MBA/Job Musings

When Aaron was at Carlson for his interview, he chatted with the Negotiations professor in the lunch line. After they got through the line, she started to walk off, then turned around and said to him, "Ask for money!" Well, Aaron figures it can't hurt. He's going to call up the financial aid office at Carlson and ask.

If he doesn't get any grants or scholarships, we would have to go into extreme debt to do it. Neither of us is up for that. It would take too long, at this point in our lives, to pay it off. We were prepared for him to come out of MBA school with a lower initial salary than he is getting right now. With $70-$80K in student loan payments, it would not be worth the time it would take to recover.

We just found out that BYU isn't an option. So, to quit Microboards, it's down to Carlson or a new job.

Aaron came up with something that might help with the job search: Certifications. Tech companies are wary to hire Aaron because they are worried he might not catch on to their technology quickly enough. Maybe if he had some programming certifications on his resume, it would demonstrate his technical ability. Since it makes sense to Microboards to have him learn Java right now, they authorized him to buy books on it. One of the books he chose is aimed at people working toward the first certification test. Once he learns it, it can't hurt to be certified, can it?

In the meantime, Aaron is sending resumes all over the place. On Saturday, he put in his resume with a company that does Flash storage. It is the technology that is replacing optical (which he tried to get Microboards to start developing a few years ago, and which is now inching their way into Microboards' market). They have a marketing position open right now. Hopefully, they'll recognize his value to taking over the optical market, and he'll get an interview.

I don't like not knowing what the future holds. I am much easier to motivate if I have something to work toward. If I knew Aaron was going to Carlson next year, I'd be searching all of the stores for penny-pinching savings on canned vegetables or toilet paper so that I could stock up enough for two years. If I knew we were preparing for a move, I'd be reducing in every possible way, buying new curtains and blinds for the rooms that need them, and putting our money in very different places. The two ideas don't completely mesh, and I'm at a standstill.

So I blog.

Counting Blessings

I'm a whiner and complainer lately. Minnesota winters are depressing, and this one seems more so than others in the recent past. However, that's not a good excuse for me to complain about everything going on in my life constantly. Especially when I see such hard things happening around the world, and especially in our extended family. So, I'm going to take a moment to count some of my blessings.

1. I'm not going through a difficult pregnancy (no, I'm not pregnant at all, thank you very much).

2. Aaron is a loving, supportive husband.

3. We have healthy, bright children.

4. We only have one mortgage payment.

5. We have a year's supply of food and clothing.

6. We have a savings.

7. Aaron has a job that pays well.

8. I'm enjoying being in a musical.

9. We're not moving any time soon, most likely.

10. I have a few good friends.

11. I don't have a nudist living next door (at least, not that I know of, tee-hee, Melissa).

Life is not so bad. I have challenges I can handle, and I don't know how well I'd handle some of the challenges others are having right now.

Not Looking Good

I called the U of MN financial aid office today to find out when the FAFSA gets processed by them, as it has already been processed by the government. They said they don't start processing them until at least the end of February. Once it has been processed, then we fill out more online forms, and then we don't find out about all of the aid available until July. How do we pay the $500 tuition deposit and sign the intent form if we don't know if we can pay for it?

The guy I talked to wasn't positive, but thought that any departmental grants or scholarships probably would have been in the acceptance packet. Darn!

Then, he told me that loans will probably be equal to tuition plus $8000 in living expenses. If they take our EFC into account, as well, then we will be short on tuition by a few thousand dollars, and will only make it through most of April '11 before we go broke. Then what? It's not like a summer internship will pay for another year of living expenses for our family. Aaron will have half an MBA, no job, and $34,000 in student loans. I just don't know how this can work. I want to make it work for Aaron. I want him to be happy. I don't want him to have to stay at Microboards. Someone give me some hope, please!

Nine Months

We were anxiously awaiting the packet in the mail that was supposed to tell us what kind of financial aid Aaron is being offered, as per to Aaron's acceptance email. It came, but it didn't have anything but the acceptance letter, an informational letter that gave him his internet ID, the website address to accept his admission, etc., and a pamphlet that gives him contact information of people in the program, the financial aid office, etc. The informational letter also said that he will receive an email from the financial aid office when his eFAAN is ready (that's the online site that informs him of his scholarships, grants, and loans available, and where he can accept or decline each of them). I went to the eFAAN site, and it has his status as waiting for the FAFSA to be processed. The government part is complete, according to the FAFSA website, so we're just waiting on the U of MN's financial aid office to process it on their end, and then we need to fill out a few more online forms before they will finish the eFAAN.

We were hoping to have a better idea by now whether or not Aaron can go, but the wait continues.

In the meantime, I've figured out that we could live through most of April '11 (nine months of school) before our savings runs out if Aaron goes to the Carlson School of Business. That's not including tuition and fees - those we will need financial aid for. And, that's without living completely on our food storage. I only budgeted for a $100 cut in our grocery expenses. If I am really creative, we might even make it through May, and then, hopefully, Aaron will get a decent internship for the summer, scholarships and a graduate assistantship for his second year, etc. But, we could end up living on loans for the 2nd year. I don't like that idea much. I don't even know if we can take out that much in loans, honestly.

We have until April 15th to make the decision and pay the tuition deposit. I am glad we don't have to pay it sooner, like at BYU, because I don't think we have enough information to study it all out and get a good feeling for it yet. So far, we are just feeling uncertain. Something needs to happen, we're just not sure what.

Joseph - Free Ticket (with a little catch)

Last night I had a short rehearsal, and Aaron and I had an errand to run, so he came with me. Bill, the director, saw him hanging out, and asked me if he'd reconsider being in the pit, as they still don't have their 3rd keyboard player. I told him he might be able to get him if he twists his arm enough. So, he talked to him for a bit, and Aaron agreed to talk to the pit director about it. He's pretty sure he'll do it. After all, now that we're into our 5th week of rehearsals, Aaron won't have as many rehearsals to go to, so it isn't all that long of a commitment. There will be approximately 8 rehearsals and 8 performances, and Bill let him know that if he had any conflicts, even with a performance, they'd be flexible with that.

If he does go through with it, we have an extra ticket to the Thursday, February 18th performance that we'd like to give away. The catch is, you'll be sitting with my parents and six of my children. They do love music, so I don't anticipate a problem. The show is very fast-paced and should capture even Katie's attention for the duration of the performance. However, I can't make any promises that she won't have to be taken out. Any takers?

Carlson

Aaron got in!

Pinewood Derby

Pinewood Derby was on Saturday. Aaron helped William and Ben with their cars over the last month. However, he doesn't design them, and he only does the parts that have to be done with power tools. This isn't the key to winning races, but it makes the cars the boys'.

