Moms vs. The World

Today my sister in law posed a question on FB asking if anyone else out there was sick and tired of "good" TV shows that turn into morally corrupt shows.  She mentioned a part in a show where two boys kiss.  Then, my niece added something like, "two boys kissing shouldn't ruin a whole show."  I, of course, couldn't help but to chime in on this subject.  

See, the thing is, this niece has NO children to worry about, to protect, to teach or to love so on that level she has a completely different thought process than I do.  That said, I worry that she will one day "wake up" and be holding a baby of her own and will have slipped down that path of "tolerance" so far that she will no longer have the deep roots to stand against the storms or the world.   

Tolerance has become one of my least favorite words.  Why?  Because it only seems to go ONE WAY!  Or for some, it means "let's have a free for all" kind of society.  Live and let live kind of thing.  Every society that has EVER tried this has failed, miserably!  Can you say, Sodom and Gomorrah? The Romans?  But the really scary part is when that society has fallen, someone (usually an evil someone) comes in and enslaves the people under the pretense of "saving" them.  Can you say Hitler?  Stalin?  And if we're not careful, the USA.

For the last 5 or so years, I've felt an urgency to protect my kids, NOT shelter them, just protect them and give them the tools they will need to not only survive, but thrive in this crazy world.  

Another mom friend described herself like Xena, the warrior.  To give a mental picture of this, imagine my Xena the warrior, with her sword drawn in one hand and a shield in the other, with wild red hair (at least I have that part of the image) and her kids standing behind her.  This image has started to change the older my kids get.  Now, they are slowly stepping out from behind me and starting to join the "battle".  If I didn't know better, I would be terrified, but I am a "Mother who knows".   This is a reference to a talk by Julie B Beck that said:

Mothers who know:

•  Desire to bare children (Genesis 17:16)
•   Honor sacred ordinances and covenants (taking the sacrament and remembering the     Atonement)
•   Are nurturers (make a house a home)
•   Are leaders (lead by example)
•   Are always teachers (teach prayer, fasting, service, forgiveness, kindness, etc)
•   Do less (of the things that pull them away from family)
•   Stand strong and Immovable (protect and defend our children)

I wish I could say that I've followed these principle perfectly, but I haven't!  I can say, that when it came down to the really important stuff, I did my best and that's all I can do.

A couple of years ago, I taught a class to a bunch of kids about the media.  I covered music, TV, movies, pornography, and even regular magazines that you find in the stores.  I started off with a nice big bowl of popcorn and while I spoke, I ate.  I didn't share, I just ate.  Rude, I know! 

Then I asked if anyone wanted some and of course tons of them said yes.  So, I spit what I had in my mouth all over the other popcorn and then passed the bowl around.  As you might have guessed, they changed their minds.  I told them it was just a little bit of grossness in the bowl and that they could pick around it.  They still didn't want any part of it.

Then I explained that that's how the media works.  Just a "little bit of crude humor" or a "little bit of deviant lifestyle" won't hurt.  But then what happens is you become desensitized to it ALL.  Pretty soon you aren't phased at all when you see a violent act or graphic sex scene.  It turns what should be a sacred loving thing into nothing better than what animals do.

That's how satan works!  Little by little, he gets his foot in the door...if we let him.   Now that said, we should love everyone.  It's not up to us to be the judge, thank goodness!  But it is up to us to teach our kids right from wrong according to what Heavenly Father has said.

I called it!!

Dave returned home from Rhode Island yesterday and after all the hugs and kisses where given...he noticed the coffee table and said, "It looks like it's already been scuffed up.  What happened?" Hahahahaha!  When I explained that I had done that on purpose, his eyebrows went up and he asked, "Why?"  He then proceeded to to tease me (in that passive/aggressive way) about why I went through all that work just to rub it off again.  Oh well, he always says he doesn't understand "fashion" or anything creative.  I would agree with that!  But I still love him, nerd and all.

In other news:

Jeffrey has found a new passion in life.  He has discovered Water Polo!  I suppose it's only fitting considering that he has two older cousins that were players and now he has a brother in law who played/plays.  Frankly, I don't know how he doesn't DIE or DROWNED in the pool.  I would last about 10.3 seconds wading the pool and then I would quietly (or not) slip to the bottom of the pool and wait to be rescued (or not)!

