Multiplicity

I finally did it. I bought 20 lbs of chocolate to dip stuff in this Christmas. It was a huge expense so I better put it to good use. I have always wanted to try coating my caramels in chocolate. On Saturday while at a candy store in Springdale I was reminded of my dream. Then my dream led to visions of dipping other things like graham crackers, Ritz crackers and fudge (oh my!). So today I wiped up the continuous drool since Saturday and bought myself some chocolate as incentive to fulfill my dreams. I cross my fingers that time will be on my side this holiday season. I also hope that I hid the chocolate well enough that it is still there by then.

You may ask why 20 lbs. Well I like looovvve dark chocolate and Brian only eats it under extreme circumstances (that is when there is nothing sweet in the house for a couple of days). So I needed dark and milk chocolate to save my marriage. Well only the 10 lbs packages were on sale at the candy supply place so I purchased one of each to save money, not my rear end mind you.

After this purchase while driving home I got to thinking. I have way too many things I want to do or like to do. My bucket list might require me living until I am 150 (while maintaining perfect health) and coming into a whole butt load of money. Then I thought if there were a couple more of me's I could enjoy almost everything I want to right now, kind of like the movie Multiplicity with Micheal Keaton. There could be a me that would learn to make beautiful cakes with yummy fondant (yes I love fondant so get over it). There would be a me that would learn to sew everything I want. Someone to cook wonderful new meals, breads and desserts. Someone that would take painting classes. Someone else to go to the gym for all of us. Someone to play with the kids, read all the books on my 10 mile list, design and plant the most beautiful yard including a magnificent vegetable garden, and finally someone can and keep up on my food storage. There would be a traveling me to go all over and anywhere. I think I would also need someone to work outside the home because I know I would enjoy that too. And someone to take all the college classes I think sound interesting. After that line of thinking a wrench was thrown into my thoughts. Would the central me be able to experience the pleasure, learning, hard work and satisfaction that all the other me's would feel accomplishing their topic? Deep, I know. So I guess I will keep being the one and only me. Maybe I will get to them all eventually by changing hobbies every year. Maybe I should a bucket list post one day so I don't forget about all things I want to do.

Kelsey's Wish List

1. a real dog
2. a real gerbil
3. IPod touch, no the big one (aka an IPad)
4. a phone (Hannah on the bus supposedly has one)
5. a real working camera
6. an airplane that flies in the air that has a basket that can pick things up like popcorn (she says she saw it on a commercial)

Does anyone else see a problem with this list for a 6 year old? What am I to do?

I Never Said They Were Normal, Just Cute

I am sure my kids are normal in a kid normal way. But have you ever tried sleeping on 3 pillow pets night after night? It hurts my back just watching Braden climb up on them each nap time and bedtime. Some times they are closer together and other times they are farther apart. I really cringe when the pets are further apart and his body is contorted and concave. As long as he sleeps, right?

And by the way, I never realized "farther" and "further" until I typed these two words so close together. Spellcheck didn't catch one as wrong. So what is the difference and what is correct? I looked them up. I don't see a definition difference. So English majors is there a proper way to use these words or is it your own preference?

I never said I was normal either. Since I produced such cute kids then I must be cute too.

One more comment out of the blue. Mainly because the little man just came in and asked if we are going to get in the car and get bamatoes. He then told me he doesn't like bamatoes. And he doesn't. Do you have bamatoes at your house? They might also be called tomatoes.

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

This momma at home says hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray. All day long.

I love my kids but I am happy when they get to go to school. Don't get me wrong I am sad because my play time is over too. But I am also a get-it-done type of person and that doesn't seem to happen as much when everyone is around. I also get excited for the knowledge my kids get to learn. I love to hear Macy read and see her accomplish math problems. I love to see Kelsey grow in courage and point out her letters. I was elated when last year she was able to point out the word "in" as we read. As Kelsey and I walked down the school hall to meet her teacher I was overcome with joy and excitement to know that my girls will get an education and that my girls are growing up. I absolutely love it. I am so grateful to live in the "land of the free".

I do admit I hate helping them with homework. It gets in the way of my to-do list or our play time. I do my best to teach them good habits even if I am groaning with them.

 Macy's first day was a week before Kelsey's. She is my big 2nd grader.

 Waiting at the bus stop. I am also grateful for buses. It gives me an extra 40 minutes a day and saves me gas. It also saves me and the kids the embarrassment of bed head in the drop off lane.

 Kelsey's is my little kindergartner. She has really changed in two years. I was a little worried that she would get nervous and not want to go. She used to be a little shy and more of a home body. There was a time when we first moved up when she wouldn't go to her primary class (however a couple of weeks ago she made grandma stay with her in class when they slept over and went to church with grandma). Not any more. She couldn't wait for the bus to come. I followed the bus to school but there was probably no need. She didn't even look back to say good bye and if I hadn't yelled it first she wouldn't have said anything. Come to think of it she never even gave me a hug. That is my big girl. Now my problem is she doesn't understand why she can't go in the morning with Macy. She wants to go all day.

