Skinner Stuff

My little Picasso

2009-06-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

I love kid drawings. They make me so happy. Luckily, my kids love to make drawings for me (well the girls still love it, the boys are too cool for that kind of baby stuff any more) so there are pictures all over my house all of the time. I especially love seeing the progression in skills and tendencies as the kids grow.

I scanned in a couple of pictures that Mya has made for me over the past 6 months. They are in chronological order. I love that we start with just the basic stick figure with eyes and not much else, then we add a little hair and some shoes, and finally we progress into clothing and more defined features. I just think it is adorable.

Also, I wanted to note that in the last picture, you will notice that Logan and Mya have nice big smiles, and mom has a sort of grimace. I wonder if that was an accident.....

Family Night at Temple Square

2009-04-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

2009-04-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

I believe I have the most stubborn 3 year old in the whole world. The other day we were all leaving the house to go somewhere, and I attempted to get Mya dressed in something other than a fairy princess dress (my first mistake) and apparently the pants I chose for her were somehow offensive and she refused to put them on. Now I dont want to reveal too many details of my pathetic homemaking skills, so lets just say that these pants were our only laundry option. I started out trying to convince her to put them on by pointing out the cute ruffles and the heart embroidered on the butt.....nothing. I then moved to threatening ( idle threats of course) to leave her home while the rest of us went out. She seemed to prefer that option to the pants. Finally, we just had to physically force the pants on her. And let me tell you, it was not as easy as it may sound. That little girl has some amazing strength when she wants to. It took Rollin and me several minutes and several attempts to put those pants on her. Anyone looking in the window might have felt impressed to call child services. She screamed bloody murder the whole time, in fact, she sounded like a alley cat in the middle of a fight. We just could not help but laugh because it was so ridiculous and she was fighting so hard. She cried all the way to our activity and refused to get out of the car for about 10 minutes until she had calmed down. The best part was, later that night after I put on her pull-up for bed, she wanted me to put her pants back on, because now she loves them.

Last night, Logan's 2nd grade class had a program. As you can tell, they love America! It was such a cute little program, it reminded me of programs I used to do when I was in school: Patriotic quotes and facts, essays on "Why I love America," and all the great songs we all remember from elementary school....You're a grand old flag, Yankee Doodle, The 50 states song, etc. The kids wore flag neckerchiefs and hats (they all looked like they were working at the soda fountain) and there were props and bells and the whole shebang. It was short and sweet and very cute.

Way to go Logan!

Photo Tag

2009-04-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks Brit for an excuse to do a blog entry.

Anyone who wants to join in the fun is tagged! (I am not sure that 6 people even read my blog.)

PHOTO TAG

1. Go to your picture folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.

2. Go to your 6th folder and then choose the 6th picture.

3. Post it on your blog and then tell the story that goes with the picture.

4. Tag 6 other lucky people to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog telling them about it.

Logan and Mya enjoying the Salt Lake Bees baseball game Summer 2007.

Draper Temple

2009-03-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the older kids and I had the opportunity to attend the temple dedication for the Draper Temple. It was so nice. We were in our seats for about an hour before the dedication began, and it was just like sitting in the chapel at the temple. Everyone was so quiet and there was lovely music playing and the spirit was just so amazing. There was a slide show playing with pictures of the various rooms in the temple and they look so lovely. There was a flower that was a continuing theme in the decor which I did not recognize, does anyone know what it is? I wondered if it was the Sego Lily, the Utah state flower. I am sure they explained it at the open house, but we were slackers and did not go.

The dedication meeting itself was amazing. The speakers did such a great job of talking about the importance of temples. President Monson was his usual cute and funny self and his dedicatory prayer was just wonderful and brought some tears to my eyes. I think the kids were a bit bored, but I had a good time so that is all that matters, right?

Beautiful Nature

2009-02-25T10:05:00.001-08:00

One of my truck driver applicants sent me a couple of lovely pictures that he took around his home in Nevada. I just thought they were so nice, I would share them with all my bloggy friends.

Arent those nice? I am determined to learn how to take pictures that well. Anyone know of any classes?

Who doesnt love blog fun and games?

2009-02-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

Look at these fun crafts. Dont they look cool? And not too hard for the craftily challenged? That's exactly what I thought! I am going to make some, maybe one, maybe all, but definitely some. Want to win one of my attempts at one of these (or maybe different) crafts? Well, you can!!!

I have recently stumbled upon a great new bloggy bit o' fun in which bloggers, like me and you, give away a gift of some sort to a bloggy friend, with the understanding that the bloggy friend then has to do the same thing. Is that exciting or what? I thought so too!

So here is the deal, the first 3 people to leave a comment telling me just how cool you think I am, will win!! But remember, you then have to promise to "blog it forward" and do the same on your blog. Don't worry though, you don't have to make something or try your hand at crafts, you can just buy something.

Ok then.....GO!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

2009-02-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

It is my favorite time of year. Not because it is winter...blech. Not because it is Valentine's Day....sappy. Not because Spring is right around the corner....not soon enough. No, it is my favorite time of year because the library is having its Reader's Choice contest!!!! I know I am a dork, but I seriously get giddy with joy when I walk into the library and see that the new reader's choice books are out. I love reading, but I dont like taking a chance on reading a book I know nothing about which has not been recommended to me, which means that often I have no idea what to read and that makes me so sad. :( So this is the perfect solution....25 books that have been recommeded! (Even if the recommendation comes from some unnamed body of librarians or patrons, I am not picky.) :)

It has been my goal to try and read all 25 choices this year, and I have been making some pretty good progress (and ignoring my house and my family in the process.) This blog seemed like a good forum to tell you about a couple of the books that I have read and what I thought of them. And there will even be pictures!!!!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This was a really good book. Written in the form of letters, epistolary is the technical term. So cute and also a little sad, but then happy!!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

I also liked this book. It is told from a dog's perspective, and very well written.

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent

It is like Pride and Prejudice squished together with a little Harry Potter...the best of both worlds. I liked it a lot.

So I have read several more, but these are my 3 favorite so far. I will keep you all updated as to my progress and my critiques. I am sure you will all be waiting with bated breath!

The month of 100%

2009-02-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

This month my work is sponsoring a contest called "The Pedometer Challenge." Anyone who wanted to participate could sign up in teams of 5 to walk to San Diego in the next month. We were given a free pedometer, and the goal is to walk 9000 steps a day in order to make it, figuratively of course, to San Diego be the end of the month. Those participating are in the running for some cool prizes and of course the added benefit of a little weight loss.

So in the spirit of really doing this thing right, Rollin has agreed to be a motivator for me and get active himself. We are committing to walking on the treadmill every day for the next 30 days, 100% of the days. But why, we thought, stop at just that one commitment? Why not commit to giving 100% on all the things we should be doing better.

Therefore, in the interest of forcing us to follow through on our resolutions by making them public, I am announcing to all our bloggy friends out there that the month of February is officially 100% month in the Skinner home. We will be giving 100% to our walks, 100% to FHE, 100% to daily scripture study, 100% to eating better. And 100% to whatever else we can think of.

On a side note, if there is anyone out there who would like to come to my house and potty train my amazingly stubborn 3 year old, I would be willing to pay some good money! Apply in person.

Welcoming the era of Obama

2009-01-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." President Barack Obama

What an inspiring speech. It brought tears to my eyes. I am looking forward with hope to the next 4 years. Congratulations, President Obama!

2009-01-06T09:37:00.001-08:00

I know that over the months of being my devoted bloggy friends, most of you have come to expect perfection from me. And I certainly can't blame you, just like Mary Poppins, I like to consider myself practically perfect in every way.

So it is with sadness that I must at this time publish a retraction and a correction. It turns out I am not perfect and sometimes I do make mistakes. (Please don't anyone tell Rollin because with him I am staunchly maintaining that I am always right.)

I called D'vorac yesterday and called him Derrick and he took great pains to finally correct me. All this time I thought he was calling himself Derrick pronounced with an unusual accent on the ick. It turns out he was all this time saying Dev-reck. So now the v makes a little more sense and it ends up not being as strange as I heretofore imagined....but admittedly an unusual name.

2009-01-02T09:51:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to all.

We have had quite an eventful couple of weeks. And I have no photographic evidence to support this assertion. You will just have to believe the words and add picture in your head as I describe our adventures.

As many of you know, we recently got the news that we would need to move. The person who owns our house has stopped making her mortgage payments, and is about to be foreclosed upon. So we got the awesome news that we would need to spend some time right around Christmas making a move. Luckily, someone in our ward had a rental property available at the right time and for a great price. We moved most of our stuff in on the 22nd, and have spent the last couple of weeks running over to get another load of crap whenever we have a few minutes or the motivation. It is amazing to me how much crap we have accumulated over the 5 years we have been in the house. I have a gigantic pile of stuff for the DI and we had a good size load that went to the garbage as well.

Ok next on our adventure tour is Christmas. We had a couple days to get the tree set up after moving in, and a couple days to finish up our shopping. (Note: try to avoid the Build a bear workshop on the 23rd of December.) Christmas morning we woke to 6 inches of fresh fallen snow and no electricity, but the kids didnt mind opening their presents in the cold, semi-dark house. It was a nice lazy day of cooking and eating and playing with toys and sitting around....our 4 favorite things.

