Easter background

Okay, so obviously I never look at my blog. I didn't realize I still have and Easter background. Hopefully I can change it soon.

Check again :)

If you have looked at our blog this week, I have been in the middle of updating. You might have missed some post that were inserted in between others. Take another look so you don't miss anything.

skiing

We went skiing today. We usually go away for spring break but were unable to this year, since Jim had to work. Jim has taken the boys skiing a few times this winter, but this is my first time. Ashton- 4 years old, is the only one of the kids who has wanted to go every time. He has gotten to be quite a good skiier. He is doing jumps. That was his favorite part. He just kept wanting to go on the jumps. He thought he should be able to do anything his dad could do. Since his dad has been skiing for 35 years or more, I think he might need more practice, but Ashton doesn't think so.

Wrestling

This year Evan decided to do SJW wrestling. He usually just does a camp that the high school puts on, it last for a couple of weeks with one tournament. SJW goes for a little over a month with practices 2 times a week and a tournament each Saturday. Needless to say, it kind of put a damper on our Sat. plans. It was a good experience for him. He had a cold for about 1/2 of it, the timing wasn't very good. He loved the medals and trophies, but I don't know how much he liked the wrestling. We will see if he wants to do it next year. I wouldn't mind if he didn't :)

You can see his pour nose. He gets this way anytime anything is going around. He has a hard time getting rid of it.

Amery Junior National Honor Society

We were invited to Amery's school today for the National Junior Honor Society ceremony. It is for 8th graders who have a certain GPA. Amery has a 4.0, so she was nominated. We are very proud of her. She always does her best on her school work, and gives 110%. We don't have to remind her or anything, she just does it on her own. She is a very responsible girl and a great example of doing her best. Congratulations Amery!!

I was on the news in Seattle

For those of you haven't heard yet, I started a new business. I am so excited about it. I teach workshops on how to save time and money on your groceries and other household items. I work with a company called BeCentsAble. They are based in Kansas City and are looking for educators in the west. I am the only certified educator in the state of Washington and there are currently no certified educators in ID, CA, OR, UT, MT and other western states. I went through a lot of training and an interview. I thought it would be a piece of cake because I already new it all. I actually learned several things. On my first shopping trip after being trained, I purchased $115 worth of products for only $16.

I went back later to stock up on more and my total for the day was $256 for $39.50. How much fun is it to save money? Even better, I love to help others save too. If you know anyone who might be interested in becoming an educator or attending a workshop send them my way.

I had my first workshop Saturday and KOMO 4 news, the Seattle ABC affiliate came with a reporter and a camera. I couldn't believe I was going to have to do my very first workshop on TV. If that isn't nerve racking, I don't know what is!! I think all went well. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

This is me getting my hair done for the big day. Cute huh?

This was my second workshop at my sisters salon.

Mini Dribblers

Dallen is on a dribbling team called the mini dribblers. It was such a neat experience. It was a ton of work for him. I was very proud of him. He went from not being able to hardly dribble to doing the most amazing dribbles. His group performed at several local high school basketball games, as well as Whitworth college, Washington State University, Gonzaga, the Globetrotters game, and a fund raiser too. The practices were really tough! It was kind of like boot camp. Here is a video of one of his performances.

Amery's first dance

Amery went to her first dance kicking and screaming, well not quite, but we had to make her go. She missed her first eligible dance, so we made her go this time. Luckily a friend came and picked her up so we didn't actually have to drag her into the church. Unfortunately she spent the majority of the dance in the hall with a boy and texting. Next time, we might just have to chaperon. Jim with his 80's moves, she won't make that mistake again.

Amery gets braces

Amery has been begging to get braces on for awhile. I don't think she was dying to have braces, just wanted to get them off soon. I was shocked at how much braces cost. So needles to say, our kitchen remodel is on hold for awhile. Even though we are in the middle of the remodel, we can still use it just fine. I hope it gets finished before Amery is done with braces.

Ashton turns 4

Ashton turned 4 today. He is such a good kid. I am so glad to have him in our family. He is so patient and obedient. He sets such a good example for our whole family. If I ever ask the kids to do something, he is the first one to go and get it done. He has the cutest smile. He is also super athletic. He loves all sports, especially baseball.

We went to his school to bring cupcakes. James was excited to join in on the snack!


He picked Chuck E Cheese for his B-day dinner with mom and dad.

Pinewood Derby

5 Pinewood Derby's down, 500 more to go, maybe that is an exaggeration! Dallen and Jim had a good time building his car. I was the official check in girl for the pack. They ask me every year. Maybe next year I can pass the torch.

James 1st day of Nursery

This is a super exciting day for us! Our youngest childJames goes to nursery. He is so small there, I think he will like it. He went once before for practice and it was last month when Ashton was still in too. So he had a chance to play with his brother so he didn't feel abandoned. The teachers are so good with him.

2 dates in one day!