The one thing I've noticed is that you can't judge a book by it's cover when it comes to water polo players.  I've seen some kids that are solid muscle, like they've been pumping iron for years, and they can't seem to last very long.  The swimming back and forth and wading in the pool kicks their butts and they huff and puff.  Then there's the kids that look like they just got out second grade and they swim circles around the "big" guys.  There's just no telling what kind of player they will be until they are in the water.

I've also noticed that there is one great equalizer when it comes to water polo.  How do I say this gently?  It doesn't matter if you are one of the most popular kids, nerdy kids, smart kids, not so smart kids, pudgy kids, fit kids, rich kids or poor kids.  When they put those caps on, they all look like, well, less than cool!!
Yes, the great equalizer.  I understand the purpose of them but good grief, they are funny looking. 

Here are a few pics of Jeffrey's game last week against Herriman.  I didn't get a picture of it, but he did an awesome backwards shot and made it!

Getting ready to play

Chasing the ball and getting chased...

One of many battles

Trying to keep the ball

Finished Table

I FINALLY finished stripping, sanding and re-painting our coffee table!  I really like it.  It is still in our garage because I can't lift it by myself, so when the kids get home, I'll have them move it into the house.
Here are some pics:

P.S:  I have a feeling that Dave will say something like, "It looks good but you missed some spots."  I PURPOSELY sanded the edges to "weather" it a bit, but I know my husband...and I love him!



Oh, and on another subject...

I COULDN'T RESIST! 

 (Costco is of the Devil)

Every baby boy needs a whale on their Bum!

I'm a sucker for Fire Trucks!

A hat with ears!  Tell me that's not cute!

I'm turning into an dork!!  I realize some may argue that I've always been one, but I'm just NOW becoming aware of it!  haha

Latex and Stripper

Recently, I've had the itch to paint.  I go through these phases every so often and when I do...watch out.  Dave just gets wide eyed, stands back and wonders why I "torture" myself.  It's not torture, it's therapy!  Cheap therapy at that.  He ought to be grateful.

When Dave's mom, Barbara, passed away, we inherited a couple of dressers that were old but still in great shape.  They are made of maple (no crappy press board here) and are made very well, they even have the "dove tail" joints on each drawer to make them stronger.  The only problem was that they stain was wearing and it was the wrong color.  So about ten years ago, I sanded and painted them an off white/cream color.  I loved that color but, time had done what time does and so it was time to re-do them.  Since I just painted our bedroom a soft yellow/cream color, I decided to do a soft gray on the dressers.  I'm not totally convinced that I love the color, so it might change again but here are the photos of the process.

The yellow on the walls

Testing shades of gray

In the middle of snorting sawdust

Finished color.  I'm going to "live with it" for a little while to decide if it stays.

Now here is where the STRIPPER comes in...

I also decided to change the color of our coffee table.  If you've been to our home over the last several years, you probably noticed the "conversation piece" that was our coffee table.  I had DECOUPAGED about 50 photos to the top of the table.  Note to self, don't do this again!  I had many people comment on how fun that table was and how neat it was to see all of the pictures of the kids as they grew up, but the time had come to repaint the table, and I couldn't do that without redoing the paint that was underneath and in between those pictures, which snowballed into scrapping the table, which required stripper, then more stripper, then scrapping, then sanding.  What a nightmare!!  Don't worry, I have copies of all the photos.

This is halfway through the process...

Waiting to use the "fine grade" sandpaper then paint

What would I do without my stripper?  It took 3 coats to break down the glue and photo paper!

I'm planning on painting the table black and then roughing up the edges.  Dave's not sold on the color but we'll see.  Now I'm off the garage...while he's at work!

Home Made Heros

Yesterday was Becca's birthday.  The big 13!  She was born in Valencia California in 1999.  I remember waking up in labor at around 2AM and she was born at around 6:30AM.  What a day!  When we brought her home that afternoon the older kids were amazed at how tiny and cute she was.  They absolutely adored her.  That lasted until she could talk back to them : )  Then it became a love/hate thing.