Benjamin came out of the race with a 3rd place Wolf den win. Not too hard to do, as there are only 5 boys in that den right now. Will didn't place, but we had fun re-running his car in the heat where his car was in the 4th lane OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. The 4th lane is a little finicky, and if you have a car with the weight all in the rear, like William's, the car doesn't have a chance. It was very amusing. The other cars in the heat were Ben's, and Brandon and Aaron Beckle's. Now, the Beckle's cars are always the winners, as their dad makes them, and as he is one of those guys who knows all the tricks, and builds them for speed. They always have perfect paint jobs and a shiny lacquer coating. Our boys' cars don't tend to do so well. However, this year, our boys' cars were actually pretty fast - but the imbalance made them jump the track at times. William's very first heat had his car come into finish sideways, yet he still won the heat. But in that 4th lane, he kept launching off the track. His car might have had a chance, if it weren't for the uneven seam on that end of the track.

There were a few interesting posts on Facebook last week that you might find interesting:


Aaron Pratt Dear Diary, I truly and deeply despise the Pinewood Derby. 6 sons times 4 years equals 24 sets of last place finishes and boy disappointments. I think I'm around halfway through. Yours truly, Dad
January 27 at 7:55pm · Comment · Like

Joyce Nordine Claypool
soooooo understand your pain...we have ours coming up! last year and in 2 months i'll have 2 BOY scouts finally...
January 27 at 8:02pm

Melissa Pratt Nielsen
do they really always lose? Thats kinda sad.
January 27 at 8:06pm

Becky Lyman
Ya know, there are web sites for improving your time, but what bugs me is that it is such a dad thing. Why don't the boys build the car???
January 27 at 8:38pm

Aaron Pratt
In my house the boys do (except where power tools are involved). But it still costs me time and pain.
January 27 at 8:56pm

Patty Maldonado Beckle
The boys are the only ones who touch their cars...oh gosh, I almost said that with a straight face.
January 27 at 9:13pm

Louise Wynn
Oh boy can I sympathize with that!
January 27 at 9:56pm

Emma Pratt
you have a diary?
January 27 at 10:29pm

Brian Beckle
If it's any consolation, my kids will never be able to play the piano...
January 27 at 11:00pm

Kimberlee Dodds Dray
lol
January 27 at 11:17pm

Melissa Brimhall Young
i despise them also.
January 28 at 7:47am

Then, the aftermath:


Patty Maldonado Beckle Congrats to my little Aaron...Grand Champion three years in a row. I think he's going to miss racing in the derby next year.
Sat at 1:56pm · Comment · Like
2 people like this.

Melissa Brimhall Young
So is his dad. :) Is your younger one in scouts yet?
Sat at 3:45pm

Stefany Pratt
Oh, don't worry, Melissa, there are quite a few more years for Beckle boys to beat the tar out of the Pratt boys at the Pinewood Derby over the next few years (Brandon Beckle's first race was today).
Sat at 5:13pm ·

Melissa Brimhall Young
LOL! I was hoping for one year Beckle free. :)
Sat at 5:24pm

Megan Beckle Hermsen
Go Beckle's!!!!!
Sat at 6:02pm

Patty Maldonado Beckle
LOL! I had that same conversation with Tiffany Hardy last year. We realized that they would be racing Beckle boys until Luke came into scouts..only because Sydney is a girl. The Beckles are just born speed freaks.
Sat at 10:42pm

Kim Beckle Kupper
way to go Aaron! ..oh and Brian too :)
Sat at 11:32pm

And from Aaron:


Aaron Pratt "If we fail, we fail with Glory; God Speed the Right!"

BYU Interview

Aaron got the phone call from the ditsy Marriott receptionist last Friday. She took no responsibility for messing up the first appointment (didn't apologize), which made Aaron a little frustrated. At this point, he decided not to go out to Utah for the appointment. What kind of MBA program is it that hires someone so unprofessional as its first point of contact with their candidates? The Carlson receptionist was a professional, not a freshman on work-study. He then set up his appointment for yesterday at 1pm. They discussed the time zone difference, and had it all set.

Well, yesterday rolled around, and Aaron didn't get a phone call. At 1:15pm he called the receptionist. She said he must have had a time zone issue, because the appointment was for 3pm, not 1pm. WOW. Especially considering the time difference is only one hour, not two.

At 3pm, Professor Christensen called. He apologized to Aaron for the confusion, and Aaron graciously told him that he must have been having time zone issues, at which point the professor told him that it was clearly his receptionist's fault, from her emails, and that he'd need to deal with her so that this type of confusion didn't keep happening. Aaron was relieved, and started to have a little hope for the program again.

It didn't last long.

Professor Christensen is about two years older than Aaron. He is a marketing professor. He has no business experience. His questions for Aaron were poorly constructed, and Aaron felt his communication skills were lacking. He challenged Aaron's motivations for getting an MBA, which is a good thing. He told Aaron that some professionals who enter the program are only there for the piece of paper, and don't participate, and that others come in and challenge what is being taught, and they aren't really there to learn. Aaron expressed to him that he will certainly participate, and that he will challenge marketing theory when he has had experiences that conflict, as he has read enough text books that teach theories that aren't sound in application, but that he would like to learn finance and operations, and that he will be there to learn in those courses. I give him credit for honesty, there.

Professor Christensen also asked Aaron about where he'd like to do his internship. He wanted Aaron to name companies. He said they start interviewing in their third week in the program. Internships are for 3 months over the summer, and are not typically in Utah, and he wondered how Aaron was planning on doing that with his family. Good question! This was all news to Aaron, and he told him that he'd have to consult with me, but that if it was right for us, that's what we'd do. It looks like they rely on the students to come up with their own internship opportunities, which is very different from Carlson.

All in all, we found that this program does not offer the opportunities Aaron wants. He felt that the people there are very much less experienced than Carlson, and that the networking Aaron was hoping for isn't there. I'm not saying we are 100% against it, but unless we receive some clear revelation that we are supposed to make that move, we're not very much on board right now. I'd call it plan C.

Aaron described to me the feelings he had coming out of the Carlson interview; elation, fear, nervousness, disappointment (as he didn't think there was a way to pay for it), and an intense desire to do it! With the Marriott interview, he came away wondering whether there was anything in the program for him, other than the finance and operations courses.

Well, now we wait. We should hear about both in February. In the meantime, Aaron will continue looking for a new job. He hasn't heard anything back from Finale yet. I wish they'd call!

