tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-134559382009-11-07T07:09:22.136-10:00NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.comBlogger441125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-18057673332594441652009-11-06T09:06:00.003-10:002009-11-06T09:22:13.294-10:002009-11-06T09:22:13.294-10:00

So as the mom (suddenly) of lots of kids close in age, I have learned (painfully) a few things.1) The dull roar just is. I remember when I was a teen, constantly listening to angsty rock music... if I could stand the noise then, I can stand it now. And I have to.2) Kids have this little heirarchy-- The role of Oldest, Best at ______, Fastest at _______, etc etc etc. Everyone wants to Be the

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-15609251830610737952009-11-05T14:34:00.003-10:002009-11-05T14:37:11.944-10:002009-11-05T14:37:11.944-10:00

I'm looking around for a song to perform for my studio's Christmas recital. Often I listen to youtubes of my favorite singers performing the songs I'm considering, to decide which I like best and which might suit my own voice best if I tried it. I came across this.I think this might be what angels sound like... to me, it's definitely the essence of what Christmas sounds like. It's my favorite

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-76563901218836734582009-11-05T05:45:00.009-10:002009-11-05T07:40:29.233-10:002009-11-05T07:40:29.233-10:00

Facebook is making me politically cranky these days. Everyone is stirred up right now. Face to face, I talk about politics to those I know like to talk about politics with-- people who listen and respond and who I can have a real coversation with. Facebook,though, is something where you get this crazy mosaic amalgam of everyone's thoughts, article postings, society joinings and whatall. And

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-73858943883008240232009-11-01T16:25:00.015-10:002009-11-01T17:12:05.240-10:002009-11-01T17:12:05.240-10:00

Oddness. This week has been just plain disrupted. In addition to Skywalker needing some time home to recoup from Second-Wave-H1N1 (he was overdoing it at work, and the cough came BACK!! Another tip to add to my previous post) We've had three (almost) Halloweens... A ward party, a voice-class party, and trick or treating. This has been suuuuch a buildup in anticipation for my kids. Crazy.

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-64037099635855854642009-10-28T09:11:00.002-10:002009-10-28T09:25:04.747-10:002009-10-28T09:25:04.747-10:00

We all came down with a "flu-like illness" a couple of weeks ago. I missed a Sunday of church and had a fever for about four days and a horrible chest cough for a few days after, but I think my biggest anguish was mental. Guys, don't google swine flu. They have all sorts of scary, wonderful statistics that will drive you mad with worry. I seriously wondered to myself if I were to not survive,

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-1826250109269716192009-10-21T06:07:00.007-10:002009-10-21T10:44:22.386-10:002009-10-21T10:44:22.386-10:00

These took me (combined for both sets) probably about 16 hrs total to do. That's right.Winna, before and after.May, before and after. I didn't follow thru and take a pic of her hair in the bath like I'd planned, so I'm cheating and using an old one that shows the texture/length of her hair with no messing. BUT they will last (if we take care of them...) for around 8 weeks! I'll have to replace

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-15333375207283102482009-10-17T10:31:00.001-10:002009-10-17T10:32:13.025-10:002009-10-17T10:32:13.025-10:00

Gorgeous song, Gorgeous fiddling, Gorgeous soprano. How much better does it get?

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-52584627354976380192009-10-17T10:16:00.004-10:002009-10-17T20:03:13.029-10:002009-10-17T20:03:13.029-10:00

I Love Opera, Love Placido, and love this song, and love broadway in general... anyway, I bet there aren't a WHOLE lot of people who find this sort of bizarre crossover as amazing as I do, but I love it. So I posted it. So there.Ya might wanna watch it with your eyes closed. The visual isn't quite as appealing, I must admit... in my head I picture Natalie Wood from the movie and so seeing this

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-7659614225264577702009-10-14T07:15:00.005-10:002009-10-14T07:24:43.096-10:002009-10-14T07:24:43.096-10:00

Skywalker and I have spent years planning on these events that have lately changed our family so drastically. And as all the fallout begins to clear away and the stress and emotional work begins to lessen somewhat, I am left with a clear vision of my five, gorgeous, smart, loving,absolutely hilarious kids. I look at my family and feel really blessed.I was just diagnosed with Giardia. It's

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-61702895218686267342009-10-08T06:31:00.007-10:002009-10-08T06:54:35.089-10:002009-10-08T06:54:35.089-10:00

UPDATE:They're doing even better now! Meaza loves to play and be away from mom a lot, but she comes back for hugs sometimes. Woinshet is learning that "no means no", and is learning about not taking toys from others. She's learning about sharing, too. THey're both doing great, loving each other and everyone else in the family, the kids love playing and get really crazy!!! And love each OTHER

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-61838549442858484732009-10-06T09:02:00.006-10:002009-10-06T10:21:31.822-10:002009-10-06T10:21:31.822-10:00

It is so weird when you look at your hit counter and see which posts are the most popular. It's completely nonsensical to me. For a long time my number one hit has been my Vegan Broccoli-Cheese Soup recipe. Following closely behind, is my post on Fun and Interesting Facts about Ethiopia. Next up is search term like Funny Stories About Fear or Extremely Funny Stories, which leads everyone to

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-80172602729295752472009-10-02T16:27:00.002-10:002009-10-02T16:28:29.735-10:002009-10-02T16:28:29.735-10:00

Sometimes I think that B. Obama and I have a lot of similar feelings about the world. One of the moments that has really made me feel that way, was when he was asked who he would choose to have dinner with if he could choose anyone in the world, dead or alive. President Obama said he would choose Mahatma Ghandi.I think I might have chosen Jesus Christ first. But someday hopefully I'll see him

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-80229168715249056702009-10-01T13:52:00.004-10:002009-10-01T14:00:55.057-10:002009-10-01T14:00:55.057-10:00

Even though I'm a health-conscious mom, trying not to feed my kids too many MSG-laden products or nutritionally blank products or starchy carbs all at once; even though I try to make getting as many veggies down tiny throats my focus a lot of the time, I sometimes need that easy-cheesy, cheap, filling, always-a-winner recipe. Usually these kinds of things involve meat, as I've learnt to my

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-62817085878784504402009-09-27T17:04:00.002-10:002009-09-27T17:06:31.733-10:002009-09-27T17:06:31.733-10:00

A discussion on what is appropriate in LDS sacrament meetings.As you can probably imagine, I have some passionate views on this topic. I found this discussion to be very interesting... and I know a lot of you who read this are interested in this topic as well, so I thought I'd put this link out there.

