Only 4 more days....

Until the kidlets go to school! I love them to death and honestly I'm used to having them around by now (you know, summer and all that jazz), but their friends went back to school a couple of weeks ago which leaves my kids somewhat bored with each other....

Which leads to bickering and other expressions of boredom.

So, needless to say, I'm ready for school to start. It starts Monday and while I'll be sad to have so much less time with Goober, it will be nice to have a little respite from the fighting.

I'm looking forward with some one on one time with Turbo and a little bit of freedom to do things. After all, it is MUCH easier to load up one kid than it is to convince all three to go run errands with me! And this year I don't have to worry about homework (outside of reading for 15 minutes a day) because of the style of school they are going to go to.

At first Goober was upset that he wouldn't be getting a new backpack... then when I told him that he didn't need one because he wouldn't have any homework he yelled "YES!!!! NO HOMEWORK!!!"

Ya, I think that won him over... hopefully the actual school will win him over as well!

I'm also looking forward to the school schedule, while I've been getting the kids up at the school time this last week, it is taxing because they are tired and then I don't have a designated place to take them to so I get to deal with the "tireds". Hopefully they will adjust enough by next week to not be total pains to their teachers.

Anyhow... that is what has been up with me lately. I would have posted sooner about something in the news, or thoughts, or SOMETHING! But my brain is fried from getting up early to exercise and get the kids up, the news has been slow and pretty boring to me lately, and frankly I can't think of anything else to post!

PS we had our family pictures retaken on Tuesday... I'm excited to see how they turn out :)

Click, Take a Pic!

So Goober has finally bothered to figure out the Lincoln Logs... wondered when that would happen :)

Skipping Services

For a while now our family hasn't attended any church services. I think that most of this has to do with the fact that I no longer believe in the LDS Church (which is where we always used to go), though I have to be clear... I'm not opposed to going to the ward.

I was talking with a family member a while ago about this and mentioned that Jer and I had come to an agreement. I would come to the ward every other time we went to any service, and I would help him the the kids etc, if I was allowed to go to another congregation the rest of the time. I asked him if he would please come with me when I went, mostly so that I would be able to talk about the services without having to do a "play-by-play", he was amicable to that.

When I recapped a recent conversation between Jer and I with this family member, One were I made clear to Jer that if he was more adamant about wanting to go to the ward, which he hasn't been, then I would be more adamant about making sure I went to another congregation. He stated that honestly if I were more set on going to another congregation, he would then be more insistent on going to the ward. Both of us shared the opinion that if one view was exclusively shared with our children, we would want them to have a counterpoint.

In response to my conveying these ideas, the family member I was talking to stated "So, your discouraging him from attending the ward?"

Now, this family member is LDS and I have to admit, I understand where they would want to fault me for Jer's inactivity... I am, after all, the one that is doomed (according to their beliefs) but I find it somewhat interesting that they don't see it the other way as well... that Jer is "discouraging" me (and the kids) from going to another congregation as well. I figure that our family is more important than what may happen after this life... and if being tolerant of each others religious beliefs is necessary to help our family run smoothly, then that is fine with me. It really is a small price to pay when it comes to the people I love dearly, which my husband is no small part of.

What's amusing to me is the fact that I'm not really discouraging anyone to do anything religion-wise. I'm just no longer the one that makes sure everyone gets out of bed and dressed to the nines. Church is no longer important to me... if it's important enough to Jer then he will make sure that we all get up and out the door, or at least make a really good effort towards that. I'm not discouraging, I'm just no longer encouraging. I'm sitting firmly in the middle... though I have to admit, I don't know if the kids "church clothes" even fit them anymore, I kind of think not.

So for now we are considered "inactive" at church. We are not attending any church. Isn't "inactive" better than "not a member" to those that adhere to the LDS belief system? And on the flip side (from my point of view), isn't "inactive" better than only sharing one sects opinions on life with my children? I do, after all, want my children to always use their intellect when deciding what they think about things... and that includes God.

I don't want them to ever just "take someones word for it" when it comes to their belief system, I did that for far too long and I think if I had really thought about my beliefs sooner I probably would have been more likely to retain the belief system I was raised with, as it is, I'm don't... I want my children to believe things because it feels right to them, not because someone tells them it is right.

The Fair

So Wednesday we went to the fair... even though Jer and I both felt kind of cruddy (DANG sore throats, headaches, and fevers!) but at least the narsties decided to be somewhat mild while we took ourselves and the kids to the fair... which we had be promising to do all summer. Granted it was mostly to keep them from begging to go to Riot Zone every time we passed it on the way to Gma and Gpa J's house, but the fair is one of the great things about Eastern Idaho in the Fall!

I forgot my camera... go figure. But at least the face painting lady took pictures for her website, so I got the cool pictures of the kids faces!

We got to the Fair at about 10:30 in the morning, got to tell the kids the rides didn't start until 1pm, so we got to look at the animals and the "adult" stuff in the morning and then have a relaxing lunch, THEN go attack the rides.

All of the kids seemed to have a blast at the Fair and Turbo was begging us to go back the next day :) He wanted his face painted again and he LOVED the rides! I think the wristbands were a win all the way around!

I think next year we will probably do it this way again... though hopefully with less of "The Cruddies" going around.

"Motherload"

"Motherhood has ruined me for life.

I want to nurse the world
A continent to a breast.

I want to cut up waffles
For all the third world
Send the dictator to his room
Ground the drug dealers
Wash out the pornographers'
Mouths with soap
And spray organized crime
With Black Flag.

I want to make all the politicians
And all the executives sit on the couch
And memorize the golden rule
And stand up and say it in unison.

I want to grab a bullhorn
And announce to the world
That the barbecues will stop
Until all the litter - all the litter -
Has been picked up.

Oh, I could fix everything
If they would all just listen to me,
Listen to me,
Listen to me!

I have such illusions of grandeur:
I am a mother."

- by Carol Lynn Pearson

SUNFLOWERS!

Ahhhhh Our Sunflowers are blooming! And I even have REAL bees on them... not those pesky wasps, though I have to admit, I don't mind the wasps because they are eating the aphids and therefore leave my children alone (whom have been warned to leave the sunflowers ALONE).

This picture was taken from on top of our deck, the sunflower itself is taller than I am! :) I've never done any kind of garden before so I'm happy to have something turn out well, and the fact that Goober brought the seeds home from school last spring is an added bonus.

Now I just need to research what I'm supposed to DO with the darned things!

Alrighty then

So, an update.

My right lung is inflamed. Wah-oo... (can you feel the love?) the doctor seems to think from something I inhaled.

I asked him why the left one isn't also if that is the case... the answer? "Possibly because your left lung is more efficient at coughing". hmmmm that makes some sense at least.

He seems to be of the opinion that my lung is inflamed due to something environmental, and that it hasn't been able to heal up properly, therefore the repeat episodes of coughing up blood. So to help it be able to heal up right he has put me on Steroids.... (ROID RAGE!!!!!)... well, actually an inhaler with steroids in it, for 8 weeks.

Hopefully that will be the end of that. Tada!