Two days after Christmas, Logan was baptized. I can hardly believe that she is so big. It was such a special day. There were about 8 kids being baptized that day and there were more people in the chapel than we usually have in Sacrament meeting. I took Logan to the wrong door to get into the font and Rollin had to redo the prayer a couple of times, so Logan has some memorable parental mess-ups with which to harrass us in the future. Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Cameron were able to come up and we went out to lunch afterwards, and it was all just a lovely day.

So that just about sums up our last couple of weeks. Pretty crazy, but not nearly as traumatic looking back on it as it seemed looking forward at it. That is not to say, however, that I would like to do it again any time soon.

Oh one more thing, no one got even close on the pronounce that name contest. He says it Derrick. Yeah I know, it doesnt make sense to me either.

Work Observations

2008-12-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

I am on the phone at work pretty much all day. I call people who have applied to be truck drivers. Here are some things about calling on these applications that I have noticed over the last 6 months

1. I dont like calling people who have first names for their surname. Is this Mr. Frederick Michael, or Mr. Michael Frederick? I worry each time I call someone that I have the name backwards and they think I am an idiot.

2. People have some interesting names and interesting spelling. Take for example the following name: D'vorac. Now I would say that da vor zjack, like the composer of my favorite symphony. But who wants to take a stab at how it is really pronounced? Well I will let you all mull on that for a while and submit your guesses. And if anyone actually gets it right, I will give you a special surprise treat.

3. Before starting to work here, I had never spent much time talking to anyone from the South, but I talk to a lot of Southerners now days and there is one phrase that I hear at least 10 times a day that I had never heard before...."Have a blessed day." I love that. I do feel extra blessed after being told so many times each day.

Well, that is all for now. I know it wasnt especially funny or clever, but at least it was something to read.

A Bloggy Change

2008-12-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

So, since starting my blog, I have always felt that I had to have something extra interesting and exciting going on in our lives in order to blog about it, and I needed to have accompanying pictures. Well, there is plenty exciting going on in our lives, but since I am at work for some of it, and my poor memory neglects to remember to bring my camera for the rest, I have not been a very consistent blogger.

Today I am instituting a change. I think I have some of the funniest, cleverest friends in the world, and I enjoy reading their blogs so much, even if they dont have pictures, or revolve around an event which is "mother of the year" quality. So, I am going to try to reciprocate by dusting off some of the old funny and clever that I know resides somewhere deep inside me, and blogging with more frequency. You might not always get a breathtaking photo, or interesting travelog, and to be quite honest, you might not even always get funny or clever, but at least the qauntity may increase. I thought I can just sit at my desk and jot down some random thoughts on truck drivers, or phone etiquette, or my coworkers, or whatever.

I thank you in advance for your well-wishes and support, and hope that you will be rewarded with some entertainment.

But not today....maybe I'll start tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Logan

2008-12-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

Logan had a birthday on Nov. 30. The big 8....how exciting. She and I had a fun girls' day at the mall together. I surprised her by letting her get her ears pierced. She was ultra brave. We had lunch at Panda Express and she got to pick out an outfit.

Logan has been such a wonderful spirit in our home. She is just so pleasant and happy 95% of the time. She is super loving and kind and is a terrific big sister. We are so grateful that she is a part of our family.

We love you Logan!!

Is this thing even on?

2008-11-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while, but hey nothing exciting happened any way, so nobody missed anything.

Well one fun thing happened. This past weekend, I went to California and hung out with my sisters (all but one), my mom, my aunts, and my cousin. We sure had a good time. We did Disneyland without the kids and got to ride on all the scary rides (which I decided I dont really like) and skip all the slow-moving line rides, like Dumbo. We got to walk all day and not take any naps, and not a single one of us threw a tantrum when we didnt get to buy the $80 hat we saw in the window. If any of you have not visited Disney as an adult without kids, you should give it a try. It is a whole different experience. I must say that I felt just a bit guilty about having all that kid-type fun without my cute kids. But I quickly got over it.

We also did some shopping, and of course dining, and my two sisters and I went to see a play. I got to sleep in and not clean up after anyone and I only had to worry about what I was going to wear. On the airplane, I read the entire time and not once did I need to clean up a spilled soda or try to keep a child from kicking the seat in front of him. Ah what a beautiful break it was. I came home and the kids and Rollin had cleaned the house and everyone was bathed and they were all so happy to see me....it was good to be home.

There really is nothing like a long, relaxing weekend with the girls to help you feel rejuvenated and remind you just how much you love your little family of trouble makers.

Miss Mya Grace

2008-10-13T18:29:00.001-07:00

In keeping with my recent bloggy slacker-ness, I would today like to post about my beautiful youngest girl, who turned 3 last Monday. Little Mya has brought such joy to our family and our home. She has the entire clan wrapped around her little finger, exactly where she wants us. But, dangit, she is so cute at least 60% of the time, we just can't help but be bamboozled into doing just what she wants. Boy, we all love that girl.

My darling baby girl, I am so glad that Heavenly Father chose me to be your mom. Your smile and your laugh are such special parts of my day. I enjoy watching you learn and grow each day and you are already turning into such a kind, loving, smart girl. You make me so proud every day. Happy Birthday Princess Mya. I love you!

The first final pirate blog

2008-09-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Well, after much dilly-dallying and a day of furiously feverish painting, I can finally, proudly annouce the competion of one Wall Story Pirate Treasure Mural. Last Saturday, I really decided it was time to fulfill my promise to the lovely people at Magic Mural Factory, and complete our friend Roger the jolly pirate. I went to Roberts for one more bag of DecoArt Americana paint and a couple of new brushes (which, to my everlasting joy because I love a bargain, were 75% off) and came home to get down to some business.

First I added a second coat to the lighter colors and painted in some of the darker colors. I think that really made the mural come to life.

And here it is....the finished result.

Isn't he looking good? Turns out I am pretty awesome at this painting stuff.

Yeah it was hard work, but it was fun and nice to challenge myself to try something new.

And I am so impressed that it ..... what? I did what? Nuh uh, it is perfect. No? Not perfect?

Apparently this will NOT be my last post about the mural. Shortly after I left the boys' room in sweaty triumph at my successful completion of the task at hand, Sam called me back in to show me the mistakes I had made. Count on your kids to give you a nice poke in the head when it gets a little too puffed up. It looks like I have a little work to do. Excuse me while I slump, humbly, back to my task and try again.

Sugar Rush

2008-09-20T16:21:00.001-07:00

An Ode to Candy Corn

by Jennifer J Skinner

Yellow, orange, and white

You are a sugar lover's delight.

When fall comes in, you come out

You are something to shout about.

My joy is full, my tummy too

and even though summer's through,

I enter the fall with a smile on my face.

No other candy can take your place.

Thanks to the man who found a way

to put you together in that adorable way

And make my life a dream come true.

Candy corn, I love you!!

I love fall and I love fall candy. I went to WalMart today and made a special trip to the waaayyyy back of the store just to get a nice big bag of candy corn. Yummm. I might have to take tomorrow off because I will be in a sugar coma, but I am enjoying it now. That is because it is so delicious.

Here are some delicious candy corn facts to enlighten your mind and start your mouth watering:

The average person consumes 5.73 pounds of candy corn per year

October 30th is national candy corn day

Halloween accounts for 75% of annual candy corn production

Candy corn was first produced in 1880

More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces -- enough to circle the moon nearly four times if laid end-to-end.

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, candy corn is no different than a slice of bread, bowl of cereal or a cracker when it comes to causing tooth decay

So there you go. Candy corn basically makes the world a better place. Go out and get some today! And if you arent going to eat your 5+ pounds this year, please feel free to bring it over here.

Grandparents Day

2008-09-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Grandparent's Day in Logan's 2nd grade class. She got to call and invite Grandma and Grandpa Amussen to join her for some fun and some yummy school lunch. To prepare for the day, Logan got to interview gma and gpa and ask them some questions about their lives when they were her age. Boy how times have changed! I am glad Logan had a chance to get to know them better and spend some special time with them.

Logan sure has some young looking grandparents. I think they look like the youngest ones there. I just hope some of those genes got passed on to their lovely daughter, and me too.

It seems like it was a pretty exciting day for everyone. Thanks Mom and Dad for moving close enough that Logan could have you there.

Please Don't Hurt 'Em, Hammer

2008-08-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Please indulge me while I reminisce.

I was thinking this past week about bands I have seen in concert. I was remembering the good old days of Park West concerts. Those were some good times up there. Sitting in the general admission seats, watching people urinate in public along the fence, smelling the mary jane, watching the lesbians make out. Good times.

That got me thinking of other bands I was able to see in concert.
My first concert, I was 11 and the neighbors had an extra ticket to see Chicago at the Salt Palace. We were pretty far up in the stands, and I didn't really know the songs, but I remember being there.

Some friends and I went to see the Hammer when we were in high school. That was so awesome! It was my first introduction to some of the more suggestive dance moves that were popular in the late 80's.

Anyway, we don't need to go into all the gory details. I made a new playlist of songs from those great concerts I got to see. Now, before you start judging me and laughing, some of these bands or people were VERY popular back in the day when I went to see them....yes, even Michael Bolton.

Why dont you all tell me a little about some fun concerts you have been to? That would be fun, huh?

