The way we were.

When we turned the TV off, we also instituted a new, even more detestable tradition: breakfast is served after morning chores are done. Keep in mind, my kids are little, so morning chores are nothing more than 1. Get dressed. 2. Comb hair. 3. Return bedtime books to shelf. 4. Make bed. 5. Throw clothes down laundry chute.

How hard can it be, right? Just ask Lily. She'll tell you that life was way better before breakfast came at a price. Oh Lily, I wish your mother had it all down pat before all of you were born, too. But most of us have to figure things out as we go along. And let's face it, if you spent less time complaining (or delaying the inevitable by playing with Rachel), you'd have your breakfast only 5 minutes later than you did before the big switcheroo.

There's a new sheriff in town.

Tim and I discovered something about me the other day. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut when he engages in an activity that doesn't even fall in my top 20. Especially when he is simultaneously neglecting activities I rank far higher.
For instance. College football. I like it. If I could put my support behind a local team, I might even buy season tickets and make a weekly date out of it and pass it off as building family relationships. But when there are chores to be done, and I'm slaving over an upcoming Joy School lesson and the kids haven't even made it outside all morning, I don't take too kindly to the TV blaring the Penn State/Iowa game. Kinda bothers me.

On the other hand, Tim has a weekly game night with a couple of friends. Personally I think it's rather geeky, and I'm not thrilled with the fact that though it started out as a post-bedtime-so-as-not-to-interfere-with-family-life activity, circumstances have necessitated moving it to 7 pm on a weeknight. Whatever, though. He has tons of fun and that makes me happy.

So now we've run into a bit of a problem. I bought Tim an Ipod Touch for his birthday. Even a non-gadget gal like me can appreciate how cool this thing is. But, once again, it's taken precedence over, oh, pretty much everything else. He's in love. Or addicted. Or something. Perhaps I should have him schedule a weekly date night with his new companion. Cause I've been trying to get his attention all night. (Insert smile with just a hint of exasperation).

If Eve could talk.

I may have a huge round head, sparse hair and bug eyes. My disposition may be rather serious and I may reserve my smiles for only the most persistent admirers.



Don't be fooled. I'm absolutely perfect.



Oh, and I learned to clap my hands and wave goodbye this month. My parents also think that the "ba" sound I uttered while dad was leaving for work was an early form of "Bye". It wasn't. Just dumb luck.

Turned a corner. I think.

I should have known after bragging about Rachel's potty training success several months ago that I would end up eating my words. Once the jellybeans ran out, we discovered that though she mastered #2, she then yielded enough #1 accidents to prompt us to throw in the towel and outfit her in a Pull-up for the summer. It was either that or spend another few weeks of gorgeous early summer weather inside cleaning up pee. Sue me.

We tried again a couple of weeks ago. It was painful. Really painful. I dread the day that we tear up the carpets around here to reveal the yellow deposits our three eldest daughters have left on the carpet pad. I think I'll save a slice of it for each of their hope chests.

I'm pleased to announce that we are on week three and things are looking bright. She had her first accident in a week today but:
a. She threw her soiled clothing down the laundry chute.
b. She didn't run and hide.
And c. She asked for a rag and some pet stain spray to clean up the mess.

It ain't potty-training in a day, but I'll take it.

It's the Susie Egbert Show!

I don't care for the spotlight. This may come as a surprise to those of you who performed with me in high school - that was just a phase. Being the center of attention is just plain embarrassing, even when it has nothing to do with pants getting pulled down.

Anyway, I've been coasting along in the background, mothering my four children, singing in the ward choir, teaching the kids in Primary, etc. Then I'm asked to serve as the Second Counselor in the Relief Society at church. For those less familiar with the workings of a Mormon congregation - that's one of three leaders over the women's organization in our church (a group of close to a hundred or so). I'll be in charge of all the activities - from service projects to cooking classes, to quarterly dinners (complete with a program) and other such stuff. Daunting? Nah. I can plan an activity. Or ten. Being on the spot? Not my favorite.

Even crazier was the fact that I had to stand and sit a grand total of five times during sacrament meeting yesterday between being released from my previous assignment as a teacher, being called as a counselor in the Relief Society, singing a solo, leaving with a noisy baby, and saying the closing prayer. Seriously, what were they thinking?

Next time look for me in the back row.

Birthday boy.

We kept it low-key this year, in honor of our decision last year to tone down the birthday celebrations so the kids don't overdevelop their "me" attitudes. I slaved over dinner but the dessert took the cake (pun intended). Just picture white chocolate cream cheese sandwiched between two fudgy cake layers topped with chocolate whipped cream. It's difficult to believe that last year's could be even better, this one was so delectable. Thanks to my mother-in-law for the Mrs. Fields cookbook. It has given us many wonderful years of unbelievable desserts, and many not-so-wonderful pounds on the hips and thighs.
The girls each made him a birthday card - Rachel's a sloppy cutting job and a mass of scribbles, Lily's stuffed with fallen rose petals with the words "Hapy Brthda Dad. I luv oyu.", and Anna's an artistic creation full of love and sincerity. As I watched them surround their dad, bearing gifts, I could not help but wonder how we got here. How our lives could be filled with this overwhelming abundance of love. How this man, all 31 years of him, could win over the hearts of so many beautiful girls. And oh, do we love him. Anna anticipates his sharing of the daily news with her before bedtime. Lily loves his hugs and kisses. Rachel adores him whole-heartedly. They all run screaming to the door when he gets home from work. Happy birthday to my Tim. He's got a lot to show for a mere 31 years.

A little bit of rest and a little bit of labor.

