Monday, September 29, 2008

Am I stupid? Cause I really don't think I am!


Last night, Bush made some statements about the $700 billion bailout. In reference to the 'jittery U.S. taxpayers,' he said that they will benefit from a number of safeguards that lawmakers wrote into the pending legislation, including ... assurances that taxpayers would ultimately be reimbursed by the companies that go under. Okay, so this is where I get stupid... if the bailout is supposed to help them from going bankrupt, because they can't pay on loans that already exsist... HOW WILL THEY PAY OFF THE TAXPAYERS?? Where will that money come from?

Seriously, am I stupid!?!?!!?

Oh, and as far as the picture goes, doesn't it look like they're getting down to business... sipping their coffee and all?

Friday, September 26, 2008

First Feild Trip


Today, Reilly had her first field trip to Nuns Park. It was the best time she's ever had a Nuns. Her great-grandparents host the park, so we go there frequently, but this time was different. She got to ride on the bus, for the first time; and she went with her friends from school. Our group was Spencer, Josh, Kamille and Reilly. They were great and had fun on the hike and with the art projects and leaf games. I was glad that I could go, too. :)

Halloween Preview


I have dressed up for Halloween in the past, but have been unsuccessful as far as picking a costume that people would recognize. I always wound up explaining who I was the entire evening. Well, this year, everyone'll know what I am... and it's not that far of a stretch from the truth, so it'll be easy to pull off!


P.S. This year will mark the first year... probably EVER... that Dustin will dress up. He's going to be just like me. We'll be Attack of the Nerds together!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Have I ever told you about the time I cured HIV/AIDS??


Well, I had a dream about it and, turns out, the cure for HIV/AIDS is ... ready? Orange juice and apple juice mixed together! SOLVED!! Now, on to the next chronic condition!!

P.S. I'm laughing so hard I'm crying as I write this!!!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Young Women Lesson 38: Good Health Habits

My lesson today was about having good healthy habits. It was fun. I started the lesson by having the girls pick from a variety of snacks - both healthy and unhealthy. I disguised them because most of hem were hidden with 'low-fat' or 'reduced calorie' or '100% multi-grain.' We talked about why they're good and why they're bad; how important it was to portion control; and how it's not about what you eat so much as what portions you eat. I also talked about negative body image because that seems to be a common concern here in vain-Utah. Too many people are concerned about how they look outwardly that they don't think about how they're sacrificing their health for it.

How cool is it, by the way, that the Word of Wisdom was revealed in the 19th century and we're only just barely now finding out that it was right?! The more we refine something, the less we get out of it - D&C 89. I love when man discovers that God's revelations were correct!! We talked about this for a while because there is a Japanese man that just celebrated his 113th birthday, making him the oldest man in the world. He credited it all to not drinking alchohol! We also talked about the blessings of living the WoW - like longevity.

At the end of the lesson I gave the girls a pamphlet to keep track of their food/drink intake for a week. I encouraged them to think about what was going into their bodies and also to keep better tabs on their sleep and physical activity.




I made yogurt parfaits for the girls to enjoy. Non-fat yogurt, homemade granola and fresh apples from my apple tree. Really, it was a great lesson and the girls did a great job helping out with it. :)

The depression sets in yet again.


There are a lot of good things about living where I am (i.e. location to stores), but there is one verrry bad thing. I can see the bad weather coming to get me! These pictures were taken on September 1st. It's starting and there's nothing I can do about it. It's coming to ruin my life for a few months and I can't run and hide.



:( :( :( Oh, the depression...

Friday, September 19, 2008

The long and short of it.

The new 'plan' for bailing out the market crisis is CRAP!!! Holy cow, I can't believe our government! It told me that if you don't have a billion dollars, you don't exist. So, these stupid big businesses pad the pockets of their executives, default all over the place and risk filing for bankruptcy. Then, the stupid government 'rescues' them while screwing the rest of the country! The government will own these companies (AIG for example) and take on their debt... but where does the money come from to cover the debt? YOU AND ME, my friend! You and me! How screwed up is that!? If I go into debt and my business was floundering the government is the first hand demanding to be paid, but when the big business stands at the edge ready to fall in, the government offers to salvage the company and give the executives hefty severance packages! AAAHHHHHH!!!

