What Do You Do in the Summertime? (Part Deux)

Last year, I posted a big fat list of things for my kids to do during the summer. I had a jar that said, "I'm Bored" and I put little slips of paper in the jar with these activities. I also had another jar that said, "We Did That!" that we put the slips in when we were done. It was really fun and we did a lot of great things.
I wanted to do something similar this year, but didn't want to do the same thing. Something about variety being the spice of life, or whatever. So a couple of months ago, I pinned this from Pinterest.

 I just really liked the idea of the themed days so my kids know what to look forward to during the week. Now, we're going to be gone a lot this summer, vacationing and dancing at Basque festivals and stuff, so I only planned stuff during the week. And it's helpful that every Tuesday is Library day. Not only because it involves less planning on my part, but because our kids read voraciously and we will NEED to go weekly just to keep them busy when they've finished their books!
Also, there's something else that I'm really excited about this summer. (To be read in your best "proud mom" voice) Jack came home from school a few weeks ago talking about a book he'd read about a girl in Florida who raised enough money to buy bullet proof resistant vests for all of the K9 dogs in the state. He thought this was awesome and wanted me to call our friend who works for a neighboring police department to find out if their dog needs a vest and if so, he wants to sell sno-cones in front of our house to raise money. I was so touched that he would want to do that! He said, "They keep us safe, Mom. So we need to keep them safe too!" Then he decided that he would call his endeavor "Sno-Cones for Safety." Who is this kid? Love him! So we contacted our friend who got permission from the Chief and we are going to do this! The dog DOES have a vest, but they can always use money for training, food, etc. so we're going forward. If you would like to make a donation to Jack's "Sno-Cones for Safety" campaign email me your info at jackjacksmom@gmail.com and I'll tell you how you can donate if you're too far away to stop by for a sno cone. So every Thursday (Thoughtful Thursday), we'll be selling Sno Cones to raise money for Delta, their K9. Can't wait!
So here is the list of things we have planned for this summer..


MAKE SOMETHING MONDAY

• A scrapbook
• Use Vinegar and Baking soda (or something like that) to fill balloons instead of helium
• Decorate T Shirts with bleach pens
• Dot-Tree on Canvas
• Nature collage
• popsicle stick picture frame
• coffee filter wreath
• TP roll bird feeder
• Rock candy
• friendship bracelets

WHAT'S COOKING WEDNESDAY

• Kool Aid Playdough
• Pigs in a Blanket
• Ice Cream in a Bag
• Microwave Strawberry Jam
• Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Homemade Frosties
• Monkey Bread Muffins
• Octopus hotdogs
• Mozzarella Sticks

SOMEWHERE FUN FRIDAY

• Discovery Gateway
• Roy Splash Pad
• Kangaroo Zoo
• Dollar Theater
• Police Station (we'll do this after our last day of selling sno-cones so we can give Delta the money we've raised)
• Fire Station
• Construction Company (this is still a work in progress..I need to find a company that will let Jack visit and sit in their big diggers and stuff. This is his version of Graceland!!)

I also wanted to do something to reward good behavior so I'm thinking of doing the whole "put a marble in the jar if you're good, take it out if you're not" thing and giving them a reward at the end of the week if they have a certain number of marbles. Good behavior will be rewarded with marbles, and days spent without any sort of video/computer games will be rewarded with 2 marbles. Here are some rewards I've come up with:

• Sleep out on the trampoline
• Have a "late night over" with a friend
• Wet sponge fight
• Go to the movies
• Roy Aquatic Center
• Surf N Swim
• Clearfield Aquatic Center
• Play in the sprinklers
• Take a family member to lunch
• Roast marshmallows
• Have ice cream sundaes for dinner
• Play at Boondocks

I'm thinking these will just be in a jar and they can pick the activity out if they earn it.

We'll still have the jars available for the "I'm bored" moments, especially if I have something to do and can't entertain them but I'm pretty excited to do some of this stuff this summer! I can't wait for school to get out!!!

A Basque by any other name...just sounds more awesome!

Two days in a row! Are you impressed? Don't be. I'm procrastinating housework.

