Too much law = creativity.

Creativity is just in my DNA, I can't deny it, so I have to give in. The funny thing about my creativity, is it must be in balance with the other parts of my life. I first discovered this in law school. After a grueling week of studying the law, on the weekends I would have to engage in some creative project, usually sewing, to bring all the forces in my life back into balance. I also noticed it when I was prosecuting full-time, again on the weekends I had this uncontrollable desire to be creative, and it was usually expressed in the form of decorating my house.

Well currently my life has been out of balance. With the economy tanking, my case load has risen dramatically. I was feeling out of balance. Now I know I already do a lot of creative projects, but I was feeling the desire to do even MORE creative projects. And my sewing machine was calling. I decided to make Lauren some cute skirts to wear for the summer. This is the first skirt.

Every Friday night Lauren has a "stay up" late night where she gets to hang with mommy after everyone else has gone to bed. We have been working on skirts for the last few Fridays, getting them all cut out and prepared to sew. Not only I have been able to "feed" the creative beast within, but I have also learned a lot about the second grade from talking to Lauren while I sew, reminding me its good to have balance in your life.

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day. For me it is a bigger deal than my birthday. My birthday is a day on the calendar. I really did not have much to do with my birthday, my parents were more responsible for that than me..... Now Mother's Day on the other hand is a different story.... I chose to be a mother.

After my mother died, Mother's Day was a painful reminder of what I had lost, but once Lauren entered my life, Mother's Day took on a whole new meaning. I did not think about what I lost anymore, I thought about what I gained. The opportunity to be a mother to this wonderful little girl, who I thought was the cutest thing I had ever seen in my life. A sediment I shared when both Mark and Katie entered my life.

That being said, being a mom is HARD work, and there is no "snooze" button. I EARN Mother's Day. Which is why I expect on Mother's Day to be pampered and told how wonderful I am. This year did not disappoint.

These were the flowers Rick and Lauren picked out for me.

Lauren brought this letter home from school for me. Although she does say in the letter "Even though you can be mean sometimes I will always love you." Ouch! I am trying to decided if I should be complimented or insulted?

Rick made my favorite dessert, homemade angel food cake.

Trust me on this, once you have had homemade angel food cake, the mix or the store purchased cake taste like cardboard.

Homemade angel food cake, = Yummy!

At Church the primary kids sang two songs, and gave these cute little bouquets of flowers to their mothers.

In our ward, rather than the traditional potted plant, the brethren have become enlighten and pass out chocolates to the mothers. Several years ago it was suggested in Ward Council, by a brother, that we break from the tradition of chocolate and try something different....not really sure if that gentlemen has recovered from the verbal tongue lashing he received by the women in the room. It was made very clear to the men in the ward, the women wanted chocolate, and anything less would result in a revolt, something that should be avoided on Mother's Day.

Finally, a new purse. Rick took Lauren shopping on Saturday to help pick out a gift that I would love and adore. This is what I unwrapped on Sunday, and I LOVE it! It is going to be the perfect purse for the summer, and is sure to contain all sorts of necessary things, like fruit snacks, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, random small toys, and if I am lucky, a tube of lipstick.

Its good to be the mom!

Dinner is served.

Mark, he is a "grilling" man, and I mean that not only in the sense he will ask you 20 questions, but armed with a spatula, and his new apron, he received as a birthday present from Aunt Arianne, he is ready to challenge "papa" for grill superiority.

Grrrrrrrrrr.....

This was yesterday.

8:00 a.m. Wake up, feed children breakfast, bathe children, dress children, comb hair of children, throw on sweats to take children to school. Children delivered to school by 9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. Clean Mark's room, clean Mark's bathroom, Clean Lauren's room, Clean Lauren's bathroom.

9:45 a.m. ME, shower and dress, make my bed.

10:20a.m. Call about getting garage door fixed. Call about changes to phone service. Start a load of laundry.

10:30 a.m. Friend Sue arrives, make cards.

12:00 p.m. Pick up Mark from pre-school along with friend Jason, who is coming to our house for a play date.

12:15 p.m. Feed Mark, Katie and Jason lunch.

12:30p.m. Clean up lunch, empty dishwasher, fill dishwasher, sweep kitchen floor, vacuum rugs in mudroom and kitchen, change laundry and start another load, menu plan for the next week, make a grocery list, and put together birthday gift for a friend.

2:00 p.m. Put Katie down for nap, trim rose hedge in back yard.

3:30 p.m. Answer email for work. (Yeah, the job where they actually pay me!)

4:00 p.m. Lauren home from school, feed her snack, get her ready for dance, gather necessary items for dance, including snacks for Katie and Mark. Change laundry. Deliver birthday present.

4:45 p.m. Leave for Tumbling and Dance.

5:00 p.m. Mark tumbling class. Lauren, Katie and I wait in the cafe at the studio, while Lauren does homework, Katie snacks, and I review cases for work.

6:00 p.m. Lauren dance. Mark, Katie and I go to the grocery store.

