I didn't forget about St. Patrick's Day...

Jake just got in bed about 20 minutes ago...another late night, poor kiddo. He of course had tons of homework (boo) and he was signed up to go to a book club at the library. They were discussing one of the Magic Tree House books...The one about Leprechauns , whatever number that one is. Jake can read M.T.H. books in like 45 minutes, but he still loves them and was excited to go...and I am so glad he did! While he was in the book club I went and searched out some home schooling books and found a few that will be helpful. While I was waiting for Jake to finish I started reading them and then a mother from Jake's b-ball team (not this past season but the one before that) came up and talked to me and guess what? She home schools her kids (2 of which were on Jake's b-ball team and are 8 and 10-perfect ages for buddies and were in the book club!!) and told me all about the H.S. group she is involved in. Their group is based on the classics too and I am so EXCITED!!! She invited me to check it out and come to a meeting for preparation for the next session...But anyway back to St. Patt'y's day! They made leprechaun traps at the book club-but Jake decided to make his a leprechaun hotel. :) He had a great time and is excited for the next one in May. That was a nice way to celebrate St. Patty's Day! We usually have green eggs and ham for breakfast but, that just didn't happen today...But we did have our green mac' n' cheese (along with chicken nuggets) and green milk for dinner. Phew! Another day lived and loved-now I better get to folding laundry and throwing more in!

A day in the park...

We were on a mission to see a bunch of turtles...(Nee told us that 60 something turtles were seen at a park in our area so we had to check it out!) we only saw one, but we something even better! A park that reminded us (a little. A flatter version...) of Pisgah National Forest with hiking trails and a pond-that Sadie jumped in head first, in pure water dog delight, 2 times! (I realize that was a run on sentence...). Sadie and Jake waded in the water (Yes, I am the mom that lets their child wade in the water in March when it is only 60 degrees out. What can I say? We are water people!) and then checked out the dock. That is when Sadie decided to take the plunge 2 different times...Jake helped her in a 3rd time and she swam from the dock to the little beach area. She was so proud of herself! We had a great time exploring one of the trails a little. Jake loved the mountain bike jumps and Sadie loved running after him! We will definitely be going back...Especially since Sadie was so worn out she slept the whole way home and for pretty much the rest of the day. :)


We call this the "full on running picture".


Doesn't she look like a bear?
This is our version of keeping our dog on a leash. She is on a leash-see it on the ground behind her?

Sadie needed a bath big time when we got home. I think we are going to have to move to the tub next time...At one point she slipped free and was on the counter...I was wetter than she was I think!

My Simple Pleasure: Making Jakes Day with our little secret.

We have had a hard time getting going in the morning this week...Monday we really slept in. The rest of the week we just haven't been able to get moving. I think 2 late nights for Jake (Visiting teaching on Tues=in bed at 9:15. Cub Scouts last night=in bed at 8:30. I know that doesn't sound late but Jake is usually in bed at around 7:30. He takes after me-he needs his sleep!) made getting ready in a timely manner next to impossible. This morning we were really behind. (We didn't even leave the house until 7:15. It is about a 15 minute drive and you are tardy at 7:30.) At around 7:05 the rushing and on the verge of yelling began. Jake said something like "this day is going horrible already!" and I stopped. I made a split second decision. I said "You haven't been tardy all year, it's really no big deal. I know you are going to be tardy today because I am going to get you some breakfast (Jake still hadn't even eaten breakfast...) at Chick-fil-a. " Jake looked at me like I was crazy then smiled. I told him it would be our little secret (I didn't want him to go into school and announce to his not very understanding teacher that we were late because we went through the drive thru...), and that if this morning wasn't going well we would make something great happen by having a treat. I told him to stop rushing, worrying (his binder opened while he was putting it in his bag and papers were falling out...), and just take your time. We were going to celebrate that this was the first time he was tardy all year. There are lots of kids who have been tardy a bunch by now! Needless to say he went to school with a smile on his face and that makes me happy.