Notes from an uncool mom

2008-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting my blog lately. I have gained a whole new appreciation for the working moms of the world. This working full-time gig is hard! By the time I get home, cook dinner, and clean up the house a bit, all I want to do is stare mindlessly at TV for an hour and then go to bed. It is good that nothing too exciting has been going on, so the blog hasn't really missed out on anything. Here is an update, none the less.

We have been getting ready for school to start next week. Jackson is going to be in 7th grade this year which means we have a middle schooler in the house. I've said this before, but I still can't believe he has grown up so fast. On Wednesday, he and I went to his new school for their open house thing. They did not have as much information as I would have liked regarding Jackson's first day of school, for example: where his first class is to be held, where he should go to be told where his first class is to be held, or who his home room teacher will be. I was uncomfortable with just plopping him down in a new school with no real information so I offered to take him that first day and help him out. He said that would be too embarrassing and he would do fine on his own. Yep, the day has finally come that my kids are too embarrassed to be seen with me. I think this has to be one of the worst days in every mom's life.

I have been plugging away little by little on our pirate mural. I have managed to do it without any requests for help from little hands, but they all like to come sit in the room and watch me paint. The painting process is slow going, and much more detail oriented than I imagined it would be. I think I got the completely wrong paint brushes because I have to work so hard to stay in the lines with the brushes I have. Another trip to Roberts for some new brushes is probably in the near future. The paint that our builder put on our walls must be some sort of super-duper-resistant-to-new-paint type because, like any other time we have tried to repaint in this house, the paint just doesn't go on very well. As a result, my mural might require a second coat of paint. Despite all the struggles, it is looking pretty good. I love the idea that I can appear to be quite a skilled artist, when in actuality I am only a skilled tracer. Check out the progress.

Contest Winners

2008-08-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well there was a pretty overwhelmingly small response to my name that 80s movie soundtrack contest. I guess all my bloggy buddies, with a few notable exceptions, are just too young to have lived the 80s. Even still, I can't believe that none of you knew the song from Xanadu. That movie is sooo cool. I have posted the answers on the side bar of the page.

Congratulations to my lovely sister Patty for naming the most movies with 21 correct answers.
Congratulations to the beautiful and talented Katie Roberts for her noble attempt and 17 correct answers.
And Congratulations to the amazing Becca Sanchez--oh I mean Devenport--for surprising me with her 80s knowledge and coming up with 7.5 correct answers.

No one knew the bonus question. Lessons in Love was from the movie Hot Pursuit, a mid-career non-winner for John Cusack.

Patty, look for your prize some time in the next 6-8 weeks. Of course, you rarely ever read my blog so maybe I will insist that you respond to this post before I send you anything.

Next contest coming soon. Or late depending on my energy and creativity level.

Yo ho me hearties

2008-07-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the progress so far of our pirate wall mural. I think this was the easy part. And boy was it ever easy. I wiped down the boys' wall with some water and a magic eraser (those things are sooo cool) to get off all the boy dirt. Now, witness my amazing camera skills and take a gander at the wall. How boring...let's spruce it up a bit.

We (the boys and I) taped the transfer paper to the backside of the mural pattern, and then taped them both to the wall. I wanted to make the mural just a bit bigger since the boys are getting big and the wall is so bare, so I split the mural and lengthened the pole part of the picture. Easy enough. We used some left over painter's tape so we wouldnt pull off any of the wall.

Then we got to tracing. Look how intensely the boys were concentrating. It really took no time at all, about 15 minutes from start to finish. Now our pirate skeleton head is just waiting for our painting skills to give him a bit of color.

So Saturday will be the next session. See the numbers on the picture? That is so color and design challenged folks like me can't mess it up too badly. I think the painting part might take a bit more time and skill and I am hesitant to let the kids help, even though I think they will want to. I guess it is their room, but is it mean of me to want to do it myself so I can insure that it looks good? That is assuming that I don't mess it up. But this mural seems pretty mess-up-proof. At least that's what I'm hoping.

We will keep you posted.

Oh, I also just wanted to take a minute to mention that in the past week, my email account has informed me that I have won the British lottery 12 times, the Irish lottery 9 times, and Donald Trump's personal lottery twice. My amazing luck continues!

My Scout

2008-07-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a pretty crazy week around here.

Jackson was at Scout camp this past week. It was really weird not having him around. We really missed him. This is his first week long overnight camp and I was a little worried about him wandering off into the wilderness or being eaten by a bear. He came home safely though. If fun is to be measured by the amount of dirt accumulated on a person's body, I would say he had the time of his life. I don't think I have ever seen a dirtier person walk through my door. He came home with a whole mess of bug bites, a very severe case of chapped lips and a little sunburn, but overall he was no worse for the wear.

My cute sister Laura, her husband Darren, and their 3 beautiful kids came to visit this week. Laura joined me at Bunco, and we had dinner with them and my parents on Sunday. We had so much fun seeing them, and because we love them so much, we passed along our family sickness to them. Poor Riley and Laura both got the pukies from us. Sorry girls.

Also this past week, I started working full time. It has been a challenge getting up early again and leaving the kids all day, but overall it has been a good experience. I am working at CR England trucking in their recruiting department. You sure get to talk to some interesting people when you are trying to hire truck drivers. I have had to study up on my southern so I can understand some of the people who call in. There are some thick accents out there!

Lastly, I received my Pirate Mural kit this week. We are all excited to tackle the project starting Saturday (when I say we, I do mean everyone except my non-crafting husband.) I was looking at the instructions and was very pleased to find out that it just requires acrylic craft paint. I was so worried that I would have to go buy ten 1 quart cans of latex paint and that would cost me a fortune. Now, I can just go down to Robert's craft and get ten $1.00 bottles of acrylic craft paint. That, I can afford. Stay tuned!

Oh and one more thing....today I stopped by Smith's and saw that they are having their great cereal sale this week. When you buy 10 Kelloggs cereals, you get them for $10. Can't beat that deal. We stocked up and got 20 boxes. I love saving money!!

A Great Opportunity

2008-07-16T21:18:00.001-07:00

So, you all have heard lately about my thirst for swag from bloggy contests. Well, one day in my searchings for fantastic contests, I ran across one that peaked my interest. It was a contest and an assignment rolled into one, but I was up for the challenge. Here was the deal. The winner would receive a paint by number wall mural kit for free, and in return he or she had to agree to blog about the painting process. The murals were totally cute, so I entered.

And do you guys even need me to tell you if I won or not? Of course I won! So get ready in future entries to see the process as I, a pathetically unartistic woman, attempt to liven up my darling boys' room with a really great pirate wall mural.

Thanks to Wall Story for the great product and for choosing me and my blog to give it a whirl.

If you are also unartistic and would like to liven up a space in your home, check out their site.

http://www.magic-mural-factory.com/Level_1/introducing_wallstory.htm

My Sammy

2008-07-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was Sam's 10th birthday. I can't believe he is in double digits now too. He is such a good boy. I am so lucky to be his mom.

Things I love about Sam:

He gets so excited when he hears a new random fact on TV. "Mom, did you know that an ant can carry 8 billion times its own weight?"

He is the only other person in our family who has a temper like mine.

He is so quietly shy and he hides a little when attention is drawn to him. That is so cute.

He is soooo ticklish and when you really tickle him good, his laugh is so contagious.

He is an occasional daredevil and proudly bears the scars that prove it.

He doesn't like to be called Sammy, but he lets me.

He is such a prefectionist and gets so frustrated when he can't do something.

He is just so darn cute.

He is just so darn good.

I love you Sam! Happy Birthday!

We love the 80s

2008-07-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

The other day I was driving in my car and heard "Lessons in Love" by level 42. What a great song! Anyway, it got me thinking about a movie which has the song on its soundtrack. That got me thinking about other awesome 80s movies that had amazing soundtracks. Rollin and I were talking about it later that night and decided there are a lot of great 80s movies we haven't seen in a while which we should revisit. We also thought, maybe we will write up a nice little review here on our blog so our friends can get some suggestions for great 80s movies to watch.

We are very happy subscribers to Netflix, so that night we spent like 2 hours reminiscing about movies we loved as kids and adding them to our Netflix queue. We received our first 2 yesterday and watched Karate Kid with the kids last night.
I am sure that some of you are far too young to remember Karate Kid, but I sure have some fond memories. It is such a nice little family movie with such a good message. And that message is: if you rub your hands together really fast, you can heal most minor injuries!! No, really the message we got from Karate Kid can best be summed up in the words of Mr. Miyagi "Walk right side of road, fine. Walk left side of road, fine. Walk middle of road, (squishing sound.) You have to decide, Karate yes, karate no, but not karate maybe." We are constantly trying to pound that message into our kids' heads: whatever you decide to do, you need to give it 100%. Half an effort is not good enough.

We would highly recommend Karate Kid to those who have never seen it and to those who haven't seen it in a while.

Our next movie: Tron. How cool is that? Stay tuned for the review.

If there are any 80s movies you would like The Skinner Movie Show to review, please let us know.

Also, my playlist is now totally populated with songs from movies of the 80s. Since our last music contest was so successful (congratulations Heather!!!) how about another one? Name the movies that had these songs on their soundtracks. The person who can name the most will win a totally tubular prize. You can email me your entries to the address on the right side bar, better not leave a comment or else people can steal your answers. (Extra special bonus prize if anyone knows the movie that had Lessons in Love, which started this whole mess, in it....it's a hard one.) No cheating by looking them up on the internet, act like it's still the 80s and just try to use the computer in your brain! Let Mr. Miyagi be your inspiration.

