Life is Sweet: July 2010

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Cramming It In

We are leaving on a trip tomorrow. Around 5am. We won't be back until the day before school starts for Shilo (freshmen orientation), and two days before everyone's back on the school schedule. So we've been cramming in what we can before we leave. Like school/trip/EFY shopping. That was yesterday.

I had given my girls a (small) budget for school clothes, and they had a little money of their own to contribute. Personally, I like shopping with a purpose, so I acted as chauffeur and kept everyone focused on the task at hand. Right after snapping the above picture, I was kindly told that I wasn't allowed to take photos in this store.

My rebellious side came out, and I snapped this one of the floor while Shilo and I were waiting for the other girls to try on clothes. Payback for my lack of respecting store policy was... this was the exact spot Shilo set down her wallet (full of cash), and we walked away. Not only did we walk away, we exited the mall and drove 20 minutes east (amid tons of traffic, paying tolls along the way to git 'er done as expeditiously as possibly) to another shopping area, which is where we discovered the wallet was missing, and guessed that it was here, on this cushioned bench, where we left it. We called the store, confirmed it was still there, and arranged to have it picked up by Bill on his way home from work (lucky guy).

After over 5 hours of intense shopping focus, the girls declared it good.

Today there are a million things to get done (blogging is not high on the priority list). I've managed to get a couple things checked off the list this morning, but the stress is high, and the list long. All of it requires a great deal of work. Wish me luck (and high energy), I need it.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Not-So-Glamour Shots

Yesterday, right after walking Mauri to school, I took Lex and Shi to the doctor. Not for illness or injury, but for a good ol' physical. (Or as the doctor's office refers to it, a "well-child check".) Have I mentioned how many times I've been to a doctor's office for some reason or another lately? Let's just say, PLENTY.

Lexee and Shilo prefer to have physicals together. They appreciate the support. Despite the occasional embarrassing questions, it gives them comfort to know they are not alone. I, on the other hand, am becoming less and less welcome. Not because I make them uncomfortable, but because I have kept a mother's log (in my mind, which means I may or may not remember what's in there) about every health question or concern that has come up over the past year. Questions about changing moles, allergy medications, and the possibility of exercise-induced-asthma. And I talk. Too much. When questions are asked (like, "What sports do you participate in?"), I'm too impatient to wait for the delayed, hesitant response of those girls, so I offer up the answers. Often with long explanations or too many details. The girls pretty much just want to get it over with, and there I am, jabbering away about this, that, and the other.

As our favorite PA-C, Kettie, was reviewing immunizations, she told us that the girls were up-to-date and legal to attend school. All required shots had been given. That's where Lex and Shi wished the conversation would have ended. Then she asked if we would be interested in the meningitis vaccine. And what about the Hepatitis A for Lex? For some reason, Shilo had already been given that series back in 2002, so she didn't need it. It's also the shot that Britta is still waiting to get her booster for. Since there had been recent cases of meningitis in our area (okay, state), and since it seemed like a more convenient time to get that HepA for Lex (instead of right before she heads to college), I decided we should do it.
Git 'er done (my mantra as of late).

Boy, oh boy. Waiting for the nurse to appear with those shots was torture. For Lexee. The next few minutes were filled with,

"Wait, I have to get shots today?"

"I would rather get them next week."

"I'll go first."

"No, you go first."

"Why do I have to get two shots?"

"I would rather just get these right before I go to college."

"I hate shots."

"Pinch me when I get the shots... hard."

She had herself mentally psyched out and her knickers in a twist in a matter of minutes.

Lucky for her, two nurses came in, so she could get both shots at once. I dutifully pinched her leg until I heard, "Mom, you can stop pinching now."

(A mini Syddall I-spy... can you spot the half-eaten cinnamon roll, the math workbook, the pink eraser, and the needing-to-be-replaced sun-faded purple-toned out-dated family picture?)