Oh, it just makes me want to never pay taxes again!!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

As soon as you can ...

I've been saying it since Reilly was born. As soon as you can ... 1. feed yourself; 2. dress yourself; 3. use the potty by yourself ... etc, etc, etc. Well, what I've realized is that the 'as soon as ...' NEVER end. Every day I come up with new ones. Today it was, as soon as you can stop whinning about EVERYTHING!

On the up side, I also find cool things to get excited about. Sean just learned how to write his name. It took him a lot of practice, but he did it all today. Sometimes I just want to run away and never look back (shout out to Mom), but other days I can see that they're getting more mature and intelligent. Those days are worth sticking around for.


... wow, that sounds really morbid... like I'm on the verge of walking out. Sooooo NOT the case.

Poopy!

It's Sean's new potty mouth! I can't get over it. He's such a boy to think of such things to shout at the top of his lungs... during a movie... at the slow, quiet part... WHEN IT WAS PACKED!!! Anyway, it was funny; after the embarrassment went away, of course.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

The good news...

I've been trying to stay involved with Reilly and Sean's schooling lately. I think it's really easy to take the back seat to their learning, but I can see that it's not helpful for making them better human-beings. First, the bad news, I have to deal with some incredibly stupid people! I invite moms of Reilly's friends to come to lunch at the park with us ... mostly because it's hard to get out of the school parking lot without two or three kids trying to hitch a ride with us, or vice versa. But also, I thought it'd be a good idea to let them play after lunch for an hour or two. Well, let me just tell you, I got some LAME excused for why they couldn't make it. OH, but the worst part was that they all gave me this kind of stupid, generic thank-you back, 'Thanks for the invite, but keep me in mind and maybe next time.' Here's my translation, "I'm too good for you and your kid, but, gee-golly, thanks for trying.' Sometimes they just make me want to pull my hair out.
So, here's the good news: I get to meet the parents that DON'T suck! They are few and far between, but they are there if you look hard enough. I met a mom today who really rocked! Reilly and her daughter are in the same class at school and they play on the same soccer team. She seems really put together when it comes to her daughter's life. But the thing that really impressed me was that she knew Reilly already! I've never met her, but she just knew Reilly. We sat together and cheered for each other's kids. It was awesome to see them perk up when their names were cheered! Anyway, it made my day!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

C'mon! I'm not THAT fat!

A couple of years ago, we bought a bunk bed for Reilly and Sean. We (and by that, I mean Dustin) put it together like a bunk bed, but told Reilly that we couldn't lay with her because we'd break her bed ... she was on top; it made sense. The bed had a maximum weight limit - 185lbs. We're not that fat seperately, but it was a good idea. It worked! Reilly started sleeping in her bed and because she was on the top, she stayed in her bed all night. So, last year, I took apart the bunk and now they have seperate beds. I like it better because I can turn on the ceiling fan ... and bedtime goodnights are easier. But, the best part of the whole thing is that Reilly told Sean that Mom and Dad can't sleep in their beds because we'll break them. Tonight, I was laying with them while I said goodnight because I had a tough day and am sleeeepy. Reilly was cuddly and said a long goodnight to me... Sean was a different story. We started off with Sean saying, "Daddy gave me too much kisses!" and ended with "Mom, get in your bed; you'll break my bed!" :) Good stuff! So, I'm going to sleep!

School Picture Preview



Today was picture day for Reilly and they had a time slot for non-school kids (Preschool or younger) that we took Sean to. They were so cute and did so well. I got enough pictures to send some to Grandma/Grandpas, but I'll likely forget, so a FRIENDLY reminder or two would be most appreciated. I'll post them when I get them ... whenever that'll be...

