Cub Scout Day Camp Den Leader Info

So Cub Scout Day Camp is here again!  I've mostly served as a Den Leader and love this job so that's what I'm doing again.  I took a few notes from years past and hope this is helpful to new den leaders.

 

Each den leader is responsible for about 8 boys.  You need to contact them the week before to let them know a few things (below) and to find out if there are any allergies or behavioral issues you need to be aware of.

 

1. Cubs need to wear their camp shirt everyday (they will receive it on the first day of camp)

2. Cubs also need to wear close toed tennis shoes.  Yes, they will get wet and muddy!

3. Each boy needs a lunch packed in a gallon zip lock bag with their Den Color and Number on it (den leaders should have received an email with this information and need to phone each cub to let them know as well).  Nothing from lunch can be saved and don't pack too much- the boys aren't very hungry in all that heat.  Please don't pack soda or too many sugary treats for them.

(There is more info but they will email it to you!:)

 

Den Leaders take home all of the boys cups and neckerchiefs each night for washing!  If you want to make them really happy, get the neckerchiefs wet and stick them in your freezer for a cool surprise the next day.  :)

 

Den Leaders also need to bring a wagon decked out with PVC pipe (or some other creative building stuff) so that they can carry around  papers, beads, ribbons, their Den Flag (which you will be decorating together at camp) and of course the boys' cups!  Lots of examples below.  It's nice to have some sort of bin inside your wagon too.

 

 

 

 

As a Den Leader, you will be rewarding your boys with beads many times everyday.  Make sure to reward them for drinking and going to the bathroom (with a buddy of course), helping out, being friendly, etc...

 

I use a bead organizing box and write each boys' name on the outside so I can throw his beads in there.  Then when we are back at our den table the boys can put their beads on their lanyards.  I like to have a fishing bobber thingy on the end of each lanyard to keep the beads in place.  Day Camp provides regular beads but you may want to buy some special ones of your own.

 

 

Mostly have fun with these adorable boys!  They are so sweet and Cub Camp is just a great opportunity for them!  

It's May?

Seriously time flies.  I looked at my blog and could not believe I hadn't posted in well over 3 months!  So obviously things have been busy here.  But mostly good.  It has been such a beautiful spring and the weather is actually still not too hot!  More later...

Bubbles

Does this make anyone else happy?

Happy Happy

Yep another birthday has come and gone!  Really I'm mostly grumpy about getting older b/c I can't jump on the trampoline or do backwalkovers or beat my kids in a race.... easily.  But really things aren't too bad and it's sure nice to have family and friends remember my special day with kind words and gifts.  Definitely feeling loved at the beginning of year 39.  :)  LYCath

Amazing

So last month right at the start of December when I found myself complaining nonstop about how busy I was I decided to be in a musical.  ha!  First time in almost 20 years!  Yikes that makes me feel old.  A friend of mine is starting an amateur theater group here in Katy.  I have a soft spot for this type of venture because I have so many wonderful memories of my own family being participating in community productions. 

So I jumped in and truth be told it made Decembe super crazy.  Curtis took it like a man and held down the fort while I left several times a week for hours and hours!  Daniel chose to be in the children's chorus so he got to come to a lot of the practices.  I have to admit that practices were an absolute blast and I began to really look forward to them.  I didn't know about half of the cast- almost all were members of my church but from various congregations.  There was also the cutest English couple who are not LDS and it took them awhile to figure out that they were hugely in the minority! 