 Walking to the bus stop with her best friend, her best friend's dad, and her best friend's little sister.

Of course Braden would not let me forget him. Here he is with his trucks. He loves his trucks. He made me take a picture of him every time I took one of Kelsey.

Kelsey's word of the day

The other day when Macy was at school and Braden was down for a nap, Kelsey and I played her favorite game. She called it "Remembory". She usually calls the game "My Little Pony Matching Game".

The Good Things in Life and the Ironic Ones

The Good Things:

• Lots of homemade raspberry freezer jam made with fresh Bear Lake raspberries. One batch with my secret ingredient.
• Death by Chocolate cake for Grandma K's 90th birthday party last night.
• 2 helpers in the kitchen to help make the items above. One likes to add a little chef drama/acting as she stirs and mixes. The down side to this is there is usually some mess that is created like pectin being spilled on the hot burner.
• Homemade salsa made with garden fresh ingredients. I wish they were from my garden, but alas they came from the crop sharing thing I did this summer. This was really my first time making salsa and it sure took a long time.

The Ironic Part of Life:

• Tragedy always strikes while on the toilet and usually right before getting in the shower. A toy needs to be fixed, someone was mean to someone else, starvation hits even though it has only been five minutes since the last course. Good thing the earthquakes and fires have decided to hold off. Maybe they could teach my kids something.
• Brian caught a nasty flu bug and he hasn't even seen the kids all week. He has been working late hours on a major project at work all week long. I am crossing my fingers, following him with lysol and praying the kids don't catch it. School starts tomorrow. There will be plenty of germs there. We don't need to add ours to the mix. I am also praying because this momma doesn't want to be cleaning anything up.

Another Hand Mixer Bites the Dust (plus some summer stuff)

So I am now down another hand mixer. I burned it out the other day. What is with the cheap kitchen appliances? Okay I have to admit there is some doubt whether it was the machine or the user. I might not have gotten the beaters put in all the way on some thick batter. But in my defense it had recently seemed to be slowing a bit. Also I may have installed everything correctly that last time. I just don't remember.

I am also out another camera. Cameras and sunglasses fall into the same category for us. We can't afford to buy the really expensive kinds because within a matter of months they are lost, broken or dropped. This may be the third or fourth camera we have owned. Last year in Disneyland Brian dropped the camera while it was on and jammed the lense. Well butterfingers did it again but this time at Bear Lake. All right he was handing it to me and there seems to be a fuzzy point in the story, again (just like with the mixer), where the camera dropped. And I just remembered I lost my sunglasses at Cherry Hill. I purchased those in June.

So needless to say I have no proof that we did exciting things during the end of summer and were not just couch potatoes. Well, we did do some of the that. The kids for sure did some of this at Bear Lake when they had an ICarly marathon with some cousins once removed or however those titles go. It isn't my favorite show to let the girls watch but it was awfully quiet and enjoyable when they were glued to the TV. It allowed for a lot of train playing (Ticket to Ride).

I tried to wear the kids out with the fantastic trip to Bear Lake. But Macy could not get enough tubing in so obviously she was not worn out. Brian and I hiked to Bloomington Lake while there and we stopped by the Oregon Trail Museum. Still the kids kept going.

So we did some swimming at my grandma's condo's pool. I love that pool. They keep it at around 88 degrees. Still not tired. Instead the kids started growing gills. So I gave them more water. We spent 3 whole days at Cherry Hill with my family. The kids only came up to breath when it was time to eat and when the big bad mom said it was time to go to bed. Kelsey spent hours in the lazy river (ask my mom about that). Macy could not get enough of the rapids ride and loved being a big kid. She never wanted to hang out with me unless there was no one else to ride with. And Braden mixed his time between the lazy river, Pirates Cove (the little kids area) and the pool. He also enjoyed closing the pool down with a pooping incident. Don't ask. It was embarrassing especially when you do not realize it was your kid.

There have grandma sleepovers and great grandma's birthday parties. The party was even complete with big blow up water slides and bounce houses. There have been some Scales and Tails visits. The semi-annual visit to the dentist. This time there was success. Kelsey actually opened her month and let them clean her teeth. Macy also started piano. Maybe one day I will have the energy to describe the joy (dripping with sarcasm) of helping her practice. We have gone back to school shopping (hurray!). And tonight Macy gets to meet her teacher. I am still trying to figure out how to take first day of school pictures without a camera. I am not great at pictures but it is Kelsey's first day of elementary school in a week.

For me I am trying to get the motivation back to wake up early in the morning to exercise before I have to get kids up for school. I am also lacking in general motivation to get my to-do list done. It has grown considerably while we were out having fun. Even blogging was better than accomplishing anything this morning.