Fun Filled FHE: Part III

Tonight on my quest to sit and eat bon-bons while my children make the house sparkle I taught the kids to CLEAN THE KITCHEN FLOOR. Seriously. My friend Lisa (whom I admire greatly and want to be like when I grow up -- in ten years) told me that every Saturday when the family is done with their regular weekend chores, every grabs a soapy rag and they clean the kitchen floor. Brilliant. Mopping and Swiffer WetJet just don't get everything. But soapy water, elbow grease and two willing helpers? PERFECT. So I told them we were going to be Cinderella in the "Sing Sweet Nightingale" scene. They had a blast. Sure, the floor was a little more wet than I'd prefer , but it got done. And we'll try again on Saturday. While the girls and I did that, Brian vacuumed the carpet so I could steam clean them after the kids went to bed. I love having Bunco at my house once a year. It forces me to have everything clean AT ONCE, instead of my usual "This week we have a dust free piano, ENJOY!!"

I also taught the girls to clean the floorboards. I hadn't gotten around to showing Joelle how to do it last week. And since they already had wet rags from the doing the floor, it seemed like a natural fit. When it's Joelle's turn again she can do the upstairs.

We did have a spiritual part of the lesson. We toured http://www.lds.org/ and http://www.mormon.org/ and watched the testimonies of the people on there and learned what else we could find on those sites. And we used the Gospel Art Kit to talk about the Atonement, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

Then for treats, we made THESE:

Yum. Refrigerated Cookie Dough and mini candy bars. Couldn't be simpler. And so horribly good. And rich. I couldn't eat more than three. I sent most of them to work with Brian today. Because -- I can only eat three AT A TIME, but wait 30 minutes for the carmelly goodness to dissipate and I am ready for more. We tried sugar cookie dough and chocolate chip dough and we put Milky Ways and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups in them. Yum. Do you think those would make a good breakfast?

Oh, and so I can claim to be a good mother who documents this stuff, Jillise lost her third tooth last week (on March 12th). It came out while she was eating Lucky Charms for breakfast (because while I am a good mother who documents this stuff I am NOT a good mother who feeds them healthy cereal for breakfast). Here is her lispy grin:

Fun Sunday Quiz

***Okay, I fixed the link. I had two http:// thingies.
***Okay, I fixed the link AGAIN. Blogger hates me today.

As I was blog surfing last night, I came across this quiz: SPOT THE FAKE SMILE. It will take you just a few minutes to take and the little videos you will watch were part of a scientific study. So, how good are you at spotting the fakers?? I did fairly well, I got 16 out of 20. I think that's a solid 'B.' Take the quiz and tell me how you did. Post your results in the comments section.

I am off to take my Sunday nap!

Happiness Is...

• Finishing TWO aprons this week: one for a bunco prize, and one for ME.


• Finishing my apron with less than TWO feet of thread remaining on the bobbin. Whew! It drives me crazy to have my momentum interrupted by having to wind a new bobbin.


• Realizing that I really enjoy sewing. And that it no longer stresses me out like it used to. I don't know that my kids will be showing to up to church in homemade frocks anytime soon, but I can turn out a pretty cute bib apron in less than a day!


• Spending time with some really funny ladies at a bridal shower. It became very apparent however, that I have entered into the realm of "experienced married woman." I am part of the old guard, welcoming the young spring chickens.


• Having my children clean the toyroom (well!!) without being asked.


• Having Brian come home early.


• Tulip bulbs about to bloom.


• Finding old friends on Facebook. There is even a page dedicated to alumni of the Select Choir I was a part of in highschool. *sniff*


• Lazy Saturdays with the whole family.

EDITED: A couple of you requested apron pictures. This first one is the bunco prize. The theme this month is "green," but I didn't want an apron that screamed of St. Patrick's Day. I thought this was cheerful and fun (two things that doing housework ISN'T). The second apron is the one I made for myself. I like the long ties that I can wrap around and tie in the front. I feel less "haus frau."

I Think I'm On To Something...

• Last night for part of Family Home Evening we taught the girls to wash windows. They were SO excited and were trying to find new windows to do...
• Jillise was crying because cleaning the baseboards with a wet rag wasn't on her chore chart, but Joelle gets to do it...
• The girls' faces light up like Christmas when it is their day to clean the bathroom...
• The girls willingly unload the dishwasher...