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-26721980298830978792009-09-24T16:39:00.004-10:002009-09-24T17:09:05.866-10:002009-09-24T17:09:05.866-10:00

OK this is a post that has been wanting to get out for a while. I have to say that, as a white adoptive mother of black children, the overarching truth is that black children and white children are not much different. They have the same stages of growth and development, the same personality vulnerabilites and strengths. They cry for the same reasons as my white children. They are as easily

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-3512822767616625182009-09-22T06:13:00.003-10:002009-09-22T08:12:52.181-10:002009-09-22T08:12:52.181-10:00

are the ones I let them resolve on their own. For instance, I had a kid this morning who didn't want to finish her letters. So she didn't have to... but it was enough mental torture for her, knowing that she hadn't finished and it STILL went in the file folder with all the other, finished ones...Honestly, there's no need for punishments, I don't think, unless someone hurts someone or destroys

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-16534117300678008502009-09-20T15:22:00.009-10:002009-09-21T10:17:26.482-10:002009-09-21T10:17:26.482-10:00

A quote from something I recently read online:"Government intervention in the free market is called socialism. "I actually snorted (in laughter). I mean, seriously? Is that what we've come to? Is our propaganda so bipartisan, so black-and-white now that either you're for an entirely free, laissez-faire economy or you're a socialist?I have news for you, taagsmasher (old buddy, old pal). The

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-30130158293010873612009-09-18T07:14:00.004-10:002009-09-20T06:39:48.126-10:002009-09-20T06:39:48.126-10:00

I feel better today. Thanks for the sympathy, folks. I think it was good to have written that yesterday, it really let off a lot of steam to aknowledge the difficulties that contribute to my family's overall stress levels lately.I was able to mop my kitchen floor and clean my toilet today, and Skywalker fixed the problem that was causing the tank to overflow.I decided to forego homeschooling

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-6438281572549820812009-09-17T04:23:00.005-10:002009-09-17T05:17:41.012-10:002009-09-17T05:17:41.012-10:00

I've had morningsickness for about (let's see... when was the day we left for Ethiopia?) I guess that would be 8 weeks now. I'm at week 14... it should be over, shouldn't it?I think I got the swine flu. I've been attacking it with all kinds of poisonous herbs and so I was only bedridden for about three days but it's lINGERING... like, I'm just well enough that I have to do everything in the

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-55465428265219711542009-09-14T17:13:00.003-10:002009-09-14T17:20:59.311-10:002009-09-14T17:20:59.311-10:00

I love this scene from my favorite movie. In real life it's R. I didn't know that when I first saw the edited version. I used to be against edited R movies, but then I couldn't help falling in love with this one, so we own it.Sorry that you have to follow a link... embedding was disabled on this one.This scene actually brings tears to my eyes because it's soooooo true. All you need is love.

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-57755823283493703612009-09-09T14:53:00.005-10:002009-09-10T17:25:08.088-10:002009-09-10T17:25:08.088-10:00

One thing that is difficult for some adoptive parents, particularly when they're adopting older children, is curbing the desire to heap presents on their previously deprived childrens' heads. The natural tendency is to buy goodies and treats and toys and books and clothes and everything you can see that might bring joy and fun into the life of your children, who have previously known scarcity

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-60797690818576166442009-09-05T19:17:00.005-10:002009-09-05T19:21:14.000-10:002009-09-05T19:21:14.000-10:00

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-91222228581194308372009-09-05T04:00:00.008-10:002009-09-05T12:56:58.436-10:002009-09-05T12:56:58.436-10:00

I think one of the first things that hit me hard when I became a mother, was my sudden lack of "me" time. I felt the loss most keenly in the area of Spirituality. As a single adult I loved to be able to go to those BYU devotionals, sometimes by myself, and take a notebook and just sit and soak in the spirit and write down the things that came to my heart. I loved to take my scriptures with me

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-21715993811837293042009-09-02T15:47:00.008-10:002009-09-03T04:29:07.213-10:002009-09-03T04:29:07.213-10:00

I recently discovered a very well-written, well-articulated article on the subject of race and LDS theology. I thought I'd share, as it does seem to describe a few of my drier, more logical feelings on the subject. Honestly, I believe there is no truth except for what the Spirit teaches you, so take the discussion with a grain of salt, but this article is a good overview of a lot of the reasons

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455938.post-70259172572009188602009-09-02T14:16:00.004-10:002009-09-02T15:17:03.943-10:002009-09-02T15:17:03.943-10:00

My family's not big on the whole super bowl thing. My grandpa used to watch it (he might still, I don't know) and if we happened to be over that weekend, we'd get pieces of it. It is through sheer good luck (or perhaps providence) that I caught this particular moment. One of the greatest things I have ever listened to. Listening to this, I don't think I've ever heard anything that has moved

NoSurfGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00466860937596192472nosurfgirl@gmail.com3