Filthy manners

I have been railing on Ella about her bad manners as of late. What happened to my cute little 3 year old who would say please and thank you? Last Friday we were at her brownie meeting and I couldn't help but take notes in my head the whole night of all her bad manners. This probably wasn't a good thing because in the past when I start to do this everything she does starts to irritate me. I couldn't help myself though. I mean granted she is only 6 but I feel as if I have become too lax in the manners department. As to not spoil the excitement of her brownie night I decided to wait until the next day to talk to her about some of the things I noticed. For example, at one point during the night, Ella was anxiously awaiting her ice cream to go with her cake. The kind brownie mother was scooping the ice cream slowly but surely to each eager child. Ella's body was twitching with impatience and she could not for the life of her contain herself, so she blurted out " I want ice cream now!" Ugh it was embarrassing. The next day I told her this was disrespectful and she agreed. She replied with a..."but it's so hard to wait mom!" Then I was telling her about the importance of eye contact and looking someone in the face when they are speaking to you. This is a tough one. Sometimes she doesn't even answer when an adult speaks to her. I hate this. I emphasized that she needs to give people the respect that they deserve and the least she can do is look them in the face. I emphasized that this is especially important with adults. She interrupted me and said. "Well mom, you don't look at me when you are talking to me. You're like on the computer talking to me or in the bathroom talking to me." Oh dear. My perfect mom persona was now flawed...tattered...bruised....destroyed? I had been exposed once again! She caught me and she was absolutely right. I responded with an "Oh." Then I started realizing that I have a hard time in general with eye contact and looking people in the face. I started thinking of other things too. Like when Ella bursts into a room, with not even a hello and starts demanding things from me. This irritates me to no end, but I can't tell you how many times in mom dictator mode I burst into a room like a whirlwind demanding things from her too. It's tough when your kids point out your weaknesses. It's like all of the sudden you are reminded you are human too and everything you do, and the weaknesses you have your kids are there watching you and taking it all in and it spreads to them like fleas to a dog. So needless to say, in the end Ella and I both learned something and we made a pact that we would work on our filthy manners.

The Verve has reunited

I hate festival shows I really do... but...the Verve is reuniting and playing at this year's Coachella. They were one of my favorite bands back in the olden days. I remember playing the Storm in Heaven album over and over again and feeling sorry for myself. I have never seen them and have wanted to see them for over 10 years now. There are really alot of bands playing that get me excited but then I remind myself that it is never the same as if you were to see them in a great club or venue. I don't want to pay $100 for one day and then spend another $30 on bottled water for the day. I don't want to stand anymore at shows and I I don't want to deal with the crowds and posing 20 something hipsters in their high rise skinny jeans wearing these... My neighbors upstairs are super hip hipsters. The other day I was out on the lawn with my mom jeans and my 10 kids and the hipsters had just come home from a friends wedding. They were all decked out in the latest trends. I have to say they looked super hot but then I almost laughed out loud when I saw that 3 out of the 4 of them were wearing enourmously oversized glasses. Not sunglasses mind you, just regular glasses. I couldn't stop staring. I mean it would be one thing if one of them was wearing them but all but one? It looked silly. Maybe they planned it that way? I had mixed feelings after we said our hello's and they closed the door to go upstairs to their urban outfitters pad. I instantly felt old and out of touch with the fashion world. I still follow trends to some extent but don't want to spend alot of money on clothes. I wear forever 21 and h&m shirts that get thread barren after two washes and $30 jeans. I kind of live vicariously through the hipsters. I mean really I'm not much older then them its just I got married at 21 and had kids before I was 30 so that instantly ages me. Through our ceiling we always hear them listening to the latest bands and partying just like all 20 somethings are suppose to do and we the old farts from Utah are downstairs in our Mervyns pajamas ... Wade cursing their loud music and me drinking herbal tea with knitting needles in hand watching antique road show. It's okay really.... So will we go to the show? Probably not, but I am hoping Verve schedule a last minute show in the LA area around the Coachella show. Sometimes bands do that. We'll see.

His eyes are orange and his tongue is black
He has purple prickles all over his back
He's a Gruffalo, Gruffalo, Gruffalo
He's a Gruffalo, Gruffalo, Gruffalo
He's a GRRRRRRR UFALO!