Being in a play is such a unique experience- I wish everyone could do it at least once.  That same cute English couple said that back home amateur theater is very popular and many people are in a few productions each year!  I love that!  Why is it that here you only get to do fun stuff if you are super star talented or a kid?!  So annoying.  Annnyway- I have discovered that my brain is not as nimble as it was when I was a teenager (or maybe it's just too full of other stuff now- yeah that) but I really had to work at learning the words, harmony and choreography.  That work paid off though and it was so rewarding to be a part of such a fun show!  I had never even heard the music from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" before. I have to say that I have watched the Donny Osmond version and ours is seriously better. :)

Our final performance was last night and we all felt a little blue about it ending.  I just adore the entire cast and had so much fun working with and getting to know them.  Daniel loved it too and says he definitely wants to do another show.  I feel a little bit changed by this.  I'm just reminded that I should remember to do things that I love and not just clean toilets and yell at kids all day.

 

Happiness?

Happy 2013!  Can't believe another year is beginning.  I used to make long lists of goals each year and then spend months feeling guilty that I couldn't keep up with it all.  So this year I have one goal- stop using mean words.  Whether it's when I'm driving or reading the news or breaking up a brawl between my kids.  No more "moron, idiot, etc..."  Pathetic right?  I should've had this one down years ago!  But here goes.  Wish me luck!

I'm feeling strangely optimistic about the future right now.  Probably in part because of a book I've been reading.  It's called "Abundance" and the premise is that humans tend to focus on the negative and assume bad things are coming.  But if you really look at the technology and general good will that is out there you will actually feel quite optimistic about the future.  And I do.  There are so many good people in the world and we need to give them all a little more attention (and less to reality stars and criminals- b/c what's more depressing than those people!)

I hear a lot of talk about happiness and how we can get there.  I was talking this over with a good friend of mine recently and we both agreed that expectations have a huge impact on our happiness.  I came up with an analogy:

One day you are running around, super busy and barely have time to eat.  You finally make it home and know you will have to settle for a bowl of cereal.  But to your surprise, your family has cooked up some pasta and fresh parmesan and even a little steamed broccoli.  You are SO thankful and enjoy every bite of the delicious meal.

But then a few days later you are again busy with life and looking forward to mealtime b/c your family is having New York Strip Steaks with homemade mashed potatoes and steamed green beans!  Yum!  But when you get home you realize you forgot to thaw the steaks and it's too late to start the potatoes.  So you decide to whip up some pasta and parmesan and frozen broccoli.  Everyone is so disappointed and complains bitterly about the lame meal.

So... same exact meal but very different responses.  (I used these examples for my boys b/c we've had both situations happen and they "got it")  I think life is a lot of like this and if you are always expecting so much from everyone around you or just from life in general then you will probably spend a lot of time being disappointed.  It's a little bit reminiscent of my college roommates' and my "hell theory."  Came up with it when we all lived together and basically it meant that we would just expect hell and be pleasantly surprised if anything better happened.  ha!  Decided to give that one up after a few years b/c it seemed a little negative.  But there is some truth there.  When I talk to my boys I realize that they are literally expecting: fun, new toys, fun playdates, gametime, yummy food, fun movies..... EVERY DAY!!!  And sometimes I get pulled in and run around trying to make that happen for them.  wha?

Of course I do this too when I expect so much from friends, family, my husband, etc...  it's like I want everyday to just be amazing.  And not only is that never going to happed but I wouldn't want it to.  Someone posted this quote on facebook the other day and I remembered how much it touched me when I first heard it:

And I DON'T think the message here is to "settle."  But it's more to appreciate and focus on all that is good and enjoy small things.  Pulled out my "One Thousand Gifts" list again and started adding to it.  There is so much beauty and goodness all around.  I'm hoping to give it all lots more attention in 2013.

Paper Piecing

So an awesome lady in my church has been teaching several of us to sew.  Last spring she showed us paper piecing.  I always wondered how people got interesting designs in their quilts and pillow.  Now I know the secret.  It's time consuming but actually really fun.  I went through my stash and put some fun fabric together:

So here's the start of my square.  I've actually finished the square and now I just have to decide what to do with it because I'm not making 12 more... :)

Defying Gravity

So several months ago I was really noticing the sun damage on my skin and some brand new wrinkles.  arghh!  My mom and sisters have great skin. Even my mother-in-law does.  So I thought I just would too.  But it wasn't happening.  I started looking around at skin care products, bought a few, kept using them even though they were nothing special.  I have been worried for awhile b/c I am in the sun all the time with the kids, but almost every kind of sunscreen makes me break out so I rarely wear it on my face. 

