should be.
• That I hardly ever indulge in fiction these days.
• That I don’t always know how to handle the parenting challenges that come my way.
• That my nightstand (actually my kitchen counter) is way too cluttered with books I’m trying to skim simultaneously.
• That I’m too cheap to purchase books.
• That I pay more overdue fines than I should.
• That I’m constantly “seeking out of the best (??) books words of wisdom.”

You might assume all of those things. And you’d be right. I guess you can judge me by my book covers. Now if only I could stay awake long enough to read them I might actually learn something!