Come to the Smart Side

Isaac ran for 5th grade student council last week. He wanted to do something with Darth Vader. So this is what we came up with. It's only 50 seconds so watch it - Isaac is pretty funny. (it's in the next post - you tube uploaded it directly, instead of on this post.) He did a great job. Short, sweet, memorable, and entertaining.

Of course he made it on the council.

Come to the Smart Side part 2

Fab Finds

I found these two items at thrift stores this past week. Nate and I have never had a dresser in our 15 years of marriage - I've been looking a long time. I really liked the circles on the drawer fronts. It came with a mirror. So I need to figure out what to do with that. I already have a mirror in my room. It has a few dings/scratches. One day I may redo it, or paint it. But I really like it the way it is.

And I couldn't pass up the chair. Only $5! I originally thought I'd paint it some nice glossy bright color. But the oak cleaned up nicely and I'll recover the seat to something a bit more fun. I've got tons of fabric in my stash. And it fit nicely in the corner of my room.

That your joy may be full

We are having a special stake fast tomorrow. Our stake president has asked us to hold a special family home evening this week (which we have done) to prepare for this special fast tomorrow. If you would like to join us in fasting for rain for our region (and for all those that need it), we would welcome your faith and prayers.

While much of the US has had rain for the past few months (more than they want in some areas), the central Texas area is experiencing one of the worst droughts in the last 150 years. We've had the driest 2-year period since 1856. There have been 67 days over 100 degrees since June 1st. Lake levels are more than 30 feet below normal.

Where did the day go?

After this week - I need a vacation (not a trip - a real vacation. The kind where you don't have to watch kids or do anything you don't want to do.) Here's what I've done in the past 7 days:

1. We school-supply shopped.
2. We went to the doctor for booster shots - that really hurt - Made my big girl cry...after the nurse left he room. She tried to be brave.
   
3. And really big grocery shopped (I haven't really shopped for over a month).
4. Picked up the dog from the vet (where she was boarded while we were gone.)
5. All the kids (except Hazel) started school last week.
6. FHE - back to school blessings from Nate.
   
7. Gave Toby a hair cut.
8. Gave Isaac a hair cut.
9. Met the new neighbors.
10. Toby started seminary - at 5:00 AM. Ouch.
11. Schedule changes because Aspen had no classes with her friends.
12. So now she is on the tennis team so she can be in one class with her best friend.
13. Which meant we had to go back to the doctor for a sports physical (because it was just a little different than the well-child check we did three days before when she got her shots and cost another $25).
14. I had beginning-of-the-year parent-teacher conferences with Isaac's teachers.
15. Emailed all the teachers contact information and signed a ream's worth of papers from the school.
16. Created a new schedule and started school stuff with Toby for the new year.
17. Answered email.
18. Had a couple play dates for Hazel.
19. Clean out the girls' closets to figure out what clothes the need/don't need for fall (which won't happen for a couple more months, but the hand-me-downs will go to someone who might need them sooner).
20. Bought new Sunday shoes for Isaac.
21. Store returns/ birthday gift for friends/more school supplies that were requested after the start of school.
22. Laundry/laundry/laundry.
23. Taught all the kids to iron their own Sunday clothes.
24. Still have Nate's ironing to do. (maybe I'll hire the kids to catch that up.)
25. Finally got the house clean, the car vacuumed out and inside windows washed, (still needs to be washed from the road trip).
26. Filled in the new calendar for the school year.
27. Fill out application to volunteer at Isaac's school (yea, you have to apply! and get a back ground check.)
28. Returned all the borrowed things I've collected or that have been left at my house over the past few months.
29. Sewed a bag for Aspen.
30. Weeded the garden.
31. Cooked breakfast 4 of the past 6 days for the kids.
32. And cooked dinner 5 of the past 7 nights (ordered pizza one night, had left overs another night).
33. Took all 4 kids to the dentist to get their teeth cleaned. Found out every single kid had cavities. Not happy. Now I need to take them all back - one at a time - to fill the cavities.
34. Refill prescriptions.
35. Sewed patches on Isaac's scout shirt.
36. Went to pack meeting.
37. Went swimming with Hazel's friend.
38. Picked up Aspen early from a birthday party due to inappropriately rated movie that was about to be shown.
39. Have not been successful yet at the earlier bedtimes I planned.
40. Went to a movie with Nate.
41. Went on a date to IKEA with Nate. And sampled the new dishes at Chuy's Green Chili Festival.
42. Took some family pictures before church this morning (because I had curled all the girls' hair, and mine, and we all looked nice).

Here's what's on the list for this upcoming week:

• I still have to get Hazel's shots,
• doneMake kids dentist appointments.
• doneFind out when the boy's doctor appointment is scheduled for next (I misplaced my reminder card).
• make 3 (1 down, 2 more to go) more various doctor's appointments for myself,
• visit teach,
• iron Nate's shirts,
• donedrive to Fort Worth tomorrow for a follow up appointment with the doctor that did my surgery last month - and then turn right around and make the three hour drive home so I can pick up the kids from school,
• donereturn mail order stuff,
• doneFHE on fasting - requested by our stake president
  