Anyway, my good friend here told me about some products made by the docs who created  Proactive.  They started a new company called Rodan &Fields and are targeting the anti-age industry.  The products are amazeballs!  I noticed a difference almost immediately.  My skin looks brighter and more even.  A huge bonus is that the daily cream (with spf) doesn't bother my skin AT ALL!!  yea! And it's so light- I seriously look forward to putting it on.  The little daily regimen feels awesome!!  And everyone knows that I'm super low maintenance... so that's sayin' somthin'!

So why didn't I just become a happy customer and leave it at that?  I mean between homeschool, regular school for the other boys and trying to make sure Lucy isn't raised by Dora... I'm pretty swamped.  Being a Cub Den Leader and running several times a week and that part about eating and laundry- there's more but you all know the drill.  Life is busy!!

But when I heard that this company just went direct (it was the #1 clinical skincare @ Nordstroms) in 2009- right after the worst economic times our country has seen in decades and that they are now doing more business in a month than in a year at Nordstrom.... I was interested.  And they haven't even hit their business momentum yet.  And then when I heard that there were only 15-20K reps in the USA as opposed to 2 million Mary Kay or 1 million Arbonne... well then I was really interested because I have read that with direct marketing timing is critical.  I mean as long as you have a good product with good financial backing (Hello? Proactive- $8 billion company!!) then getting into the biz early is an incredible opportunity.

I was still not sold though- because I'm not a salesy person.  At. All.  Although I do admit to selling pest control for a summer during college.  But seriously here was my door approach: "Hi, we have  deal going on for our service.  If you're interested I could send someone by.  If not (already off the porch) have a good one."  I was the suckiest suck that ever sucked.  But I actually didn't do badly.  Because it was a product that many people wanted.  And I'm seeing the same for this company.  People are interested b/c the biz model works and the products are awesome


When I heard that all the Rodan &Fields products are backed with a 60 day empty bottle guarantee and the same goes for consulting I thought, what the heck?  I'll give it a go for 60 days and if I hate it I'll get my $$ back.  So I jumped in.  My two months is almost up.  And I've earned back my inital investment (bought one of each product just to have them to loan out and show) and I won an ipad.  sa-weet!  The ipad incentive goes on through the end of this year.

Anyway, now that I have the biz basics down, the time for doing the job is very reasonable.  And all the women I'm working with are having the same success, some lots more!  It's not just these super lucky people way above me that are doing well- it's my peeps!  They're paying off student loans, covering the grocery bill and even the mortgage.  In part time from home with hours they choose.  Oh and it's not a party company (you do one launch at the beginning to get the word out- this event is actually super fun) but really you rely on word of mouth.  And that's what's working for people.  And you don't stock inventory so you'll never be stuck with a bunch of stuff you don't want. 

I mean, really I think these docs just took direct marketing and tried to remove everything people hate about it.  And the products rock: anti-age, sun damage, adult acne and soothe (for irritated skin).  So there it is.  That's why I haven't sewed anything new in 2 months, it's why my blog has been neglected and it's why I can't tell you about any recent celebrity gossip!!!  I don't know if K-Stew and R-Patz have worked things out but I can tell you that this month the anti age serum comes free with the purchase of the anti-age regimen.  And that serum is like butta.  :)  If you read to the end of this post- thanks for listening to me go on and on!  I'm just pretty dang excited about it all! 

                                           (Don't I look all serious and professional??)

