To Be Or Not To Be...THAT is the Question

Private, that is.  

I'm undoing my private status for a little bit just to see if Turkey, Russia, Iraq (no kidding) and the random visitors from all over come back, or if I'm safe to leave it open.  My thoughts being that I truly have  enjoyed other blogs that also include family & personal journaling that have truly inspired me in one way or another.  I feel like I have a lot of great projects and some personal experiences that others may possibly benefit from as well, so we're going to take this for another whirl...

If you're a lurker...welcome.  I have no problem with that!  Just pLeAsE introduce yourself and leave a comment so I know who is a-lurkin' at me.  We can all be one big happy www...can't we?

Teachers LOVE homemade gifts

Yes, school's on the brain this last week of summer.  Don't know why I've planned ahead 3 1/2 months when I have no clue what's going on even next week.  I don't plan on giving a teacher gift until Christmas time, yes...I know it's only August.  But, do you ever scramble for a nice & unique, yet economical teacher gift?  With now FIVE in school, I don't want to spend oodles on last minute multiple teacher gifts.   With so much going on at Christmas time and the end of the school year, this is where being organized comes in handy, or so I'll keep telling myself.

I've been a teacher (okay, a student teacher &  substitute the summer after BYU) and know what it's like to be recognized, appreciated, those little tokens go a long way. It's even more special when it's homemade...

So....just order the stuff now and you'll be ready freddy when the time comes.  I'm a copycat...and you can be one too.  

The jars are from Target...who knows how much longer they'll have them. ($3.99)  And the vinyl is from studio jk ($3.50).  Fill it with the teacher's 'favorite' somethin' somethin', wrap it with a bow and you're on your way.  A couple of years ago I did 8x24" boards with vinyl for the teachers that said:       

I think I heart vinyl.  A little too much.

Or...you can make those darling, cute, fast, fun & expressive magnets I posted about in June.  Or just get a Starbucks gift card and call it a day (you know, they have the yummiest frapuccino's--coffee free for us Mormons to enjoy).  I guess 'simplicity' means different things to different folks.  

The Downside of the Olympics

They say it takes 21 days to undo a habit. So far, I've done nothing to even try. Am I the only one who is STILL bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when the clock strikes ONE am? I know there's more owls out there. The Olympics have officially left our homes so it's not to watch Michael Phelps win again...or to dream about being the next 30-something star gymnast in 2012. This time it's because I'm on top of MY game and have started on Christmas, thank you very much. You all know I'm Project Princess and if there's something in need of being 'Shaylafied' (I didn't coin it...my friend, Rachel did) then darnit, it's gonna be Shaylafied. People ask me all the time, "how do you do it?" I suppose this is how. No sleep. By choice. Call me crazy.  This is my way of balance. Maybe twisted for the general population...but I find joy in this kind of stuff.

So I have a series of posts that I'll eventually get done...and then you can see why when it comes to THREE pm I'm not bright-eyed, but rather, in need of a major power nap.  We'll see how that goes over next week when school starts and the kids roll in oh, about the time my body is done. Yeah, maybe I need to rethink my late owl stuff.

First up...this copycat Ballard Designs 'Bon Appetit' board. It was LOVE at first sight when I saw it in the catalog last year. I'm the type that can't bring myself to fork it out when I know I am very capable of making my own. I truly enjoy the satisfaction of 'homemaking' and lately it's involved my router & saws, not my measuring cups and ovens. Besides, I could custom-size it for my spot. So even if I occasionally power staple my fingers together, or accidentally shove a new sharp knife through my palm only to see it come out the other end...or the latest...who knows what I did, but it looked like a hemorrhoid sticking out of my thumb, and now I've lost the usability of my right thumb since the Dr. cut out that lovely growth today. Let's just say hand modeling is no where in my future, thanks to my hobbies.

Off track...so the project. I made one last year for myself and decided to make one for our dear---what to call her...x-step mom? Carebear? Dear dear friend, Carole, for her b-day cause I knew she REALLY wanted to steal mine off my kitchen wall. Only on hers, I blinged it out with rhinestones. The only difference I see is the size of the fleur-de-lis. The color is actually more identical to the original than what the photos show---indoor photography without proper lighting is a bummer. And in real life...that bling looks really cool.