Jarom, our 16 year old had two dates today. Actually, I don't know if he would count either one of them. I told him that I had to be his first date. I wanted the kids to have a chance to practice. I thought the boys could practice their manners and show me that they know how to treat their dates. Our daughter could go out with her dad when she turns 16, so she knows how she should be treated on a date and not settle for less. Anyway, Jarom informed me that he was going to the movies. I found out through "20 Questions" that he wasn't going with his normal group. It was just him and his friend Rachel. "Well", I said "that sounds like a date. Remember, I have to be your first date?" I think he thought if he waited long enough I would forget. Sometimes that might be true, but not this time. Come to find out the movie was at noon and it was 9 am or so. I asked him if he planned on taking me out to breakfast? He hadn't. I was out running errands. So I told him to plan a date for us and call back and ask me out. Then proceeded to call Jim and give him the run down, so he could spot Jarom some cash. Jarom took me to an early lunch at Shari's, not my favorite restaurant, but the company was good! (I forgot it was Hawaiian shirt Monday)

We had to be quick, because we had to leave straight from there to go pick up Rachel. When I found out he was going on a date, I told him of course I would have to take pictures. He absolutely refused. I explained that he was lucky because it was Rachel and she knows us and understands. He proceeded to hide all the camera's we owned. I finally talked him into giving me back a camera if I was super discrete and they didn't notice I was taking pictures. Hence, they didn't turn out very well. It is sooo much work to try to preserve memories! Anyway, they went to see a movie that Jarom had already seen, but it is what she chose and he wanted to be polite. I think they had a great time. Later, when I was talking to Rachel's mom, my friend Alison, she said she had wished I had filled her in on the plan. She totally would have helped me out. We would make great partners in crime, well not really crime.

Do you think they were on to the paparazzi?

Germ test

Many of you that know me, know I am not good with germs. Some of my family members actually make fun of me. Here is a quiz I saw on TV a few weeks ago, I thought it was interesting. Test yourself, don't cheat! The answers are after the questions.

1. How many surfaces does the average person touch in 30 minutes?
a. 10
b. 40
c. 100
d. 300

2. Of your personal items, most germs can be found on
a. Mascara
b. Face Powder
c. Lipstick
d. Hair Brush

3. Most germs enter your body through
a. Eyes
b. Mouth
c. Skin

4. Which has more germs?
a. Women’s hands
b. Men’s hands
c. Dog’s paws

5. More than a quarter of all colds are passed by what?
a. Kissing
b. Someone sneezing in close proximity
c. Hand contact

6. What is considered the job with the most germs in America?
a. Truck driver
b. Garbage man
c. Teacher
d. Custodial worker

7. What percentage of Americans doesn’t wash their hands when leaving the restroom?
a. 12%
b. 27%
c. 33%
d. 58%

8. Where do the most common germs lurk in the kitchen?
a. Countertops
b. Sponge or dishcloth
c. Cutting board
d. Refrigerator door handle

9. How many species of microbe live in the human mouth?
a. 5
b. 50
c. 500
d. More than 700

10. Germs can escape a flushing toilet and contaminate things in the bathroom—such as toothbrushes.
a. True
b. False

11. What is the best place for your toothbrush?
a. The medicine cabinet
b. On top of the toilet
c. On the bathroom sink
d. Near a window

12. Which is usually the most contaminated object in a hotel room?
a. Remote control
b. Toilet seat and handle
c. Doorknobs within the room

13. Which of these classroom surfaces has the most bacteria?
a. Water Fountain
b. Doorknob
c. Computer Keyboard





Answers:
1. D
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. C
7. C
8. B
9. D
10. A
11. D
12. A & C
13. A & C

Now everyone can post comments

I tried to change my setting so those of you who don't have a g-mail account can now post comments. Try it and let me know if it works. Thanks to all you signed up to be a follower and post comments. I love to read what you think.

Ashton 1st day of Preschool

Ashton started Preschool today. I know it isn't the normal time to start school, but I thought I would keep him home this year, mostly for selfish reasons. He is a pretty easy going child. I really love having him at home. I have had so many years of preschool and 1/2 day Kindergarten in a row and I really wanted a break from having to worry about picking up a child in the middle of the day, especially because that is when James takes his nap. I already have kids at 3 different schools and one that has to go early for orchestra a couple of days a week. This adds up to lots of driving. I was hoping to avoid 4 schools and mid day driving for at least one year. Oh well, I gave in. Ashton is so easy, but he decided he loves to watch TV and wants to do it all day. I really didn't want him to do that. He liked to have friends over, but it didn't work out very often. So we decided we would give preschool a try. He seemed to enjoy his first day. The best part is I have a friend who has a child there too and we are going to try to car pool. Yeah!!

I always interview the kids after their first day of school each year. The older they get, the less they cooperate.

Evan's B-day

Evan turned 7 today. Yesterday he gave us his order for today, he ordered a waffle, omelet, O.J., and milk. He wanted it served in bed. This was kind of difficult for many reasons. For start we have 9AM church, Evan is usually the 1st one up and Jim was gone, so I was on my own. But I made it happen, kind of. We were not our usual 20 minutes early for church, which is when you have to show up if you want a padded seat. It turned out okay, because Jarom was there early for a meeting and he saved us seats. Anyway, Evan's most important part of the day was presents, he reminded us of this often. He got most everything he wanted, and the baseball cake he ask for. He also picked the dinner, Hawaiian Haystacks- His favorite! We had a great day.

Amery 14th B-day

Amery chose to spend the night with friends on the eve of her b-day. We didn't see her again until about 7pm on her birthday. So we had a late party for her. She is growing up so fast and turning into a beautiful young woman. She is very responsible and doesn't have to be reminded of things near as much as her brothers. She loves to spend time with her friends, listen to music, read, shop, and play with her dog Molly. She plays volleyball and the flute in band. I think she is taller than I am, or at least has much better posture :) Happy B-day Amery


The obligatory hugs after receiving a gift.