In hindsight, comments were not a good idea so I removed a couple comments with some answers, but never fear Becca and Katie, I have saved them and calculated your scores.

Update

2008-07-10T18:20:00.001-07:00

A large box of 100% free, no strings attached, enivronmentally friendly laundry detergent arrived via UPS at my home this afternoon! Thanks Dropps Laundry Detergent for proving my hubby wrong and restoring my faith in online giveaways.

WOOOO HOOOO

Winner, winner, chicken dinner

2008-07-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah. Guess who just won a Prince tennis racquet and balls?

Yup, I did. And this is just how good I will look when I use it, too.

I am sitting back thinking I am one lucky son of a gun and Rollin has to burst my bubble by suggesting that perhaps my winning has nothing to do with luck, but is instead an elaborate fishing scam to gather my personal information and steal my identity. He is such a kill joy.

We'll just wait and see who's right when my stuff starts arriving at our front door! (Or when my credit score goes down the toilet.) I choose optimism.

Our Weekend

2008-07-05T18:42:00.001-07:00

Hurray for holiday weekends! We had lots of fun. So many things to do!

Thursday night, Rollin and I went out for my birthday celebration. We saw the movie "Get Smart." I thought it was pretty funny. We went to Red Robin for dinner. It was our first time visiting that establishment and we found it to be pretty good for a burger joint.

Friday morning, our wonderful neighbors invited us to watch the West Jordan 4th of July parade with them. There were about 6 families from the ward who all sat together to view the parade. Terry brought donuts (thanks so much) Brynn brought juice and milk (and to you too) and we all just had a blast. The West Jordan parade is no Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, that's for sure, but boy do they throw out a ton of candy! The kids had a great time running into the street to collect the booty. We came home with about a pound of salt water taffy, a frisbee, and quite a few fliers. The only bad part of the morning was that Rollin and I made some poor choices on our route to take to get there, and we ended up on a road that was closed for the staging of the floats. We parked and walked a long, long way to our spot when it turns out we could have taken a different road and parked about 30 feet from our watching spot. If I had called sooner to ask, this mess could also have been avoided, as Rollin quite enjoys reminding me.

Friday night, we lit some fireworks in our front yard. We bought a bunch of fireworks last year and for reasons I don't remember we never used them. So this year there they were ready to be enjoyed! This was Mya's first year of really being awake for the fireworks and she is a big fan. She said "Oh that's beautiful", "Dad, do that again", and best of all "That's fantastic!" She is such a crack up.

On Saturday we got up and took the kids to the zoo. We rode the train and the new carousel. We saw the much anticipated albino crocodile and the amazing bird show. The crowds were very light for a Saturday and the weather was quite nice.

Lucky Old Girl

2008-07-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hey you should all come over and rub my head, because I am one lucky girl this week!

I just won another contest! This one is for a year's supply of laundry detergent. Woo hoo. Now I will have hot lips AND clean clothes.

Not a bad way to end my 35th year of life.

Yeah, I turn 35 tomorrow. I think that after about year 25, I have dreaded adding another year to my age. This one hurts more than usual though. Maybe it's because this is a multiple of 5 year or something. Maybe it's thinking about all the things I am now just too old to do, like be an olympic gymnast. Maybe it's the ever increasing number of wrinkles I see every day. Maybe it's because the average age of ladies in my ward is like 19. Maybe it's because I am now on the inevitable down hill slide toward 40. Oh that hurts just to type.

I will try to accept my age with grace and style though. Let's look at the positive aspects, shall we? Are there positives? I don't look or feel 35, do I? That's something I guess. I would not want to go back and do my 20s again. They were hard. Having really young kids is harder than older kids (but probably easier than it will be in 5 years when I have 3 teenagers.) I don't embarrass myself nearly as easily now as I did when I was younger, so I guess I have gained some wisdom in my old age. That's also nice.

Ok, 35 isn't so bad. Not that being sad about it is going to keep those years from marching by anyway, so I will just accept my fate. But then again I might start lying about it and trying to pass for 29.

See? I haven't changed at all!

Bloggy Winner!

2008-07-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, look at me! I won a contest on a blog.

http://thebeautycounter.blogspot.com/2008/06/armour-beauty-review-giveaway.html

Last Saturday, in my oh so extreme boredom, I went to some blog giveaway sites and entered about 50 blog giveaway contests. I just felt in my bones that at least one of these contests would yield some great little bit of swag for me, and I was right! Some of the contests aren't over yet, so you never know, I could win more! If you want to be a winner too, check out some of the links on the left hand side of my blog.

I feel like I'm queen of the world!!! And man are my lips going to look hot!

2008-06-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Things I love about being a mom:

My kids say the cutest things, especially when they are little. Sam has a little freckle on his neck and when he first noticed it, he thought it was a drop of syrup he had spilled on himself and it just wasn't coming off. He was convinced it was syrup for at least a year. We let him think it because it was so cute.

My kids do such cute things. One of Mya's favorite games is to put her dolls to sleep. She wraps them all up and tucks them in with a blanket. I find sleeping dolls all over the house. The other day, I found Mya making this lovely mess in the family room.

Here is the funny part.

This is a barbie that the dog has made her own. Petunia loves to grab this doll by the hair and shake it around. As a result, there is not much hair left and the head has been ripped almost in half. Although ugly and chewed up, Mya still took the time to put her to sleep. How cute.

I love watching my kids become friends.

I love watching my kids become good people.

Things I don't love about being a mom:

Germs. I am so tired of being sick all the time. My home is like some kind of petri dish with each kid bringing home a strange variety of germs each time we leave the house. And then they get sick and then I get sick. I am currently on my 2nd cold in as many weeks. I suppose the upside is that someday I will have an inpenetrable immunity system, but for now I just don't like it.

Messes. Do they ever end? It seems like they don't. Now I admit I am not the world's most diligent housekeeper, but even if I were, there would be no rest from trying to keep up with the messes my kids make. One prime example is toothpaste. I s it just me, or do other moms find toothpaste all over the house? Giant globs on the wall of the bathroom, small globs in the carpet of a bedroom, smears on the mirror. It's everywhere! And it's not easy to clean either.

It looks like the goods outnumber the bads. I guess I won't sell my kids to the gypsies just yet, but the teenage years are looming in the not too distant future and the balance might shift. For now though, I sure am glad that Heavenly Father chose me to be the mom of these 4 amazing kids.

Logan's Recital

2008-06-17T13:51:00.001-07:00

Sweet little Logan had her last dance recital of the year last night. She has really enjoyed her dance class and has learned a lot. The dancers learned interpretive dance for this recital. Her recital was up Big Cottonwood canyon in the storm mountain ampitheater. It was an interesting place to have a dance recital and it took FOREVER to get up there for a 6:30 start time what with all the traffic and the accident on the freeway, but it was nice and cool after the long day. We took a picnic dinner and had a grand old time. Grandma and grandpa were great to drive up from Salem to watch. Logan was so cute and did an awesome job. We are so proud of her.

An Homage

2008-06-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Not much has been going on around here lately. That is mostly my fault because I have been totally wrapped up in reading. I have always been a fan of the fantasy genre and there are times when a good Juvenile Fiction read is just up my alley. So this week I have been captivated by this book:

It is akin to Harry Potter (though in my opinion nothing will ever match HP) with the magic and magical creatures and bad guys and such. I am currently reading the 2nd book in the series and loving it.

I was also thinking today about 80s Hair Band Music. During the 80s, I was not a big fan, but as time went by, I came to appreciate it. Lately, the appearance of several hair band alumni on the reality TV scene has just amped up my regard for hair bands. (I mean who can help but get sucked in to Tommy Lee trying to make it at college, or Brett Michaels trying to find true love with 1 of 20 random skanky women?)

Everything about the whole 80s hair band scene was just wonderful: the glamour, the makeup, the heroin-chic thinness, the videos with the buxom women, and of course the hair. But what gets me, what really just cements these amazing bands in my mind is the beautiful, thought-provoking, timeless lyrics they came up with.

Just listen to this:

An' here I go again on my own

Goin' down the only road I've ever known,

Like a hobo I was born to walk alone

An' I've made up my mind

I ain't wasting no more time

Can't you just see that Hobo walking down the road, all by himself. Brings tears to my eyes.

Here's another one:

So you say I've got a funny face, I got no worries

And I don't know why

I don't know why

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all have such a great attitude about our physical limitations?

How about these words?

Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on

Livin' like a lover with a radar phone

Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp

Demolition woman, can I be your man?

Now, I don't necessarily know what those words mean, but are they powerful or what? I wish I had a radar phone!

As an homage to the great song writers of the 80s hair band era, I have changed my playlist this month to be exclusively theirs. Next month, I might try something new because music is awesome and until we really explore it, it can't touch our lives.

Amen.

(Prizes to the first people to identify the hair bands in these pictures. Immediate family members not eligible.)

Girls will be girls

2008-06-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

What am I going to do with these two girls? They are such, well, girls. They both love dress ups and makeup and princesses.

They are very serious about their makeup application.

They are just so cute, I guess I will keep them and hope they get over this girly phase before they are teenagers.