So have you ever been suddenly surprised by something and then realize you've always known it but just never really thought about it? For example, there are people who live in Indiana. It's true. I know, I was surprised too when I found out. I found out that people really do live in Indiana, that it's not just a pink colored weird shape in the map of the United States puzzle and my first thought was, "What? No way!" But then I was all, "Huh. Oh yeah. I guess that makes sense."
Well, I had one of those moments just like 20 minutes ago when I realized that people get paid to blog. TO BLOG. This is crazy to me. My first thought it that clearly wealth should be evenly distributed among the masses because some people have way too much of it and therefore need to pay people to write random crap that people only read because A. They're stalkers B. They're super good friends/family (because who else would care?) or C. They're both and are therefore even more dangerous. Now, let me make one thing very clear: my opinion that getting paid to blog is the stupidest idea since some brilliant friend said out loud, "Do you know what the world needs? To see the inner workings of the Kardashian family!" And someone equally brilliant was all, "Great idea! I'd totally watch that!" comes from pure jealously.
I want to get paid to blog!

I just want to get paid.
Have we ever discussed my shopping problem? It's a big 'un. I love shopping. A lot. I do less of it since shopping with a 2 year old and a 9 month old basically gives me a rash, but I'm still willing to haul them around at least every other day for an "outing." (Read: opportunity to spend my sweet and hard working husband's money on something we may or may not even need.) I can spend $30 at the DOLLAR STORE. I can always find something I can't live without, or, in some rare instances, something I am sure I knew in the pre-existence. My husband, on the other hand, has been described as "the man who will die in a ratty old armchair lined with hundred dollar bills." This, you see, is why I need cash. So in the spirit of getting paid to do stupid crap, how about if you send me a buck and I'll blog about whatever you want? I mean, of course I have moral and ethical limitations (stop laughing, Joe! I really do!) but other than that, pick a topic, any topic. Now, I know that unlike OTHER people who pay bloggers to blog, you work hard for your money. You don't want to spend it on anything superfluous. You just leave that to me. With the dollar you send me to blog, I solemnly promise that you will get a post. The post may or may not be funny. It could be a total downer and be full of horrible grammar and typos. This is, after all, MY blog.  Now, for TWENTY dollars, I promise you'll get funny AND grammatically correct. I'll even spell check. Quality is what I offer. I also promise that I will blow that dollar on something completely unnecessary and unneeded. Pay a bill? Pffft. Pay off debt? HA! Not with YOUR money. Your money will be spent frivously and irresponsibly. That is a guarantee you (and I) can take to the bank. You may be asking yourself, "Why would I pay Peggy a dollar to blog about a random topic? I have better things to spend my money on. Groceries! Mortgage payments! Times are so hard and they're only getting harder!" (Okay, so maybe YOU didn't quote Eminem.) My friends, for that answer, let us turn to the Bible. In the book of Mark, chapter 10, verse 25, Jesus teaches that "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." I am just trying to make it easier for you to get to heaven. Some of you need more help than others. (You're welcome, John B.) Really, I'm just serving you. You are welcome.  

Ragnar (Or, What On Earth Ever Possessed Me To Think I Could Ever Survive Something Like This? or Delusions of Grandeur or Somebody Please Break My Leg)

Maybe you've seen this sticker on the back of a car somewhere. It is the illustrious "Ragnar" sticker given to those who have completed a 200 mile in 24 hours relay race. These people are also referred to as "idiots." Seriously. Who thinks to themselves 308K? Fun! I'll tell you who--me.

I've always wanted to do it. (True confession: mostly just to say I had. I'm in it for the sticker--I'm not going to lie.) So when members of our ward (our church congregation) were headed up Ogden Canyon for our annual ward picnic last summer and we passed a whole heap of "Ragnarians" in the middle of running the race, I thought to myself, "I want to be one of them!" Then I saw like a 70 year old man running and I thought, "Okay, if HE can do it, surely I can!" Remember the idiot part? Right. So we were all together talking about how cool that would be and our Bishop (the guy in charge of our congregation) said something like, "I'll do it if you do." And so a Ragnar team was born. And thinking I'm a WHOLE lot cooler than I am, I signed up and paid my entrance fee and strapped on my sneakers. Okay, so maybe I didn't strap on my sneakers until like January. But seriously in like February. Or March. You know, whatever.

So I've been training. And it's hard. And it hurts. And I'm a sucky runner. Remember the 5k I ran? Yeah, that was a fantastic experience. I think it's like giving birth..you don't FORGET how much it sucked, but you become numb to it in a way that makes you think doing it again won't be as bad as it was before. Except that it IS as bad as it was before and you're reminded of that...when it's too late. This is the boat I'm in. So I train. I get up at 6AM to run with the nicest girl in the whole wide world who is willing to run with me (and who, I'm not going to lie, I think has a dark side and secretly enjoys seeing me in pain and cussing and grumpy because it is 6 O' FREAKING CLOCK!!!!) I am so officially over this. It's not fun anymore and I can probably just buy the sticker off the Ragnar website, yes? For this purpose I am looking for someone who might be willing to break my leg so I have a better reason to drop out other than "I'm chubby and lazy." Those don't seem like great reasons so I really need something more substantial. This is not a paying gig, mind you. I am certain there are more than a handful of people who would like nothing more than to wound me in some way--although I think most would just want to bind my big fat mouth.