We have another secret (I blogged that we had a secret a while ago...Some of you already know this since I have confided in you because, I just had to tell someone, or I was picking your brain for ideas...) we aren't going to tell him until the end of the school year...Can you keep a secret from Jake? He will be the only one who doesn't know, so don't spill the beans. WE ARE HOMESCHOOLING NEXT YEAR!!! I am delighted to say the least. We have big but simple plans. We are going to jump off the conveyor belt and jump into an actual education! REMEMBER don't tell Jake...or anyone who may let it slip...I am thinking cousins who may say something with out thinking about it or primary friends...So, I guess you could say this is an adult secret! :) Those are my simple pleasures for today...

What is your simple pleasure? Check out Cocoa's blog for other simple pleasures.

Another one of those mornings...Brain declutter...

*I never did get around to blogging this weekend...But I did cut my grocery bill in half thanks to coupons, store deals, and my 10% off for being an employee (we get 10% off once a month). Coupons rock!

*Well, we have started the week off by sleeping in...Last night as I went to bed I realized I left my cell phone in the sunroom...where Sadie was already sleeping. No big deal. Jake always wakes me up at a little past 6 right before my alarm goes off any way. Yes, it is true I could have set an alarm on the alarm clock but then I just wake up every hour to check the time and see if the power went off, which means the alarm won't go off...I have issues with alarm clocks...The only trustworthy alarm clocks are cell phones and children...Except this morning. We woke up when Aaron came in the door from work at 6:58...We leave for school at 7 (or we are supposed to)...How is it that we made it to school in time, and most mornings we have at least 45 minutes to get ready and the last 10 of those are usually me on the verge of yelling (or maybe I yell just a little...)? We made it in time with no time to get ready...

*I hardly ever wear lipstick. I did the other day. This is what I learned from that experience: If you do a load of wash with lipstick in the pocket of your pants it is not a big deal...It is when you put it in the dryer that it becomes a problem. I have to go buy Jake a new white shirt for church. I really hope it comes out of my khaki pants...

*Mandatory meetings at 8:30 on Saturday morning for work really should start on time...Why Saturday morning any way? It didn't start until around 9:20...

*I held a baby yesterday. For 2 hours. Charlie is his name. I am in the Primary Presidency and his mom was helping with singing time. He is so sweet. He feel asleep and was cuddled up on my shoulder. I thought about kidnapping him, but his mom knows where we live so it wouldn't have worked any way. :)

*Sleeping in on a Monday morning=crazy puppy. Sadie usually wakes up early with us and is ready for her morning nap shortly after I get back from dropping Jake off. I play with her in the backyard or take her on a walk and she is ready for a snooze. Not this morning. That extra hour of sleep translated into a broken bowl. It broke after she ate her breakfast out of it and did a victory lap around the room at top speed. She took the corner to sharp, slide across the floor, and sent the bowl sliding across the tile floor. It then bounced off the wall and broke...

*I have been saying extra prayers for all the people in Japan....And in the Middle East...I had a hard time getting out of the car on Friday to go to work because I was listening to the events on the radio. Customers gave us updates through out the day...

*A note to Tina (my sister who just promised her son Saku a dog). You have to REALLY love dogs to survive the puppy stage. I love dogs with all my heart. Puppies are adorable!...but they are just like having a baby with sharp teeth, that can run around every where and go crazy when they are tired, not just cry. I love Sadie. I do. But she is insane at certain times of the day, and that is normal for puppies. Tina, you have 4 children and one of them is 2. GET A DOG NOT A PUPPY. That is just my advice to you. You can take it or leave it.

*Jake's teacher is not my favorite person...I have mentioned this before but I just needed to vent one thing she said last week that sums up how she is as a teacher. Jake came home and said "Mommy you HAVE to make sure you proof read this story for me. Mrs. Blank (that's not her name...But I am a little scared she may stay up at night searching for her name on the web and stumble upon my blog...she scares me a little...and yet we send our child to spend 7 hours of his day with her...) said if there is one misspelled word in any of our papers she will email our parents and tell you that you must not be able to spell."....I asked if she was joking and he said no she was serious and said it grumpily (that is how she talks 99.9% of the time). I have another story I could tell you about a paper that I had to come help Jake search through his desk for that she had the whole time, but I won't get into the whole thing. :) I don't like public school...at all. Which reminds me, has anyone watched "Waiting for Superman"? If not you should. It is a documentary about public schools and it is...scary and informative. It is everything we already knew about the public school system in America but with the statistics to back it up. Aaron said the only the part he wished they would have focused on more was the solution to the problem. I cried at some parts of it. You will too. If you have children in the public school system than you MUST watch it.