Quick Update

Aaron was supposed to have his BYU interview yesterday. Unfortunately, the scheduler messed up and never let the professor know. So, when Aaron called in, the scheduler was out sick, and the back-up lady figured it out and told him she'd have the scheduler call him back when she gets back to reschedule it.

Now, Aaron is reevaluating going out there for an in-person interview. I'm not sure what triggered it, but maybe he needs to do it. He's trying to figure out how serious he is about BYU. I told him yesterday that he needs to be serious about everything in the moment, until he has all of his options in front of him. If he can't find another job, and if he doesn't get into Carlson (or doesn't get the necessary financial aid), suddenly he'll be really serious about BYU. It may seem like the least desirable option right now, but it is still a great school, the tuition is affordable, and it will get him out of Microboards.

Woman Issue

I was feeling pretty depressed last week. I was trying to figure out why it seemed like it was happening more and more often lately. I finally looked at the calendar, and then I realized that the same week each month I have been feeling this way. I looked up PMS symptoms, and yup, I hit the nail on the head. It starts about 11 days before my cycle begins, and ends a week later.

Knowledge is power, and I was able to control it a bit better last week than I have the past few months. I just hate feeling like crying for no reason, or over stupid things that normally wouldn't bother me so much. Aerobic exercise is supposed to help. I find it hilarious that I did so well at exercising every weekday and some Saturdays until I got to that week and couldn't get myself to do it for a few days. But, once I forced myself, I felt better. I also need to eat right through it, and remember my vitamins. Those two simple things are probably the hardest part for me, as I'd rather not bother getting up and doing anything, hungry or not, when I feel that way.

Does anyone else deal with this? What are your best tips for handling it?

Just Getting Along

Well, nothing exciting has happened lately. Aaron was out of town last week for a trade show. Now he's working on scheduling his interview with Marriott. He thought he'd go out for it, but now he's considering the phone option for out-of-state applicants. Tickets are running $3-400 right now, and after a rental car, hotel and missed work, the trip would run around $1500 - which we can afford if he isn't going there next year, but maybe not if he is! Any thoughts? Is an in-person interview worth the cost? Could it make a difference in whether or not they offer him a scholarship?

Will and I continue with our busy schedule of Joseph rehearsals. I'm resigned to the fact that I'm a part of it, and I'm going to try to have fun. We're supposed to have all of our music memorized by the end of next week. It is a little bit of a struggle to me to sing a different part than the one I already have memorized, but I'm working on it. By the way, they still need two keyboard players. If anyone is interested, they are not paid positions, but it could be fun.

Katie came down with a fever on Sunday night. It wasn't awful, and it was probably a reaction to her H1N1 shot last week. She slept a little more than normal, and was grumpy, but didn't have any other symptoms. She is over it now.

I'm seriously tired of watching Curious George. It is all Katie will watch, and I've seen every episode dozens of times now.

Another Interview, Musical Stuff

Aaron got an email last night from BYU-Marriott. They invited Aaron for an interview.

Now Aaron has a question. If a tech company hesitates to hire him because he doesn't know the technology, what good will an MBA do him? Any insight into this would be much appreciated.

Musical rehearsals started this week. I was a little concerned after Monday's rehearsal. First, they handed out mostly photo copies of the score. Leads got books, but everyone else got copies. Last time I was in Joseph, it was explained to us that the rights to perform the show come with the mandate that every cast member has to have a rented score, and it is illegal to make copies. Should I be concerned that they are cutting costs and doing this illegally? Or is it possible they do have the scores, but are being protective of them so they don't get lost? I know most people don't get concerned with this stuff, but being married to a song writer, I don't like to violate copyrights. It isn't fair to the writer.

Second, the audition process did prove to fail in some respect. I don't know if I mentioned auditions previously, but the sum and whole of the vocal audition was singing 16 bars of a memorized song. Some people actually showed up without music and sang a part from the musical a Capella, obviously learned from the CD.

Within the cast are quite a few people who are not able to read music. There are sopranos who refuse to sing 2nd soprano because they don't know how to sing harmony. However, the first soprano part is in the rafters a lot of the time, and they don't sound good up there. Then add to it the fact that the 1st soprano part IS the harmony part half the time, and you end up with an imbalanced choir. I am singing different parts in the Megamix than I am in the Canaan Days songs, because in the Megamix I'm on the high first soprano part, and when the soprano part is lower in the Canaan Days versions of the same songs, I am singing 2nd soprano, just because very few other people can. It frustrates me a little, as I was really hoping this would be a more professional chorus.

Musical practice went better last night. People were more in tune, in general. As it goes with men, as they learn their parts, they start being able to focus on the shape of their vowels, and get a better sound. I had to laugh at a lady who came in and asked where the first sopranos were sitting. She had been there Monday, and was sitting right in the middle of the lower 1st sopranos, but she insisted everyone around her was singing something other than the 1st soprano part, and that she can't harmonize, so she needs to sing the 1st soprano part. I explained to her that the 1st soprano part is harmony half the time, and that the 2nd soprano part is melody some of the time, and the alto part is melody some of the time, and that no matter where she sits, there will be some people singing harmony around her. Ugh!

I feel a little more appreciated after last night, though. I was added into another scene of the show. I'll be singing from the catwalk during Close Every Door. I guess they don't have enough singers in the scene, so they selected a few of us to join it from above the audience. The rehearsal for the vocals is on a night when Will had to be there, and not me, so that works just fine, as I'd be sitting around there anyway.

By the way, one funny thing I found out this week. There are more than just one wife per brother. True to the story! But that would be why we aren't in Canaan Days with the men, I'm guessing. It would be hard to waltz with multiple wives per brother.

2nd Interview Yesterday

Aaron had his second round of interviews at Digi yesterday. The first 5 interviews went extremely well. The manager of the department, Mike, all but stated outright that he wanted to hire Aaron. Everything was really smooth sailing, until... the manager's boss got his turn.

He started out telling Aaron that he didn't know why Mike insisted on him interviewing Aaron. He isn't qualified technically to be in the industry. Aaron appreciated his openness - something he never sees from the president of Microboards. He fielded his questions really well, and in the end, the director told him he could see why Mike insisted on the interview. He just wasn't sure whether he could take the chance on Aaron being able to come up to speed on the technology as quickly as they would need him to. Aaron pointed out to him that he has a proven track record, and they could take someone who has been laid off, but is in the industry, but why take someone who wasn't valued by their company when they could have someone who is? He then told him that he wasn't sure how he could prove his ability to learn the technology quickly, but if they could come up with a way to evaluate it, bring it on! The director liked that idea, and said that maybe he and Mike could come up with a product for him to create a plan for, and give him a time limit to do so.