Until that happens, I will keep training so that I look more like this come June 15th

Instead of what I'm sure I WILL look like, which is more like this:

Finally, I will leave you with some awesome Ragnar team names that make me laugh (and realize maybe I'm not alone.)

• Muthas and bruthas
• We Pay for This?
• Running Without a Full Deck
• 12 Runners, 24 Feet, 36 Legs. Do the Math
• The Runzz--We're Number 2
• Is Death an Option?
• 2 Slow 2 Win 2 Dumb 2 Quit
• RMFAO (Run My Fat "A" Off)
• What Were We Thinking
• How Do We Sleep When Our Legs Are Burning
• What the Hill?
• Were We Supposed to Train for This?
• No Wit--We're the Ones With the Plain Brown Van
• I Think I Just Swore In My Head a Little
• Run? I Thought You Said Fun!
• Dr. Funke 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution (this is my favorite!)
• Worst Pace Scenario
• Bunch of Old Dudes
• Do These Shorts Make My Butt Look Fast?
• 2 Days and Confused
• Cirque de Sore Legs
• Help! I Ragged My Nar!
• Seriously? Seriously!
• Time Wounds All Heels
• Unicorn Jerky
• Run Like Your Hair Is On Fire!

This is what I get for thinking I'm cool...but there's good news at the end!

So I am...like everyone else in the world..addicted to Pinterest. I love it. It warms my heart and wastes my time--equally.  So you can only see so many wonderful things and read so many uber creative craft blogs before you yourself develop dillusions of grandeur in regards to your own crafty abilities. This, my friends, is where I fell prey. And so, I share with you, a super fun tutorial gone horribly wrong. Good thing I took pictures along the way!
So, I needed a new chore system for Jack and Lu. I didn't want to spend any money so I decided to get creative. I guessed that I could cutesy up some clothespins and put the chores on the clothespins. One side would have the chore, one side would say "Done" so it could be flipped when the chore was finished. I gathered my materials and started:

My handy little paper cutter, some cute scrapbook paper, ribbon, clothespins, one of my FABULOUS Pitt pens (thank you Erica!), a sanding block, paint brush, Acrylic medium (like Mod Podge only better!) Acrylic Gesso (this is where things went sideways. I thought I grabbed Acrylic Medium but instead grabbed gesso. Sigh.) Luckily I gathered a Diet Coke as well. It came in handy later. So I got all my materials together and then...

Coated the clothespin with what I thought was Acrylic Medium, wondered why it looked white but decided it would dry clear and put the paper (that I had cut to the approximate length/width of the clothespin) on top. I did this to both sides.

Once it dried a bit, I used my sanding block on the edges to sand off the paper that went over the edge, smoothing it. I wondered again why it was white...sigh.

So after I made like 20 of these, not even kidding...I went to put a "top coat" on them and decided this was really ridiculous..this was really white and was not supposed to be. I was using a new tub of acrylic medium..what the heck? What brand was this? That's when I noticed it was Gesso. GAAAAAA!! This is the point in the project where I busted open that Diet Coke, and decided to leave the tutorials to the truly brilliant ones. Or, you know, the ones who are capable of reading the label of a tub.

Despair not--I learned my lesson and ran across this wonderful friend who has a great tutorial and template on her site for making those great envelopes you use in the cash envelope budgeting system. We've had some insane medical expenses come up, plus a trip to Portland this coming month so budgeting is something we need to hit hard. They were super easy to make and they fit right in the checkbook section of my wallet. I used my favorite Melody Ross  paper to make them and they turned out wonderfully! Here are pictures of the finished project (I am soooo over trying to create tutorials. Go to her blog and make some! If you aren't the crafty type, she has and Etsy shop where she'll make them for you! Tada!) I'll let you know how the ole' budgeting went. (Well, maybe by "letting you know" asking to borrow money for Diet Coke!)

Get a Life!

