Moms, I am here to help you with your Christmas list

This is for all you moms out there. Or for anyone who needs to choose a gift for a mom:

You've made lots of Christmas lists. What to get your family... What to get friends... What to get teachers... What to get neighbors...

And you're feeling pretty good about your lists, because you've put a lot of brainpower into them. And then, someone comes along and asks what you want.

And you're all like, "What? I don't have a list for that!" And then they insist, and then you start to hyperventilate because you hadn't thought about that, and if you can't think of a list for yourself, how in the world is this person supposed to come up with a gift idea?

Never fear! I'm here for you. I've got all kinds of items that you can put on your list. Then when you get that dreaded question, it won't be quite so... dreadful.


Have a spouse that travels a lot, and you can't quite sleep when he's not around? Then the companion pillow is the thing for you. Put this on your list, and you'll get a full night's sleep when hubz isn't around.


Kids not listening when you ask them to do something? Do you occasionally feel that sound isn't actually coming out of your mouth when you talk? Is it getting you down? Then you need the voice activated R2D2 droid. He'll obey your commands while only occasionally showing attitude about it. Bonus feature: If you are exhausted and ready for bed, but your kids are bouncing off the walls, R2D2 will play tag with them until they're ready to fall into a blissful sleep.


Your hands get used a lot in the day. Helping with homework, wiping bums, noses, and faces (but hopefully not in that order), cooking dinner, shaving your legs, folding laundry, doing hair, typing on the computer, doing dishes, picking up toys, holding babies, putting on makeup, zipping zippers, tying shoes, buttoning buttons.... Those hands-- they get tired. This gadget will help keep your hands nice and strong to be able to do all the things they need to do, and still have energy to click onto Facebook at the end of the day. And, it's small enough to fit in your purse, so you can exercise while waiting at the doctor's/dentist's/orthodontist's/line at WalMart.


Do your kids win you at Every Single Game you play with them? Then you should ask for this game. P.U. The Guessing Game of Smells. Who can sniff out the source of a smell and name exactly what it came from better than a mom?


Speaking of the source of smells... You can hang this shower gel dispenser in the shower as a subtle reminder that you CAN smell out the source of all smells, and you WILL send them back to the shower if they try to breeze through the shower by skipping this step.


Are you an after-dark ninja, sneaking around making the world a safer place? This stainless steel wallet is a must for every secret mom ninja. That's right-- wallets are not just for men. Smaller than a purse, you can stick it in your bra so it won't get in the way as you are leaping between rooftops or sneaking down a dark alley. Break up the occasional street thug fight? The stainless steel won't only act as a bullet-proof vest, protecting your heart (an extra reason to stick it in your bra), but it will repel stains caused by spit-up, spilled juice, or any other substances your kids might send your way.


When your nights are spent making the world a better place, who has the energy to pick up toys and other clutter? Put this room tidying robot on your list, and he can do the job for you. I'm not even kidding. With all the time he will save you, you might even get the chance to curl up on the couch with a good book.

Do all of your really good ideas come to you in the shower? (Side note--- this is the REAL reason I take 30 minute showers.) Do you hate when you have a great idea in the shower, figure out how to word that tricky email exactly, come up with a list of things you simply can't forget to do that day, or make with a rockin' Christmas list, only to have those great ideas disappear as soon as you turn off the shower? This awesome gift, Aqua Notes, allows you to write down your great thoughts while you are IN the shower! (Or even underwater in the bathtub, if that's where you think best.)


At the end of a really trying day, do you need a vacation? Want to feel like you can escape to a tropical island to go snorkeling? Then put this transparent canoe on your Christmas list. Just keep it in your garage, and whenever the islands call to you, you can just take it to the nearest water source*, paddle out to where the water gets interesting, and lay face down in the boat, enjoying an underwater show while the sun warms your back.

*If your nearest water source is Utah Lake, it is recommended by the manufacturer that you drive further (anywhere further away), as your results at Utah Lake would not be any different than if you had a standard brown canoe.


Feeling less stressed about making your own Christmas list now? Then my job here is done.

Peggy out.

The ACUTAL after pictures

This is a little late coming, but I finally have the actual after pictures to show! Just a reminder-- This is the before picture:


And this is the after! Ahh. It's so nice to see it finished. Nothing waiting to be done. Jason Merryweather did the siding, and I gotta say, He is the man! He's a perfectionist, and it really showed on everything he did. There was a lot of weird stuff going on that made it more difficult, and he didn't cut corners at all. (Okay, technically he did "cut corners," but that's only because he put siding on the corners, and it had to be cut. :))


In fact, he suggested the opposite. Our original siding was put up almost fourteen years ago. As you can guess, they don't make that exact shade anymore. Or that exact texture. So, there was a good chance it would look a little (or a lot) not right. Jason suggested we take all the siding from this side of the house...