Boys will be boys

2008-06-04T10:11:00.000-07:00

Last week was Sam's scout troop's Pinewood Derby. Sam and Rollin had a great time envisioning the car and working on it together (although Sam would have liked to finish it, or at least start it, months before they did.) Sam (with perhaps a little fatherly nudging) chose an Oregon State U. theme for his car so it was black with an orange OSU logo. It looked very cool.

There were 19 cars in contention this year. We saw some very interesting and unique creations from our scouts (and/or their parents.)

Sam's car ended up placing 9th. I think he might have been a little disappointed not to win, but he handled it very well. He is such a good boy.

Summer Fun

2008-05-28T14:28:00.001-07:00

Summer is coming. While I am excited about the nice warm weather, the fun holidays, and baseball, I am not excited for this: "Mom, I am bored. There's nothing to do." I am also not excited for my kids to watch 15 hours of TV a day, or torment their siblings 6 hours a day, or play video games 'til they develop blisters. So, in the interest of my own sanity, I have decided to have take a proactive approach to the summer. A friend of mine who lives is North Salt Lake plans a weekly field trip-type activity for her kids each summer. The idea was so popular with her ward members, that she prints out a schedule and distributes it. I thought I would be a copy cat and do something similar. Now, keeping in mind this is my first year attempting this, and it might not be all that exciting or cool, I am inviting any who want to join us to....well....join us. My kids are on D track and they don't go back to school until the end of August, so the schedule goes through then. I have planned two activities most weeks, but we will see if that works or is too many. Most activities are free or really inexpensive and we can try and get a group discount for the cost ones if enough people want to come. So, if you would like a schedule of the plans so far, email me at rjskinner@msn.com and I will email one to you. Come to one or all. All ages are welcome.

Another Tagging Adventure

2008-05-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

I am not a very big fan of tags, because it forces me to face the fact that I am not very interesting. I always feared that my life is boring and predictable, but now I know it for sure. But since Marinda is a pretty nice person and I am hoping to make a good impression on her, I will do this one.

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the
end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 Joys:
-Watching my kids grow into intelligent, kind, righteous people
-Reading a good book
-Spending time with the people I love: Rollin, my sisters, my kids, my family

3 Fears
-Death
-The Dentist
-Embarrassing myself

3 Goals
-Someday sit in the temple with all 4 of my kids
-Serve a mission with Rollin
-Move to Oregon

3 Current Obsessions/Collections
-I also am a picker: zits, my kid's scalps, hair off strangers' sweaters, the mascara off my eyelashes, whatever.
-Pillows. I am obsessed with finding the perfect pillow. Someday I know I will. Hopefully when I do it doesnt cost $500.

-Reality Cooking shows. I love them. Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Iron Chef, and a great BBC show called Last Restaurant Standing

3 Surprising Things about me
-I am a big baseball fan. I have followed the St. Louis Cardinals since I was 14
-I am fairly uncoordinated. I break things, poke people in the eyes, and run into things all the time.
-I do not like shopping. I find it frustrating, depressing, and a big blow to my ego. Once I find a store or brand I like, I just buy that without having to try anything on.

Now for those 5 people to tag, hopefully they are hoping to make a good impression on me and will answer.
Tamra A
Patty N.
Katherine Angelle
Marcy J
Lyndee G

My Lament

2008-05-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

My cooking puts people to sleep.

I try. I really do. I want the consumers of my food to be excited and pleased when they eat. What am I doing wrong?

I dream that Tom Colicchio asks me to cook him my speciality and when he eats it he tells me it is improperly seasoned and the flavor combinations are bad.

I dream that I cook a meal for Gordon Ramsey and he spits his first bite out and asks me if I am trying to kill him.

Someday, when I get a chance to redo life, I will choose cooking school over business school because the joy on someone's face when they eat something amazing that you have cooked can't be replaced by anything in the business world.

At least that's how I imagine it feels.

Another Good Deal

2008-05-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

A friend told me about a great movie deal and I thought I would pass it along. The Carmike theater on 9000 S. and Redwood Rd. is a fairly basic theater, no stadium seating, no lounge chair type seats, but they have good prices. First-run movies, kids $4 all the time, adult matinee $4, adult evening $5.50. But here's the kicker: on Tuesday nights, they have an awesome deal on popcorn. They will fill any container you bring in for $.50 (fifty cents.) Bring in your giant metal bowl, your 5 gallon ice cream bucket, anything you want and it is still only $.50. If your kids are like my kids, the #1 reason we go to the movies is so they can stuff their faces with as much popcorn as quickly as is humanly possible, so this is a great opportunity for a fun family outing. The one downside is that I hear their drinks are a little on the expensive side, so tell your kids to drink a lot before you go. Hope to see you all next Tuesday!

Tossing our pringles

2008-05-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post may not be appropriate for those readers with delicate sensibilities or wimpy stomachs.

This weekend we took the opportunity to get out of town for a few days. We went up to Idaho to visit Rollin's parents. The kids love spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, especially since they get to spend the night with them and Grandma lets them stay up late, eating junk and watching movies. We all had a very nice time. Well, it was nice except for the ride home. We started our 3 hour journey home at 4:30 and didn't arrive until 9:00. Why, you ask, did it take us so long? One word: puke. We had to stop two separate times to clean out the car and the kid who ralphed all over both. I alternately cursed Rollin's extreme motion sickness gene, all the crap we had fed the kids on the ride, and our car which does not have a very smooth ride.
I feel that over the last 12 years of motherhood, I have in most part become immune to the gag reflex which usually occurs when one comes in the vicinity of a puker. I can hold back a child's hair while she vomits into the toilet with nary a problem, but I must admit I almost lost it the second time I was wiping up puke in the space of an hour.

When we arrived home last night, I had to immediately walk to the laundry room with a bag filled with soiled clothing, blankets, and pillows and start a load. I didn't even get the usual luxury of waiting 3-4 days to unload the luggage and do the associated laundry. Today I jumped in the car to go grocery shopping and my senses were assailed with the lovely reminder of our adventure. All the places we hadn't realized had been "hit" when we were cleaning last night in the dark, took advantage of the last 12 hours to really put out some odors. I spent some extra time this afternoon shampooing, wiping, and airing out the car. I am just hoping and praying that it did some good because I don't think I can stand much more.

I think I can safely say that this will be our last car journey for a while. (At least until the car starts smelling normal again.)

Genealogy, I am doing it

2008-05-01T13:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Jackson came into the kitchen and said "Mom, what is harpies? I just saw a commercial for harpies medication and I wondered what it is." Oh, you mean herpes. Oh dear. That is a conversation I am not quite ready to get into with him. I know he is 12 and the time is fast approaching (probably long past) but how do you explain STD's to your kids? We reassured him that it is a disease he does not need to worry about getting right now and sent him on his way. Waaahhh. I want him to go back to being 5.

On a lighter side, I have been reading the Joseph Smith biography, "Rough Stone Rolling." It has been very fascinating to learn a little more about Joseph and the times he lived. During my reading one night I discovered that the town where he spent a large amount of his childhood, and where he had his first vision, Palmyra, is just 12 miles from where I knew some of Rollin's ancestors lived. It got me interested to see if they were living there at the time of Joseph Smith's vision and receiving the gold plates, so I dug into the genealogy I have gathered.

Rollin is 1st generation church member, so there has not been a lot of work done on his family line. That was exciting to me when we first got married, because my family work has been done by so many people going back to the time of the pilgrims, and I thought I wouldn't have much of a chance to ever do genealogy work. In the past as I have worked on Rollin's genealogy, I haven't gotten very far, not much past his great-grandparents, but this time I had so much success! It was so cool to all of the sudden find these people. This is an actual copy of the 1900 census which lists Rollin's great-grandpa who I could not find for the life of me for 10 years and then all the sudden, here he is!

There are some interesting facts in Rollin's family's past, and I wish I could sit and talk to these people and hear their stories. That is what is so exciting about genealogy work. I have a chance to just imagine the people and what made them make the choices they did, or how they responded to the life changing events they were faced with. For example, Rollin's great-great-grandpa died while when he fell off the roof of a construction project he was working on. He was 24 and left behind his wife and 4 children. Rollin's great-great-grandma had to send three of her children to live with relatives because she had no way to provide for them. How tragic is that? I would love to hear her story.

Anyway, I am still working on getting back to the 1820's and 1830's in upstate New York with Rollin's line. I am pretty close thanks to some recent developments. Once I find out if they were actually living there, I would love to see if they were in some way involved with or at least knew about the Smiths. Knowing some of Rollin's relatives like I do, it wouldn't surprise me to find out his great-great-great grandpa carried a bucket of tar or a bag of feathers to crazy Joe Smith's farm one night. Cool, huh?

Bargain Shopper Alert

2008-04-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Mindy told me that the next time I ran across a good shopping deal, I should post it on my blog. So, here you go Mindy and anyone else who likes to save. At Smiths, they are having an 8 for $8 deal which is $1 each for those not good at math. The sale is on General Mills cereal, Nature Valley granola bars, General Mills cereal bars, Fruit Rollups, and Betty Crocker fruit snacks. So go stock up!

I need a house elf

2008-04-22T15:19:00.001-07:00

My Grandma and I were talking one day about house cleaning. We discovered that we each have one area of cleaning that must be done each day to make us feel like we can stand the sight of our houses. Hers is bed making. Mine is dishes. Now, this is not to say that the dishes in my house are always done or that I don't have a perpetual pile of dishes making the sink useless for any of its other intended purposes. What it means is, if I have done the dishes, but nothing else that day, I can live with the state of my home. If I haven't done the dishes, I never really feel that my house is clean.