The interview left off there. No promises, but there is still hope. Aaron really loved it there. Each of the people who interviewed him were intelligent. They have a technology that is relevant for the future. They value their employees. Digi also has a fitness area, a cafeteria with good, inexpensive food, and a thinking room with bean bags and a bass guitar in it (I think that was mainly for the engineers, but I don't know for sure). It was a very friendly environment. So, please keep Aaron in your prayers. This will be a big disappointment for Aaron at this point if he doesn't get the chance to prove himself to them.

2nd Interview & Cast Meeting

Aaron hated work yesterday. He has nothing to do, and is spending his time learning Java, just for kicks. He was feeling quite depressed by 4:59pm, when his phone rang. It was Digi Int., scheduling a 2nd interview!!! They haven't even been through all of their interviews yet, and wanted to schedule him for 6 interviews on Jan. 4th with all of the members of the team. It made his day. Keep him in your prayers. He really wants this job.

William and I had our cast meeting last night. I went into it a little hesitant. I have been feeling a little like backing out of the production lately. I was starting to wonder why I had decided to do it. When I got there and saw the schedule, I felt even more like I shouldn't be doing it. Will's and my schedules don't completely mesh, and he actually has to be there more than I do. They have split the chorus into 5 groups, and I am in the tiniest chorus of all. In fact, I am only in Jacob and Sons, Joseph's Coat, 1 More Angel/Hoedown, Jacob in Egypt and the Finale. That's a whole 19 minutes on stage. It isn't that I don't have a big part. It is that I am leaving behind six children to spend time with one, and we are only in two scenes together. I got very emotional, and there were tears. Of course, I am having some issues with seasonal affective disorder right now, and my "friend" had just made its appearance, which always means my horomones are out of control.

The good news is that of all the chorus roles I could have gotten, this is probably the only one I could have accepted, after finding out what all the costumes are last night.

In the end, I decided to do it. William is really excited about it, and I couldn't disappoint him. It is, after all, only 8 weeks. After it is over, maybe I'll feel like it wasn't so bad. Or maybe I'll take another 12 years to audition for a show again. Who knows? But I'm going to try really hard to make it a positive experience for both William and me.

Bonkey Deorge, Interview and Other Random Stuff

Katie has a runny nose this week. She is taking it pretty well, except for overnight she coughs a lot. Last night I had to sleep with her for a while to keep her propped up so she could breathe more easily. She is having a hard time saying Monkey George today, and instead says Bonkey Deorge, which is so terribly cute! Yesterday, she finally decided to start giving me kisses. Unfortunately, they included her trying to breathe through her nose during the kiss, which was really disgusting. I couldn't tell her no to her kisses, so instead I had to wash my face afterward. Ew.

Aaron had a job interview today for a product manager position at a tech company called Digi International. It is based in Minnetonka. He wasn't really taking it very seriously, as the drive is a bit far, so we'd probably have to move, and because he had no idea how much it paid. However, he just called and said it went very well, and that it is something he'd really enjoy, and that it would pay what he's looking for. They told him that there are two other interviewees who can't come in until after the holidays, so he won't hear anything for a while.

My dishwasher had a control board malfunction this week. I hated it already, as I've had issues with it leaking for the past year, so I got a new one. I had to bring it home and install it myself in order to get the one I wanted and keep Aaron from going through the roof. The only one in the price range he wanted to stay within was the same cheap brand as the old one, but didn't even hold as many dishes. Installing it took a little longer than I hoped it would, as I ended up needing to replace some connectors in the plumbing, but it works, and there are no leaks. I'm very happy with it.

I just heard that Aaron's brother-in-law, Matt, got the job at Finale. Congratulations to him, and I hope they move into our ward, as the company is in our neck of the woods.

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Totally Together Reviews: HP TouchSmart Computer Review and Give-Away!

Totally Together Reviews: HP TouchSmart Computer Review and Give-Away!

I want to win this computer. That's why I've linked to it - it gives me an extra entry. Tristin is at a point where he has hours of homework on the computer at times, and the younger boys have a hard time getting onto Study Island, their required practice site for math and grammar. Plus, if Aaron goes back to school next year, we will need a computer for him, anyway. Why not get a free one, if we can?

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Katie's gonna look so pretty!

Katie wanted all of her barrettes in her hair one day last week. Aidan decided to help her put them in. He proclaimed, "Katie's gonna look so pretty!"

Joseph

William and I are planning to audition for Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat next week. The Chaska Valley Family Theatre is putting it on. Rehearsals are from 6:30-9pm M-F throughout January and the first couple weeks of February, and then it has two weeks of performances. Not everyone has to be at every rehearsal, of course, so it won't be like I'm gone every night, if I make it, but it could be a big time commitment, depending on the part. If William and I are cast, Dallin would also like to be in the cast. They don't audition children under 8, but cast younger siblings of those who get in.

I have had the silly idea that I could get the part of the narrator, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that they aren't very likely to put someone who hasn't been in a major production in 12 years in a lead role. Especially since they don't know me. But, it would still be fun to be in the chorus. Part of the reason I want to do this is to get to know people outside of the church in our community, and being in the chorus would give me more of an opportunity to do that.

I need a little help from anyone who has experience with community theater. The audition for adults consists of a memorized, 16 measure vocal audition. We are to provide the music for the accompanist. I was thinking of doing "Almost Like Being in Love," but I'm not sure if that is a good selection, especially since it is a man's role in Brigadoon. Aaron says not to use a love song at all. Should I just use something from Joseph? Is there another piece of music that would be better suited for this audition? (Later) What about The Teachers Argument from Fame? I was Miss Bell in high school, so I know it. It is upbeat and shows off the range, as well as technical skill. See it here: http://www.sheetzbox.com/piano/sheets/6341/Fame-The_Teachers_Argument_PianoChords.html

After the vocal audition, the choreographer will be teaching some "simple dance steps," and then we will audition in small groups for the choreographer.

I need to know what to wear for the audition. The website says to dress for movement. Do I dress nicely for the vocals, and then change for the dance portion? I have a pair of exercise pants that look just like black jazz pants. Do I wear them with my pink workout shirt? Do I wear a more suitable shirt over it for the vocal, and then just slip it off for the dance? What kind of footwear should I wear for the dance portion? Would ballet slippers be out of place? That's what I always wore for high school musicals, but I don't know what to expect here. Do I need modern dance shoes?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

How to Keep Your Child's Bedroom Clean | eHow.com

How to Keep Your Child's Bedroom Clean eHow.com

I became an eHow writer today. If enough people like my articles, I'll get paid for them. So, please help me out with my first article, which is a new bit of expertise I picked up and applied over the last year with FlyLady. Feel free to share it with your friends, as well!