Shilo was unfazed. No shot anxiety. No stressing. No big deal.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Back to School

Yesterday Mauri and I went to her Back-to-School BBQ. This fun event is replacing the old "Meet and Greet" days of the past, where the first few days of school are spent with some individual time meeting your teacher, bringing your school supplies, and setting goals. Personally, I like the BBQ.

You still get to bring your supplies

which we pretty much recycle from year to year (I miss the Utah days when all school supplies were... supplied). This year we only needed to purchase our ream of copy paper (yes, we supply the school with copy paper, which, as far as I can tell, we don't see much of throughout the year, since they pretty much have gone to posting everything online and WE print it out at home), our box of Kleenex, and a couple of composition books. Mauri's backpack (which was handed down from Britta) is still in great condition, so no need for a new one. And although I have heard her say several times, "Oh, so-and-so got a new backpack," and "It seems like everyone got a new backpack...", I'm an advocate of

Fix it up,

Wear it out,

Make it do

or do without.
(unless it's pretty much necessary)

Didn't President Hinckley use that once? Mauri hasn't asked for a new backpack, though, and I'm pretty sure she knows what I'd say anyway. It's perfectly good. And it's nice and big. Plenty of room for all her random stuffed animals she sneaks to school from time to time. And her homework, water bottle, snack, and lunch.

At the BBQ, she reconnected with some old classmates (it's been a whole 6 weeks since she's seen them),

and basically relished her last day of summer vacation.

Afterwards, she set out her clothes for the next day, received a blessing from her father, and went to bed on schedule.

This morning, we followed Syddall Family Tradition, and took pictures as Mauri headed out the door.

I walked with her and her friend Lauren to school. Another tradition. And since our school has moved 6th graders to the middle school, I only have one more year left for this little ritual. I think I'm gonna miss it.

I've worried a little bit about fourth grade. It seems like the year that all the vying-for-popularity and look-what-I-have stuff kicks in. More friend issues. More wanting to fit in and be liked. I remember 4th grade, for pity's sake, and it wasn't all good. It was the first time I was mean to a friend just because someone told me to do it. It was the first time the whole class became my enemy (although just for a day, because I started crying, the teacher found out, and chastised the entire class, practically forcing them to be my friends). I remember my teacher (Mrs. Sutherland), my substitute teacher (which we had for a good 2 or 3 months that year -- Mrs. Sutherland had back surgery), my classroom, my friends (there were 3 Kristinas -- or Christinas -- in the class. I went by Tina, one went by Christy, and one went by Kris), the popular boy, the girl all the boys liked (I always wished I was that girl... never was), doing division on the chalkboard, dissecting chickens, raising and releasing butterflies, four-square, and my feelings. Obviously it was some kind of pivotal year in my life.

I hope it's a great year for Mauri. I will share what I have learned with her. Hopefully it will help her get through 4th grade unscathed. Joyful. Improved. Strong.

She has three days, then she gets a nice break as we head off to Wyoming for a family reunion, and SLC/Provo to visit family for a week. Being the only child on a year-round schedule has it's perks.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Home Improvement

Have you been wondering what I've been up to the last few days? I didn't think so, but I'll share anyway.

Basically working my behind off. (Oh yeah, I don't have one. And I'm not bragging, because I wish I did. Instead, I have the kindly-passed-down-genetics for a non-curvacious back-side. Although today, that flat gluteus maximus is killing me. Because one of the things on Mauri's list of things-to-do-while-the-rest-of-the-fam-is-away was exercise with mom. Which we did yesterday. Today, the stairs are painful. Lunges are not my friend.)

I started a project. Don't ask me why. I should have taken my couple of days with fewer demands off. Lounged by the pool. Read a good book. Soaked in the tub. I, however, chose to push myself to the limit of working-your-hiney-off. I'm second-guessing that now, but I know I will be glad to have finished this project once it's... well... finished.