Our first annual family cleaning Saturday was a bust, however. I decided to leave early in the morning to go into town and run some errands and we never got it done. But I do feel good that my children are happily (for now) contributing to the overall cleanliness of our home. And they are old enough to be taking some of the things off of my plate. Granted, right now I am watching them every step of the way, but I won't have to do that for long. I can't wait until Jaren is old enough to do the trash and mow the lawn. But wait, that's Brian's job. I guess I'll have to find other things for him to do, too. ;)

Be There

Last night we had our rehearsal for our ward's production of The Ten Virgins. It is going to be part of our Relief Society Birthday celebration. It is going to be SO good. Come, and bring Kleenex.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the story, it is a little musical/readers theater based on the parable of the Ten Virgins from Matthew 25:1-13. Everyone in the village is to prepare to meet the wedding party and go into the feast. But the bridegroom comes later than expected and only five of the ten virgins have enough oil in their lamps to last until He comes. So the other five go to find oil and miss the feast.

Growing up and hearing the story I always thought of the foolish five as being the "bad" ones. But in this production, the author has given ten different personalities and circumstances to each of the women. We get to hear her story and her song, then see what happens in the end. The director did an amazing job choosing women and youth to fill these roles. I have been practicing my song for a few weeks and still can't get through it without getting choked up. Last night I read my speaking part aloud for the first time and I really struggled. That was on top of hearing all the OTHER women do their parts. The characters are so human and I find a little of myself in each of them -- the wise AND the foolish. And the foolish aren't that foolish. They are just busy, or insecure, or forgetful. And it really hits me hard when those virgins don't have the oil needed when the time comes.

So be there. It starts at 6:30 and you really don't want to miss it. I think you will leave with a renewed desire to do good and to be better and to work harder to have the oil needed to meet the Savior when he comes again.

Wanted

WANTED

For breaking curfew, talking too loudly during the movie and annoying the many patrons, impersonating Red Robin servers, and carrying concealed candy.

SUSPECTS:

Rochelle

Alias: Candy Man, Toothie, Hot Mamma

Aundrea

Alias: Book Pusher, Hot Mamma

Paige

Alias: Cry Baby, Hot Mamma

Nicole

Alias: Carsick Cutie, Hot Mamma

Jodi

Alias: Jewelry Junkie, Hot Mamma

These suspects are neither armed nor dangerous. However, do to fluctuating hormones and a lack of sleep, it is probably best to avoid direct confrontation unless you are carrying chocolate and are willing to part with it. And if you happen to invite any of these women into your homes, please make sure all toilet locks have been disengaged...

"They Found Me. I Don't Know How, But They Found Me."

Name that movie! Back to the Future. And it isn't the Libyans that found me, it's the sickies. And I guess they didn't find me, they found Jaren. Poor guy. I don't think it's the plague that has been going around, but he has a nasty cold. He has been sufficiently drugged and is now sleeping. I hope it lasts long enough for me to finish this and shower. What I would REALLY like to do is crawl back into bed, but I made such good progress on getting my house caught up yesterday that I should probably continue on that path. Especially since Jaren's current condition means I probably shouldn't go into town to pick up music like I had planned.

I have a fun blog I really need to get up SOON. It involves incredible blackmail pictures and hopefully a few laughs. I am trying to get the creative juices flowing to make a post worthy of the pictures, but I keep stalling out.

For FHE last night I taught the girls how to clean a bathroom. We tied it into having a clean and organized home like the temple. It's so sad that the girls thought it was FUN. Jillise even wants her own pink plastic gloves. I am hoping to take advantage of this by having the girls do the minor wipe downs during the week, then I can get in there and do the floors and the deeper cleanings when it needs it. And I noticed that Walmart no longer carries the Swiffer Sweep 'n Vac filters. What am I supposed to do now???? That thing was a lifesaver. This is one of those times when I wish we didn't live in the sticks and we had access to more than one convenience store.

Twilight Gals: I preordered Breaking Dawn. The girl at the local bookstore said they might consider a midnight release party if we could get enough people to commit to coming. Who's in? Oh -- and I finished my latest mindless fluff/chick lit book. When any of you are done reading your enlightening/slit your wrist/historical fiction books you are welcome to borrow it!! :)