FHE Swap, Anyone?

So, I was looking online for some ideas for my primary lesson last week, and I came upon a blog where different people had posted FHE ideas. I think this is a great idea, and was wondering if any of you would be interested in being a part of this. I think I would just set up a new blog, and then email the username and password to whoever wanted to join. That way, you could log in anytime and post something. I also would like to set it up where the archive is sorted by topic. That way, over time, you could click on a topic and have all relevant posts come up.

For those of you interested in joining, I would ask that you make one post a month. You can do more if you'd like, but at least that much. That way, we could really get a good base of ideas going. It could be an entire lesson plan or just a tip to make FHE more fun and effective. If you are interested, please leave a comment with your email address, or email me at taffymicheli@yahoo.com. I hope to get this set up this Sunday if there's a good response. This could be tons of fun!!!

Choices, Choices . . . What's a Mom to do?

So, I just got our CD of pictures from Ashlie. Thanks again, Ashlie! She did such a wonderful job on these. The only bad part is that I have to choose now what I want to have printed, what sizes, where to put them, etc. So I need a little help from my fellow bloggers. I'm going to post my 3 favorite pictures of our family, of Connor, and of Mylie. Please give me your input about which is your favorite. These are to print in large sizes and hang on the family room wall. I hope to get a slide show made of all the other great photos soon and post it here, so be watching for that. Thanks to all of you who will try to help me out a little with this!

Random tidbits

First of all, Ashlie Hilton did our family pictures last Monday, and I have been patiently waiting for a sneak peek at some finished products on her blog. And finally this morning, they were there! To see some of our family photos, click on my link to Ashlie and Clint. Fun stuff. Thanks a million, Ash! You do outstanding work!

Secondly, last Saturday, Connor and Tony went to Laramie for the Cowboys football game. They had a great time despite the lousy outcome (The Cowboys lost 23-3.) Connor was cheering for the Cowboys the whole game. His grandpa asked him if he'd cheer for Air Force for $10. Connor said no. Then he offered $50. Still no. He made one more offer, and Connor came back with, "Not for $1,000!" My dad may disagree, but Tony and I figure we must be raising him right. He had a great time with his cousin who lives in Cheyenne. Connor idolizes him.

Finally, two weekends ago, Tony went to Denver and competed in a race called 8 Hours of Triathlon. He was on a team of 4 with his brother and 2 of his friends. Their task was to complete as many sprint triathlons as possible in the 8 hour period. They do it tag-team style. Tony did 3 runs, 2 bikes, and one swim. Their team completed 6 1/2 triathlons. Tony loved it and is already planning for next year: possibly the 24 HOUR VARIETY!!! He forgot to take the camera, and I wasn't there, so not pics. But he brought home a souvenir that the kids think is GREAT: the swim cap they had to wear so they could be easily spotted in the resorvoir. Here is Mylie posing with it. She's so silly!

Oberg Disease

I never thought I would admit it, but I do have the Oberg disease, aka "Bloomin' Idiocy." See, in my mom's family, gardening is a way of life. I grew up quite sure that it wasn't in my blood. That all changed last year when I planted my first flowers at my own home. Surprisingly, I loved it! I loved watering them, pruning them, and watching them grow and become beautiful! Thankfully, Tony is also pretty into making our place look nice, and has done a lot of work on the landscaping. We still have a long ways to go, and I will be shocked if my diasease ever grows to the proportions exibited by my mother, aunts, or grandma, but I'm pretty proud of our little place. So, I thought I'd post a few pictures.

This first one kind of gives you the idea of the big picture. The vinyl fence is a nice new addition this year as well as the sod out front. We hope to lay sod on the side of the house next summer.

The next four pictures are Tony's handiwork. He spent a lot of time hauling and placing different types of rocks, gravel, wood chips, gnarled tree stumps, and old farm equipment to do something with this slope we have out front. I love how it turned out. It looks like we live in the country, but not just in the middle of a weed patch. The tie wall terraces were a big project! I love you, Tony!

These last three pictures show a little more of MY work--the flowers. Thanks to my mom and her wonderful greenhouse business, I was able to try a wide variety of things this year. Some grew better than others, but overall, they turned out wonderful!

