Friday, November 30, 2007

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

thought this was funny...

I have been emailing my parents some of my posts using blogger...and this is the warning/instructions they have at the top of the form

"The information you provide on this form will not be used for anything other than sending the email to your friend. This feature is not to be used for advertising or excessive self-promotion."

isn't excessive self-promotion is what blogging is all about? :0

disposable thumbs make me specialer than most aminals



we put this on a shirt for one of doug's coworkers using cafe press. I think i will use cafe press instead of the iron ons. better quality, less work, and i don't have to worry if it is centered or not.

an advertisement for despair.com



I especially like the one on the right. they make one that says "my" instead of "your"

now if only i could put on the back "all that glitters..."

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

an analysis of yesterday's outfits

Isaac has been outgrowing his 0-3mo size, and I haven't had a chance to get him in this outfit yet (it has been too warm...we have been having a bit of an Indian summer)


but today was cold enough. I wanted him to wear it, because it dates from back to when i was pregnant with mallory and i wasn't going to find out what the sex of the baby was. so i was garage sale-ing for the new baby and trying to pick out gender neutral outfits-- very hard since not many people choose not to find out what the baby is. and i found it, and loved it, and bought it even though i wasn't going to pick out gender specific clothes. (i ended up buying a few girl clothes too, which was a good thing, because when I had mallory i was in love with all things pink. which is funny to me, because now that i have isaac, i am in love with all things blue. but i think he looks very good in blue. so does mallory. anyway, i digress) so the next time i have a baby, i am going to not find out what the sex is and buy things in both blue and pink. well at garage sales. i will have to wait until i have the baby to let myself buy at the store.

anyway, back to the main point of this post...not that this was an important post anyways, maybe i will put this in microbes... anyway...I had put mallory in a piglet outfit not connecting that this one had pooh bear and tigger when i picked it out. and thought, hmmm i have an eeyore sweatshirt... and so you have this...

look at those double chins on both of us...sigh...

and this...


mallory is on the left...no, i won't be winning any photography contests with that one. i would just like to point out that i had a squirmy baby on my lap, and a whining child who wanted their plug and hates getting her picture taken, and we needed to go run some errands...i would like to also point out that she is smiling in that picture...

i wish i had taken mal's picture alone. oh well. next time...
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pulling the plug, part deux

yep...a week ago, i pulled the plug. (pacifier or binky if you prefer. no, thank heavens i didn't have to pull life support. i don't think i could blog about that.) I was going to wait until the day after christmas, but i got sick enough of the constant drool coming from my daughter's mouth. and i figured since she got new toys for her birthday, that should keep her entertained. So i took it away except for naptime and bedtime. it was really sad the first time i took it out of her mouth. she had a look of betrayal in her eyes. but now she will put it in the basket or give it to me without any problems. candy was a great distraction. and still is for that matter. when i weaned her from the breast i used chips. they haven't worked as well as the candy this time. though the first time i changed mallory's poopy diaper without the plug (she would throw fits when her stinky diapers gets changed even when she had the plug), doug gave her a potato chip and that calmed her for awhile.

yes we are brushing her teeth. at least twice a day. you should see her spit into the sink. i need to get a video of her doing it.

the second day after the law had been laid down, she told me she was going to look for her plug after she asked me for it and I explained the new rules. I then asked her if she wanted some candy. she then had some candy and then went on playing. a while later, she wanted some more candy. I told her no and that she had had enough candy (yes, there are some limits to the extent i bribe my child). She got a gleam in her eye, and told me she was going to go look for her plug and walked in the same direction that she had before, while looking back at me to as if to say, do i get candy when i ask for my plug? this worked before. I held firm. she broke into tears, and i still held firm. I can hold firm when i can tell i am being manipulated. she stopped crying eventually :) (no, I think she got tickled unmercilessly and she stopped and we laughed over her silliness)

though it seems now that she has had more accidents without the plug...she fell off a chair and hit the table, then the chair, and finally the floor. i learned then that bumps on the head are not just an exaggeration of cartoons. then she stepped on my quilting frame that has nails poking up so you can put fabric on it. had a very deep wound with that one and then freaked out when i put antibiotic ointment and a band aid over it. she wouldn't walk for the rest of the night. she fell and scraped her knee on the pavement. she fell off a box and bonked her head on the concrete floor in the basement.