Karma, or my husband and kids, knowing this about me, must think it is a cruel joke to provide me with an endless supply of dirty dishes. Karma also kows that my obsession with the dishes makes it nearly impossible to relinquish my hold on the dishes-loading job and I can not enlist the children to help me. They do it all wrong. The plates must face North. They don't get that. Karma is cruel.

Now I know that a family of six will certainly dirty its share of dishes, but I really think my family must set some kind of dirty dishes record. For example, by 2:30 p.m. on any given day, there will not be a single clean piece of silverwear in the house. That is 16 spoons, 16 forks, 8 butter knives, and an assorment of serving pieces that have all been used that day. How is this humanly possible? Who needs a butter knife more than once a day? On one particular day in the not too distant past, I placed 11 kid-sized cups in the dishwasher. I ONLY HAVE 4 KIDS! Apparently they are too fancy to use the same cup twice, so each drink of water during the day deserves its own cup.

I am of the opinion that I should not have to do the dishes more than once per day, but this is slowly ceasing to an option. I am saddened. All this dish washing cuts into my laziness time. And my hands are getting dry and scaley. How bad a person would it make me if I decided to go all Dixie? Is that environmentally responsible? Then again, I would definitely use less water. Hmmm....what a quandary.

A Boring Update on the boring update

2008-04-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

Mya's lack of naps is having occasional repercussions. The other night she was so tired and so grumpy, she threw quite the tantrum. She had locked herself in the bathroom, and her only response to our inquiries into what she was doing was "I'm not listening to you." When Rollin went in to check on her, he discovered she was attempting to open some nail polish and give herself a mani/pedi. Rollin took the dark red polish away from her and she completely lost it. She screamed "Leave me alone," crossed her arms and went to stand in the corner. We could not stop laughing which just made her more angry which just made us laugh more, etc. etc. I had to take a picture.

Sammy decided last week that he was ready for a hair cut and this time he wanted it to be short. So this morning we went to see Brynn and she did the honors. It has been about 4 years since Sam has had a short hair cut, so he looks like a whole new kid. I think it took about 3 years off him. Every time I glance at him I do a double take cause he looks so different. He is a cute boy.

Before & After

I want to give kudos to all of you who really pitched in and helped us fill that dumpster. It was delivered at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday and by 9:00 p.m. that night it was full. I am glad to see that so many other folks have crap they need to dispose of too. The city picked the dumpster up this morning about 10 and the guy had to climb up on top and push some things down in so they wouldnt fall out when he loaded it. We personally filled it about 1/3 full just with our stuff. Here is a picture of how much we put in.

Boring update and General Invitation

2008-04-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

It's a sad day in the Skinner household. Mya has decided naps are no longer her thing. As mentioned in my previous post, I am through fighting her so my two hour block of quiet each day is gone. Luckily she is such a good girl and is almost always in a good mood, so we have fun even when she is napless.

Jackson and Sam took their end of year tests for homeschool. They seemed to be pretty confident about their performance. They have finished the course work for the year as well, so I dont know what to do with them for the next 5 weeks until school ends. They will be asking me 82 times a day, "Mom, do you have any ideas on what I can do?" I might have to do some actual teaching and that is not why I got into this homeschooling gig.

Logan is off track and bored out of her mind. She does not have many friends in the neighborhood on the same track, so there is no one to play with a lot of the time. She is not an entertain herself kind of kid so we are always on the lookout for something to do. She has just about crafted herself out, her room has been cleaned out, and her mom is played out. Luckily this is her last off track until summer. One more week of boredom. I hope we can make it.

We have ordered a dumpster from the city so we can dispose of all the crap that has been residing in our home for the past several months to years. I am issuing an invitation to all within the sound of my blog. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Mostly you can bring your wretched refuse. The city dumpster will be in front of our house from Thursday the 17th until Saturday the 19th. Help us fill it.

Just another example of how I am ruining my children

2008-04-11T14:58:00.001-07:00

As the second oldest of 6 kids, I noticed a disparity in the strict-ness of my parents between the older kids (like me) and the younger kids. My younger sisters and youngest brother got away with everything! I thought it was pretty crappy that I had to come home earlier, go to bed earlier, keep my room cleaner, wait longer to get my ears pierced, just be a better kid. I never understood the reasons, until now. It is about losing your desire to keep fighting. I have lost it with my kids just as my parents lost it with my younger siblings. I don't want to fight any more.

Take this picture for example.

Here is my youngest of four taking her afternoon nap. Notice two things: first,her binkie, which I know she should not still be using but doggone it she absolutely loves it. If made to choose between me and her binkie, I can not for certain say which she would pick. It would be a close call most days and not even a contest on some (the binkie would win hands down.) I am tired of fighting her to give it up. None of my other kids were allowed to use theirs after about 10 months, yet here she is a 2 1/2 still begging me for it ALL day, every day. And after telling her no 8 times, I give in and let her have it. Second, she is napping on the couch in the kids play room. For the past two weeks, she has demanded that she take her nap on this nasty old couch while watching TV. What kind of a mom lets her 2 year old do this? One who is too tired of the tantrums and tears that go with enforcing a bed-only nap policy.

Well, I have a whole new respect for my parents. I no longer resent the fact that life was so much harder for me than it was for my younger siblings. Now, all I can hope is that some day my older kids will forgive me.

SpongeBob Skinnerpants

2008-04-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

We are a TV loving household. Unfortunately, speding too much time watching the "boob-tube", as Dad would call it, is the vice spoken of in general conference that we are most guilty of comitting. Since we can't say that we spend our time participating in other worthwhile activities, at least we can use our knowledge and experience that we gain from our hours of TV watching to try to make the world a better place. That is what I will attempt to do today.

The time we try to spend together as a family often involves the television. As a result, I am FAR too familiar with a lot of characters from Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., PBS Kids, and The Disney Channel. I made an observation the other day about one show in particular, SpongeBob Squarepants. We quite enjoy this show. It is funny and clever and most often has a nice little message (as much as a kids' show can.)

Anyway, my observation was basically how much the characters on the show are like my family. Rollin is Spongebob. He is a optimistic and can be very silly, and things always seem to work out for him. And when he wants, he can whip up a pretty mean hamburger.

The kids collectively are Patrick. They just go along with whatever Rollin is up to, keeping their heads in the clouds and looking for something to eat.

And I am Squidward. Grumpy, pessimistic, unmotivated. Spongebob and Patrick and their goofy games can really get on my nerves, but deep down inside I love it. Oh, and I played the clarinet from 6th grade through college (but I was much better than Squidward is.)

In the immortal words of Oscar Wilde, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." So there you have it. Life imitating art. Spooky, huh?

Brownies

2008-04-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Mya and I made brownies the other day for our Family Night treat. She likes to lick the bowl more than she likes the finished product, and it makes for some cute pictures, so I don't mind letting her.

Field Trip

2008-04-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Logan's first grade class went on a field trip to the University of Utah's Museum of Natural History. I took the opportunity to be a chaperone and accompany them. We had a great time. The only bad part was trying to keep my breakfast and my lunch in my stomach during the bus ride. I don't know if I am just not used to riding in the back seat any more or if those busses just have more motion than a regular car, but I think I must have been a lovely shade of green by the time I got off. Next time I volunteer to help with a field trip, I think I will just tell the teacher that I will meet them there.

Beavers Baseball

2008-03-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Rollin grew up in Corvallis, Oregon, home of Oregon State University, so he is a big fan of OSU sports. OSU's baseball team has won the national championships the last two years in a row. Our favorite sport to watch as a family is baseball, so when Rollin discovered that the OSU Beaver baseball team would be in Provo last week playing BYU, we had to go. We got all decked out in our Beaver duds and headed down. I had to choose between my BYU shirt and my OSU shirt, but Rollin said I could't sit with them if I wore the BYU shirt so it wasn't too hard to decide but I did feel like a traitorous alum. It was a lot of fun for some of us, and some of us were big fat grumps pretty much the whole time (hint: Mya.) I think Logan's favorite part was the concessions stand, the boys enjoyed watching the players, Mya enjoyed playing with my sunglasses and then crying for 45 minutes, Rollin loved that there were so many other Beaver fans in attendance, and I loved that BYU had a family ticket deal so we all got in for $15. We all came home with just a bit of a sunburn and joy that OSU triumphed and beat the Cougars.

A couple of weeks ago, Logan and Mya both got their hair cut. Mya's cut came about more through my incompetence than anything else. I thought I would just give her a quick bang trim one day to even up the edges and keep them out of her eyes, but I got a little carried away and, in Rollin's words, she looked like "the world's smallest lesbian" with the mullet-ish results. Thank goodness for Brynn and her skills. She whipped out her scissors and before long Mya had her first official hair cut and looked adorable.

I don't know what it is but I just love the bob hair cut on little girls, on most anyone for that matter. Must be all those times I watched Thouroughly Modern Millie when she transformed herself into a totally "modern" girl just by bobbing her hair. Oh if only it were so simple these days.