I think the project is pretty self-explanatory. Buy a piece of wood. Cut it. Router it. Sand it. Paint it (in this case the color of my living room). Paint the edges black. Stencil it (color of my hallways). Apply the trusty vinyl (I custom ordered from http://www.iasign.com) to copycat it. The owner of this vinyl shop found the ballard designs font for me & printed the lettering for $9.50. The wood was no more than $5 and I already had the paint.  Last year I think I paid $5 for the stencil.  Apply crystals to each fleur-de-lis for some instant fabulous bling. Spray it with satin finish spray. Ballard charges $90 for this. The end. I think this is the culprit for my latest 'ouchie' and minor 'surgery' today. Splinter in between my cuticle and nailbed that resulted in... that oh so painful hemorrhoidal thing on my thumb. It was worth it. More to come.

I think I need a vinyl printer, don't you?

Baby Steps

Praise her...and she will walk! So she still needs to master balance...but she's on her way! Here's two videos of Princess Vivs taking her first steps!

Chore System

I'm #1 resident NAG in our home....and I DESPISE IT! This is what I do to try and avoid that rating:

Last year while on bedrest....to avoid more chaos and to keep a sense of organization and responsibility, I bought a chore system for the computer called 'the reward board.' It worked GREAT...it was motivating, inspiring, fun, visual, and exciting. I love that it helped the kids to focus on behaviors they felt they needed extra work on as well as make decisions and personal goals. I would input all their duties, then print a weekly chart out to give them a visual to mark off daily. The only problem was that the kids didn't update and check off their chores often enough on the computer, and then the reward board couldn't add their points up and thus, they couldn't choose their rewards. If they fell behind in marking them off on the program, it was a huge task to input so much at once. Technology can be a pain sometimes.

The 'idea' was fabulous and it worked for a time. So, I've taken that idea, and searched the net for others and came up with a system that I think will work for our family. Funny enough, once I had it written down on paper it's really almost identical to what I did when we lived in Utah...just a little more fancy and detailed. Here's what we came up with just in time for back to school:

~*~I picked up the magnet board at Costco for $22 last week.

~*~I bought 1/8" crepe art tape to make my lines and divide the board into sections at Office Depot.

~*~I made each of the tags in photoshop, laminated, then attached neo magnets (which I ordered from the link) to the back of each one. The little girls have basic pictures of their tasks to help them know what they need to do.

 

 

~*~The magnetic-backed tins came from ikea--the grundtal collection.  I'm working on punching holes in the side, so that as they sit on the board, the hole is on top.

How it works:

*They each have two major household chores. We used to rotate these every week, but this summer we changed it to a month-at-a-time. It's worked really well, so we rotate the two major chores every month. (Viviana's job is to look cute right now...we're working on that change-your-own-diaper thing. kidding

*All have they need to fulfill daily and they need to work on.

*For each one successfully completed daily, they put a button (point) in their container (thus, the hole I'm working on drilling in each one).

*Certain behaviors earn extra points ('I'm Awesome') and other behaviors & actions deduct from their earnings ('oopsies!').

*They can 'cash in' for rewards ('jackpot!') that have point values. Of course we can add to/take away from the reward-type as needed.

Obviously this is very visual & tactile. Lexie & Izzie's have little pictures next to their tasks so they can figure out what they need to do each day. I mounted it in their new computer/homework command station (which I'll post about later this week) so they see it all the time and have constant reminders of their tasks & behaviors:

My hope is that they'll be more motivated and they'll just be better and that I'll have self-starters, rather than me being #1 Momma Nag. Each of them have something they're working towards that they chose. I'm sure we'll change things up as we go to make them more independent workers and well-behaved members of this crazy clan. I really don't like nagging and I despise whining...and I'm always looking for ways to function with such a large family without- well...going bonkers everyday!

Happy 11th Birthday!

Do I really have a middle-schooler?!