My new favorite Salsa

We were having fajitas the other night and had no salsa so I thought I would make some.  I've been using Pioneer Woman's recipe for awhile and like it pretty well.  I had some red pepper and onions cooking on the stove for the fajitas and didn't feel like chopping up more onion so I just added some of the sauteed onion/pepper to the salsa.  Okay. Yum. 

Here's the recipe:  You may want to just drink it with a straw

1 can rotel (tomoatoes & green chilis- I had never heard of this before moving to TX)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/2 jalapano (wait till it's a bit red b/c I'm wimpy)
Juice from 1 lime

1/2 large onion
1/2 red pepper
saute in 2 tsp oil for 20 minutes

1/2 bunch cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

I just throw all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  So yummy on fajitas, or as dip for corn tacos with beans & cheese or with eggs and chopped tortillas.  I could live on Mexican. Oh.... and... we have lemons!! 

Happy Halloween!!

HBDC

 

We celebrated Curt's 44th Birthday last month with a cake reminiscent of one of Homer's donuts.  yumm!  Can't believe how quickly time flies!  Doesn't it just feel like you were 25 a few minutes ago?  My 20 year high school reunion is coming up next summer and just cannot believe it!  I know it's all been said before but I just think people who are going to their 20th reunion are older than me...

I've been looking back through some old photos and getting all nostalgic.  I have so many great memories of growing up in Michigan: beautiful fall weather and trips to the apple orchards, sledding and ice skating in the winter, playing jailbreak with my neighborhood friends, being a lacrosse groupie, playing soccer and participating in so many plays and choirs. 

When I had to move to a new school my junior year of high school I thought my life had ended.  It was the worst to leave all of my best friends.  I really loved growing up in Union Lake and was very happy at Walled Lake Central.  Being the new girl in Birmingham was not fun.  Especially the part where I had to take gym with all the freshman and a few other classes where I was the oldest one.  arghh!  Torture.  But the good news is that I probably learned empathy and humility.  But I also  met some amazing people there and made so many great memories and now I have two groups of friends I am looking forward to seeing next summer.  :)


So here's to one more year with my bff. We spoiled him a lot on his special day. Yep- the boys are giving him a massage and you bet- that's a picachu pinata in the background. We also had a kid-free party with some good friends. Curtis requested his favorite english dinner: Ribeye Roast, Yorkshire Pudding, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. Then we did all of Curt's favorite things: played cards, played guitars and played games in the pool. Love that guy...

Echino Panel Quilt

Still loving Echino Fabrics.  Can't resist those colors!  I made this quilt in the spring for my sister-in-law as a little lap blanket.  It actually went really fast.  I don't know if it's the fact that it's fall or the kiddos are back in school but I am in the MOOD to sew!  I also went to a Matilda Jane party the other day.  Wow- some of it is a bit fluffy for me but some of it is a.dorable.  It made me wanna dip into my fabric stash and make some fun stuff for Lucy.

Blankets, skirts, dresses... wish I knew how to make little under knickers for Lucy to wear with her dresses and skirts.  I'll look into that.  Several of my sewing buddies have moved away :( but I know there are lots more friends here to sew with. 

I'm so thankful to my mom for teaching me to sew.  I used to make these awful little skirts out of random fabric she had.  They weren't very fashionable but they did teach me how to hem and do an elastic band and once you know that you can do so many things. 

I keep wanting to make those cute crayon holders or maybe a little bag for Lucy.  I saw this cutest horse-shaped purse at Katy Budget Books today!  I'm not pregnant so I think it must be the fact that school is back in session.  Let the sewing begin!:)

School

So since before we even had children Curtis and I often talked about homeschool.  We've always been attracted to the idea that our kids could have a better education, less exposure to bad behavior/words/etc, more exercise and extracurriculars... 

But as each of the boys has entered kindergarten we felt great about sending them.  And for the most part, our public school experience has been wonderful.  (Texas attendance laws notwithstanding!)  The boys like the structure and have fun seeing their friends.  We are pretty fortunate here in Katy to have a strong school disctrict.  But we've always told our kids that we are open to the idea of homeschool and if they are interested to let us know. 