Since she is 3 1/2 years younger than Jeffrey, there's a large space in between her, him and the older girls that seemed to widen as the years passed.  She just couldn't seem to really fit it with them and their lives no matter how hard she fought to get there.  That has actually been the problem.  She's a fighter/arguer, which will come in handy when she gets older but she hasn't learned how to choose her battles yet.  She's never understood why she can't do what they were doing because in her mind, she is their equal.

Now when I say she's a fighter, that doesn't mean that she fights with everyone all the time.  In fact, she is really quite sweet to those around her.  She is a leader with her friends and is the one in her group who includes people, no matter who they are.  She goes out of her way to invite anyone and everyone to play outdoor games or what ever she's doing.  This just hasn't seemed to translate to her OLDER siblings.  Like I said, she thinks she's one of them (peers) and should have the same rules etc.  When she gets left behind, sometimes she takes it okay and other times, not so much, which I can understand (being the youngest of 5).

If the truth be told, Amanda and Becca have an interesting relationship.  Very similar to the Sarah/Amanda relationship when they were younger.  Becca is like I described above...and Amanda has NO patience for  anyone whom she thinks is "acting stupid to get attention, talking dumb or asking too many questions".   She has the ability to "see right thru people" and tell if they are phoneys or fakes.   She is happy and easy going as long as she is free to do and go as she pleases, and hates to be questioned (which Becca is PRO at doing).   Becca's personality is actually a great combination of Sarah & Amanda with her own personality mixed in there too.    It's like I'm raising all three girls in one person now!  I love it :)!  At least I've been there, done that, so nothing really surprises me, yet. 

Here's the HERO part!  On Tuesday nights the high school has "Open Gym" for volleyball girls who want to play next year.  More than anything, it's time to hang out, scope out your competition, have fun, and perhaps learn a thing of two.  Last week several of the girls that will be returning next year called Amanda and begged her to come play, so she did.  Then this week one of Becca's friends told her she could go too.  I assumed that Amanda would take Becca and they would have a good time, but Amanda said she wasn't going because she felt too much like a "super senior" (someone who doesn't know when to leave and continues coming back after they've graduated).  Amanda is clearly ready to move on!!

So Becca went with a friend, and as soon as she walked in...Que the heavenly choir...she was welcomed in and automatically fit in...because of the good reputation that Amanda had left behind!  The girls kept saying "you look and sound just like Amanda",  ''you are so funny, just like Amanda",  "we like you", "you're pretty cool", etc. etc etc.

She basically felt like a rock star, or at least like a rock stars' kid sister.  See, it was the older girls (Amanda's friends) who were talking and joking around with her, plus she's already friends with the younger girls, so it was, magic.  It was the best birthday present anyone could have given her (they even sang to her).  She came home practically floating! 

Earlier that day I saw Amanda and she was on her way to get balloons and candy to take to Becca's school for her birthday.  She delivered the balloons to the front office and then left.  Becca came home feeling loved by her sister, whom she thought couldn't care less about her.  Sometimes Amanda surprises me!  She is very aware of her actions and really attempts to fine tune the rough spots, but she has to do it, on her own terms.  The independent little cus!  Twice in one day, Amanda was a real hero to her little sister.

Holding out!

Dave and I have been married for over 22 years now, and in that time I can count the number of times he has made dinner using nothing but my fingers and perhaps a couple of toes. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration but not by much. One thing that isn't an exaggeration is the menu, or lack thereof. He is a professional tater tot casserole maker, BBQer, and breakfast food maker but that is about it. But tonight...

He made CHICKEN CACCIATORI!! Seriously? Twenty Two years and he pulls this out of his hat? He's been holding out on me! I didn't see this coming. Ya, he casually walked into the kitchen and within 1 hour, he'd created a masterpiece! All the while he's reminiscing about how his dad used to cook the meals and how good he was at it. I knew this, but I assumed it was just the normal everyday "dad kind of food" NOT a restaurant quality meal. It was. Amazing! The kids and I voted that he cook this on a regular basis.

So there you have it. I obviously should have asked more questions...twenty two years ago!