The only thing that drives me crazy is it takes them way too long to get out of the house. They always take about an hour longer than anticipated to pack and leave. This time I was ready.  I hadn’t gotten s’more stuff, so I left the house to go buy them supplies while they finished packing up.

I also got some yummy treats for me for my girls night.  I could have invited some friends over, but they all have girls, so they are not free like me!

Now I have to decide,

• read a book
• watch a movie
• blog
• scrapbook

Hmmm, apparently blogging is not the right answer!

• To be unflappable
• Calm, peaceful, still

There are moments and even maybe hours where I achieve this.

Most of the time I am far from it.

But a girl can dream!

I will say that Harry came home from school and was saying they were learning about Gandhi.  “You are a lot like him mom.”

I was honored!

So I spent the day in the ER and he did have an ear infection and got his antibiotics.

The world did not shut down the next day.

What are your memories of 12/31/99?

I have to put eye drops in every morning and night.  (Since having lasic, xericness has been an issue)

My skin has always been xeric.

Lotion is my best friend.

With 3 boys you can imagine that weapons abound in our house.

We actually were weapon free, until Jax turned 5 and someone gave him 2 Nerf guns. I should have banned them, but I allowed them in and they have multiplied over the last 5 years.

Santa – via our cousins – gave all the boys (including DH) Nerf guns. I was getting really sick of all the weapons and so in the middle of February I decided we were starting a weapon free month!

Going Weapon Free

I gathered up all the toy guns and put them in a big box in the garage. Luke even voluntarily brought his light sabers and added them to the box.

I guess I should confess, Luke continues to make weapons out of

• sticks
• rocks
• other toys
• and food

So I guess we are not completely weapon free, just because I confiscated their Nerf Guns. But there are only natural weapons now, no toy weapons.  I like to pretend that is an improvement.

Peace

All was well. Peace reigned again in my house. No one seemed to care they were gone, until after about 2 weeks Luke asked,

“When are we going to be able to play with weapons again?”

I told him in a few more weeks. He accepted that easily. He was even telling his friends – we are weapon free.

Homemade Weapons

Then DH and Jax had the “great idea” of making a marshmallow gun. What a fun father-son project. They built one together and suddenly there was a weapon in our home again. Then of course Luke wanted one. DH had enough materials to make him one, so they built one on Saturday.

War has broken out again and marshmallows litter my floor.

I just wanted ONE month without weapons. One little month.

Jax has a natural gift for music.

• He does violin in school.
• He taught himself the Clarinet.
• He just started guitar.

He was in piano lessons, we took him out for a year.  Then on the same day Kyp and I had impressions (at different times, but same day) that he needed to be back in piano.  So he is.  Grumpy about it, but learning quickly and well.

Harry also has a good music sense

but it doesn’t come as easily as Jax (meaning he has to actually practice to improve).

• He plays the trumpet and does well.
• He was in piano, but when his younger brother was outpacing him, he didn’t like it anymore.
• He is taking guitar with Jax

Luke – he has the tooter.

I am not sure why he calls it that, because it is actually a lap harp.  But he insists it is a tooter.  He wants to take piano, but I am not ready for that step.  With #3, it is all about take it slow, wait… because I know I need to let him treasure and enjoy this slow time of life.

He seems to have a good natural musical talent.  Loves to sing and dance.

We all sing.

Harry has a bass voice already.  Jax had this beautiful soprano voice, but now is more like an alto. I am an alto and Luke is just cute little boy sounding and Kyp just sings melody, but I would say would sing tenor if he was in choir.

How are we different?

• We are media-free during the week.
• We don’t play video games.  (We do own a Wii and the boys play it once a week – usually Wii sports)
• The boys have early bedtimes.
  • Luke – 7:15
  • Jax – 8:00
  • Harry – 9:00
• The boys do not have hand held video games or cell phones.

Those are the big ones for the4 family. 

What makes ME unique?

• I don’t wear make-up
• I don’t wear a bra
• I don’t care about the latest fashion
• I totally don’t “fit in” with most of the people surrounding me.

But they love me anyway!  I learned long ago to not care what other people think. If they don’t like me for who I am, I don’t want to be their friend.  Wish I had known this when I was a teenager.

It fit with my heart.

My testimony grew quickly and strongly.

My parents wouldn’t let me get baptized until I was 18, but I went to church and early morning seminary from 15 on.

I got baptized on my 18th birthday!

Sex, I wish I got more.

But since it is MY blog, you get to read about sleep.  Because of Kyp’s big problem I never get to sleep in.

I guess if I am deathly ill, he will get up with the kids, but since I have to wake up in order to wake him up to go help with the kids, that it doesn’t even benefit me.

I am a light sleeper, so if a kid wakes me up in the middle of the night, I sometimes struggle to fall back asleep.

Becuase Kyp is a night owl, I stay up until around 11 to be with him.  But that alarm goes off pretty early and I have to get up and get all the boys ready.  So sleep is a hot commodity, of which I do not get enough.

At least I don’t have any babies right now – those sleepless nights really got to me!

I found my Popsicle sticks from first grade in my moms basement last summer.  I had written the name of each book I read on a Popsicle stick.

I had the most in the class, over 300.

Blogging Less = Reading More

I love to read, though if I blogged less, I would read more.

Part of my problem is this need to do things quickly.  So left to my own devices I would start and finish a book on the same day.  I read about 100 pages an hour, so I can do it in a day.

But this leaves little time to care for my family.  When I am reading, I don’t want to clean or cook or play games. So I try to slow down and take 2 or 3 days to read a book, so I can still be a good mom.

Kyp got me a Nook for our Anniversary

I am excited to try it, but don’t want to pay for books.  I am a big Library person, or PaperBack Swap Girl, so even though I have had it 2 weeks, I still don’t have any books on it.  Help me take the plunge.

What book should I buy?