Supper Slider!

More fun at the State Fair.

Utah State Fair!!!

Our yearly visit to the Utah State Fair fulfills my duty as a parent to teach my children that food does not originate at Harmons. It also grosses me out, makes me stink, brings out the germ phobia in me and reminds me of why I'm a city-slicker. Hard to believe I was a Miss Utah State Fair (runner up then the queen took Miss Utah and a Miss SLCounty 1st attendant). Good Times!

$539.23 Shoes

I'm not a shoe snob. I wish I had hundreds of pairs of shoes but I don't thanks to bad feet. When I was pregnant with Anja something happened to my arches and now there are only a few shoe brands that don't hurt my feet when I walk. I am a Dansko fan.They aren't cheap, but they are worth every penny. So, tonight Rich and I went to Nordstrom to get two pair with my birthday money (thanks mom). I found four pair I liked including a Mephisto shoe. I decided to get two sets and wear them for a bit to decide which one to keep. All was well until I handed the clerk my credit card and he handed me back a receipt for $539.23. Rich and I had major ticket shock. Too late, they are mine. The clerk happily handed us his business card and asked us to come back again, soon. Yeah, he wishes.

The shoes are going back on Monday, so I thought I would take a picture of them before they go. I didn't get that much birthday money.

My Musical Man

It takes a strong man to willingly sit through a musical with his wife. I have a strong man. Last week there was a mistake and the ticket booth at Hale Theater. Since we had the babysitter already, we decided to go to a movie. It was my turn to pick. I choose Mama Mia! Rich groaned. He survived, I think he even laughed once or twice. But he shot me a "look" when some of the people in the audience started to sing a long.

Tonight we went to Hale Theater and it was another musical. It was fun to see some of my friends from High School staring in, "BIG" but again, it was a musical. Rich is a good sport. Two musicals, one week-- harder to do than any scout camp in the snow.

First day of school!

It's finally Friday and that's an amazing thing when you consider it was the first week of school for both boys. Carter started 3rd grade and Jensen started kindergarten. Here are their lists:

Things Carter loves about school:

1. Spanish Class (promise, he said that)

2. Being back with his friends

3. Riding in dad's car to school

Things he doesn't like

1. No recess (at our school 3rd graders are on a block schedule. He has PE every day and a lunch break of 40 minutes-- if he eats fast he can go outside)

2. Waiting for me in the Carpool lane

3. Math homework (400 problems on day three for homework-yikes! Took a while but we did it. Welcome to life at a college prep school!)

Jensen's List

1. Loves Ms. Hansen

2. Recess

3. Riding with dad in the morning

1. doesn't like the girl he sits by

2. kids that don't know stuff (he gets frustrated with the repetitiveness sometimes)

3. remembering all the names of the kids ("We should all wear name tags, mom)

Mom's List

1. Love early morning structure (I'm such a morning person--gym at 5:15, shower, everyone up at 6:35, gone by 7:00 am, Anja up at 7:30 am.....-- Rich hates it.)

2. Love that the time I have alone with Anja

3. Love being with all my "school" friends

4. Love uniforms

5. All the reading!

6. Having a REAL reason to say no to all the extra things people want you to do in the evenings without feeling a bit of guilt! (I don't have to go to another church meeting during the week until next summer!!!!!)

7. The pure joy of watching my children learn

8. Cleaning their rooms when they aren't home to argue over what stays and what goes

9. Being on the Parent Council

10. schedule, schedule, schedule--- I love structure!

It's my birthday.. and I am lucky

As the song goes... "it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to..." and I did, tears of sweet joy. I woke up and found Anja's bedroom door decorated. Carter secretly made this sign (is it normal for an 8 year old to know how to make block letters?), cut it out and hung it on Anja's door knowing that's the first place I would go when I woke up. He is awesome! Thanks dude!

More babble...

This has been a rough week. I was elected to a two-year term on the Parent Council at our kids school (think cross between PTA and PTO and a school board) which meant I had a lot to do with back to school nights this week. As luck would have it, BTS was Wednesday and Thursday, the first two days of school at SLCC and Rich is teaching again, so we had to call in the troops to help with the kids.

My mom went to the mandatory parent meeting for the boys piano lessons tonight. Not only did I tell her it started at 7 pm, so she was 30 minutes late, she got there as they announced that my mom would be relating something I had written about our experience at Suzuki Piano Camp this summer. She was shocked! But, she did it. She totally made it up on the spot and told everyone how wonderful it was. The truth is-- WE HATED IT! I didn't want to go after the first day and Jensen had to be heavily bribed to go! It was a joke; unorganized and an expensive waist of time for these little preschoolers. Anyway, I owe her big time. She said my "written statement" was wonderful. Thanks Mom....