• plant flower pots,
• dig up and weed front flower beds,
• get my car washed,
• donedrop stuff at Goodwill,
• visit my friend who just had a baby,
• do the mending,
• Go throught the 5 file boxes of stuff that was on my kitchen counter over the past 3 months that I just shoved in a box to clean up and there is probably some important stuff in there that I need to find.
• donersvp for a wedding.
• Wash the dog.
• done get my hair cut,
• donetrim Hazel's hair,
• drop off the paperwork for Hazel's school,
• need to make some freezer meals and banana bread,
• done mow the lawn,
• donemake eye doctor appointments for the boys (I think they need new glasses - Isaac left his in Utah),
• donebuy Isaac new school shoes,
• sign Hazel up for dance or something,
• donelook at tennis lessons for Isaac,
• buy tickets to the Peter and the Wolf ballet for Hazel and I
• doneGo to the Scout store for a webelos book for Isaac
• doneLook for materials for a Nacho Libre costume commissioned by my friend's husband
• Mail packages to various people
• Put away all the stuff sitting in the garage that doesn't belong there
• call my family
• plan holidays to work out travel arrangements - vegas for thanksgiving! small day trips maybe during christmas break?
• Axel's birthday is coming up.
• Need to call to make an appointment to go to the temple
• doneGet some family names from Aunt Joan for family baptisms next month with Aspen and Toby
• Start making Christmas idea list
• donelook for dresser, coffee table and new lamp (our's all broke over the summer).
  
• Workout A LOT!
• donePooper-scoop - or assign the job to one of the kids.
• Thank you notes.
  
• Work on my anniversary idea
• donePlan ahead for homeschool stuff for Toby
• Catch up on DVR'd shows
• Charge my ipods
  
• catch up on all my magazines
• catch up on blogs
• go through the 2222 photos the I just barely got around to downloading off my cameras. (I was 150 pictures from filling my memory card. Never done that before.)
• so I can BLOG!
• done for nowSLEEP
• donegive myself a pedicure - really really need one.
  
• Not to mention do all the fun and relaxing stuff I really want to do.

Pleeeease can I go on vacation? I really wasn't ready for summer break to be over.

photo via - just liked this one and i don't have time to go through mine right now...it's after midnight. Where did the day go?

I should be in bed, but then tomorrow will just come faster

I know that I haven't blogged in a while. Sorry.
I have a ton of things to blog about too. I know you are waiting to hear about them too. Sorry.
I should be in bed. It's past 12:30 am. Oops.
Toby started seminary this year...he has to be up at 5:15 am. Really? Why? High School where we live deosn't start until 8:55 am - that's basically 9:00 in the morning. (elementary at 7:30 am - a little backwards in my book.) I vote for 7 am, or even 8 am seminary. I just don't do mornings in general. However, i am great at night.
The only 5:15 I usually see is the one where the sun is shining (at least here in Texas).

But...

I've been blog-hopping. (I can't really justify sitting at my computer and ignoring my children and my chores just to surf during the day while they are all awake. Now everyone, even the pets, are sleeping.).

Anyway, I stumbled upon this very cool blog.
It's kind of nerdy - well, very nerdy. But I am a nerd, married to another geeky nerd, raising some nerdy children (that really is our aim).

And since Nate is asleep, I'll share it with ya'll.

so back to this blog I found.

Some fun projects are in our future. Check it out for yourself.

1. fun for halloween
2. do you know what a dodecahedron is? it's cute
3. these magnet tricks will keep the kids busy
4. see if you can figure out the code for this little perpetual calendar
5. more halloween fun
6. try this ipod app. for thanksgiving this year
7. fun upcycling craft or boredom buster
8. or this one - a little more complicated
9. this would be cool for a party or the holidays.
10. halloween themed security system
11. educational green energy experiment ( would be perfect for science fair project ( you know you need to start thing about it now. No need to wait until the last day of christmas vacation and realize it's due when the kids go back to school.) Not that I would know anything about that.
12. a fabric klein bottle. Nate has a glass one. Very interesting. Maybe we'll start him a small collection of them.
13. for all you girls married to vintage video game junkies. A guy might not be excited about a skirt with scenes from the old video game missile command appliqued on it. But he might get excited about the girl wearing the skirt...or maybe just want to go play missile command first and you later.
14. table tennis.

most of these games remind me of nate, or I think he'd get a kick out of the fun things on this blog. But he is so mature and went to be a couple hours ago.
back to the list.

15. Make your own computer game with hardware, not just in virtual reality.
16. this one is for my pi-loving son upon which I will set my "apple" pie ( see number 6 above).
17. for the true nerd/geek/computer guy's birthday a binary candle for his cake.

18. this is an interesting take on the tabernacle choir. wotch it.
19. yes I know that I spelled wotch wrong. BUt I'm clearing too tired to fix it. too much worl. It's too late for accuarted typing. really.
20. these look like cooler lite brite fun for older kids/adults.
21. Fo all you noncrafters - a NO-SEW ipod/iphone cozy.
22. Here you can see picktures of camoflauged bugs. Look closely. Kid friendly.
23. here's a way to upcycle all those cassette mix tapes you spent hours making. You don't find many cassette players anymore oanyway, so turn it into a coin purse.
24. found this on a different blog. But I kind of have a thing for robots right now. THey also have other cool stuff. check them out.
25. LOTS of halloween projects shown at the Maker Faire held in Austin. I meant to go. BUt I think it was while I was on vacation.


Okay, now I am falling asleep -- just to get up again in 3 hours. Such sacrifices I make for my child to go to seminry.!
These last two sentences have taken me five minutes to type. I keep dozing off and mistyping 80% of the words. Anyway, check it out, lots of fun - geeky and education and just fun!!!

one last fun project

www.evilmadscientist.com