Unnecessary Possessions are Unnecessary Burdens

I love decluttering. A year ago, I started with FlyLady (in case you don't know FlyLady, you can find her at http://flylady.net).

I have to admit, I didn't start with baby steps, like she told me to. I tried to implement the whole program at once, and that is probably why I still don't always have a shiny sink. It comes and goes. However, I did take her decluttering systems to heart.

I ran across the quote today that is the title of this post, "Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens." I love that. A year ago, my bedroom was not a haven. It had some nice furniture, coupled with a cluttery shelf of nicknacks and a large shelving unit that didn't match and looked junky. Today, it has only what I love in it. Why? Because my closet doesn't have all the GARBAGE in it that I was holding on to. Because I was willing to quit displaying things that I didn't need or love on my wall on a decorative shelf that didn't really fit in my room, just because it was a gift.

Over the past year, I have donated about 15 large bags of stuff to charity. I have filled my trash can and recycling bins over and over again with things that were broken or missing pieces that I didn't want anyone else to decide they "needed" when they would have just burdened their lives.

Last week, Aaron and I spent hours going through our personal spaces. Mine is my bedroom closet, and his is his office. We filled another three bags up with items to donate, and we filled the garbage can halfway full, and the recycling cans nearly full (yes, I said cans - we go through so much, we have two). His office no longer has plastic bins and cardboard boxes all over the floor, and my closet has some empty shelves and floor space. As soon as my family and I finish scanning the Kukachka photo albums and I get them out of there, there will be enough room for Aaron's clothes to come back into it, if he should want to move them back in from his office.

Saturday afternoon we cleaned out the garage. We filled the garbage can and recycling cans all the way full. Pickup day is Thursday, which makes emptying the trash pails in the house a little tricky for a few days, but that's okay. We also burned the old scraps of wood, the ping-pong table that had no frame to lay it on and hasn't been used since the frame broke when we moved into this house, various pieces of old furniture that had been waiting for repair for too many years to think we were actually going to fix them, and other miscellaneous items. There are now two large empty spaces against the walls of the garage. For the first time ever, I can walk in front of my van when it is parked in there.

I didn't do it all in one day. I worked on a little at a time. I did 15 minute missions, and I did some 4-hour-long marathons.

The best part of decluttering is that when there is less stuff, there is less to clean up. I struggled with keeping my young children's rooms clean in the past. It would take so long to get it all cleaned up, I would just let it go until it would take a whole afternoon. Now, I have learned to get rid of what they don't need. It was hard, at first. I didn't feel like I could get rid of a toy that a child grew out of, or that they didn't play with, especially if it had been a gift. I would hold on to toys that were broken or missing pieces, thinking that I could fix them or that I might find the pieces sometime. Of course, that rarely happens! This stuff would take up precious square footage in my storage area, and then eventually a child would discover them and dump them all over the place. All it did was contribute to the mess.

Now, there is so little in Katie's room that we pick it up each night at bedtime, and it never takes more than a couple of minutes. She doesn't get bored with what she has, either. Aidan and Dallin have only one bucket of toys, one small container of trains, and one small box of Duplos. That is enough for them. The older boys are still working on keeping their room clean, but there is an amazing difference in how their room is today than it was a year ago. It used to be that I couldn't walk through it without stepping on toys, and today it is normally only a little laundry or old homework that is on the floor.

If you are thinking about decluttering, but just don't have the will power to do it, try out FlyLady. She'll give you the tools necessary to find the courage to part with the stuff that is burdening your life.

My wise son, Benjamin

Last Thursday morning I woke up cranky. Wednesday I had painted for 14 hours with the roller brush, and it did not sit well with my shoulders. I got to bed at 1:30am, as the project went way later than normal. I fell asleep for one hour, and then woke up with muscle spasms. It was horrible. I finally fell back asleep around 5am.

Benjamin had asked me for a ruler with centimeters on it on Wednesday, and the only one I knew of was inside my walk-in closet, which had plastic taped over it. I told Ben I would write a note for him to excuse him for the day. However, he kept asking all evening. I got a little frustrated with him.

So, in the morning when he woke me up at 6:45 to ask me again, my head was hazy, and all I could remember was that I had told him numerous times the previous day that I didn't have a ruler for him. I'm sorry to say that I lost my cool and yelled at him that I still didn't have a centimeter ruler! I instantly regretted it. I felt doubly worse when I remembered the ruler in my unblocked closet a couple of minutes later, which I found and gave to him.

After school, I apologized to him for yelling at him. He couldn't remember what I was talking about. I reminded him of the conversation, and he said, "That's okay, Mom. When people don't get much sleep, they act cranky."

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone took being snapped at so well?

Birthday Girl

My darling girl turned 2 on Sunday! She had a "new" dress to wear (a hand-me-down from a friend, but it looks like it has barely been worn), and she said "yes" when I asked her if she wanted her hair in piggy tails, and let me put them in quite easily, for a change.
She loved posing for pictures after we finished her hair. This picture of her is in my bathroom (notice the lovely shade of green on the wall. :-)

In fact, she REALLY enjoyed posing for pictures.

Daddy made her a Curious George cake. I wish I had gotten her smile on camera when she saw it! She is in love with George. It is the only show she watches on t.v. She askes for "monkey George" constantly, and will watch the same episode over and over and over again!

Piggy tails don't last the whole day with 2-year-olds, as you can see from this picture. Katie enjoyed blowing out her candles. Here, she struggles with the last candle. Note the bag of Nerds in her hand from her Halloween candy!

I love my little girl. She is such a sweet child, full of love and so very bright. I am so glad I have her in my life.

No pictures.

Somehow, in the bustle of Halloween, we forgot to take out the camera. Luckily, you can probably recreate the event in your head pretty well, seeing as how I didn't buy new costumes for any of them. First, envision Katie a year older in the same costume as last year (a princess). Envision Aidan a year older in the same costume as last year (a pumpkin). Envision Dallin a year older in the same costume as last year (Superman). Envision Ben in black pants and black turtleneck, holding drum sticks with his face painted blue (a Blue Man from Blue Man Group - Tristin did that a few years ago). Then, envision William laying on the couch in his pajamas, not feeling well (he had a headache and low-key fever, so Brandon carried a bag around for him and asked people to give his sick brother candy). Then, picture Brandon a year older in the same costume as last year (Ron Weasley). Tristin handed out candy this year, costumeless.