...From 'bean' to 'mean' in eleven years. He was ONE when he learned 'touch down'...and so begins his story. Bray's pretty proud of his big Pop Warner bruises.

We found out we were expecting our first when we ended up in the ER after a car accident coming 'home for Christmas' leaving LAX. The nurse asked if there's any way I could be preggers before they took an xray...and just to be certain, they did a blood test. Sure enough! Bray was just the size of a 'bean' and so the whole 9+ months our little boy was known as 'beano.' He's keepin' up with that in-utero nickname by smellin' like one--a bean that is, a typical 11 year old boy. He loves his sports...a boy after his dad's heart.

He's come up with his own favorite mantra...'the 6 f's' as he calls them...

faith * family * football * friends * fun * food

Pretty much all that's important to this new middle-schooler!

Bray was born obedient...in K & 1st grade he was known as the 'hall monitor' because his sense of right and wrong was so black & white, that when he saw his friends doing something against the rules, he'd call them out and then tell on them. Yeah, not the way to make friends. He has since learned to table it and help his friends through leading by example.

Bray is proficient in everything he tries. He's knocked our socks off with his straight A's and his Academic Excellence Presidential Award, as well as his violin success and his sporting victories. Pretty well-rounded, guy, I'd say. I'm proud to be his mom. And I'm thankful he was our first so that our other monkeys have an example to follow. I think Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he sent us Brayden first.

He has a very tender side. I can remember reading "Love you Forever" to him when he was just little and EVERY time he'd burst into tears. To this day, all I have to say is, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." He will turn into a bawl-baby after hearing those words from me. I LOVE that book for that reason. Cute, tender, submissive...Brayden.

When my brother, Mark, was courting Tallie...our kids were right there as part of that courtship-front, and center. Brayden, at 3 years old was head-over-heals in LOVE with Tallie. He would become so offended when Mark would kiss her in front of him, cause that was HIS girlfriend. Bray was just CERTAIN he was going to marry Tallie Laverty. Well, second best....she's in the family forever and claims the spot as 'favorite aunt'....(sorry Beck, Heather, Em, & Brooke...you all tie for 2nd). He's a loyal dude, what can I say?! It doesn't hurt that Tal used to kidnap Bray and take him on 'dates'--bike excursions, ice cream....sleep-overs. He is a loyal kid-something that will serve him well all his life.

He's great with the little girls...they love him. He's a responsible babysitter (YES!!) and a little-known fact...he's a total homebody. Good thing he has friends that are social bee's to get him out and involved cause if it were up to him, he'd grab his drawing pad, a pencil and create all day long.

Bray is the king of taking stinking forever to do a 10-minute task. Not unusual for it to take him an hour for a simple sweep job. Lolly la la la--pretty much his only downfall I can think of. Oh, and he's a pack-rat. For so long we thought the state of the boys' room was due to Monson....NOT SO...Bray keeps every box, every label (off his gap & old navy clothes), every card, every paper....EVERYTHING and packs it away. Drives me nUtTy!!!! Something went wrong with that organizational training. According to him, his junk is organized. We're still working on that one. hmmmmmm.

Bray loves to pretend-play. Still. I think he'll always be a kid-at-heart like his dad. He makes up his own football leagues and creates the team names, the stats, and charts it all out--oh, and the colors & uniforms....very important in this whole creation-thing. (wonder where he gets this one....I think Curt was the original fantasy football creator--he was doing this back in the 70's before anyone ever heard of fantasy football. Too bad he didn't make millions off his creativity).

Oh, and he gets embarrassed really easily. Just singing happy birthday to him in public is just about too much to take. Can't wait for the middle and high-school years...lots of embarrassing mommie moments in store:) It's pay-it-forward time:)

Life according to Bray: "Do what you say and say what you do." It popped into his head like in 2nd grade and he's stuck to his motto...pretty much the golden rule (he was SO PLEASED with himself for 'making it up' so shhh....don't tell him), but it's also a big deal to him to be accountable for your actions and be do-ers of the word kind of thing. I love his mind and his thought-process as well as his creativity.

