One of Life's Greatest Mysteries!

     What is it about the sight of an empty toilet paper holder that sends anyone over the age of four running in fear from the room they just spent time in? They escape as fast as they can, leaving the next user to deal with the issue of an empty roll.
     I know these people are capable of putting on a new roll because as children they managed to unlock any and every child proofing lock I ever bought within 24 hours of installation. I even had one for the fridge that was this huge piece of sticky Velcro that I had a hard time opening. I watched in disbelief as my daughter pushed a chair to the stove, climbed onto the stove, got a wooden spoon out of the crock I kept there, then pried the tape open and helped herself to the can of chocolate frosting that was in there.
      So I ask, why can't anyone who shares my DNA ever put a new roll on the holder? It is one of life's greatest mysteries. 

What Does the Future Hold?

     I wonder about the future generations of our country. I wonder about our country. What will the sense of entitlement that so many people seem to harbor bring about? Are we raising kids that think everything should be handed to them on a plate with no work or effort involved? Where is this attitude going to get us in another 25 to 30 years?
     I know my kids would be considered spoiled by some people and I have to agree.
     They seem to think that as long as I have my ATM card there is money available for them to try to spend. I have assured them that that isn't how it works.
     Years ago my son was asked what his dad did for a living. He told them, "He goes to the dairy and fills his money pouch with dollars and comes home." We had quite the laugh over that one. I don't know what he thought his dad was doing the other 16 hours of the day because at the time his dad often worked sixteen and seventeen hour days. That's what happens when you are self-employed.
     I don't know that today's kids can work that hard. They seem to be geared to work easy, maybe they are willing to work long hours, but not too many of them want to do the hard physical labor of past generations.
     So many of our jobs no longer exist, they've all been sent out of the country, will there even be jobs available in 25 years? What does the future hold for them? I wonder.

What We Did On Our Weekend Away

     So the hubs and I went away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary and all I can say is we have VERY different ideas about what constitutes a celebration.
     Here's my ideal weekend away. Get to the hotel, relax enjoy that there are no kids bugging you to find their socks, or to make them Top Ramen, or that they aren't getting their turn on the X-box, etc, etc, etc, to infinity. Go out for a nice dinner and then go back to the hotel and watch something you've been planning to watch for the last three years and just haven't been able to.
     Sleep in our own queen-sized beds without anyone hogging anything, or burping in your face. I know that doesn't sound romantic, but when you have been married as long as we have and shared a bed with ten kids over the years you come to appreciate the space.
    If I had had my way we would have slept in and then gone for a nice breakfast and maybe to walk around the mall, or to a movie, even a drive in the mountains. The hubs idea was to stay at the hotel for the free breakfast and then back to the room to watch sports on TV and when that was done to watch the last half of six different movies because the guide for their HBO was off on their times, and we couldn't figure out what time they actually started. Then, of course a long nap, followed by more sports. We did go to dinner, I was hoping for dinner and a movie, we did dinner and then back to watch the hockey game or something.
     We did eat lunch at Olive Garden then drove around Salt Lake City for a while then back to the hotel for more of the last half of movies.
      I really wanted to see World War Z this weekend. I love all things zombie. I tried to talk the hubs into it, but it was a no go. My kids went and saw it while we were gone and loved it. What is up with that? They liked it so much they want to see it again, so today I'm going with them.
     Maybe next year I'll spend my anniversary with them.

33 Years and Still Going Strong

     Today the hubs and I are celebrating our anniversary. We have been married for 33 years. Oh my!
     Only old people are married for that long and I don't feel old. What's up with that?
     And when you figure in that we dated for about two years before getting married...we have been together for a long, long time.
     My fifteen year old daughter said to me the other day, "Sometimes I wish you and Dad would get divorced, so I could have two different houses, but I know that's not going to happen." I had to laugh.
     The hubs and I have joked for years about divorcing the kids and running away together. I think that's a good thing. We love each other more now than we did when we got married. It hasn't been easy, in fact there have been times when it's been down right hard, but it's worth it.

What the Heck Did I Buy!

     I went to Walmart yesterday to pick up a few things, milk, bread, ice cream, dinner stuff for two nights, $192.00 later, I had to ask myself, "What the heck did I buy?"
     Does this happen to you? I could have sworn that I only spent about $100.00 but the amount kept going up. I even price matched. How does this happen?
     No wonder there's no money left at the end of the month.
     The scary thing is I could go do what we call, "a big shopping," that's where we stock up on groceries for the month, and now it would probably cost close to $500.00. I haven't done that in a while. It makes me cringe.
     The prices just keep going up and the packages get smaller. I wonder where we'll be in five years? 