Tim and I spend a lot of time on projects. We own two homes, and anyone who has owned even one home knows the time guzzler it can be - particularly when you actually give a darn about the condition of said home. Every single Saturday is pretty much the same - the kids and I clean the inside of the house while Dad works on outdoor projects until we find a stopping point (because, let's face it, the work is never done) and we do something fun with the kids until quiet time, at which point, I crash with the kids while Tim fools around on his laptop (or watches college football as the season dictates) until dinnertime. Sometimes we'll have a quick family activity in the evening before baths and bedtime.
We don't see a ton of variation from this routine - except when the projects are so ovewhelming that I end up doing something fun with the kids so that dad can get even more items checked off his to-do list.
So imagine the joy when we have an extra day tagged onto our weekend with which to do more chores - er, I mean throw in the towel and have a bit of fun. Something about all work and no play...
We drove the kids out to a desert oasis last weekend. A quick jaunt from the parking lot to a gorgeous waterfall cascading into a beautiful pool below. It was a bit of Hawaii - except for the part about flying in a plane. And there were no beaches. And... well, nevermind. The path was flanked by rows of poison ivy - but that didn't stop us - we were smart enough to equip the kids with long pants and jackets. It was so wonderful to simply spend quality time with each other. We do fun things together often, but it seems that it's always preceded by work, which is what made this outing so unique. We woke up, ate breakfast, and went. Simply marvelous.











Oh, and it didn't hurt that we passed a bunch of orchards along the way and I impulsively stopped and picked up two boxes of peaches so that I could spend the afternoon canning. 30 jars to be exact.

Jello festival.

Well, if that ain't a quintessential "Mormon" event, I don't know what is. Yesterday we attended the 2nd annual Green Jello Festival hosted by our stake. They had a couple of bouncy houses, a whole host of carnival games, face painting, lunch, a wide assortment of jello, popcorn, cotton candy and live entertainment for 3 full hours. And, you betcha, it was FREE!
I had signed up for the first shift manning one of the bouncy houses, which put us there before the crowds hit and the food was gone. The kids got to experience everything and walked away with their tummies and hearts filled with food and fun, respectively. Lily even said, "Mom, thanks for bringing us to this festival - that was really fun." What a grateful child.
I, too, am grateful for all the people who organize these events for the benefit of others. If I were to count all the people who devoted their time to this particular event, I'm sure it would number in the hundreds. I consider it no small thing that so many willingly dedicate time, energy, talents, equipment, etc. in service to others. Thank you for making my kids Saturday special while saving our pocketbooks. And thank you for inspring me to do the same.

All in a day's work.

Precocious is what we call her. That's just a nice way of saying that her adventurous spirit and keen imagination get her into trouble. Often. Her activities usually involve messes, are simply an updated version of something for which she's previously been punished, and are always accompanied by a complete disregard for the little stop light in most people's heads that we like to call a conscience.

"I just want to do what I want to do!" she says. Oh brother, have we got our hands full. And she's just the first! She's in school for seven hours a day. Still, this week she managed to do the following:

1.

She built bird's nests- one for each of her sisters.

2.

That's tempera paint all over the back patio - a makeshift slip and slide, if you will. It resulted in a cold shower.



And the grand finale? She pooped in the sandbox and filled it to the brim with water. As soon as it recedes, we're throwing the whole thing out. I'll spare everyone the gory pictures. But hey, at least she wiped.



This is what I get for turning the TV off.

Bright blue and even brighter orange.

Who picks these as their school colors? Whose football team has been completely overrated for the past seven years and had only one truly glorious moment in that time (Hint: Bowl game/Oklahoma)? Whose fans start tailgating at noon, flocking in droves to the stadium while you're trying to get your three kids home for lunch after a full morning at the Discovery Center? Who beat BYU a few years back by the skin of their teeth thanks to a missed field goal attempt by the same kicker who halted screaming fans when he brutally tackled the punt returner, earning him a spot on ESPN's Top Ten? Twice. There was no glory in that win.

Man, I loathe BSU. Anna asked me today why I support BYU when we live in Boise. I didn't even bother to answer. I should probably check the score of tonight's game before declaring my dislike for the local team, but I'm too busy looking forward to Saturday. Go Cougs.

The TV is officially off.

At least Monday through Thursday. It's not as if my kids ever had any problems watching too much TV. It's just that they wanted to. Okay, Anna did. She might have been glued to the tube all day long, if I weren't constantly stepping in to play the "bad guy" at each request. I think a little bit of TV is just fine. As a fall-back plan, it works just great. When I wake up with a migraine, it's nice to know I can snooze it off while my kids are entertained by a failproof babysitter. But I never found any guidelines with which I felt comfortable. A certain amount of time per day? What if we kept too busy to fit it in? Do the minutes carry over? Wait until after "quiet time" was the most recent fix. I found that my kids anticipated it so much that any suggestion of an alternative was met with a negative reply - the kids knowing that this was their only chance at vegging in front of the television. It even superseded a trip to the pool!
So here's the next phase of limiting the TV - let's pray we can all make peace with the arrangement - otherwise, what next? Throw out the set? I'm yet not ready to play that trump card.
After two days of the new rule I've found that we've enjoyed more conversation as a family, played a bit harder, and gone to sleep with fewer delays. With Anna in school for 7 hours out of the day, it's reason enough to keep the plan as a "go".

First words on the first day of first grade.

I asked her how her day went. Did she love school? Which of her teachers did she like the most and why. Did she learn anything new? Do anything fun or noteworthy? Her two replies:
"Yeah, but it was kinda boring."
"Mom, this stuff is kindergarten work."

Just great.

I prodded more later in the day and got a couple of positive replies, thankfully. She loves music, seeing her friends, and the jellybeans I snuck in her lunchbox. Phew.

A day at a time, I guess.