Bray's Fav's:

food-shrimp

candy-butterfinger

milk or dark chocolate? definitely DARK

restaurant-Pat & Oscars

car-mercedes

football teams-Pats, Steelers, Colts, BYU, Notre Dame, FL Gators, TX Longhorns (Did I say ONE team? Whose son is he again? hats & jerseys o-plenty are to my boys as shoes, clothes, and purses are to me. I TRY to understand, really...I do).

baseball teams-Dodgers, Yankees (yes, I know......can't be. My side of the family influenced the LA one and Curt influenced the Yanks...he was torn!)

subject-math (his mommie's genes kicked in for this one...I claim the 'school smarts' gene--I'm no genius, but hard work & dedication....I'll take that. And I'm sure that once he gets to algebra 2 I'll become stupid again).

wants to be a structural engineer when he grows up. You go, boy!

temple-Salt Lake City (he's nostalgic...that's where this family all began)

animal-dog--particularly his first & only dog, Scooby---he still cries when he thinks about him. (The same golden retriever that Curt threatened to BBQ for Sunday dinner b/c he hated him so much for tearing up our yard...the same dog that we ended up giving away to Kyle Gibby next door who would actually take him on walks and um, feed him.) Good life lesson, I guess. No more dogs for the McLaughlins-at least not now. I don't need a 7th dependent.

thing to do-play football in all it's forms--fantasy, tackle, xbox AND he loves to draw

artist-Clay Aiken

movie-Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

TV show-anything on the NFL network

scripture-2 Nephi 26:33

thing about life-see 6 f's

favorite book- Cover-Up

place to go-NOT the beach (whose

son is he again?)

place to travel to-Utah

favorite teacher- Mr.Bottita (3rd grade teacher in Utah)

and per Bray's request....

favorite airplane-red baron

Happy Birthday, Brayden!

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby

you'll be."

Random Funnies

"Dad, why is there a sign that says 'phone' over there?" (Mons)

-Didn't even consider that Monson (8) had never even seen a phone booth. Curt took him on a 'field trip' and showed him 'an old fashioned' phone and how to use it. Fun for all. Guess it's like the 8-track for my generation....or maybe the 'cassette tape'...I'm just getting old.

******************************

"Look!!! They're getting married!" Exclaimed Lexie as she was listening to yet another USA athlete being awarded a gold medal at the Olympics...

"No, Lexie...that's

our National Anthem." The music, the flowers, the exuberant crowd...And now that I think about it....

Was she really thinking the girls were getting married? To each other??!! Can't usher in prop 8 fast enough, seriously.

August 16th---a Blessed Day!!!!

one year ago today...

Viviana came home to our family after 100 days and nights of 'baking' at the hospital trying to reach normal newborn status and overcome overwhelming and miraculous odds. I could go on and on, but I'll stop at one word...

~grateful~

She is still asserting herself well as the caboose and nothing's gonna stop this girl from making her mark!

She was waving at the camera back then and she even stopped to wave at the camera halfway up the stairs a year later, funny girl. She was born waving to the world, I guess.

She is more capable than anticipated, growing faster than expected, more perfect than hoped for, and learning new things every day being last in a long pecking order.

I think she's used to the rockstar status she has around here.

And we apparently can't wait until she can change her own diaper....it appears in this photo as if we don't do it that often around here. I guess some things about being first-time parents (and firstborn children) are better than the sixth time around.

We love you, sweet VIVIANA!!!!

You're yummy yum yum yum!

Our Yummiana!

Keepin' it real...I guess

It's summer. It's summer and I woke up at 6:30 am (not like me) to make sure that I 'got my game on' and was ready for the internet rat race that began promptly at 7:00 am AKA signing up my TWO preschool children for the San Elijo Raggedy Ann & Andy fall session. phewww. My fingers were fast enough to get two girls into two different classes...but by 7:03, the classes were full. A little insane.

So I was feeling productive...instead of climbing back into my cozy warm bed I got dressed and headed to the gym, then even got a couple of packages off, came home to check on things (1/2 the fam was still asleep) and went to get my hair hi-lighted, weaved...whatever you call it. Feeling pretty good about myself...all before noon. It's summer.

