Shaun Cassidy Memories

As Tony and I were doing errands today we heard Da Doo Ron Ron on the radio.  I was instantly transported to my younger days when I had a major crush on Shaun Cassidy (think Justin Bieber today-except Shaun Cassidy was actually cute).  It all started though, because my older sister told me that I should ask for Shaun Cassidy's Born Late album for my birthday.  Now interesting side note here...this sister and I did not get along very well at all!  But obviously I still cared what she thought because I asked for the record, even though I didn't really know who he was then.  However, I ended up loving the album and became a Shaun Cassidy fan.  I may or may not have known every word to every song on that album. I may or may not have sung them at the top of my lungs while hugging the album cover and dancing.  I may or may not have thought he was extremely attractive (don't tell my kids though because he had long hair, and I kind of make a big fuss about long hair).  So hearing that song made me have a little moment of reminiscing.  Ahhh to be young and ridiculous again!  To watch CHIPs just so you could see Erik Estrada's smile, or Dukes of Hazzard to see Tom Wopat in those jeans.... (I may or may not have kissed the television once when he was on screen).  I guess maybe the Justin Bieber craze isn't soooo hard to understand, and it certainly is fun to remember those days.

I wish I would have saved all these old records!

Fair is where you see the pigs!

So, a very common phrase heard around our house is "That's not fair, Mom!!"  Some of my children seem to remember everything I have ever done or said, and use that in their arguments explaining why my treatment of them is unfair.  They may not actually even say the phrase, but the meaning is there when they tell me they shouldn't have to clean up a mess because they didn't make it.  Or when I tell them on their dish day, that they need to unload the dishwasher again even though they did it once that day already.  My oldest daughter was quite put out when her younger sister got a cell phone when she was still in 9th grade, because she didn't get one until the summer after 9th grade. (I am happy to say that she has grown out of this problem now, and was the one encouraging us to get a phone for her brother while he was still in 8th grade.)  The other night I was telling one of my kids to go to bed. They weren't so much concerned about the time they went to bed it seemed, they were mostly concerned that they got to stay up later than their younger sibling.  Sometimes my kids will tell me about things I did or said years ago, and remind me of just how unfair I was.  Most of the time I don't even know what they are talking about, but obviously I have issues with fairness.    As a parent I really try to not favor one child over the other, and split up responsibilities fairly, but it is just not possible to be perfect at it.  I am pretty sure I spoil my youngest, just like my parents spoiled me, but I think I turned out mostly OK. Hopefully he will too.  I used to always tell my kids the that life wasn't fair, but a friend of mine told us what she tells her kids and I have decided to adopt it...Fair is where you see the pigs! (My children don't think it is nearly as clever as I do!)

Hopeless Romantic

What can I say, I am a hopeless romantic.  I so enjoy a good love story, especially a good old fashioned one where you don't have to worry about sexual content.  I started Pride and Prejudice in college expecting to hate it, after all it was considered a classic.  Very soon though, I couldn't put it down.  I had it finished long before the due date for my class.  How happy I was to discover the BBC movie version.  I have watched it many times, and I must say Colin Firth makes an excellent Mr. Darcy.  There are just certain parts that make me smile over and over again.  Well, last week I finished reading Emma, and then I rented the BBC version of Emma.  I finished watching it yesterday, and I am still smiling.  Next on my list to watch is North and South (NOT the John Jake's miniseries).  I hear it is fantastic.  I can't wait!

Last Girl's Camp Post

Up at the lovely Camp Aerie, our young women continued to shout Kyle, Kyle, Kyle...  We asked what the meaning of this was, and they said it was from Kid History.  My own kids quote Kid History all the time, but I haven't taken the time to watch them. Here is the one with the Kyle reference.  I must admit, they are pretty funny.

Snipe Hunting and Other Pranks

I have never liked pranks or "practical" jokes.  Most of the time they are just not funny to me, and someone always ends up getting hurt it seems.  I played a practical joke once on my roommate, and although it worked beautifully I never really felt good about it.  It just seemed really selfish to enjoy myself at someone else's expense.  I know one time in Brazil,  I stopped a girl from putting toothpaste in someone's sleeping bag.  I was considered a party pooper, but what was she supposed to sleep in for the rest of the time?  Now many years later, I dislike them as much as ever, and I was concerned heading up to girl's camp.