And use it on the front, back, and other side of the house, so we could put all the new stuff together on one side. As you can see, it worked beautifully! Like it's been that way all along.


If you are local, and ever need anything done (from replacing a bathroom floor, to cooking a gourmet meal (both of which I can attest to)), see if Jason has the time to do it for you. I can pretty much guarantee you'll find the results fabulous!

The Chicken or the Egg?

Remember how I said that parkour inspires me? It got me wondering which came first... the chicken or the egg.

Does my love for parkour make me love watching Alecia do it?
Or does my love for Alecia make me love watching parkour?

Either way, Alecia + Park = Happiness

Reality?

Kyle is in 8th grade, which meant he got to do the NUMBER ONE thing eight graders get to do.

Reality Town!

They gave each kid an occupation with a monthly salary, based on the kid's interests and grades, assuming that they are 30 years old. Some get a spouse and possibly kid(s). They took their monthly salary and had to go around to each station, where they wrote out real-looking checks to buy things like insurance, housing, a car, utilities, daycare, groceries, clothing, and even things like pets and vacations.

I think it's a fabulous way to show that a) effort in school affects what kind of a job you get, and b) that things cost a lot. I've even heard reports of kids being extra grateful toward their parents after going through this experience.

Kyle was born wanting to be a husband and father. He lucked out and got to be both! His daughter, Jenna, was two and apparently, she was adorable.

He also lucked out on occupation. He signed up to be a dentist because he saw how much money they made. With his grades, he actually got to be a dentist.

He had loads of money, a wife, and a kid.

Needless to say, he was thrilled. For a small moment, he even contemplated failing eighth grade just so he could do it again.

With everything working out as peachy as possible, I'm not sure he really learned how tough "reality" can be. But it looks like it may have made him appreciate me! "Check" out what he gave me when he got home from school:

Looks like being the mother of a dentist is already paying off.

Third time's a charm

This was Alecia's third year playing flag football.

The first two years rocked. She didn't care that she was the only girl in the league. She just liked playing football and wasn't going to let a little thing like that stop her.

This year, though, was different. Something was wrong.

Mostly because of way too much "Girls aren't as good as boys" talk going on at the soccer field by the plethora of boys that play during recess with Alecia. She lost her confidence. She wasn't sure she had what it took to compete with them anymore. It was a sad day.


And then, through a blessed series of events (involving the football field, the soccer field at school, and a fourth-grade boy to whom I would like to give a big, fat kiss), she got her mojo back. She realized she had what it took to compete all along. It was a happy day.


Honestly, I don't know how many games they won. They don't keep track, and neither did we. Half, maybe? I just know that she won. And that she had a great time with her teammates, especially Dallin and Mason from her school class. And that she REALLY loved being the center. Or kicker. Or running back.




And sometimes, after her game when we are in the middle of watching Cory's game, she'll go off and do something crazy like climb eighteen feet up a chain link fence to grab a kid's shoe that got stuck in the netting, with nothing to catch her but cement.


'Cause that's what you're supposed to do when you get your mojo back, right?

We Are The Champions

Lance coached Cory's flag football team this year.

I've always know that Lance is a fabulous teacher. Every time I've witnessed him teach, I am impressed. I gotta say, though, he makes an even more incredibly amazing coach. Awe-inspiring, really.

He told the kids at the beginning of the season, "Some coaches tell the kids, 'We are just going to go out there and have fun.' But what's fun?" And they all answered, "Winning!" So he told them, "We are going to work hard and win."

They didn't win all their games.
But they worked hard.
And they played hard.
And they won a lot.

On nights when they had football practice, I would go into Cory's room at bed time. He'd lay down and complain that his muscles hurt. Then he'd pause a moment and say, "I'm really glad dad is our coach."

I am, too. I love when my kids have rockin' coaches.

This picture was taken on the day of the championships, at the beginning of the semi-finals.


Yep--- most of these kids are wearing SHORTS. And a lot of them, just T-shirts.


And then it started to rain. But, at the end of the game, THEY HAD WON!!!


They were thrilled. And a little drenched.


Okay, maybe a LOT drenched. They had rain dripping off their hair, ears, noses... It looked like they were all in the middle of a freezing cold shower.



Then they went straight into the championship game. That's when the rain really came down. And the wind blew. I was subbing the one extra player in and out, so I got out our biggest umbrella and stuck it in the ground. Whenever a kid came out, I wrapped a blanket around them, gave them a towel to dry their face and hair. They tried to get as warm as possible for four plays before running back out to knock them dead again. Every one of them likes to play every single play. But I sure saw a lot of HUGE looks of relief on faces when they knew it was their turn to come under the umbrella!




And in the end, all their hard work paid off.


They won!