7:00 p.m. Pick up Lauren from dance.

7:15 p.m. Arrive home, unload children and groceries. Feed children cold cereal for dinner, (Can you blame me, look a the day I had?) Put away groceries. Clean up from dinner.

8:00 p.m. Tell Lauren to practice piano, watch 20 minutes of American Idol, get PJ's on kids, brush teeth, stories and prayers, children in bed at by 9:00 p.m.

9:00 p.m. Pick up and straighten house, gather up trash, and put trash cans by curb for Thursday pick up. Begin working on cases, ya know for that real job I have where they pay me $$$$$.

1:30 a.m. Go to bed.

This is pretty typical for a Wednesday. (It was a little busier than normal, but not much) Each day has its own schedule which is just about crazy as this one.

Our Relief Society has decided the sisters in our ward need to learn how to do indexing searching for the church's Family Search program. We are expected to learn how to do the searching, and then spend 30 minutes a week completing the work.

Grrrrrrrrrr........in the next life please come visit me, I will be located in the Terrestrial Kingdom.

So what do I do with all those cards?

You may wonder what I do with all those cards I make. Well here is an example. My friend Renee is having a birthday today.

One of my favorite things in whole entire world is a cream cheese sugar cookie from Smart Cookie. You can buy them individually, or by the dozen. (They are cheaper by the dozen). They freeze really well, so if you can control your late night cravings to whip one out of the freezer in order to feed the sugar beast within, they are the perfect thing to keep on hand for when you need a fun treat for a friend. Consider yourself informed.

Cards.

Too much time on my hands.....(I only wish....) I had to take a break from the tolling work of unemployment cases, and engage in some creativity with my neighbor. She bought these cards in the dollar section of Target, and we added our own embellishments. Eight cards and envelopes for a dollar, plus a little time and creativity, and lots of girl talk, equals a fun afternoon.

Build a Bear.

Turning five in our family means your first trip to Build a Bear. We made it extra special with a Mommy & Mark date. I picked up Mark from pre-school, and we went to lunch. Food court at Target, believe me not my choice, HIS. They do have a Pizza Hut with the mini pizzas which is what he wanted. Then it was on to the mall and Build a Bear.

He picked a black bear.

Then he stuffed his bear.

Kissed the bear's heart for good luck.

Washed the bear.

Dressed the bear.

Bear is done, and looks a cute as Mark. One last stop, to name the bear. You can call the bear "Dave," Mark does....

Happy Birthday Mark!

FIVE YEARS. FIVE YEARS. FIVE YEARS.

Can you believe Mark and I have survived each other for five years? I still vividly remember five years ago his little, or rather large baby body in in NICU, struggling to breath. His gasps for air, the dome surrounding his head. Needles, tubes, and cords stuck to his body in all sorts of places. Now look at him, lively and full of fun.

He is a little excited about that pile of presents behind him.

Yes, it was a Thomas party, AGAIN. Although I was allowed to make Percy instead of Thomas, but was told next year I will be making Thomas again. (You will note the cake has a "6" on it. This does not reflect a mistake I made in his age, but rather the number that is on Percy. I considered putting a "5" on because I was afraid years from now someone would think it was his cake for his six year old birthday, however I knew that Mark would notice. Sure enough the first thing he asked prior to seeing his cake was if I put the number six on the cake. I would have been sooooo busted for a "5.")

Good news, same decorations. Probably could have pulled out the same pictures....

At last, THE PRESENTS.

Of course more Thomas stuff was requested. I don't know what I am going to do if he does not grow out of this phase in the next year or so, he has every train, and most of the accessories. I am not sure there is anything left to buy?

Finally cake and ice cream. Both Mommy and Mark agree it was a five star day.

Just a note.

If you are looking for a different idea for visiting teaching in May try this fun journal. I found it in the "dollar" section of my local Michael's craft store. I am going to take it to my sisters along with a copy of the Ensign, conference edition, so they can use the journal as they take notes when reading the conference talks. Small investment, big rewards!

Mommy Rule #1

Rule# 1: Children will only play in the toy room if it is clean.

This is how the toy room looked on Friday night, after I spent about an hour picking up all the toys.

This is how the toy room looked by Sunday night.

Why is it Children only want to play with toys that have been picked up and put away? If the toys are scattered everywhere they have no interest in playing with them. The good news, the hour or so that I spend every 10 days or so picking up the toys, guarantees me at least two days of entertained children.

If you can't brag about your friends, who can you brag about?

Once upon a time in a land known as BYU I met Anne. We both went on Washington Seminar together, and had all sorts of ambitions about avoiding becoming "Molly Mormons" as we were going to conquer the world of politics and put our smarts to good use. Well upon graduation I conquered the land of law school and Anne conquered the land of Arizona, if if you are familiar with the politics in that state, you know that is no small feat.