So I'm changing out of my gym clothes and Izzie with her cutest smiley bright face comes in and asks for some lip gloss...a 3x/day routine for her. As she's putting it on she says, "I love you, fatty pants." It's a common term around here---mostly cause I've always called my lovable squeezable yummy babies 'fatty pants'. It stuck. Who's the fatty pants now?! I was a little offended...I know I'm not skinny minnie and certain parts of my unseen body may even look like they've carried six beautiful kiddos. But fatty pants? Okay, so it's endearing. So I ask Izzie, "Where do you see fatty pants?" She says, "your boobs, your buttocks, and your tummy." (yes, 'buttocks' is commonly used by Izzie in our house) Fair enough. So I guess the chocolate binges aren't working for me? Izzie likes to keep it real. As for the chocolate binges...when my ovaries go away, maybe the binges will too.

I am l o v e d

Are you feeling it too?! This summer has surprisingly zoomed by, yet I'm officially DONE...

F i N i S h E d...

I want this ship to sail! I've had a tough time these last couple of weeks simply surviving mommyhood and feeling on top of things, in control, and productive. Amazing...considering this summer is a true break from our experiences of last summer. I have a million things I've wanted to do with the kids, but I can't, because how do you reward a 9 year old's rants and outbursts or a 4 year old trying to mimic that 9 year old or better-yet, two of them constantly going at each other displaying a true "I'm really not fond of you" attitude towards each other?How about when you hear "I want a new mommy." I'm pretty tough, but ouch!

And in this house computer time and xbox time is earned....not a sweet fancy and way of life like it is for me, KIDDOS! I earn it by having the title 'mom.' So get used to it, MONKEYS! No, it's not unfair, I earned my keep.

How many days can one or more of my children wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Curt was out of town for three days last week which I'm certain contributes to my inept feelings. But I started a new thing. I quite like it. The boys were fighting in their room. When they fight it consits of throwing things...whatever is in reach like oh, a lamp or a stool or maybe some books--anything goes with them. It was 10:30 and they still hadn't settled their differences. I was DONE. I took them by the ears (a technique my mom taught me) down the stairs and threw them both on the front porch then turned off the light until they could work it out and hug and make-up in order to come inside. Sure, sweetness is in them...somewhere deep down inside...I just know it is...

...And then they came through and showed me. Yes, I know they had some prodding from their Ama, who is my other sounding board besides Curt. I was half-way through a really crappy day this last week when I found this on posted on my bathroom mirror: It literally brought me to my knees in tears. It made my day...it more than made my week and everything was okay after that.

Then I woke up to the kids' footsteps and 'shh's' to one another as they tip-toed in my room to surprise me with breakfast in bed on Saturday morning. All on their own. I was a bit surprised

...it's not Mother's Day! It's not even my birthday! (not my best look..I know). It's these random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty (okay, not senseless, but that's the quote) that truly make being a mom worth it and wonderful at the end of the day. I know my kids love me by the things they do and in some twisted way it makes me feel like less of a failure in this department. Oh my, raising six very busy, loud, active and expressive children is a true challenge. How on earth did we get SIX outspoken and LOUD kids? A joy much of the time...but truly, a challenge with each passing year. So when you think to yourself or say to me, "I don't know how you do it" Well I don't either, other than that I have to put myself in a place where I feel 'carried.' When I'm doing the things, ALL the things I know I should be doing the load seems lighter. I do it because I always wanted to be a mom and boy, did I ask for it! But I do it one day at a time. And I do melt down and feel defeated which leads me to think that maybe I need happy pills??? For the record, I do adore, love, find JOY and happiness in motherhood...most of the time.

But I'm still ready for September 2nd.

Curt just came home with flowers in hand--how special! They were from the kids....the older three had sent him on an errand. Every mom needs these random little 'loves'! Thank you!

Christmas in July

....okay, August.  Look what was on my doorstep today!

I've officially joined the mac club with this post.  Lucky me!!!