Reilly in action... sort of...


Reilly had her first soccer game on Wednesday. She is a really ... um ... relaxed player. She's not aggressive AT ALL! It was hard to get a picture of her playing because she didn't try to keep up with the ball. In fact, at one point in the game, she was kicking the ball to the wrong goal because, 'that's the way the ball was rolling, so I just kicked it...' Makes sense, right?! When we got home she was slightly more enthusiastic! :)


Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Is that your tongue? Or are you just happy to see me?


We went out to dinner this weekend and Sean, for the first time in his life, really got into the kid packet they hand out. It had a color by numbers that he and I did. The funny part was that when he was really concentrating, he'd stick his tongue out. Hilarious! Watch this!

Diving


I got the picture of Reilly jumping into the pool from the diving board, but I forgot my camera and had to do it with my phone... They're not that great, but you can see Reilly's fearlessness!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Youth Soccer

Reilly's just started soccer. She's so excited! We were going to do gymnastics again, but she was determined to play soccer instead. She has her first game on Wednesday, so check back for videos and/or photos of her in action!!

P.S. We got Reilly all the gear to wear along with a ball to practice with and they have a new feature on the ball that I wish they had when I played. It's called a 'soft-valve.' They hide the valve inside the ball and only have the hole visible. That way, when a player goes to knee or head the ball, there's almost no chance of getting injured by hitting the valve. It happened a lot while I was playing... that thing hurts!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Economy... shmeconomy!

Our latest news financially is that... it's a good thing that I work, because if I didn't, we would have NO hope for a Christmas this year. The problem is that our country's going down the crapper! I have a real problem with this because I think there's an easy fix.

Number 1: We need to invest in ourselves. Not just a few pennies, but the value of what our workers are worth! Too many employers are cutting corners to fill their own pockets. They should stay invested in the company FIRST. True story, there is a guy that hired Dustin a year ago for four houses that needed tile. He squandered the money that he made off the jobs on a new boat and a new car and wound up too broke to pay Dustin. Now, he's risking bankrupcy for all of his companies because he didn't keep the dollar in the company. He still owes thousands and thousands to subcontractors (like Dustin) and vendors, and he had to lay off over 250 people. Invest in the company - in the people that keep it going.

Number 2: We need to be able to tell the government what to do with our vote. In many countries, the people have a say in how the country is run... many countries but ours! I just got a bill from the IRS saying that I overpaid the first quarter taxes by almost $2000. and they billed me $450. for an adjustment fee. $450?!?!? That's CRAZY! They shouldn't be able to do that, but they are the IRS, so if I try to fight it, they'll make up some off-the-wall worded penalty that doesn't really exsist. I have NO voice. I don't feel like my vote matters in the least. It must, somewhere, but I can't make a difference here (especially in stupid-Republican Utah). If there were millions of people, maybe then it would matter... maybe. I'm actually totally against the Republican vs. Democrat thing that happens every time there's an election. Why can't we get a candidate that will answer the questions, give valid solutions to problems and, in the end, DELIVER what they promise?? WWWHHHHYYYY????!!!

Okay, okay, so it's not easy, but it would help out TREMENDOUSLY! ... I'm a little too into socialism lately. It's bad I know, but we're not exactly doing that great right now...

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

My kid!!

Yesterday when I went to pick up Sean from school, he stopped playing with the kid he was playing with (yes, Sean is playing well with others... surprised?) and RAN to come get me. He ran! He's such a good kid. So, today I wanted to get a picture of that, but he didn't do it!
He was eating a snack and just walked with a huge smile! :)
Oh, btw, I decided that it would save sooo much space to take pictures of the kid's pictures and projects from school rather than keep the actual paper. I'm smart, eh?!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Sean's First Day!


Sean and I went to his school today and he was STOKED! I didn't know how he'd be going to school all by himself for two hours, but he walked right in...


and got down to business...


He's getting so big!!!