The boys and Katie took in a good haul last night. Katie didn't really get what we were doing at first, but got the idea pretty quickly. She seemed to enjoy going door to door for candy. She especially loved it when there were dogs or cats at the door to look at. She didn't appreciate it much when I only let her have three pieces of candy when we got home and then put the bag up. Aaron and I walked with Aidan and Katie while Brandon took Ben, his friend Nicholas, and Dallin ahead with him. Brandon and Ben covered one block more than Nicholas and Dallin, who got tired and cold, but Nicholas and Dallin made it one more block than Aidan and Katie.

We were a little surprised how long Aidan and Katie lasted. At one point, Aaron and I tried to skip a cul-de-sac, but Aidan caught us in our attempt to pull one over on him, and we had to hit those five houses, too.

Koi Pond

It started with a little rushing. On Tuesday I found out that my brother was out of work and needed to make rent, and I had a painting job I needed help with. I offered to pay him to help me paint my master bedroom and bathroom the next day. I had a half-hour until Aaron would be leaving work, and there is a Sherwin Williams store right by his office. I called him and asked him to pick up some Koi Pond paint, the color recommended to me by my good friend Kim, who is a fabulous designer.

I asked Aaron if he thought we would need two or three gallons of paint. He was in the middle of work (imagine that), and asked me to figure out the square footage and email him a list of what I needed. As I only had a little time, I did a rough calculation of a 10'x14' bedroom, plus a 5'x10' bathroom. I had a combination of calculator mishap and area calculation memory lapse at this point, and somehow came up with needing enough paint for 1500 sq. ft. I couldn't find coverage information on their website, so I left it for Aaron to calculate at the store.

Aaron handed my list to the Sherwin Williams clerk, and he proceeded to mix 10 gallons of paint. Aaron thought it was taking a long time to mix, and asked him how much paint a master bedroom and bathroom would normally take. The clerk thought 10 gallons sounded about right (Do most people really have a bedroom and bathroom three times the size of mine???). Aaron had been in the middle of a serious discussion at work when he answered my call, and had not remembered my question about whether I'd need two or three gallons of paint.

Aaron purchased the $394 worth of paint and supplies on my list, and brought them home - at which point I cried. I wasn't planning on spending so much on painting my master bedroom and bathroom, and you can't return tinted paint.

After 14 hours of painting yesterday, the bedroom and bathroom are now a very beautiful shade of green. However, I have seven extra gallons of paint. If anyone is interested in some very nice Kim Dray-recommended Koi Pond Sherwin Williams Paint at $31/gallon, let me know. Six gallons are flat paint for bedrooms, and one gallon is semi-gloss for a bathroom.

First Day of School (a little late)

Here are our traditional doorstep pictures on the first day of school. I have been so busy with home improvement projects ever since the house emptied of these guys during the days that I hadn't gotten around to uploading pictures until today (I have a bit of a cold, so I'm trying to take it easy today).

Tristin - 8th grade

Brandon - 6th grade

Will - 4th grade

Ben - 3rd grade

Dallin - 1st grade

The whole bunch!

Katie hanging on the fridge

Katie was very determined to get a snack out of the refrigerator.

Line of the day

From one of my high school friends' FB page:

_______ hates it when relatives say, "You could be next", at weddings. That's ok though.. she just responds by saying, "You could be next", at funerals.

General Conference Favorites

Here are my favorite talks, in case anyone is interested:

Sat. morning session:

The first half of Elder Scott's talk on communication with the spirit was a definite winner. It gave me peace in regard to the insane decisions Aaron and I are trying to make right now. The second half didn't really apply, but Aaron and I were expecting it, and both yelled, "There it is!" with a few giggles when he got to his favorite evil to avoid (it seems to be a theme with him in his conference talks).

Elder Bednar's talk on the home touched on very important principles that I feel like I'm doing well with right now. I have room for improvement, but all in all, I feel like Aaron and I are on the right track. I will use it in FHE, more than likely.

Sat. afternoon session:

Dallin H. Oaks' talk about love for our Heavenly Father and parenting had sound principles that will help me be a better parent.

Sun. morning session:

H. David Burton's talk about the "ity" virtues is one I plan to use for a family home evening in the near future.

Ann M. Dibb's talk had a great analogy to use in FHE or Primary sharing time.

Thomas S. Monson encouraged us to provide more service to others in this talk.

Sun. afternoon session:

Jeffrey R. Holland bore a fiery testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and warned us that even those of the covenant can be deceived.

D. Todd Christofferson's talk was very interesting. He discussed how the lack of morality in today's society is causing governments to drive our behavior by compulsion. He reminded that there is no double standard for morality.

Thomas S. Monson closed the meeting with much gratitude for those who spoke, offered prayers, and for the beautiful music. It wasn't just rote, as it sometimes seems. The spirit was strong, and it was very heartfelt. He asked us to pray for him and the other general authorities.

I felt the spirit witness to me the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ so many times during this conference. I am so grateful for the blessings the gospel has brought into my life.

General Conference Activities

Did you know the church has a page with links to general conference activities for children on its website? I didn't until I read about it on my friend's blog. If you are interested, here it is:

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=ae20e975d2a2b010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Highlights of My Day

• Giving Katie a snack, and having her say, "Thank you" to me
• Having Aidan come in from outside and ask me to suck up the leaf pile he made, to find there was actually a good-sized pile that he had raked up all by himself, without any prompting from anyone
• Having the sister I visit teach actually want and need my help with something, and being able to help her

Escape Artist

All of our kids have been moved to a twin bed by the time they were two years old, and most of them before that. Until Katie, that is. We thought we'd keep her in the crib until she was closer to three, thus helping her to be a better napper.

Aidan taught Katie how to climb out of her crib last week. Yes, Mom, I've received my comeuppance. You see, I taught Jacob how to get out of his crib, and I wasn't even four years old. I was more like 14. I thought I was saving us all the trouble of having to get him out of his crib when he woke up. Of course, then I learned how that affects nap time.

So, at the moment I am hearing the volume of the CD player go up and down in Katie's room. Not only can she escape her crib, but she can also climb up onto the top of her dresser and reach the shelf that Aaron mounted two feet from the ceiling in order to keep the CD player away from children.

At least I have a child-proof door knob. Let's hope she doesn't figure that one out any time soon.

Pictures (click here to view)

Aaron took "school pictures" of the kids last night in the backyard with his work camera. The kids have their pictures taken at school, but we would need the $45 package for each of them to get the right sizes, so we do it ourselves. This way, it normally costs under $50 for the whole bunch of them.

I need a little help deciding which ones to order, so please add your comments to the Picasa web album.