Good Sportsmanship a Thing Of the Past?

     Last night my son Ryan had a baseball game. We arrived at the park very early due to a miscommunication and were able to watch the game before ours. I have to say it was disheartening and not because any of the boys did anything wrong, it was the coach and a few of the parents from one of the teams.
     I don't understand how the concept of good sportsmanship has fallen so far so fast. Is it the over-paid professionals and their extreme egos that has caused this? Is it that basic decency isn't considered fashionable in a, "do whatever it takes to come out on top," culture? 
     The coach was telling his players to crowd the plate hoping that they would get hit and get to first base. Then he would walk out onto the field to stall the game when they were ahead. He must have called ten time outs.
     Another gem, when his third baseman got run over when he was blocking the plate and got injured he accused the runner of hurting his player on purpose, to the point where the injured kids, relatives ran onto the field to yell at the other coach and the offending player, who was crying in the dug out because he felt bad about hurting the boy. SERIOUSLY! What is up with that? Did I mention that the relative kicked open the field gate and busted the handle in the process?
     Why are some people like this? Do you get your ego stroked when a bunch of 12 year-olds win a baseball game. Is that all you have in your life that it's that important to win at all costs? If I had a kid on that team I would be embarrassed by the coaches behavior.

Today I'm Grateful

      Some of you may have seen my post yesterday about the wheel falling off of my husbands van. When he had it towed to his mechanic, the mechanic had all the other men in the complex (it's two long blocks of buildings that house mechanics that specialize in different types of car repairs) come and look at what had happened to his van. They couldn't believe he was still alive. If he had been on the freeway going 70 miles and hour, like he usually is, he wouldn't be here today. 
     It's things like this that make you step back and realize the blessings you have even if you don't always recognize them.
     Every night when my two youngest boys go to bed we have a prayer and they almost always say, "Please bless Dad in California that he will come home safe." We say these prayers so often that you start to not pay attention to the words and the meaning. I'm ashamed to say that it becomes routine.
     Today I have a new appreciation for those repetitive prayers that two little boys say for their dad. It makes me grateful for the blessings I get when I'm not paying attention.
     I have so much to be grateful for always, but especially today. I needed to acknowledge that publicly.

Strawberry Fluff Dessert, Yumm!

     I have a new recipe for you all to try, and boy is it delicious. It's a strawberry dessert and it's cool, refreshing and easy to make. Thanks Camie Wilcox for the heads up on this one. I made it on Saturday for our Father's Day dinner and it was a huge hit. Of course I had to double it. I'll give you the single version.

3 containers of strawberries-Washed and sliced.
1 quart of vanilla yogurt.
1 large container of Cool Whip-I used the Walmart brand.
2 packages of Jello's White Chocolate instant pudding mix.

Sliced the strawberries and put in a bowl. Mix in other ingredients until fully mixed and serve. It is so good you may want summer to last forever. Trust me on this.

Let me know if you try this yumminess and what you think about it.

Our First Time at Lagoon

     We went to Lagoon yesterday for the first time. We have lived here for six years and this was our first trip. We got in cheap because my daughter works there and we had her family pass.
     We had a great time. I think it was more fun because we didn't pay full price to get in. It wouldn't have been so fun if I had paid $56.00 each to get in. There were eight of us. I'll let you do the math.
     The best part was watching my six-year-old granddaughter go on rides that were terrifying. That girl has guts. I'm so proud, because I'm a chicken. I guard the ice chest as they go on all the rides. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.
     One of the most rewarding things about this trip was watching teenagers go on rides where you can't take a purse or your other stuff, set it all down in the bushes just outside the ride without hesitation. In California you don't leave your purse for anything because it won't be there when you get back. Even at Disneyland I wouldn't leave my purse in a stroller. Only in Utah do you see this kind of trust in a public place anymore. And I have to wonder how long that will last.  