Confessions of a Slacker Mom

About three years ago, I read a book. I don't remember for sure, but I think the title was Confessions of a Slacker Mom. I was quite entertained as I read it, and, when I had finished it, I concluded that I, too, was a "Slacker Mom."

As I mentioned a couple posts ago, sometimes I let my kids do somewhat dangerous things, like run on the treadmill. I also let them climb fences, do karate (with the understanding that if you play, you can't cry or get mad when you get hurt), play on anything they dare to at the playground, and a host of other things. I also don't pad up the corners of my counters, or do all those kind of things to assure your child never gets hurt. I guess I figure that the quickest way they'll learn if something is dangerous or could hurt is by personal experience. Me saying, "Don't do that" isn't nearly as effective as them thinking, "Wow. I'll never do that again!" Now, don't get me wrong. I do believe in safety, and if something is life-threatening, I certainly don't want them to learn that the hard way. But a few bumps and bruises just might help them learn some common sense that could be valuable in the long run.

Secondly, I don't have my kids on the fast track to Harvard. I do believe in playing with them and reading to them, but I have no desire to teach my 9-month old to read (like I've seen at a home party), I don't buy Baby Mozart, and I'm unwilling to fork out the big bucks for that special, better-get-on-the-waiting-list-when-they're-born, preschool. I figure if my kids know their colors, shapes, can count, and know some letters when they go to kindergarten, they'll be just fine. So maybe I'm sacrificing Harvard. Is that all bad? Who can afford it anyway?

Third, and I might take some major criticism for this one, I let my kids ingest some germs at times. For example, I have seen my kids eat popcorn, skittles, and other snacks that they find on the bleachers at sporting events. I don't necessarily encourage this behavior. I simply look the other way and pretend I don't see it. That way, I don't have to buy them a treat, they get their immune system boost for the day, and other moms don't know what a slacker I am because they think I didn't see it. Sometimes I really question myself on this one, but last winter my kids never got sick, and all the germaphobe moms I know had theirs on antibiotics all winter. Go figure.

Fourth, my kids sometimes look like orphans. Mylie's hair is often a sight in the morning, and when I put her to bed some nights, I realize that I never did do anything about it. I know a lot of moms like to bathe their kids every day, but I don't. I figure a couple baths a week is sufficient. Connor has a very obsessive personality, and he likes certain clothes a lot more than others at times. I have been known to let him wear the same outfit 2 or even 3 days in a row before making him wear something new. I just figure that if we're not going anywhere, and it's not TOO dirty, it's just not worth the fight. Besides, if it has a little spill on it, nobody will really know if that happened this morning or day before yesterday.

Fifth, sometimes I let some things in my house slide. For example, right now my house is so dusty, it's really not dust anymore. It's more like dirt. I know that this will probably flare up our allergies or something, but how does a mom do it all? You have to slack a little somewhere, don't you?

Now before passing judgement, let me say this. I LOVE my kids! I want what's best for them, and I really try to do a good job. But with some things, I guess I'm just a slacker. Am I all alone in this? If you have any "slacker mom" traits, please share and ease my conscience just a little. PLEASE!!!

Beautiful Girl

Of course, every mom thinks her kids are the cutest, but yesterday morning before church I was amazed at how cute Mylie looked so I had to take some pictures. She loved every minute of her photo shoot!

I asked Mylie to stand up on this chair to take a picture, and she immediately took this pose. I wondered where she had learned that, or if girls are just born knowing this pose. But when I asked, she said Granny taught it to her. Mom, did you do this???

When I grow up . . .

Connor loves to run on the treadmill. Yes, this might be dangerous, but he's done it a ton with no injuries, so I don't worry. Plus, I'm sometimes a slacker mom. But more on that in a future post. Anyway, the other day Connor wanted to try running while listening to his music on the Zune. He's watched me and his dad do this, so of course he wanted to try as well. Earbuds don't stay in small ears very well, so this was the solution--an earwarmer. Connor showed off for me by running for more than two minutes straight at 6.0, which is a ten minute mile. Not bad for small legs! He ran a total of a mile and a half, trying out different speeds and of course listening to his tunes. When he got finished he told me he might be a marathon runner someday since he's so good at running fast AND far. He's a pretty intense kid, as you can tell by the look on his face.