Steep risk: Parents on slide can snap tot’s leg

I thought this was an interesting read. It could save a shin bone!

GovTrack: S. 1640: Text of Legislation, Introduced in Senate

I think this is an excellent idea for health care reform.

GovTrack: S. 1640: Text of Legislation, Introduced in Senate

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Tomatoes

Eight tomato plants is probably too many. I have given away over 50 tomatoes this year. Yesterday, I told Brandon and William, who wanted to put up a lemonade stand all summer (I never had any lemonade for them to sell), that they could sell tomatoes, and I'd split the profit with them. They made $7. There were still three large bowls of tomatoes left. So, I canned eight quarts of tomatoes this morning. I also froze one quart of diced tomatoes, as I didn't have enough jars handy - I didn't have any idea how many would fit in a jar when I started.

What is amazing is that I can can tomatoes on the fly. I don't have a baby anymore. I have not had that kind of freedom in a long time. It is nice! I have gotten so much done this week, and it feels really good.

Ode to Clean Bedrooms

Ye stained floor, ye are no more.

I rejoice in thy departure!

New carpet, "Cape Sands,"

I rejoice as you land

as my bedrooms and office's decor!

Okay, my poetry leaves something to be desired. But, I had to express my joy at having a bedroom that looks clean. Not just picked up, but clean!!! There were a few stains in the carpet when we moved in, and it has only gotten worse over the past few years.

No, we hadn't planned on replacing the carpet this week, but Dallin and Aidan forced the issue with Katie's carpet, so we did them all at once, in order to save a little money, as we were planning on doing it in a few months, anyway.

How did Dallin and Aidan have something to do with this, you ask? Well, they just so happened to dump a few buckets of water on Katie's bedroom floor, and I quote Dallin, "Because (they) felt like it." Tristin and Brandon were babysitting one day last week when I ran errands, and Dallin and Aidan were quiet for them, and they didn't notice what they did.

I noticed later in the evening, when putting Katie to bed, that the floor was soaked. I sopped it up the best that I could, but it wasn't enough. A few days later, the room stunk of mold. I ripped up the carpet, and the floorboards were still wet. The pad was very stinky. If her carpet had been in good condition, I could have just replaced the pad, but as we were going to replace everything soon, anyway, it made more sense to tear it out. We got a quote from Empire Today (you know the jingle, "800-588-2300 Empire - Today!" I've used them before, and they did a good job, so I used them again.

In case you are ever in the market for carpet, and decide to use them, make sure you beat the price down. They always quote high, and come down quite a bit. In our case, they said it would be $3500, but I brought it down to $2500 with upgraded waterproof pads in Katie's and Aidan & Dallin's rooms. $625 per room, installed, hauled away, and furniture moved (they even took apart and reassembled our bed frame), and the carpet is sooooo soft. I'm really quite pleased. I really didn't expect it to be any less than $800 per room, but labor is cheap right now.

Bemidji Pioneer | Bemidji, Minnesota

My sister-in-law's kids are in the news. I can pick out at least two pirates I know, can you?

Bemidji Pioneer | Bemidji, Minnesota

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Oh, the joy of being four!

Last month, when the weather was actually warm some of the time, the boys played in the sprinkler whenever they could. This picture was taken on a particularly hot Family Home Evening. I think it was about 95 degrees in the evening. Whichever boy was in charge of the activity chose a campfire, so we had hot dogs over the fire. Of course, it was so hot outside that evening that we tried to stay as far as possible from the fire, and it didn't take long before the activity turned to playing with water.

Brandon's Birthday

Brandon's birthday is on June 13th. If you read my last post, you may recognize that date. Yes, it was Ben's Baptism. Brandon wasn't too excited to have to share his special day with Ben. But, we don't have a choice when it comes to when the Primary Baptisms will be. They picked a day, and we could either do it that day or wait a month or two for the next one. I didn't really feel that Brandon's birthday was a good excuse not to have Ben's Baptism, so we had a party for the both of them afterward.
Aaron was, again, in charge of the cake. Some of the boys made up some sheet cakes beforehand, and he was in charge of the design and assembly. Melissa and Emma (and Jessica, too? I don't remember) happen to have some talent in the area, as well, and helped Aaron with it. They came up with this treasure chest. Isn't it great?

Ben's Baptism

I just downloaded pictures from my camera for the last while, and it appears I haven't done it since June 5th. Wow!

On June 13th, Benjamin was Baptized by his dad. It was a neat experience. Since our building is under construction (they are adding on to it, as we have had a lot of growth in our ward over the past two years), we had to find another location for the Ward Primary Baptisms. One of the boys who was being Baptized happens to live on a farm, and they have a swimming pool in the back yard. Their parents offered to host the event for the three boys being Baptized that day.

The weather was perfect, as you can see. Luckily, it was warm for part of June. If it had been scheduled for this month, we wouldn't have been so lucky (so much for global warming). It was in the mid-80s, and sunny. The pool was a little cool, as the weather hadn't been very warm for the prior week, but Ben didn't seem to mind.

Ben is a very sweet boy, with a good understanding of the gospel. I am so proud of Ben for the decision he made to follow Christ's example and be Baptized into His Church!

Birthday Cards

I renewed my resolve to get birthday cards out to people a couple of weeks ago. So, if your husband gets a birthday card from me, and I haven't sent you one in a while, it doesn't mean I like him more than you. It just means I've started it up again, and he happens to have a birthday before your next birthday. Hopefully, I will still be on top of birthdays when your next birthday comes around!

P.S. I put Tom's in the mail today, so it might actually be late.

Start Saving Now

Tristin has a beautiful smile. His teeth are very straight, but he has been complaining that his lower teeth feel crowded sometimes. At his last dental appointment, his dentist recommended an orthodontic consultation, but only after I told her I was concerned. Today, we visited the orthodontist she recommended. Here is what she found:

Dental Class II right side (this means the molars on his right side are slightly gaping in the bite). Dental Class I left side (this means these molars meet up as they ought to). There is an excessive vertical overlap of the front teeth. The upper teeth are ahead of the lower teeth 1-2mm when he has his teeth together (1-2mm is excessive?). There is a slight amount of crowding of the upper and lower teeth. The center line of the lower two teeth is shifted to the right. The upper and lower center lines are off by 2mm or less. There is enamel wear on the upper and lower front teeth due to the overlap. The upper and lower jaws relate normally to each other. The outline of his facial profile is balanced.

This just doesn't sound that bad to me. So, can anyone tell me why they recommended braces for 1 1/2-2 years, for a total of $4900?