...I have to go now. Sadie just got a hold of on of my shoes...Remember Tina: DOG NOT PUPPY. You will thank me for it later. :)

Today...

...I feel like blogging not going to work! :) I can't complain I get paid to talk to people and push buttons...but I really want to check out every one's blogs and update mine! I have been making the weekends blog free, but I am going to have to break it this weekend...I need to declutter my brain!!! I guess for now I will go to work and blog later. Expect a brain declutter of enormous proportions later... TGIF!!!!

Simple Pleasures: Nail Polish (and venting just a little...)

I don't consider myself a girlie-girl but I have recently found great pleasure in nail polish. Yesterday we had to run to Target to get refill tape for my label maker (I will show you why later...) and stumbled upon this nail polish:

I have found that hands down Sally Hansen brand stays on the longest without chipping. I saw "Mint Sorbet" and fell in love! At work we all wear ugly, manly clothes. Khaki pants with blue polo shirts-that we have to tuck in. Wearing nail polish seems to make it more bearable. Plus 75% of the people that come into Bi-Lo have lovely fake nails. I can't afford them (neither can they...yes that is me judging, but this is my blog and I need to vent...I know they can't afford them because they are paying with Food Stamps. How can you use food stamps and justify fake nails, fancy clothes, and expensive purses? Okay-done venting.), so I buy $2.04 (Sally Hansen is usually more than that so I was even more pysched!) bottles of nail polish and look at my pretty nails while I push the buttons on the register. :) That is my simple pleasure this week. What is yours? Link up to Chocolate on My Cranium and join the conversation!

Note to Aaron...

Aaron you will probably read this tonight at work while you are bored, so I thought I would let you know 2 things now so I won't forget:

#1-Jake told me he couldn't wait to do more yard work with you. :) I am so glad you are teaching him how good hard work can feel. You are a wonderful example to him and me. Thanks for killing snakes, going to school, and working all night for us. I love you.

#2-Jake also told me you broke a promise to him. You promised him you would take him snowboarding...The season ended sooner than we thought...There aren't enough hours in the day...or days in the week...He gets the craziness of your schedule, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. He has $8 left to earn toward the new Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars Wii game coming out...He could easily be bribed into forgiving you (not that he is mad...he just thinks your forgot about snowboarding and it bummed him out...and he just remembered that you forgot, so I think he forgot too...), if you chipped in a little more...Just saying. :)

Sadie: 10 weeks

Jake and Sadie spend most of their play time doing this:
Sadie chases Jake and then Jake chases Sadie. I haven't captured Jake chasing Sadie yet but I will...And, by the way, Sadie can jump really high.
When Jake gets home from school he always has a snack. Sadie has figured this out and thinks she should get one too...This is how she hints it is her turn:

Why I can never leave the house again...

....Because of the neighbors we have. No, not the people. They are all very nice....In case you didn't know this about me: I HATE SNAKES. Today while talking with our neighbors (who had been doing some yard work and found 2 snakes that they chopped up), Sadie started to chew on something and ran back to our front step with it in her mouth. I went over and pulled it out...It was part of a snake. I had in my hand...part of a snake...To put it mildly....I FREAKED OUT. Then when I picked Jake up from school she found it on the step (I left it there in my nervous breakdown and thought Aaron was going to pick it up for me...) and got it again. I freaked out again and went in the house and let the men take care of it. So, now I think everything that moves is a snake. Aaron was doing some yard work and cleared this much space:


In that amount of space he killed 3 snakes....3...in that small amount of space. One was even a Cooperhead. Wonderful. Snakes apparently love all the beautiful green ivey...(You can see the pile of stuff he cleared sitting on the drive way in front of the space he cleared. He was hoping I would help bring it to the curb...I am trying to work up the courage..) I called my mom and told her the great news and she told me to put the house up on the market. :)

I wonder how many this spot on the side of the house (that we forgot about raking) has in it...
Could there be on hiding in this tiny pile of leaves the wind blew up by the front steps...A better question is why are there still leaves falling in Spring? Do they ever stop falling Mom and Dad?
I was just putting in a load of wash down in the cellar and wondering as I looked at the piles of sorted laundry if any had slithered their way in the house...I am going to have snake nightmares tonight I can tell already...
**Update! (and not a good one..) I went across the street to borrow a shovel (the one we have is in Spartanburg-my Dad has a flat one on the end, but Aaron needed the pointy one...and yes those are the technical names for them) from our neighbor and told her about the snakes. She said "Oh, the small Cooperheads? Yeah, I see them everywhere." She said this as if it was no big deal and she wasn't surprised at all. She sees them every spring when she cleans out around her bushes. She then went on to tell me there was a dead one on the sidewalk in front of her house...I didn't look for it...(She also told me about the huge snakes she used to see on their farm...Why did she have to tell me about the 8 foot long black snake?)..Fast forward until 7:30 pm when Jake and I were letting Sadie out to do her business in the front yard (she is afraid of the shadows in the the back yard at night). The same neighbors dog, Sam, was out and he came over to play with Sadie. We walked him back home after a few minutes and I carried Sadie back to our yard....Guess what I almost stepped on (within about a inch)? THE DEAD SNAKE!!!! Seriously! I am going to say an extra special prayer to not have nightmares tonight!!!!**

The Pinewood Derby

Despite the late start, Jake's car it got finished (barely) in time for the Pinewood Derby on Saturday. There are not a whole lot of words going around in my head (due to a traumatic experience I will tell you about later...), so we are going to go with pictures!

The awesome cake a lady in the ward made for the occasion:
Jake's car before the race. Aaron told him to keep it upside down so the weights wouldn't come loose...
Jake and his #13 car. (We used the same spray paint as last year)

Jake and Lasondro during the flag ceremony.

Jake shaking his den leaders hands while receiving the 2 beads he earned.
Jake and his buddy Jashawn with their cars.
Jake's car in the lead...
Jake and his trophy for 1st place Bear. Jake is the only Bear...But he came in 3rd overall...I think. They didn't all race each other this year like we did last year. Aaron is sure he would have beat everyone. :)

Brain Declutter: A Week in Review

*I finished "Anne of Green Gables" and the word that keeps coming into my mind when I think of it is: Lovely. It really is a lovely book. Wouldn't this world be a better place if we all looked at it the way Anne (with an "e" :) ) looks at it? I can't wait to read "Anne of Avonlea", but I have too. I am reading the list of books suggested in The Thomas Jefferson Education to start my "research" for homeschooling. If you haven't read this book you should!!!

*I got so sick of looking at the stack of papers in my coupon basket (I had already cut out the ones I knew I was going to use and keep going back through to see if there is anything else I need...) that I...believe it or not...THROW THEM AWAY! The good coupons were already cut out and I kept coming across ones that were expired (yes the stack was that large), so I just chucked them. Check that off my list of things to do! :)

*I have enjoyed going back through Sister Hinckley's book "Small and Simple Things". What a remarkable person she was. I can't wait to meet her in Heaven. I hope some day when people look back on my life they can say I was remarkable...I better get going if I want that to happen. :)

*I am so happy for the weekend!! Enough said on that point. :)

*I really want to see the documentary "Waiting for Superman". Have any of you seen it? It is about the decline of the public school system.

*I have big plans in the works for our summer. I am calling it "A Book of Mormon Summer"...More on that later...

*The Dog Whisperer-Cesar Milan, really is a genius of dogs. Every time I do one of his techniques on Sadie it works!