My niece is coming for a visit, which means she will most likely need to use a bathroom while she's here. And it's highly probable that she will use the bathroom Lex and Shi share. Do you know what two teenage girls (and their friends) can do to a bathroom? I hope you didn't guess "clean it." That would be incorrect. At least on a regular basis. So the bathroom needed some work, and I decided to git 'er done.

Good-bye hideous gold hand-towel rings! (This wall is really green... for some reason it looks like the color in the REST of my house. That awesome gold-tone must be very reflective.)

Good-bye ugly patched area on nasty green walls!

Good-bye crummy shower curtain rod that droops!

Good-bye natural oak finished cabinets!

Good-bye leaky AND ugly gold-and-chrome-toned faucet! And the ugly stain you leave behind!

Hello new toilet seat. Hello fresh coat of paint. Hello brushed nickel.

Since the project is still in progress (Bill is putting in faucets even as I type, and I really should go help), I will post completed pictures at some later date. Which will hopefully be sooner than later. Unlike my still unpainted (but primed) table in the basement.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Gone Baby Gone

I finally took all of this

here

and I only kept these

(I was a little more attached to my banana split dishes than I thought.
And yes, I have used them in the past year.)

I purchased this

because it reminded me of my Grandma Goldsberry. And I like it.

As of this moment, I have no giver's, saver's, or buyer's remorse. A good day.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Room Purge

A beautiful thing.

Cleaning, organizing, discarding, donating. Why does it feel so good?

Yesterday Lexee and Shilo participated in a room purge. I, of course, acted as director and supporter. Encouraging them to rid themselves of the unwanted stuff tucked in the dark recesses of their bedrooms. It was the perfect day to perform such a ritual... both girls were home (well, kind of... Shilo had physical therapy and Lex had gymnastics), and it was going to be the only day available to ready themselves for a new school year. (Seriously, from here on out their days are scheduled to the brim.)
And what better way to start than with a clean, organized bedroom.

Here's the donate pile.

Which is now ready to head to the Goodwill

(along with all the other stuff that's still in my basement).

The giant bag of discards left with the trash collectors this morning. And no, I didn't take a picture.
But can I just add, I love our trash guys. EVERY WEEK they put my garbage can up by our garage door after emptying it. I'm telling you, a tip at Christmastime can reap benefits all year long.

We repurposed a book shelf in Shi's room -- now a great place to keep her shoes. Oh, how I love an organized closet.

And Lex sorted her clothes by color. A girl after my own heart.

And, of course, there is always a treasure hidden somewhere under the bed or in the closet. Lexee found this one, and Mauri has worn it at least half the day. I suppose it's serving a useful purpose. Even if that purpose is solely to provide joy (and some style).

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Invasion of Personal Space

Yesterday was the Championship swim meet for our division. Lest you think I'm a braggart, this isn't something that happens every day around here. In fact, we've never been to a Championship swim meet before. Most years we have been out of town for the Prelims, which means there's no chance to swim at Championships. This summer, however, has been much different than the summers of the past. We I have been home the entire summer. The rest of the family has been here, there and everywhere. But since Youth Conference was a Mon-Tues-Wed (loved that it didn't cut into a weekend), and Girls Camp is this upcoming week (after the summer swim stuff - except for All Stars), we've been here for swim practices and meets, piano lessons, strength camp, and gymnastics. Lucky us.

Back to the meet.

So Shilo swam the 100 Fly and the 100 Back. Same as Prelims. Her only wish was to improve her time and place (if possible). To refresh your memory, she placed 5th in fly at Prelims and 3rd in back.

And, since you know I love to record such events, here is the 100 Back race:

She also placed 3rd in the fly, and her two relay teams placed 2nd (both by less than a second behind the 1st place team).

When we arrived at the meet, Bill and I found a nice covered area with a great view, right at the end of the pool, where we set up camp for the day. Then the whistle blew for the first event, and the invasion began:

I guess because we were in a covered area (which, by the way, was our team's designated spot), people figured it was only right and fair to have some shade too. There was plenty of room to watch the races in the sun, just inches away from the shade, but the day was hot, and the shade limited. So we spent the day with the backsides of strangers mere inches away from our faces. My toes were constantly trampled, and my knees were often touching the back of people's legs. Oh, the price to stay cool on a 100+ degree day. At least we had chairs.