she sort of relapsed yesterday, with church on sunday, (she had to make it through nursery, wasn't going to hoist her on the nursery leaders without the plug) and she and isaac got shots yesterday, she had "extended" naptime and bedtime hours. hopefully, she will be ok with just nap and bedtimes, otherwise, by next week, i might take it away at those times as well. though the dentist might be a little upset if we give her candy all night long ;)

i was hoping to go until she was three with her plug at naps/bedtime, but if she wants it all the time, it is better that she just forgets all about the plug. if she can. especially with a little brother who is using one. maybe we will have a family plug pulling, and take off isaac as well...let him figure out how to use his fingers. uh huh. any bets as to when she goes back to the plug full time?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

ladybug teaset

didn't you always want a teaset when you were little? I did. So I couldn't resist buying it for mallory's birthday when I saw the ladybugs. even though it said ages 8+, and it was made out of porcelain and not plastic. any bets to how long it will last before it gets broken?





four days and counting...

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Thursday, November 15, 2007

pumpkin stains


I tried the pumpkin pie recipe that my sister posted. I switched the graham cracker crust to an crushed oreo crust (store bought, of course) to make it more halloweeny. we all liked it. except i am still trying to get out the pumpkin stains three weeks later. (i did get the chocolate out. i think i have a new winner of stains that i can't get out. i tried the pumpkin soup too (very good as well), and still working on those clothes as well.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

halloween clearance

i thought this was cute, but as Doug said "looking leads to buying, buying leads to poverty." in a Yoda voice

killer high chair, pt 3

thought i might upload some pictures of the finished high chair. it didn't turn out so hot, but it looks passable from a distance.

notice that it is in between the table and the wall now. no more stubbing my toes

kitty needed some food and a bib so he wouldn't "get messy"

a thanksgiving quote

i thought this was neat:

"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like
to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them.
They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble,
more joyful, more likable."


(Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Live in Thanksgiving Daily," Ensign, Sept. 2001, 8)

Sunday, November 04, 2007

mythology

In fourth grade, i remember learning about mythology and how to define it-basically what i remembered was that they were stories about gods and how the world was created that weren't based in fact (unlike legends, which had some historical fact behind them). facts being defined in my mind as "truths". I was always bothered by that definition. the greeks (or other "primitives") who believed in it probably didn't think it was mythology, they believed in it as it was true, just as i believed in God, and everyone around me believed in God (I grew up in 99% Mormon town). why did the Christian God not get called a myth?

the thoughts i have to answer that, one, many people still believe in Christianity, while it is rare to find people who believe in greek mythology, so it is ok for the public consciousness, or the authority who writes textbooks, to call it mythology. they use religion as the current term. Two, it is usually the winners who write the history books (or that keep the history books in print...or don't burn them).

Now, when watching Bones and listening to the Dr. Brennan character speaking of the "Christian mythology", it brought up the whole subject back to mind. Believing myself to be a scientist, how does the "Christian myth" play out in my life? (notice the juxtaposition of believing and scientist? another thought to ponder. i think belief has a lot more to do with science than most scientists are prepared to admit. anyway.) What is difference between truth and fact? Is there a difference? how do I define them? My thoughts go back to the scripture that says that faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true (Alma 32:21).