This morning at school Ella played the Gruffalo song on her electric keyboard in front of her class. I was so proud of her. It was her idea. A few weeks ago she came home from school and asked me if I knew who the Gruffalo was and I said no and she responded with a shriek and a "What...? mom?!??!?" The world was over because I didn't know what a Gruffalo was. She proceeded to tell me all about him and the book and sang the song for me. She sang it once and then she sang it again and again and over and over. She told me she wanted to play it on her piano and she wanted to play it in her class while the other kids sang. So that night Ella and I figured out the notes to the song on her keyboard. Ever since then it feels as if it has been nothing but Gruffalo around this house. Gruffalo tea, Gruffalo cake, Gruffalo child, Gruffalo this Gruffalo that. She began practicing the song everyday. Well, practicing in that unfocused sort of way. Where she plays the song and then has a random thought or burst of Ella energy and gets distracted. So I felt like her practice times weren't very consistent. The morning of her little performance I was nervous for her. Walking to school I was quizzing her on the different notes and when to pause etc. After I had been repeating myself over and over again all morning. Ella was tired of it. "Okay, mom... I know!" After she played it made me realize that as a parent I really need to take a step back. Ella is going to do things in her way and in her own time. I doubted her readiness but I think she was determined in her own way and she knew she was going to play just fine....and she did.

1/25
We were in charge of the refreshments for Ella's Brownie meeting tonight and guess what we made?!...
Ladies and Gentleman... here you have it.... the Gruffalo!....

Our Orange Tree

Suburban Harvest

clutter management

I was determined I wasn't going to let the kids Christmas get lost in the chaos that is their bedroom so we spent all of new years break and a week after giving the kids room a good deep clean and a fashion face lift.


We took the Mr Clean magic eraser to everything. We found dust bunnies, hair clips and all sorts of hodge podge under the beds and in corners. We found alot of missing toys but still didn't manage to find Emily's missing headband. We gave alot to Goodwill and threw alot away. I shudder when I think of all the McDonald's toys that make up our landfills. We made a trip to Virgil's for new paint for their walls. We painted right over the dirt. Whala!! We went to Ikea for the Lack shelves.
We visited the Container store for a few new toy bins and finally found a storage solution for Thomas clothes.
Everything came together quite nicely...



It has been a few days since the remodel and I have to say a weight has been lifted. Let's hope we can keep this organization thing going. I love that every toy and every little polly pocket hair brush has a place to go. Let us sing praises that the barbies now have their own drawar and that thomas's potato head have their own bin with a lid! Wow, I sure fell in love with the container store. It was my first time there and it really opened my eyes to a whole new world. A world where your hair dryer actually has its own hook? Where your socks have their own clippy thingy that keeps them together in the laundry? Unheard of! I still am not completely finished, Ella's chest of drawars needs new knobs and I want to make new duvet covers for both kids bed. Thomas's will have sock monkeys and with Ella we will be incorporating some sort of vintage cowgirl theme.

New Years Resolutions

1. Really listen to my family. If my kids need me or have a concern, stop doing what I am doing, come down on their level, with eye contact and really listen to them.

2. Praise my kids for their accomplishments instead of dwelling on what they need to do better.

3. Slow down. Lower my voice, talk slowly and set a good peaceful tone for the family.

4. Hug, kiss and tell Ella I love her more.

5. Be healthy and listen to my body.

6. Learn more about hollistic herbs and medicine.

7. Set up a corner in my bedrooom that is just for me... for crafting, painting, knitting, sewing and such.

8. Learn to set limits on spending and not be a greedy consumerist.

9. Begin ridding ourselves of debt.

10. Listen to Marketplace morning report, become more informed.

11. Start birdwatching again

12. Live for the day.

pillow

I finally finished knitting my pillow for the couch and I just wanted to show it off. I love the yarn. It's soft and fuzzy. I decided I no longer will knit with 100% wool... at least when it comes to wearable items. I have too many hats and scarves that are left unworn because they are too itchy.

carnations, crysanthumums +500 tons of glue

We battled the crowds this year and made it to the grandaddy of all parades... I've always wanted to go but was overwhelmed by the idea of getting there. We sat underneath a surplus sign. It was a beautiful day.
We give much thanks to our dear friend Valerie. We piled in her van, 6 kids+3 adults and made our trek over to Colorado Boulevard. Her awesome friends the Hunters hooked us up with a parking space in front of their apartment so we didn't have to walk a hundred miles.

Every inch of every float in the parade is made of some sort of living or dried plant part. So flowers, seeds, bark, nuts, you name it. The details were amazing.



One of my favorite things was the man standing next to us. I wish I had a picture of him. He was there with his wife and you could tell they had been coming for years. They were the rose parade regulars, the experts, the behind the scenes people and this was just old hat to them. They acted as if they knew everyone on the floats personally. He would talk loudly too so everyone could hear... "Is that Bob?", he would say or "Oh look at that beauty, just look at it...incredible, I mean honestly incredible." His wife didn't say much but would usually just agree with him or say a certain float was better than last year's.



I've always loved parades even on tv. I remember watching the rose parade as a kid and my Grandma Winnie loving it. My favorite time is always right before the parade begins, when you can just spot the grand marshal (Emeril Lagasse!) and the first float. The anticipation is there and everyone is chatty. I love the marching bands and the polyester outfits they wear. There is something so great about being in the crowd and being a part of the community.