And Bill had plenty of time to prepare his talk for the following day. Even with the invasion going on.

I was tense (nervous for Shilo's races), and claustrophobic. One of the teams had handed out mini cow-bells to every member of their team, and those hyper-active kids (and parents) went nuts with them. I wanted to stomp on them. I fumed to Bill about it, then resorted to glaring at the kids and parents ringing them incessantly. Talk about misery... super hot temps, 5 swim teams crowded around a small community pool, poor organization on the part of the host team (the meet went an hour and a half over schedule), loud 80's music (I can't get away from it... songs like I Love Rock 'n Roll and Shout), and at least 100 cow bells. All noise-makers should be banned at sporting events, in my opinion.

But we made it. After a day of rest (all except for the 2 hours in nursery), I can feel the positivity flowing back into my being.

Shilo was excited to be "back" in the back. More physical therapy this week... until girl's camp on Wednesday. Bill is heading to New York for most of the week, so it's me and Mar.
And you know how that girl keeps me busy.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I'm a Believer

Yesterday Shilo started physical therapy on her leg. You know, the one with the rope burn. Since this was our first time EVER with such things, I didn't know what to tell Shilo to expect. I told her it might involve pain. And possibly tears. (I know, way to be upbeat and positive.)

They did all kinds of interesting things. Yes, Shilo confirmed, some of it was painful. She wanted to cry, but held it in. But let me tell you, it was extremely effective.

We went back today for some new therapies, and some of the same.

I am amazed that, after only one day of therapy, her leg was this straight. You can kind of see the lumps in the upper calf muscles... they are rock hard. The PT said it was most likely calcification of blood... muscle... tissue... something like that.

She started on a stationary bike, then had a nice calf massage. (At least it looked like a nice calf massage. Shilo said it was somewhat painful.) After some other exercises, Shi got slimed.

In preparation for ultrasound therapy.

Followed by shock treatment (at least that's what I like to call it).

They didn't have a big selection of reading materials, so Shi settled for the Good Housekeeping with an article on Rachael Ray. I just sat and listened to the bad 80's music playing on the radio somewhere. Songs like 867-5309 and C'mon Eileen. It makes me tense. You would think they would have soothing, relaxing, spa-like music drifting through a quality sound system to put their patients at ease. (Although that kind of music probably makes other people tense.)

Just not 80's. From a cheap radio. Intermixed with long segments of talking by uninteresting hosts. Shi said she's bringing her i-pod tomorrow. I think I'll bring one too.

So, the results speak for themselves. Shilo said her swimming this morning at practice was much improved. Her leg had more mobility. Flip turns were easier. Her coach had initially moved her down to a slower lane for practice, but then moved her right back into the fast lane.

She's also happy that the therapist recommended she not do the 5 mile hike at girls camp next week. No tears there. She's practically giddy at the fact that she can sit at camp and relax, while the rest of the girls are out traipsing around in the dirt and heat.

I am looking forward to saying good-bye to the gimp. Physical Therapy seems to be doing the trick.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Pet Peeves

Where did that phrase come from anyway? {Pet peeve} I have concluded that it means something that is highly annoying to you (the peeve), that occurs so frequently that you are constantly having to give it your attention (your pet), like when you have a dog that requires a concerted effort, and nobody but mom is willing to give it.
(Click here to read that sad but true story.)

So I have a few that have been rubbing up against my leg today.

Open cabinet doors. Wii stuff all over the place.

A warm blanket, no longer needed once the day heats up.
And if you look closely in the lower left corner you will find

a used glass and a half-eaten bag of candy. BTW, we have a "no food in the family room for people under 18" rule. Obviously not rigorously enforced enough to cause concern in the minds of ANY of my children.