Easter

2008-03-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

I tried to be a good mom this year and help my kids create some lasting Easter memories, so on Saturday morning we got up and decided to find an egg hunt. It was already 9:15 when I decided, so we missed a lot of them, but the Herriman egg hunt started at 10:00. I told the kids they had 15 minutes to get dressed and ready to go. We all ran around like crazies, me yelling, the kids frustrated cause they couldnt find shoes, etc., and were in the car at 9:45. A little later than I hoped, but not bad considering. In an effort to get there on time, however, I was driving just a bit faster than I should have been on the round about by our house and hit the curb with my back wheel and blew out the tire. "Sorry kids, we can't go cause Mom just broke the car." (Whining and moaning and one understanding "That's ok, Mom.") We drove slowly home and Rollin came out to help me put on the donut. I felt really bad about disappointing the kids, and Holladay's hunt started at 11 and I figured we could still make that one in time. Once the donut was on, I wrangled the kids up again and we were off. We pulled in to the parking lot at the Lion's Club building in Holladay at exactly 11, jumped out with baskets in hand, and hurried to the join the crowd of eager egg hunters. We had walked about 10 feet when another mom, looking as harried as I felt and towing four kids, passed and said "Someone told me the hunt is over." "What?" I said. "It was supposed to start at 11." "It ended at 11:01," she told me. "Well kids, back in the car. Let's just go home and go back to bed . This has not been our day."

Suffice it to say, it was a memorable day, just not quite the way I had hoped. We took the kids to McDonalds for lunch and they had fun playing on the jungle gym there, we got a deal on the tire since it was still under warranty, and I got a fun story to blog about.

We enjoyed Easter Sunday wearing our new clothes and eating a lot of candy. We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house where Grandma made us a great lunch of ham and funeral potatoes, and Grandpa played the boys' new card games with them and jacks with Logan. The kids all dropped off early that evening without any whining or fighting to wrap up the day quite nicely. Holidays always look better from the back side of them, don't they?

Don't I have adorable kids?

George Michael

2008-03-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, I admit it, I love George Michael. I first remember seeing and hearing him when I was 11 or 12. I was at ZCMI with my friends shopping for school clothes and "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" came on the TVs they had in the teen department. I was transfixed. He was soooo gorgeous with that highlighted hair and floppy bangs. Although my first attraction to him was his cute-ness, I soon came to love the music. My friend and I would spend hours listening to her Wham "Make it Big" record (yes I am old enough to have had actual vinyl records) and calling the local radio station again and again to request "Everything She Wants." In college I was once again sucked in to George's music. My best friend Jane had a tape (we are moving forward technologically) of the album "Listen Without Prejudice." That is still one of my favorite albums today. He is such a brilliant song writer. Not only are the tunes catchy, but the lyrics are so thoughtful and beautiful. I suffered a little disappointment and a little shame when he went through his personal stuff, and thought about cutting him out of my favorites, but the music....I can't quit the music.

I have been watching a new TV show called "Eli Stone." My initial draw was twofold: first, there are few new shows on TV and I was bored, and second, George Michael was in the pilot episode. And although he is "hitting for the other team" he still looks good. All the episodes of the show are titled the same as a G.M. song and the one I watched yesterday was titled "Heal the Pain," one of my favorite G.M. songs. Consequently, I have had the song in my head all day and I finally got out my CD (yep, I upgraded to stay hip) and listened to it (three times) and uploaded it to my ipod ("wow Jen you really are keeping up with the times".)

Well, I am not sure if anyone cares about my homage to George Michael, but I just felt that he deserved one. (And I didnt have any exciting life adventures to blog about today.) Does anyone else get crazy about music like I do? Anyone have a bordering-on-embarrassing obsession with a particular artist or am I really a music dork? Well, if you don't have one yet, may I recommend George Michael for your obsessive consideration?

My Blog Buddies

2008-03-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your blog list grow?" I love to see my list of friends grow on my blog. I so enjoy reading other blogs and it gets a little boring reading strangers' blogs so friends are preferable. I have tried to get my sisters to blog with me but they are all weinies about it. So thank you friends and neighbors who make my day a little more exciting with your wonderful blogs.

I did discover a stranger's blog that I just love reading though. I actually found it from Tamra's blog. It is the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. I read it and just laughed and laughed and laughed. Then I felt inadequate and envious of her writing skills and ability to find something interesting to blog about every day. Well I suppose Heavenly Father made some of us good writers and some of us good readers and I will just be happy with the skill I got. But if you are in need of a good laugh, check out the cooking blog and also her personal blog. http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/

Spring has finally arrived! Hurray. Although I did hear the weather person make some comment about snow this weekend. I am going to ignore it though and hope that makes it go away. The kids were outside all afternoon and I opened the window while I cooked dinner. It was very nice. The only bad part is that all the mess in my yard that was being covered by the snow is now visible. As my neighbors can attest, I don't really like yard work, but this year I am determined to make an effort to not have the ugliest yard on the block. If anyone wants to volunteer to give me nice yard lessons, I would really be interested in that! Or even better, if anyone's yard work itch is not scratched doing their own yard, come on over and go to town at my house. Here is a rough sketch of what we want to help get you started.

Someday it will be mine.

Our Week

2008-03-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

This week we decided to take a short trip up to see Rollin's parents in Lewisville, Idaho. About 15 minutes into the packing process, I was questioning our decision. It seems that each trip we take involves more time and more stuff than the last. I remember the good old days when we could pack a change of underwear and a toothbrush and go for a week in comfort. Now everyone wants to bring all these luxuries like diapers and hairdryers. I just had no idea that getting by for 2 days involved so much junk. We had a great time in Idaho. We went to the Idaho Falls Museum of Natural History and saw a display of Pharaohs. The kids got Chrstmas money from Bamma and Papa and enjoyed spending it on completely unnecessary items. We found an amazing clearance sale at Fred Meyer and all got a new pair of shoes. We helped Rollin's parents do some things around their house that are getting harder for them to take care of. And finally, the dog got a haircut. She hardly looks like the same dog any more. It was a good trip.

Friday was such a nice day back in West Jordan, we spent some time outside. I think the kids are feeling a little cabin fever, so they were very happy to do some outside spring-type activities. Too bad it had to go and snow again today and ruin everyone's fun. Dumb weather. Mya looks so funny in her giant helmet that we couldn't resist taking some pictures to embarass her in the future.

5 Things I am Loving right now

2008-02-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

I saw this "tag" on Britt's blog and I wanted to play. Hopefully no one will think the worst of me after learning these things about me.

1. Outlander. I am obsessed with this book. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

2. Quiznos. Their Sammies are so yummy and only $2 and some of them are only 200 calories. We also tried their Prime Rib sandwich which was also quite delicious.

3. Text Twist. I have been spending way too much time playing this game. But it is addictive and so much fun.

4. Bare Minerals. This makeup is soooo awesome. It feels so nice and makes my skin look flawless. Well maybe not flawless, but less flaw-full.

5. I am loving that the TV writer's strike has ended so that my favorite shows will be back on. I am loving the prospect that Journeyman will have a new episode soon. But I since I cant see any new TV dramas, I have discovered the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Hilarious.

Jackson

2008-02-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my little guy Jackson turned 12. Holy crap, how did I get a 12 year old? It was such a strange day for me. It is so great seeing him grow into such a good kid. He makes us so proud. But I don't want him to grow up! Rollin said "He is 2/3 of the way done with us." and that scares me and makes me so sad. Why can't kids stay little? Next week he will be a deacon and pass the sacrament and go to Mutual activites. I know it sounds corny, but it really does seem like he was just a baby learning to crawl, and just a little guy starting his first day of kindergarten, and just getting baptised. The years have gone by way too fast. We really have been blessed with 12 wonderful years with one heck of a wonderful kid. I hope the next 12 years are just as good. Happy Birthday Jackson!

My Ramblings

2008-02-15T22:32:00.000-08:00

I am feeling the pressure to make my blog more interesting and to post more often. The only issue is that my life is fairly ordinary and not much changes on a day to day basis. So, the result is that this blog may be updated more frequently, but rarely will it be interesting unless you like the random crap that fills my head and spills out onto this page. Rollin says it is just women who have a running tape of disconnected thoughts going on in their heads. Hey, a disjointed jumble of gobbledy gook is what he is going to get when he asks me at random times what I am thinking. Maybe at that exact moment I am thinking, "That house is strange, I wonder what the builder was thinking, our builder always wore that weird shirt, a trip to Hawaii would be nice someday, I bet the PCC is a cool place to go, that Toa on American Gladiators is funny, that last contestant was so annoying, I should work out tonight." If he wanted a "story" with a beginning, middle, and end he should read a book or something. Some might find my odd thought process endearing or even a bit quirky, so there.

Anyway, after that rant, here are my random thoughts for tonight since I can't sleep.

I heard someone use the word hubris the other day and I think it is a cool sounding word though I didn't know what it meant. So I looked it up and it means pride and arrogance. I am going to try to incorporate that into my vocabulary cause it is so much cooler to say hubris than pride and arrogance.

I added a song to my playlist and I had forgotten just how much I love it. It has some of the coolest words. Here are some of the lyrics: "There is freedom within, there is freedom without, try to catch the deluge in a paper cup" I love the word deluge. "Now I'm walking again to the beat of the drum and I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart." How cool is that imagery? Ya gotta love those Finn brothers. Rollin would say my music dork-ness is showing, but music rocks!!

Well that is all the rambling I have for tonight, but never fear, there is plenty more to come.