*Jake went to bed at 6:30 last night because he had a headache. I was so glad when he woke up fine...I was afraid another sickness was looming...

*We are going with Sadie May since Cesar says not to give your dogs negative names...and Sadie Monster could be taken as negative...since we were calling her that when she was acting like a monster! :)

*I need to stop blogging and get ready for work! Have an amazing weekend! I plan on it too! :)

Highs and Lows...

High: I am feeling less stressed since my house is picked up.
Low: I think the cleaning products affected my vision because it really isn't as awesome as I thought it was...Bummer.

High: Even though it isn't as picked up as I deluded myself into thinking it was, it is still soooooooo much better. Also, I have time to finish the job today!
Low: I don't really want to though...But I will. Right after we take our crazy puppy on a walk. We are going to see if she can walk a whole mile today. :)

High: The Pine Wood Derby is on Saturday!
Low: The procrastination of actually making the car must end. Aaron and Jake finally started it last night...They cut it out last night. Sanding happens today. Painting tomorrow. Along with wheels and weights tomorrow night or Sat. morning. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! I have nothing to do with this though. This is totally a guy thing.

High: It really is feeling and looking like Spring around here!
Low: That means 100 degree with weather, without access to a pool is only a few months away. :(

What are your highs and lows of the week so far? Link up over at: Memoirs of Mrs. Harris

Simple Pleasures: #1- Nice People & #2- A Clean House

I was so excited to have the day off yesterday...until I didn't...I had a plan to tackle every room. Then the phone rang and I looked at it and it said Bi-Lo...I knew what answering the phone would mean. That I would have to flush my wonderful cleaning plan down the toilet, when I all I really wanted to do was clean the toilet!...What did I do? I answered it and my glorious day off was vaporized...I was talking to a friend at work (...maybe murmuring a little that I had to be working...) and I said "Why did I have to answer the phone and say yes?!". To this she said: "Because that is who you are. You are nice. You want to make people happy." Why was she saying nice things to me?! I was trying to be grumpy and she was making it very difficult. Then I remembered it was Wednesday and at Bi-Lo that is Senior Citizen discount day. That means all the sweetest and nicest old people come in to shop and talk. I joked with my friend by saying: "Geez! I wish they would all stop being so sweet and nice! Don't they know they are ruining my bad mood?!?" :) We laughed. I felt better. So, my #1 simple pleasure is: Nice people...As I sit here thinking of nice people Marjorie Pay Hinckley popped into my head, so I went to the book shelf and took out "Small and Simple Things" by this sweet lady. I flipped through it and came upon this very smart thing she said: "Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." My battle was being grumpy yesterday. I am thankful for all the nice people that were kind to me yesterday-even when I wasn't really deserving of it. :)

AND...I am happy to report: If you were to knock on my front door I would let you in! I would let you go in any room you wanted...I may not let you open all the closets, but I only had half a day people!!! My #2 simple pleasure today is a clean and tidy home! YIPPEEEE!!!! No it is not perfect, it is so much better than it was. I could feel the stress leaving all of us. I am a happy camper.

Check out other peoples simple pleasure's over at Cocoa's blog.

This is a long one...Puppy pictures and other things I have forgotten to blog about...