And not far from that are sweat pants.

In the middle of the family room floor.

Hoodie and tee, no longer needed, resting on the barstool. Waiting for... laundry day?

A day's worth of parakeet mess, that most likely will roll over into two, possibly three.

A myriad of shoes, summer style. In cooler weather the shoes are bigger and more obtrusive (and there are more socks to accompany them), but whatever the season, they pile up until I order them loaded up in a laundry basket, and placed in the room of their rightful owner. More often than not, I fill that order myself.

These unwanted pets have hung around for years. Sometimes, after a mom tirade, they disappear. But only for a day or two. But (and as my sister would say, that is a big "but"), I wouldn't trade them for the alternative: no kids and a spotless house. I remind myself all the time that, as long as it's not too dirty, too cluttered, or too smelly, it really won't matter in the long run.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

No Tears

Following yesterday's very-bad stressful day (no one reason in particular, just a bunch of little things all piled up), today was full of good news.

At the Prelim meet, Shilo decided to swim two of her three events: 100 Fly and 100 Back. She had a respectable showing in both, and even placed 3rd (out of 5) in the Back. She was glad she competed, and is going to try to improve her time and possibly her placement in both events on Saturday at the Championship meet. There were no tears.

It also gave us hope that her leg is healing. She has a physical therapy appointment tomorrow... we'll see how that goes.

Mauri was hoping for the chance to swim in the Championships, but fell a little short. The great news is she did the best she has all season, and improved her time in every event. We chatted about how next year will be her year... she will swim in the same age bracket as she did this year, and will have another year's growth and experience on her side. We also found out that she wasn't (that's was not) DQed for her breaststroke on Saturday. Go figure. I was a little concerned about a DQ today because, as I was timing lane 4, the Stroke and Turn judge standing next to me was dishing them out left and right. Sometimes two at a time. Today, however, Mauri was near flawless in her stroke, kick and turn. Phew!

And Mauri entertained herself as she waited for me to finish my timing shift:

(Self snapshot)

(Cute hairy legs)

I was just grateful to be done. Standing for hours in 100 degree temps, sweat running in places I dare not say, is not my idea of a great time.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

I came home from church today with bubbles. We had been asked by our leaders to NOT have bubbles in the church building (those poor little nursery kids are totally bummed out), so I brought the stash home. Mauri claimed the loot for herself, and once the thunderstorm after church passed, she was out in the back yard with the once-loved-by-nursery-children bubble machine. The older girls decided to join in the fun, which stressed Mauri out a bit. She thought perhaps her supply of bubble solution would evaporate in the excitement (oh, my). So Shilo created her own bubble solution, thanks to a hefty supply of dish soap, which actually worked better than the store-bought stuff. Then they all got creative with what to blow the bubbles with (who needs that ol' bubble machine?), and came up with this awesome idea:

The toil: Lexee had been begging all week for me to make scones. The kind her Grandma Goldsberry makes. Bread dough, fried in oil, then tossed in some cinnamon and sugar. Okay, I told her, I'll make the scones. But then I'll have all kinds of dough left over, so she (and Shilo) would need to make the rest of the dough into cinnamon rolls. They agreed.

They were quick learners, and each made a pan of rolls. Mauri helped me get the scones ready.

And yes, this was a family activity... Bill did the dishes. In a suit and tie. The scones were done just in time for him to grab a few with a big glass of milk before heading off to a meeting.
What an awesome guy.

The trouble?

#1 ~ The calorie count in our after-church food consumption.

Extra icing per Lexee's request.

These turned out just like my mom's... delish. Oh, and did I mention we also made Rotel/Velveeta chip dip? I know, the perfect menu. My girls can all stand to have a few extra calories... they are trim, fit, and extremely active. I, on the other hand, am none of those.
That makes those calories BIG trouble.

And #2 ~ What are these girls practicing here?

Looks like bubble kissin' to me.