The big thing to do with the first year campers, is take them on a snipe hunt.  Not too much harm done, I suppose, but the other leaders and I were still dragging our feet on it.  It was the last night of camp, and we had two first years come back from the bathroom convinced that they had seen a snipe on the way back to camp.  They were so serious, that I could not completely suppress my laughter.  The older girl's insisted at this point that they had to take them on the hunt, and we finally relented.  So they all got decked out in toothpaste (toothpaste on your face aids in snipe hunting), and went on the hunt.  I mentioned to one of the older girl's to watch out for any girls who might be taking this too seriously, because the last thing I wanted was for anyone to get hurt.  For the most part they all came back laughing, and thinking it was great fun. They even decided that toothpaste makes your skin extra soft.  I still don't love pranks, or snipe hunting, but I realized that it is part of the growing up process.  I had a first year camper up there, and although my first instinct was to protect her at all costs, I realized that she is tougher than I think. After all this snipe hunting the older girls included all the first years in their late night talks and story telling, making them all feel like they belonged.  I will never be an advocate of pranks, but maybe it isn't the worst thing that could happen.

Girl's Camp Adventures

I was called to be the camp director for the young women in our ward a couple months before our ward boundary change.  I mentioned to the Bishop after the change that I didn't need to keep the calling, but my dear husband said he had no intention of making a change. Oh well!  So for the past few months I have been planning and getting things ready for girls camp.  I should have taken a picture of my family room as I started to gather up stuff the last couple of weeks.  Our house was being overtaken by crafts, goodies, tents, etc.  So on Tuesday the big day arrived.  We left for Camp Aerie at about 8am and spent 4 days there.  I don't really like camping, but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  The young women leaders in our ward are great, and I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. The girls in our ward are amazing, and I was so impressed with them.  It was a lot of fun getting to know them better, hearing their testimonies and listening to their insightful comments as we read the scriptures together.  It was a great week.  Yes, I came home exhausted, but it was worth it.

Why do painting projects always end up with painting clothes too?  I really hope they were old pants...

Our skit-Goldilocks Makes Righteous Choices

Goldilock's temptations

Goldilocks seeing Hot Teenage Boy Bear

Happily Ever After

Our cute camp decorations-Tiffany is amazing

Sitting around the campfire. 

The beautiful view from our hike

Our amazing YW president.  If you see her, ask her to break it down, or do the Haka. :)

Harry Potter Mania

It seems like it was only yesterday that my 8 year old daughter wanted to read this book about a wizard.  It was becoming quite the rage, but there was all kinds of uproar about it-it was evil, it was fantastic, you shouldn't let your kids read them because they were satanic, it was amazing.  I decided to read the book, before I let my young and impressionable 8 year old venture into it.  So, I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone being very skeptical about it's contents, and figuring it would be a kid's book that I would just have to muddle through.  I didn't have to read very many pages before I was hooked.  Now I am an avid reader, and I love all genres, but this book was so entertaining.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and felt that all the uproar was nonsense.  I think the first two were already out at this point and I read them both, and so did my daughter.  After that when each one would come out, I always said I had to read them first to make sure they were ok. :)  Really though, I just wanted to read them first!  I realize that not everyone likes the book, but I for one am grateful for them. They may not go down in history as great literature, but they have taken some of my non reader children, and made them readers.  My oldest three have read them multiple times, our copies are literally falling apart, and my youngest two have read the first four so far.  My oldest could probably be considered obsessed...she has read them more times than I can count, no exaggeration.  She is Ginny Weasley and is looking for her Harry Potter, (maybe it's her red hair).  We keep reminding her that Harry Potter isn't real, but...

The movies have been fun, too.  Which is why I am writing this post.  The last movie is now out, no more Harry Potter to look forward to.  I have enjoyed the movies, thought they were cast amazingly well, although it has forever ruined Alan Rickman as the love interest in Sense and Sensiblity-who would be interested in Snape? It has been fun to see some great characters brought to life, even if they probably aren't the greatest movies ever.  I for one have thoroughly enjoyed the ride through JK Rowling's vivid imagination into Harry Potter world, and have always found "magic" in the written word.

All ready to go to the midnight showing with their cousins.