I also presented a question to the orthodontist. I had braces for a couple of years, and had a retainer for a year or two at night. I also had an upper and a lower cemented retainer. The upper stayed on a couple of years, and the lower stayed on for 10 years. When the lower was removed, the teeth migrated to their previous crowding. I asked her what is going to prevent this from happening to Tristin, as well. She told me that studies done 10-15 years ago showed that this happens with 80% of orthodontic patients. The bones and gums are programmed to shift teeth forward. As I was in this 80% group, Tristin probably would be, too. The solution? Wear a retainer at night for life.

So, if I'm getting this right, we can pay $4900, and then replace and/or maintain retainers for the rest of Tristin's life. If he should ever get sick of wearing his retainer, we lose the entire investment. Can anyone tell me why I should even consider this?

Let me also say that orthodontists have a way with assuming that you are going to go along with their recommendations. They start going over whether the child wants ceramic or metal braces on the top teeth, and that they will cost an extra $200 on the bottom, and make the child think that this is all a done deal. The child says that he would probably have to take the cheaper option, at which point you are grateful that your son recognizes that finances are an issue here, and you interject that this is all contingent on whether or not the finances will work out at all. They act as though you are ready to shell out the money without hesitation, and when they spring the $4900 cost on you and you tell them that you don't think you can find that kind of money in your budget, they look confused. Then they tell you that they can work with you on payment plans. They also tell you that they have already discounted their services by $200 because you have other children that will probably need orthodontia, as well. At this point, you tearfull explain that it is just not in the budget, leave the office, wiping away the tears of guilt you have from not being able to afford something as necessary as orthodontia for straight teeth, and then apologize to your 13-year-old in the car while tears stream down your cheeks, explaining that it just isn't in the budget, and maybe if Dad's new company takes off, or maybe if his current company starts giving out bonuses again someday, if they even survive the recession, or maybe if the tree in the back yard starts growing greenbacks...

Let me see...Tristin's teeth are the straightest of all of our children's teeth. Seven children times $5000 (probably more, with the other children's teeth being worse) equals $35000+.

I think I'll start saving now for Benjamin's orthodontic treatments. They are inevitable, as his teeth are actually crooked. In the meantime, unless I hear a really good reason to shell out this kind of money for each of my children's straight teeth, I think I'll pass. And I refuse to feel guilty about it any more.

Appreciate the Good Times

I have a friend from high school who has breast cancer. She doesn't have a family history of breast cancer, and is extremely young for getting the disease - just 33 years old. She noticed a lump one day and had it checked out. It was found to be pre-cancerous, but they also scanned the other breast, and found a 1.5cm lump that was cancerous. It was only stage one cancer, luckily, but she had to have a mastectomy. Now she's going through chemo, just in case it has spread at all.

My friend has a very supportive husband (her high school sweetheart, also a friend of mine) and two little boys. This has been a trying experience for her, but she is very resilient, and I am confident she will pull through it.

The thing learned from this is - do your monthly breast exams. It is worth it.

MyPlate

This spring I got frustrated with my waist to hip ratio. Two factors weighted into this. First, I finally made the pants and jacket that Merle gave me the pattern & materials for at Christmas, and found that my hips and waist did not even come close to the same size on the pattern, which made making the pants a little difficult. The problem was that my waist was almost the same measurement as my hips, and that meant that they were three sizes apart. The second frustration was that all of my jeans and khakis were baggy in the hips and rear, yet tight in the waist. They just weren't comfortable.

My solution was to find a calorie-counting web site. MyPlate is a free food diary that I found. It has you enter in how much weight you'd like to lose per week, and then tells you how many calories you can have each day to meet that goal. Then, you easily enter in everything you eat, and it lets you know how many calories you have left. When I say you easily enter in what you eat, I mean it. It has nutritional facts entered in on almost everything you eat, like brand name store bought items, generics, even restaurant food, and calculates the calories for you. I highly recommend it to anyone with daily access to the internet. If you can get on more frequently, it will work even better for you, as then you don't just review what you ate, but will have that tool to tell you how much more you can have in a day.

I stuck with it for about 10 days, which was enough to get a good handle on how much I can eat each day. I was a little surprised at first, because I found I was eating about 350 extra calories per day. After a few days, I was able to stay with the plan, and was able to lose those extra pounds. I also found that when I ate in a restaurant, I went seriously over.

The next time I weighed myself, which was about 3 weeks later, I had lost 5 lbs. My jeans are now fitting nicely, except for my pair of low-rise jeans, which are falling off of me now. They were already loose, but now I think I'll just get rid of them.

I found that cutting down on calories makes you hungry at first. But once you know how many calories the foods you eat have in them, you can make healthier choices, and you won't be hungry any more, both because your stomach gets used to less, and because you get the knowledge you need to start eating lower calorie foods that will fill you up. Eating more frequently also helps, somehow.

Bye-Bye Binkey

Okay, we normally call it a nukie, but I thought the alliteration was worth the deviation.

Katie has been without the nuk for most of the past week. I had been taking them away each time I got her up from bed and storing them in her crib, but she figured out how to get them out of there. Then, I placed them in a basket on her dresser, but she climbed up it and dumped the basket to get to them. So, when neither of them could be found, we went without. It wasn't so bad this time. Meaning she did go to sleep with minimal fuss.

There was one day last week when Dallin found one in his bedroom and gave it to her after she'd been without for three days. She walked around with it for a while and wouldn't let me take it away, but then she wanted a snack and gave it to me later, and I hid it on top of the fridge. She hasn't had it since. Yay!

Brandon's Crossing-Over

Brandon crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts at our May Pack Meeting. He earned his Arrow of Light, the highest rank in Cub Scouting, and the only rank award that carries over to the Boy Scout uniform. Way to go, Brandon! On to Eagle you go!

Ben's Birthday

Ben turned eight on May 23rd. His party was last Saturday. He had a few friends over for pizza, games, a pinata, cake & ice cream.

The pinata is always the most exciting part for the kids. Unfortunately, this pinata, purchased at Target, was very lousy. The head got knocked off first. It was filled with paper, which explains why I couldn't fit much candy in the dumb thing.

They did enjoy playing with the head, though.

We went through all the children twice, and still couldn't bust it open.

We probably should have used string, not twine, as on the second round the twine broke frequently.Eventually, I pulled the paper out of the head, and they were able to get a few pieces of candy with each hit. They eventually enlisted the help of the older brothers. I'm not sure which one took the final whack, but it just wasn't very impressive.

So, the moral of the story is not to buy a pinata from Target. Next time, I'll go to Party America, where I have bought them in the past.