This Week in Baseball

2008-02-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

We had quite a traumatic week. (Ok so it might not be traumatic compared to a lot of people's week, but still...)

My sweet sister, Patty, is 17 weeks pregnant and went in on Thursday to have her ultrasound. They discovered that the baby had died. She had to deliver the baby on Friday, 12 hours of emotion and pain. It has been a pretty hard experience for her and her hubby and kids. They were really hoping for a girl, and unfortunately baby Eliza's umbillical cord was not formed correctly and just didnt have the ability to nourish her. I can't even begin to imagine what the whole experience must have been like for Patty and I wish she didnt live so far away so I could be there to support her.

On Friday evening, Mya began running a fever and was being quite the grump. We were trying to comfort her at 1:00 a.m. when I noticed a very large lump on the side of her neck. Needless to say, I freaked out. Thoughts of cancer and mumps and meningitis ran through my head. Rollin did some research on the internet and we thought it was probably a swollen lymph node. Saturday morning I took her to the instacare and 2 hours later the doctor confirmed our amateur diagnosis and prescribed some antibiotics. She is doing better, though still running an occasional fever and still sporting a goiter-like lump.

So, a more eventful weekend than we are used to at the Skinner's. Luckily, the comfort of the Lord made everything seem so much easier to handle. We know that baby Eliza will one day get to be with her earthly family and I hope that our prayers that Patty will be comforted will help her. My initial panic over Mya was also quickly soothed by a prayer for comfort and peace. I am so grateful to the Lord for his kindness and presence in my life.

My Stump Speech

2008-02-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Friends, Utahns, Countrymen, lend me your ear. The time has come to put an end to all this snow. I am tired of it. I want to be able to leave the house without shoveling. I want to get past the Olers house without having to be pushed by friends and family. I know you want the same things. Let us work together to bring this soul-sucking madness to an end.

For those of you who may say, but we need the water, I say, let it snow in the mountains until mid-June. The snow level at my house in no way affects the snow pack or the continuation of the drought, and is therefore unnecessarily high. For those of you who may say, but we love the winter sports, I say, love them at Snowbird, but my driveway is not steep enough to make much of a downhill run, therefore it does not need two feet of snow upon it.

Tomorrow as you go to the polls, think about the poor women who so desperately want to go to aerobics in the morning, yet can't even get out of their driveway. Think of the children who are stuck in the house with their seasonally depressed mom. Think of your dry winter skin flaking and itching and even bleeding. But most of all, think of tulips and park days and barbeques. Think, my friends, of Spring. I urge you to use your voting powers for good and help me end the snow! God bless America.

My Little Guys

2008-01-31T19:49:00.000-08:00

Jackson and Sam had an opportunity to participate in a school poetry festival this week. They both worked very hard in the past month to choose and memorize their poems. Jackson recited "The Night Before Christmas" and Sam recited "Snow Toward Evening." I am totally not being biased when I say they really were the best. :)

President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

How I love President Hinckley. He was such a great man and such a great prophet. I looked forward at every conference to hearing his inspired words and clever wit. Seeing his face always brought a smile to mine.

When I was a student at BYU he gave a devotional that I was smart enough to attend (since I rarely went to the weekly devotionals.) I still remember where I sat and the amazing spirit that permeated the giant Marriott Center that night. His talk, "This I believe," encouraged me to be a better person and has stayed with me ever since. He said

"I belive that I am a child of God, endowed with a divine brithright. I believe that there is something of divinity within me and within each of you. I believe that we have a godly inheritance, and that it is our responsibility, our obligation, and our opportunity to cultivate and nurture the best of these qualities within us. I do not have to be a scrub. Though my work may be menial, though my contribution may be small, I can perform it with dignity and offer it with unselfishness. My talents may not be great, but I can use them to bless the lives of others. I can be one who does his work with pride in that which comes from hand and mind. I can be one who works with respect for associates, for their opinions, for their beliefs, with an appreciation for their problems and a desire to help them should they stumble. I believe in the principle that I can make a difference in this world. It may be ever so small, but it will count for the greater good. The goodness of the world in which we live is the accumulated goodness of many small and seemingly inconsequential acts."

I will miss President Hinckley. I know he is standing in the presence of previous prophets. I know he is overjoyed to be with his loving wife again. I know someday I will once again be able to learn from his great wisdom and feel of his tremendous spirit. That knowledge brings me so much joy and comfort.

Speeches Website This is a link to an audio recording of the talk "This I believe"

Guitar Hero

2008-01-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

I sort of hid my guitar hero obsession from the world because I was ashamed, but lately I have been hearing from lots of grown ups who are also caught up in the hard-rockin fun. The other girls, however, seem to be on a much higher skill level then I am so I think I need to increase my daily jam sessions to a couple hours. One day we will have to have a giant Guitar Hero neighborhood tournament. We can even have kids bracket. Mya would totally smash the other 2 year olds.

Maybe I should set that up.....seems like a lot of work though. Maybe I'll get to it tomorrow.

What is up with tagging?

2008-01-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

Darn it Brittany. Tagging reminds me of those books we used to pass around in middle school...does anyone remember what they were called?.....same concept but looooong before internet (yeah we all know I am old.) Well I suppose there are worse things, but not many.

1. What's his name? Rollin
2. How long have we been married? 13 years
3. How long did we date? It's embarrassingly Mormon, but we dated for 3 months before we got engaged and were engaged 7 months before we got married.
5. Who eats more? I eat more often but Rollin eats bigger servings
6. Who said I love you first? I did
7. Who is taller? Rollin
8. Who sings better? Me
9. Who's temper is worse? That's probably a tie but might lean a little my direction.
10. Who does the dishes? ME always always me
11. Who pays the bills? Rollin
12. Who cooks dinner? Me and many times no one else in the family is very happy about it. Hey I'm a good cook, just those little terds are picky eaters.
13. Who drives when we are together? Rollin
14. Who is more stubborn? We both think we know everything and are always right so...both I guess
15. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Neither of us really "admit we are wrong." We just stop arguing about it and move on to another topic.
16. Who's parents/family do you see more often? Mine
17. Who has more friends? Probably Rollin. He is a lot more outgoing than I am.
18. Who has more siblings? I do: 5. Rollin has 2
19. Who wears the pants in the family? We all wear pants every day except on Sundays when Logan, Mya and I wear skirts.

I am not tagging anyone and I hope that no one who reads this blog feels any obligation to fill out this survey. Love you anyway Brittany!

Logan's Dance

2008-01-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

Logan is taking dance lessons this year and today was her first performance. Her class did their thing at the Safe Kids Fair at the local expo center. She did a great job and we are so proud of her.

Sam climbed the rock wall at the fair and got all the way to the top. He was quite proud.

Curling

2008-01-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

In an effort to find a "thing," I signed up for curling lessons with the boys. For those of you not familiar with curling, it is a sport played on ice...sort of like bowling or shuffleboard. We went to a curling match when the olympics were in town and I was intrigued so when I saw that the olympic oval was offering learn to curl lessons, I jumped at the chance. We are having a blast learning and we are getting better each week. Last night my friend Alicia came with us and we got her hooked too.

Skinner B.L. Competition

2008-01-09T11:11:00.001-08:00

Rollin and I are big fans of the show "The Biggest Loser." We enjoy watching the transformations and getting the little ego boost that comes from realizing that although we aren't Mr. and Mrs. Universe, at least neither of us has 100 lbs. to lose. We also pacify our guilt at the crap we daily eat by seeing the crap the contestants eat. I enjoy having a nice bowl of cheetos while I watch. Well I enjoy it for a minute and then the trainers make me feel guilty.

After watching B.L. last night, Rollin and I thought if these guys with 100 + pounds to lose can look that great after 6 months, how hot would we look with minimal effort after 3 months? So, in the spirit of New Year's resolutions, we are engaging in a weight loss and body shaping challenge. We weighed ourselves this morning and took our body fat percentages (ouch) and are ready to go. Rollin believes that if we put our stats on our blogs then we will be more motivated to do better. I hate the thought but maybe he is right. So in the interest of forcing myself to stop eating handfuls of chocolate chips at 11 p.m., I will add my info and update it each week. (But I reserve the right to change my mind at any time and take it off.) I absolutely put my foot down on no posting of our bikini before and after pictures though. Well maybe just this one.

If any of our friends in electronica land would like to join in our challenge, please do! We would love the competition and the support. Maybe we will even come up with a prize for the winner.

New Year

2008-01-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

It is already a week into the new year and yet I have not set any resolutions. I have never really been big on it, but Rollin is and he wants to talk about our resolutions for F.H.E. tonight. What should I resolve to do? Watch less T.V.? But it brings me so much joy. Be a nicer mom? Is that possible? Work out more? I barely drag myself to the three aerobic sessions I go to each week. Eat better? But crap tastes so much better than bird seed. This resolution stuff is hard.

Rollin has been telling me for years that he wishes I were passionate about something, that I had a "thing" that I got all crazy about and poured some of my excess energy into. So I think for this year I am resolving to find a passion. I am taking suggestions.

Here are some fun Christmas pictures of the kids. It was Rollin's year to do Christmas his way so we opened all the gifts Christmas Eve.

Fighting the Fuddy-duddies

2008-01-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

So I guess I am behind the times not already having a blog. I wondered if I would have anything of interest to say, and maybe I won't, but I gots to stay hip with the kiddies.