So Jonah entered Junior High last year and overall had a great year.  His grades were good and he worked hard.  But I could tell that Junior High was definitely not as enjoyable for him as elementary.  If there were any year of school that I would seriously consider homeschool it would be junior high.  I think of all the years of a person's life these are often the most difficult and confusing.  And I am amazed at the number of adults who seem to still define themselves by the way they were perceived in Junior High.  As everyone who has attended knows, it can be brutal...

Anway he has been asking for several months now if I would homeschool him for a year of two.  I kept saying no because frankly I was really excited about having some mommy time this year.  Lucy is doing preschool two days a week which would mean temple trips, shopping and lunch with girlfriends and long days to get LOTS done around the house.  Glorious.  Then I thought that maybe he was just hoping for some extra video game time.  But I made it clear vids would be off limits during the day and still he persisted.  arghh!  It was then that I started to realize this could really be an amazing opportunity.  We could just enjoy some one-on-one time together- which is such a gift b/c I know that once he's in high school I'll barely get to see him.  I was also looking forward to scripture study and service together.  We're also planning to be exercise buddies. 

So I finally agreed and was planning to do K12 because I just wanted to something easy and online.  But at the last minute I've decided to do my own curriculum. I am so excited about it. Nothing too revolutionary.  Saxon for math, Apologiea for science and the one I'm really stoked about: Sonlight for History/Geography & Literature.  Sonlight is so up Jonah's alley. We will be reading 45 books this year!!  (He read 4 last year for school :O)  This curriculum uses historical fiction and non-fiction to teach these subjects.  Here's an excerpt from the overview:

This study answers real-life questions such as: Where did the Greeks come from? How did Western history progress during the so-called Dark Ages? How did the Renaissance pave the way for the Protestant Reformation? How was Asia growing and changing during this time? Why did Colonial powers conquer so much of the world? What tensions led to the explosion of two world wars?

I am SO excited!! 

I remember detesting history when I was in school.  But then as I got older I realized how facinating and relevant it all was.  How did my school teachers manage to take such a great subject and turn it into torture?  I'm hopeful this curriculum can make Jonah's experience better.

I sort of hate talking homeschool with most people because everyone has an opinion.  If they do it they want you to do it and if they don't, you are weird for considering it.  Several people have asked about socialization.  Dude- I am not concerned about that at all. I mean how many awkward anti-social people do you know who went through 13 years of public schools? I think parents are a much better indicator of socialization than where they child is schooled. 

So we will see how it all goes.  I'd love it if somehow I could have a year or two with each of my kids.  One-on-one time is so precious.  Curtis and I always comment on how much we love to be with just one of the kids. It's when they're together that they drive us crazy! :O

Wish us luck.

Morning Glory

I hope I don't regret planting this.  I know it can be so invasive but I am trying to get some privacy from our neighbors and thought an arbor would work well. Then I just couldn't resist the beauiful Heavenly Blue variety of Morning Glory.  It grows like 10 inches/day and I love the leaves.  Hopefully it will bloom in the fall or spring.  I love plants.  The back yard is my escape when the kids get too noisy.  :)

 

I can't believe school starts next week.  The end of summer had flown.  Overall it's been good.  I still can't decide if my "summer school" efforts are worth all the contention they bring.  But seriously I don't think that an hour or two of work each day is too much to ask.  Here's what we tried to do:

 

 

One Math Worksheet

Write in a journal (this was usually only one sentence btw!)

