easter!

We had a lovely Easter Sunday.  Church was very nice, we colored eggs, had a candy hunt -- all that was required!

 

a primer on politeness

Warning:  This is a rant.

Today I taught Joy School and one of the little boys was going on and on about how he was having a Birthday party, but that only two people were coming and all the fun things they were going to do.  I told him that it wasn't very nice to talk about something that not everyone was invited to.  He kept talking about it and then proceeded to talk about how one of his friends was coming over to play that afternoon, but that no one else could come.  I kindly reminded him of what I had said earlier, but he wouldn't stop so finally I pulled him aside and asked, "Are you trying to make people feel bad?"  He looked at me with his beautiful brown eyes, shook his head, and said, "No."  I replied that I knew that and that I knew that he was a very nice boy and that it wasn't polite to keep talking about things in front of people who weren't invited -- not that it was a secret, just that it was a little bit rude.  I know that I was probably being sensitive because my own son was one that was being excluded, and had been many times before by this same boy who he considers a friend.  I also know that this little boy isn't trying to be mean, he is just young and doesn't know better and he is probably just really excited about his friends.  

And yet -- and yet!  I wanted to also say -- and after your party don't post pictures of it all over the internet!  Adults do this on facebook all.the.time.  Otherwise completely lovely and kind people do this.  I have kept my mouth shut, but I cannot take it anymore!  It is as if, with the advent of facebook, all basic laws and rules of common courtesy and politeness have completely flown right out of the window and I'd like to rein it in, if you will.  I understand that people get excited about their own lives and activities.  I know that people who get offended about not being invited to things should grow up and not be so immature, but by that same token the other side is that people should not be so childish as to ignore the fact that they could be hurting other people's feelings.  It is a basic human need to feel accepted and included so no matter how people may try to not feel bad, sometimes they just can't help it.  And I know -- I know!  that you cannot invite 600 people with you every time you go out to dinner or have a game night at your house.  I completely understand that, but it is also not a requirement to plaster proof of those same events all over your wall if not everyone was invited.  In some cases that might be okay.  Say you're at a church event and you post some fun photos from that night.  Your neighbors aren't going to feel bad because they're not part of that group.  Or a family thing -- great, post away!  But if you're just having a get together with a few friends, why don't you just keep it to yourself?  There are lots of ways in which you can still express your excitement about that activity.  If you must do it on facebook there is a way to do a private message with all of those involved and you can even attach photos!  Alternatively, you could create a little group which only includes the exclusive group with whom you enjoy getting together.  Everyone can post pictures and have all kinds of conversations about all of the fun things that you do without everyone else!  You could send a text message -- most people can even get photos on their phones!  So you could have a lot of fun with that!  Or you could even call your friend and talk about what a great time you just had!  But if someone is with your friend, who wasn't invited, they might ask you to call back another time, because talking about it in front of them would be rude, right?  You could even take the old-fashioned route and go print photos from your fun night and send them by mail to your friend with a little note recounting all of the great things that you did together.  See?  So many options!  

Now I'm just going to pull you aside and say, Are you trying to make someone feel bad?  And you're going to look back at me with your beautiful eyes, through which I can see what kind of a person you are inside, and you're going to shake your head and say no.  No.  You don't want to make someone's stomach ache with hurt when they read your comment.  You don't want to make someone cry from loneliness or rejection when they see your picture.  It could be someone who is usually invited and wasn't that time, who wonders why they were left out, why they weren't chosen. Or perhaps you have one or two facebook friends who never get invited to anything and they just saw your post and feel completely horrible.  You don't want to make someone, anyone, feel like that do you?  No, no you don't.  So stop it!

my boys

Phin says the funniest things -- I just wish I could remember them all!  On Sunday afternoon I had switched out some of the summer and winter clothes because we were going to have such a warm week (ha) and he came running into my room on Monday morning shouting, "Mom!  There is something so creepy in my room!"  I thought, what could it be?  A spider? A mouse? A pirate?  What?  "There are a ton of short sleeved shirts in my drawer!"  Oh, yes, that is pretty creepy alright!