I have this gift, you see. I am the queen of over-commitment. If there is fluff to be found that can be used to waste time and distract me, I am all over it. (Example: This blog post!) But here's my (very quick because I need to go Get a Life) newest epiphany. I only have one life to live. I don't want to waste it with stuff that doesn't matter. I want to RELISH my life, I want to surround myself with people who uplift me and I want to be a person who uplifts. I want to pamper my husband and cherish my children. I want to thank God every day for what He's given me. Not just big things like, you know, breath, but the little things He's given to make my journey more enjoyable. Flowers, the smell of babies' breath, the way my kids love and love and love even when I make mistakes...there is so much delicious detail in our lives that just gets passed by while we wrapped up in this business of living. I want to get a life. A life that is full of love and full of joy. Full of forgiveness and acceptance and gratitude and faith. I want every day to be the best day yet. So instead of grumbling that I have chores to do, I'm going to be grateful that we are blessed to have enough to make a mess. And I'm not going to scrub the corners of my floors--I'm going to clean up and play with my kids because that's what makes a good day.
Life is short. It is short and uncertain. I want to enjoy every single wonderful piece of it. I want to get a life. You should go get one, too. Remember that WE choose our lives. They are not chosen for us. We decide what to do with the cards we've been dealt and we choose what we will use to fill up our time. I want to do better at choosing wisely. By better choosing my actions and my attitude. Right now I'm choosing to go do the dishes. LOL.

Euskaldunak

My grandfather came to America from a small village in Northern Spain called Amoroto. I've been there--it's teeny tiny but it is beautiful. Surrounded by green fields with wildflowers growing by the road and only a handful of buildings..I looked at those few buildings and wondered, "In which one did he live?" I loved visiting Basque country and felt like I had come home while I was there. (Scott marveled at "an entire region of people who look like, and are loud like YOU!") The people were so kind and friendly, the architecture was gorgeous and the culture is beyond rich.
Maybe you don't know where Basque people are..I could explain it all but it would take a long time and I'm tired. You can read this article to learn more. (Side note: I've seen this tree of which they speak--Guernica is a lovely city with a wonderful pub owner who lived in New York for awhile and can make an awesome grilled-cheese sandwich for a poor girl visiting Europe while 8 weeks pregnant and sick as a dog!)
Here's my point. I love my heritage. I am so proud of it and I feel such a strong pull to it. My Grandpa died before I was born and my family really doesn't do anything Basque. A few days ago, I read my children the story of Olentzero and I felt so ashamed that they know nothing of Basque culture. Heck, I know nothing of Basque culture, really. And yet, I feel pulled to it. I feel this longing to know more about the heritage that makes me who I am. I have few regrets, but one of them is that I didn't take the opportunity to spend MORE time in Basque country. Gosh, I wish I would have done that while I could have. Wouldashouldacoulda, right?
In the meantime, I'm going to pay my yearly dues to the Basque club of Utah and go to a few functions where I'll be extremely uncomfortable because A. I won't know anybody and they're a super tight-knit group and B. Because I'm Mormon and they're all Catholic and while that doesn't necessarily bother anyone on either side, there are some awkward social differences that I'm going to need to work through.
Anyway, I'm the girl who does things I've always wanted to do, right? Okay then. To the Basque club it is. I may even learn how to dance!

Things I've Always Wanted to Do--Week 8

Okay--this was a fun one. It took me more than a week--2 weeks, in fact, but that's pretty miraculous in and of itself. In the LDS church, we have something called Articles of Faith. They're basically 13 statements that describe what we believe. I've always wanted to memorize these and I have! I finished yesterday and I'm so proud of myself. It was really hard! Anyway, I can't really prove that I did it, except to type them out here. You'll have to believe me that I'm doing it by heart. ;o) Here they are:
1. We believe in God the Eternal Father, in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: 1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Repentance 3. Baptism by Immersion for the Remission of Sins and 4. Laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and to administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all God has revealed, all that He does now reveal and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent, that Christ will reign personally upon the earth and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege. Let them worship how, where or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and in doing good to all men. Indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--we believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and we hope to endure all things. If anything is lovely, virtuous, and of good report and praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

It has been an amazing experience to memorize these. Of course I know what we, as a Church, believe. I try to live it and I taught it as a missionary. However, memorizing these has just really pressed them into my heart and I find myself thinking about it more often. Please do not use this as an opportunity to bash what I believe. I'm not posting these to impose them upon anyone, but simply to celebrate my accomplishment.

I'm moving onto Week 9 (I'm almost done!) and it is already proving to be very difficult, but I know I'll be so glad I did it! Hooray for accomplishing yet another TIAWTD!!