Practice Geography with the globe

Practice piano for 15 minutes

Play the typing game on the computre

Read one Scripture

Do a Chore

Read (this one is easy)

Exercise (We usually swim everyday so this is a no brainer)

Do one Good Deed

 

We really only did it for probably 7 weeks of the summer and we are taking this week off.  I know the boys actually enjoy doing most of the things on that list. Really only one of my kiddos gave me trouble with it so I guess I shouldn't judge the whole experience on one person.  But isn't that so easy to do?!  Just talked to my mom recently and she reminded me of great advice for mothers.  Don't tie your happiness to your children's happiness.  Especially if you have several kids.  I mean someone is always going to be down about something and you cannot take all the negativity in the whole household and claim it.  But dang it's easy to do. 

 

Anyway school will bring some postive changes.  Both Isaac and Daniel are excited about their teachers next year and looking forward to seeing their friends again.  Lucy will be in preschool 2 days/week and we are doing a fun playgroup one other day of the week.  I'm homeschooling Jonah with the K12 program.  Pretty nervous about it but it feels right and I am looking forward to lots of quality time with him. 

 

Okay Lucy needs some attention.  :)

 

 

 

South Dakota Road Trip

Well we survived the big summer road trip.  22 hours each way to Custer National Park.  We have always wanted to visit and finally made it happen.  It was such a beautiful place!  We saw buffalo, prairie dogs, elk, deer and of course Mount Rushmore.  I think the kids enjoyed it although Lucy pretty much asked to go "back to Texas" everday.  :)  The boys had a lot of fun playing on all the huge rocks in the area and even took a swim in icy Sylvan Lake. 

One night we drove to Keystone and did all the touristy stuff we never do.  Watched an old west gunfight, had old fashioned family pics taken, bought pointless souveniers and ate lots of ice cream.  It was actually a lot of fun. 

At our campside one night we went on a wagon ride, singing songs the whole way and had dinner and dancing in a valley.  We had all been a little grumpy with eachother and it was just what we needed.  Of course I will never forget this night because at some point the gentleman in charge asked any man with a lovely wife to come up front.  No one did and then... up jumps Curtis.  A bunch of other guys followed and they all did their best Elvis impressions.  That would NOT have happened 5 years ago.  Yes it's on film.  No I can't post it because he'd pretty much kill me.  :O

These kinds of family trips are not cheap, exhausting and sometimes I wonder if it's worth the trouble.  But I'm realizing that even if the boys are having full on fist fights in the back of the car, they're also creating memories.  Hopefully as times goes by they'll just remember the good stuff.  :) 

We took 3 days to drive up and had planned to do the same on the way back but we were just sick of driving, staying in cramped hotels and eating junky food so we did the last 18 hours straight.  zowie!  The tools that helped us to survive were: sunflower seeds, Coke, Mike N Ikes, puffy Cheetoes and oh that 5 hour energy totally worked for me.  :)  We also listened to the first two Artemis Fowl books and thoroughly enjoyed them. 

I was surprised to realize as we rode into Texas that I really was happy to be back.  I complain about how ugly it is but it's downright beauiful when compared to Kansas & Nebraska.  We were worried about our trees dying while we were gone but it actually poured the whole time so everything looked so green and vibrant.  We crashed the next day and are finally back into a nice summer routine.  It's good to be home.

Love from Michigan

We've had some great family time this summer with the Goddards.  Can't believe how grown up everyone is getting.  I have such clear memories of rocking Josh to sleep, putting up with Sam's foot fettish, listening to them play super hero games and lots and lots of laughing.  Two of the cutest, funniest boys ever!!  It was also great for our boys to get to know Abby & Noah better and Lucy mostly tormented Josie but I see a future for those two! 

Had a fun date night with Lisa & Paul at Taste of Texas and Cavenders.  I cannot remember the joke here but it was really funny!  (Aren't I a uesless blogger?)