And Archie is starting to talk up a storm.  He will tell you all about cats and dogs, cars and trains... it is cute, but a little exhausting.

::Here is Phin showing off his hurt toe -- with an Angry Bird band-aid on it.

 ::And here is a cute little Archie for you to enjoy

spring break

Spring Break started off with a bang -- the biggest snow storm of the year!  Even ISU was cancelled so it was nice that Matthew didn't have to go teach.  We got to play outside and even go sledding!  It was actually a beautiful day.

 Then we went down to St. Louis for three days later in the week.  On Wednesday we went to the Magic House.  They had a fun exhibit where the kids help solve a crime and one of the activities was to crawl through the heating ducts and then go down a slide.  I saw a sign that said you needed to be 5 to go and told Phin that it was fine.  There was a girl sitting at the entrance and she looked at Phin and asked how old he was.  He said 4 and she told him he couldn't go.  I ran over and said, "His birthday is tomorrow!  He really is old enough to go up there.  Is it okay?"  And I knew I totally sounded like I was lying!  I mean, really, tomorrow?  Haha.

 ::Eating snow is one of Phin's favorite pastimes.

And the highlight of the day was when Lucy left her retainer at a restaurant -- her second lost since she first got the bite plate at the end of January.  Wonderful.  Then on Thursday, which was Phin's 5th birthday, Matthew and I went to the temple in the afternoon and we all went to the zoo in the afternoon.

 ::Right after this picture was taken, Matthew told Ibby to touch the bird.  She dutifully obeyed and was rewarded by almost being bitten and being squawked out loudly.  She cried.

 ::The birthday boy got to ride on a train around the park.

We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner that night and then went to the Cahokia Indian Mounds on the way home.  For some reason no good pictures of that, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves -- even with no proof!

the law of entropy

This morning I had a super idea!  Hey!  Why don't I give the baby his own broom so he can sweep with me, and won't steal mine so that I can actually get the floor clean.  It was pretty cute as he grunted while helping me move the chairs and stayed so busy.  It was not as cute, and I soon realized my folly, when he discovered that his most favorite thing to do was to get the bristles of his little broom up under my pile and fling all of the detritus far and wide -- completely undoing all of my hard work.  This is pretty much my whole existence.  I just get the kitchen clean and someone comes in to have a snack; just get in the last load of laundry and someone changes their clothes; just mop the floor and someone walks across the floor with muddy shoes, or eating a juicy piece of fruit while walking and dripping (grrrr); pick up all the books and hear the blocks being dumped out; change a diaper and smell some new little gift -- I could go on and on!

But at least I'm kind of trying to keep ahead of the chaos.  I always think of the Orson Scott Card character who is always whittling away at a piece of wood so that something in the universe is being created instead of everything disintegrating into nothingness.  Ooh, does that mean my sweeping is some how a creative endeavor?  Reaching much?  Yes.  I still need to find something a little bit more artistic to fulfill that need.

Does anyone else feel like all they do is run in circles?

actual product tinier than it appears

 

I got this in the mail today.  I had thought I was getting a great deal on a cute banner for the boys' room, but for its diminutive size it looks like it was more of a rip off.  I guess it is a lesson in reading the fine print a little closer.  1 inch vs. 12 inches = huge difference!  But it does give me a business idea... get the kids to cut out teeny tiny triangles and set up shop!

little fox box

So I gave up shopping for lent (haha) but planned ahead by pre-paying, or rather subscribing, for a fun little box that comes every single month.  I've gotten three months so far and everything is so cute!  It's called Little Fox and you get a few baby/kid type things and an exclusive tee shirt. 

::Phin likes getting packages

 ::And opening them!

 

Oh, baby just woke up.  There is simply no time to pay this blog the attention it deserves!  Oh well.  Chat with you all later!