I also remember learning in school history about monotheism and how it was a (necessary?) development in history, or an advancement in human development, in other words. (sorry that i am fighting the wording. i am not quite sure of the correct words. i need to add the caveat that this is a ramble, not a well thought out essay.) I recently read in History of the Jews by Paul Johnson about how monotheism was a great advancement (this is what i am remembering, i don't have the book with me to get details and I don't remember exactly why it was an advancement, simplicity perhaps?) over polytheism-- poor greeks, their belief system got another put down. Then he went on about how Christianity had dealt with basically having two Gods (God the Father and God the Son) by combining with the Holy Ghost to make the Trinity (One God instead of Three) so they would have the benefits of monotheism (which again, I don't remember what they were. i wish i did, it would make this post better. I will check it out of the library and post an addendum). I thought that it was interesting point, I have always wondered about the reasonings behind the Trinity. The Trinity has always seemed to me to be an awkward explanation of God and Jesus.

what this brought up in my mind, was how does this affect my religion? Mormons do not believe in the "Trinity" or the idea that they are all one being. We believe that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate individuals. So did that equate to polytheism and to Greek mythology? Three individuals is simpler than the Trinity, but the polytheism issue remains. I guess that is why we add the "one in purpose". As for Greek Mythology, it always sort of bothered me how mean the gods were in their dealings with each other and mankind, and so that was why I was always glad that Christianity was a different type of religion. So even if Mormonism can be technically considered polytheistic?, i still prefer it to the greek polytheism, because Heavenly Father and Jesus love me. and care about me and want us to be nice to each other.

I once read somewhere that the god of the world today is global warming (when something goes wrong in the world, it is because of global warming. it used be because of a god. that was another interesting tangent, that i probably shouldn't go down, since now both children are awake) and that political correctness is its religion. Not that political correctness is a bad thing, I enjoy that mormons should be treated nice and with respect, and that some are making an effort to learn that we haven't practiced polygamy in over 100 years. (a little side note on that- yes it is annoying if you ask me if Doug is going to take another wife. come on people, it has been over 100 years) I, too, feel bad about offending anyone...so sorry if i have offended anybody. These thoughts reflect my beliefs, and i respect your beliefs as well. I thought about listing who might get upset with me...the science people for saying belief is a factor in science and that global warming is today's god... the Christians who believe in the Trinity...the Mormons about being polytheistic...the greek mythology people... oh and I went back and capitalized God so I wouldn't be struck by lightning.

what i would like to see on youtube, thoughts on santa claus dilemma


I have been looking for the got milk commercial with oreos, talking about how they came up with the name. mallory says oreos the same way.

i have also been looking for the cheese commercial with the moon, where they talk about man believing that the moon was made out of cheese, and then how we went to the moon, and then we haven't been back since. behold the power of cheese. I started looking for that when mallory kept asking to fly to the moon (her dad started her on that one) and wanting grandpa to build her a rocketship, so she could fly to the moon. then i told her the moon was made out of cheese...brainwashing your children is what it is all about...

then i felt guilty about brainwashing, because children are so trusting and believing. and i have always wanted to be a parent who could be trusted. that's why i have a hard time with santa claus. if you tell them that santa claus is real, and you tell them that god is real...slippery slope. my children might be the ones who tell your children that santa claus isn't true.

but then i want my kids to believe in santa, because it is fun, the magic of someone bringing you gifts. i was talking to a friend about this and she commented that why should santa get all the credit? thought that was an interesting comment. i am still pondering what to do.

i never remember believing in santa. i always recognized my mom's handwriting on the gifts. I am also number 6 out of 7 children, so that might have had something to do with it. I can remember my mom telling me if i didn't believe in santa, then he wouldn't come and no santa presents for me. i told her then that i believed. greed and avarice comes before truth. talking about the whole santa thing later with my mom, she said that she never worked too hard to make santa believable (hence the handwriting), maybe that's what i will do. i like the thought of telling the story of St. Nick, hmmm.

pulling the plug

One thing that has bothered me is people who pull out mallory's pacifier. it usually doesn't bother me when it is family who mallory knows and trusts, but it is another thing entirely when it is a stranger (to mallory, I usually know them. I wouldn't let a complete stranger get close enough to do so, i hope. though i have had one stranger come up to me and touch mallory (when she was a baby) and not say anything. that was really weird. way beyond my comfort, I usually don't mind if they touch the baby and talk to me). what gives you the right to take something that the child needs for comfort in the vain hope that she will give you a smile. She definitely won't give you a smile now that you have taken it away from her. If you want her to smile at you, give her candy. always a winner.