Hard Times A-Comin'

     I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately about what is really important in life. As Americans we are so programed from birth to think that we need "things." We spend our lives buying stuff. Some of it we use on a daily basis, but some things sit and collect dust.
     There have been so many times I wish I could go back and not buy whatever it was that I thought I needed.
      Spend, spend, spend, it's what makes our economy go round. At least that's what the government wants us to believe. After the recession started in 2008, many people deeply regretted not having money in their savings accounts. We tend to live paycheck to paycheck here in the U.S. or even worse live on our credit cards. I am the first to admit that saving is hard. After paying the bills and buying food there isn't a lot left at the end of the month.
     The scary thing is what is going to happen when the next big crash happens? How long can our government keep printing money to prop up our economy and not face up to the MASSIVE amount of debt they have buried us in?
     I may not have a degree in economics, but I have run a household for many years, and anyone who has can tell you, you can't spend more than you earn because sooner or later it will bite you in the behind. And I don't care what kind of spin the Washington types are putting on it. We are in trouble, people.

Trust?

     I have never trusted the IRS. It's too big, too life-destroyingly powerful. And now we are supposed to trust the IRS with all of our health information? After the scandal with the tea party and patriot groups? How is that going to work? If you are not on board with all of the current political parties views you will be put off, delayed and harassed until you die of natural causes? That's one way of getting rid of those who don't agree with you.
     I don't like having to share my private health information with the government. I don't like being told what I have to spend my money on. It's un-American and it goes against the constitution of the United States. I don't care what the supreme court says, they are wrong.
     Of course, our constitution is being dismantled a little bit at a time and no one seems to be doing anything about it. I wonder how long it will take before we wake up and see that we have been too busy watching Dancing with the Stars and not paying attention to what is going on around us? Will it be until it's too late? I wonder?
     
    

Road Trip

     Batten down the hatches, it's the last day of school! And we are off. We are taking our boys on a road trip and doing some sight-seeing. We are heading to central Utah for a one day excursion.
     As the boys were arguing this morning before school, I had to ask myself if this was a good idea. Maybe we should just keep them apart as much as possible instead of strapping them into the car right next to each other.
     This could be our first and last trip of the summer depending on how it goes. Why do we do this to ourselves as parents. The fighting and the, "Are we there yet?" and "I'm hungry. When are we stopping to eat?" or the dreaded, "I have to go to the bathroom, again!"
     Since the car was invented this has been the plight of parents around the world.
     I think the pioneers had it easier. When they said, "I'm going to stop this vehicle and make you walk!" They meant it. Oh, to have that option now!
    

Juicing? Not Sure It's For Me

     I guess juicing is the new thing to hit the diet world. While in California, my son found a great deal on a juicer. He juiced for four days and lost 10 pounds. Of course he's male so he could probably have sneezed and lost ten pounds, (so unfair), but still, ten pounds is a lot of weight.
     I tried juicing last night for dinner and I have to say that two hours later I was hungry. I want food to eat. I needed something to crunch. I like the idea of getting all the nutrients that juicing gives you so I may supplement with that from time to time, but I don't think that strictly juicing is my thing.
     It will take my longer to get to my goal, but I will. Probably right before I die, but I'll be looking skinny.

Year Round School? Whose Idea Was This?

     Our elementary school is going to year round....(que scary music here). I have managed to avoid this for the other nine kids. That's a whole lot of avoiding.
     For my son's sake I'm trying to have a good attitude, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to hate it.
     I liked having my boys on the same schedule because they are best friends. Now my 12 year old is going on to jr. high and my poor Scot is going to be stuck in elementary on different schedules. So while Ryan is enjoying summer until the end of August, Scot has to go back to school the end of July. (I see a total melt down coming.) That means I will have one of them home a lot more often than I am used to.
     While Ryan is getting ready for school to end for the holidays in December, Scot will be off the whole month of December. How the heck am I supposed to get any Christmas shopping done with him home? Has no one thought this through? Mothers depend on that time to run ourselves into the ground with exhaustion.
     Instead of having months with all the kids in school, I will have one of them home most of the time. I'm pretty sure this is not going to be fun. For now I smile and tell Scot it's going to be great, but I have my doubts.

Let's Change This

     Here we are on the brink of summer vacation and the sun is coming up so early it's waking me up before I get the chance to sleep in. In the winter the sun doesn't come up until like 8:30, but you have to get out of bed, drag you're kids out of bed and get them to school in the freezing-cold darkness. What's up with that?
     I think we have this backwards. We should have school during the summer and take the winter off. We could all stay inside with the kids, watching movies and drinking hot chocolate. Doesn't that sound better than dragging them out of their warm beds and making them face the cold, cruel world? Who wouldn't want to snuggle under the covers on a dark and snowy day and watch Jurassic Park for the 16,817th time?
     I'm going to start a petition to change this. Who's with me?