More NYC, blah blah blah

I have to record a little more of New York, for posterity's sake and all. :) We flew in on Thursday afternoon, dropped off our luggage at our man-pee-smelling-hotel-room (we complained but to no avail- good thing we're all used to living with boys) and headed straight for Times Square. What a spectacle. I've seen it in so many movies but it was really amazing to be there. We saw Captain Underpants in cowboy boots with a guitar. We took a pic with Spidy and laughed at the shameless signs some panhandlers were holding (I'll just be honest- I need money for weed)! We couldn't decide what show to see so we asked a guy on the street. He said he had just seen "Memphis" and it was awesome. So we bought the tickets and had just enough time for Margharita pizza and caesar salad before the show. I didn't realize the theaters were so small and it was amazing to be so close. Somehow I ended up sitting behind a woman with the biggest head in the world- good thing my girlfriends didn't mind me snuggling up to them so I could see over that cranium!

Oh wait and I forgot to say that when we landed at the airport and were waiting for our luggage (because I brought the biggest suitcase known to man!) a random guy asked if we needed a ride. I was in the process of saying yes when my girlfriends said, "um no." So we probably wouldn't have ended up in a ditch but he may have charged us an obscene amount. My girlfriends showed me the line where people wait for respectable cabs. phew! Then I left my wallet in the cab- luckily Karen saw it there and grabbed it! I had to text Curtis right away and tell him to rest assured. I had almost had us kidnapped and lost my wallet within the first hour! I'm such country folk!

The next day we saw the Statue of Liberty, visited Ellis Island, the 9/11 Memorial, ate at Little Italy and checked out the Empire State Building. The weather was perfect! Ellis Island was my favorite. The only thing I knew about it was from that scene in "Hitch." :) The murals with pictures of immigrants, their stories and clothing, musical instruments, poetry made it all come to life. I found myself teary eyed through most of it. I didn't realize that the place had been abandoned for many years before it was turned into a museum. I would definitely recommend fitting a trip in if you are in NYC. Oh and we had this super long wait to get back on the ferry. There was a beautiful field right there so Jen and I played a game of smash ball. We felt like a bit of a spectacle b/c all the bored line people where just watching but mostly we didn't care because it was just so fun to play. (Did I tell you that I love playing games and one of the lamest things about being an adult is how little you still get to play games?!?) Later on the ferry some guy came up and asked me who won. :)

Friday was such a long day that I was a little nervous about Saturday's race. We did drink like maniacs to keep hydrated (hence a visit to almost every bathroom in the city!!). We survived the race and afterwards this awesome band was singing some Stevie Wonder. There were robot people and drag queens dancing and we had to join in. It took a long time for us to figure out how to get home but we finally took the subway and ended up right at "The Shake Shack." Excellent burgers and fries!! I was toast by this time and we soon headed home for long naps and showers. ahhh!

Saturday night we ventured out for some shopping (they have H&M in NYC!) and ate at "Serendipity." We also headed back to Little Italy to get dessert at "Ferraros." I think I loved it more than any of the other girls. I got a Lobster Tail which is basically a pastry filled with cream. aw yeah.

Sunday we packed up and headed to midtown for church. Okay so I only ever look at a couple of blogs of people I don't know. One of them is "natthefatrat." I just think she's cute and love her writing style. Actually she reminds me of my old pal from Michigan, Mary. :O Anyway, we were on the elevator up to the chapel (it's actually above the temple in NYC), the doors opened and she was the first person I saw. I couldn't help staring for a minute and then I just told her as I walked by that I knew her from her blog. See- I'm not a real New Yorker. Can't be cool even with a blogger! We only stayed at church for the sacrament and the headed off to Central Park, walked through Rockefeller Square, met a crime Lord, froze to death while eating lunch (weather took a turn for the worse and these Texans were not prepared), and finally headed back to our hotel to catch a cab.