****WARNING: If you don't like puppies avert your eyes****
(If you don't like puppies there is something wrong with you... :) )
We have had this little ball of fluff in our house for 2 weeks now, and she has totally stolen our hearts. We, for whatever reason, always give our dogs middle names. We are going back in forth between May and Monster. Sadie May sounds so sweet and was our first dog, Daisy's (a crazy basset hound) middle name. But, I have to say that Monster may be more fitting. Don't get me wrong she is as sweet as can be, but in case you didn't know, puppies can be a bit like monsters. They have razor sharp teeth that they use on you! They of course don't realize how much it hurts-but IT DOES. I have many battle wounds on my hands to show for it. They happen when you are playing and they can't get the toy so they get you instead...So, I will let you know which middle name sticks, but I am rooting for Monster. Sadie had her first Vet visit on Monday and they said she was perfect-something I already knew. :) The vet kept saying she is going to a BIG dog. Emily (our last black lab) was 100 pounds so we are ready. The phase when your puppy is still a puppy mentally but not physically is always fun, but we have been there and done that, so we will survive. Sadie is pretty smart. If her water is empty and she needs some she puts her paw in the bowl and makes a racket until you fill it. If she has to go #2...sorry this is my journal too, so I have to document it...She whines, chases her tail and runs for the front door. She could have just gone #1 outside (or on occasion inside...) in the back yard, but she will come in the house and run for the front door. And Mom, contrary to what Jake was telling you on the phone she is doing really well in potty training. He made it sound like she pee's all over the place and we don't even pay attention. Puppies are like toddlers that just learned how to walk-you have to always keep your eye on them. The vet was impressed at how well she walks on a leash and the fact that I brought two chew toys with me. What can I say? I am a mom, I like to be prepared...Sadie is 13 pounds and 9 weeks old. She feels like a feather so I am surprised she weighs that much already! Okay...Okay, enough rambling about Sadie. Here are the puppy pic's:

How can you resist that little face?!
Who knew they had mini tennis balls!?

Sadie stuck between the screen and the door...She really is smart I swear...Look at all those toys!...and Jake's flip flop...Greedy little thing. Her toys are never good enough! :) She loves her "house" she goes in and out all day long. (She peed on her other blanket so Jake agreed to temporarily let her borrow this blanket until the other one is clean.)
I couldn't resist this one...This is the day we got Sadie, on the ride home. She was pretty tired, so she took a snooze.
Seeing this picture of her little self makes me realize how much she has grown already...
The new place we keep our shoes since we have a puppy.
...and our garbage cans.
She doesn't like to go outside with out us. I was cleaning the sun room and the weather was beautiful so I left the door open. She stood in the door and looked around forever before she finally ventured out on her own.

And on to the other things I have forgotten to post:

Just to make you feel better if you are having a "I am a horrible mother" day:
In music at school they are learning to play the recorder. Jake is a recorder rock star...When we remember to put it in his backpack...We forgot it 2 weeks and got this fun little note saying if he forgets one more time he will get a "N"...Not one of my "Mom of the Year" moments...

We had fun making Valentine's to send to Nee and Papa on their mission...I am sad to day the is the last letter we wrote them...Sorry we are so slack!!!! Jake's love bug:

Aaron was there for moral support. We cut him a lot of slack since the poor guy is either working, studying, humoring us, or in very small amounts of time sleeping. :) He has also just gotten his Kindle so I don't blame him. :)
A couple of Upward b-ball pic's



And one more Sadie shot. She sleeps on the tile or hardwood floor 99.9% of the time. I guess she decided when I used the huge dog bed as a gate from the rest of the house, that this would be a good time to try to sleep on it...
Picture me grumpy right now. I was supposed to have the day off but they screwed up the schedule and asked if I would come in.... and because I am an IDIOT, I said yes. Awesome. I get to work for 3 little hours (that will mess up my whole day because those were hours Jake is at school and I wouldn't feel guilty I was neglecting him...) just to make about $20 after taxes and still have a messy house....I was going to clean the whole house today. I have been spending the morning blogging and reading (I deserve a little break on my day off right?), and being quiet to let Aaron sleep and THEN I was going to clean the house...boo, hiss, hiss...(that is me murmuring....)

Jake is awesome...

We discussed Jake playing soccer this Spring and of course he was all for it...Then we talked more about the cost: $90...it is worth it. Upward is a great program...but we are poor college students (again) after all! :) On the way home from school today I asked Jake if he really wanted to play. He enthusiastically said "YEAH!". So, we started discussing maybe taking the season off so that we could have Saturdays together as a family and with the price of gas going up we have to save money for Daddy to get to and from school. To this, Jake said: "Mommy, if you feel like we shouldn't do it than that is fine with me. We need to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do." End of discussion. No grumbling about it not being fair. Just understanding. Jake is awesome. It is so nice to be reminded that it really is just that easy to do what is right. Thanks for the reminder Jake. You rock dude. :)