Eventually in time we both gave in to our inner "Molly Mormon" and got married. As time passed there was a little less conquering in the law/political world, and a little more conquering in the mom world, as small children have forced both of us to tackle dirty diapers, messy houses, toilet training, temper tantrums, and loads of laundry.

But time has not diminished our friendship, and whether it is days, weeks or months since I talked to Anne, when I pick up the telephone it seems just like yesterday.

Well around Lauren's baptism a package arrived in the mail with Anne's return address. I was surprised because I had not been expecting anything. I opened the package and realized it was for Lauren. When Lauren came home from school I allowed her to complete the opening of the package.

This is what the package contained. A quilt. A warm quilt. A comforting quilt. A quilt made by a friend whom I cherish. Lauren loved it. She has slept with it every night since its arrival from Arizona.

She even found fabric with baptism, temples and families. It could not have been more wonderful.

As for me I was speechless. First, that Anne would take the time to make this quilt. I know the demands of her time, because they are like the demands on my time. That she would sacrifice her time to make my daughter happy, speaks to me volumes about the love and friendship we share. Second, I was surprised Anne made it. In college I seemed to be the more domestic of the two of us, but apparently Anne was keeping her talents hidden under a rock, to be pulled out at just the right time to bring a smile to Lauren's face. I guess you can run, but never hide from your inner "Molly Mormon." And that is a good thing.

She is "capped' too.

One capped child was not enough, upon seeing Mark's fine looking cape, Lauren demanded one of her own. So last Friday night for her stay up late night we proceeded to make a cape. Now before all you moms out there start feeling inadequate because you did not "whip" up a cape on Friday night with your child, I will let you in on a little secret....it was easy, and looks a lot more time consuming and difficult than it actually was!

The cape is made from brown felt. I cut it out, the only sewing involved was attaching the collar, other than sewing on the pink poka-dot trim. The flowers I found pre-made at Hobby Lobby, and simply glued them on. Alas one cape! She LOVES it.

From boy to man.

For those of you unfamiliar with Thomas the Tank Engine, he lives in the Island of Sodor with his train friends and has all sorts of adventures as he works the line on the railway conducted by Sir Topham Hatt. In our house the Island of Sodor is located in the basement in the form of two train tables designed to contain the railway. However, I recently noticed the island is shifting...

It began with just a few trains venturing off the island and taking up residence in the family room. I would return the trains to the island at night, but mysteriously the trains would migrate the next day.

Pretty soon trains with tankers, freight cards, coaches, and engines began circling my kitchen floor on a regular basis.

Before I knew it a station "popped" up on my kitchen table, making dinner time a bit of a challenge. Every morning and afternoon as I went about my business in the kitchen/family room area of my home, Mark would be continually re-setting his trains, putting different engines, coaches and freight cars together, while quietly telling the trains a story about what they were doing and where they were going. It was endearing. Thomas the Tank Engine has been Mark's friend and love for two years now. Not a day has gone by the the last two years that he has not been conducting business on the rails. But I am afraid Thomas' time may be short. Mark is getting older, and I know that in time Mark's interest in Thomas will wain, as he finds new toys and stories to love, on par with his developing mind and body. Thomas will not get the daily attention he gets now. It will only be occasionally, until Mark reaches the point that Thomas is for "babies," a day that will bring sadness to my heart as I pack up the Thomas trains, and put them away for when Mark is much older and wants to recapture his youth.

Until then Thomas may inhabit my kitchen table, my kitchen floor, my family room, because I want to enjoy the remaining few moments of my little boy, before he becomes a man.

Spring Break?

Last week was spring break from school and all other activities, such as dance. Spring break is always welcome, its warm, the kids can play outside, we can take walks, we can ride trikes and scooters, and with daylight savings time in full force, it does not even get dark until after 7:00 p.m. What's not to love?

Meet spring break 2009. This is what we awoke to on April 16, 2009, a foot of snow. No warm weather, no playing in the yard, no riding trikes or scooters. However plenty of driveway and sidewalk shoveling.... Could somebody please send Al Gore to my house, I am not sure I understand global warming??

Just like McDonalds, only sanitary.

What do you bring the girl who already has every toy conceivable thanks to an older sister and brother, and overly indulgent parents. This was the question the Easter Bunny had to ponder.

The answer came in the form of an inflatable swimming pool that rather than filled with water, was filled with plastic colored balls. Katie, who is currently ball obsessed, thought that it was quite an indulgence.

Her sister and brother also seemed to be enjoying Katie's new toy.

They like to bury themselves in the balls, after running full speed into the pool diving head first into the balls. I have to say I had some concerns about the balls staying in the pool, but both Mark and Katie have been really good about picking up balls that go astray.


For those of you wondering, the pool is filled with 600 plastic balls. I must say you need a rather large space if you see this toy in your future. At the moment it is located in my family room, but in a day or two it will be relocated to the basement, to join all the other toys, whose home is below ground. Finally, I have to confess, the ball pit is really fun. I got in it with Katie and Mark and we were giggling non stop at all the fun things we could do with the balls. Who knew?