One thing that I really liked about New York was how friendly everyone was. Many people offered to take pictures of us and we chatted with dozens of people (usually asking directions). We met this cute New Jersey couple outside of "Memphis" and then we were saying "sqy-rirrel" with an NJ accent and they loved it. We took pics for them and them of us and then we talked about the city. Another guy was helping buy our subway passes and somehow it came out that we were Mormon. Jen made sure to clarify that we are Christians too. Love hanging out with that girl! One time on the subway this cute group on teenage boys saw us taking pics and asked us to take one of them. They told us they were a basketball team and were gonna be famous someday. As we were leaving the Empire State Building a guy said good-bye and I smiled. He said "You have a beautiful smile!" That just doesn't happen to me often in Katy. :) We had a long talk with a vendor on the street who is a Russin Jew. We saw some gay guys hit on a straight guy and watched him get really angry about it. We ran into a friend from Texas- in our own hotel no less!! weird. Once a car drove by and the driver was yelling at the top of his lungs in this awesome east coast accent! The cab driver who took us to the race kept asking me to GPS it on my phone. He did not know how to get there and my phone is just a lame flip phone. We were a little worried about that but he did get us there on time. On the ride to the airport I sat in front with the cab driver. He seemed sort of down on life and so I mostly listened. He told me he hated the hectic life in New York and that he was disgusted with the leaders in the country. He also said he believes that anyone who has made a million dollars has done something wrong. Interesting :O

So many seriously colorful characters. Oh and it was also interesting that on the streets half the people were speaking a language besides English- such a melting pot! I loved noticing everyone's clothes: lots of ankle boots and thick tights and scarves (stuff we don't get to use much in TX). I really would love to go back. It's an awesome girls trip!

Tackle?

So I am surrounded by tackle football fans here in Texas.  Not that there's anything wrong with that- it's just not my favorite sport.  All of our boys have played a little flag football and that is a lot of fun. But now the playground peer pressure has kicked in Daniel and Isaac think flag is for babies!  arghh!!  They both really want to play tackle in the fall. 

I can talk Isaac out of it because he has a few friends whose parents aren't tackle fans and that will make the pill easier to swallow.  But in Daniel's grade, everyone plays tackle.   Serioulsy.  And they are all together on a few teams and Daniel wants to be a part of it SO badly.  The problem is that 1) he's not a strong player and I worry that it's going to be an overall negative experience for him and 2) it's a dangerous sport and I don't WANT HIM to be a football player!!  I mean does anyone notice that half of the pro players have alzheimers in their 40's?!?  Not to mention the thug culture that surrounds the sport? 

I've been sweating it for months and am out of time.  Football starts in August and I've already missed early registration.  The truth is that I know my answer.  It's no.  Deal with it.  But I also know that the fallout from that answer will be ugly.  And long.  And my boys already complain constantly about the fact that we're the only ones who a) don't do sleepovers, b) go to church every Sunday and c) don't go to birthday parties and other fun events on Sundays.  Do I really need to give them another reason to think they're parents are ruining their lives?!

Sometimes I just want to return to the days when my biggest problem was deciding what to wear to school. 

Stay Green

I found something useful on pinterest!  Mostly it just makes me want to diet while eating brownies and dying my hair.  But this green smoothie recipe rocks.  It has peanut butter in it which sounded awful to me but even Curtis likes it (and he is not a PB guy).  The boys hate it.  Isaac said it tastes "...like bread."  whatever.  I've tweaked it a bit and it's an awesome way to start the day and get your greens!

My buddy here kept talking about green smoothies and I thought they just sounded wrong.  She finally had to come over and make me drink one.  I really do like them.  The kids are on and off.  If I make them yummy with lots of pineapple/orange and banana then they'll drink it.  Anyway, here's the PB recipe if you're feeling brave. 

1 banana

1 scoop yogurt (I like greek plain)

1 Tbsp peanut butter (more or less as you like it)

1 tsp honey or agave (you need to sweeten the plain yogurt taste)

2 tsp flax, maybe more- I just sprinkle it in

1 scoop protein powder

4-5 cups greens (spinach, kale and chard)

2 cups ice

1/2 cup water

I don't like it too thick so sometimes I add a little more water.  Curtis likes it thick.  The end.