Sudoku Therapy and a Banana Train

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . feeling a little overwhelmed as I contemplate summer vacation.  I'll miss being able to run errands with just two kids, and the sudden lack of structure (i.e. five days each week with nothing planned) is a little overwhelming.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Daddy coming home and giving me a big hug.

. . . cooking a dinner that was simple but good.

. . . Daniel cracking up when I pretended some bananas were a train chugging past him.

. . . chatting with neighbors at the park.

. . . giving Anna a bath.

And another thing . . .

. . . I learned to play Sudoku today.  It was nice to tackle a problem that I knew had a clear answer which I would figure out if I just analyzed it long enough.  That said, I'm not sure I want to devote a half hour of my life to it on a regular basis.  On the other hand, Alzheimer's runs in my family, and a recent study found that playing games like Sudoku (or Angry Birds) decreases your risk for that disease.  Of course, it also said my brain could benefit from reading and writing, so maybe I'll just keep journaling, reading blog posts, and playing chess with Joy.

It's The Thought That Counts

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . taking a walk to Joy's future school, and seeing what's blooming in people's gardens on the way.

. . . playing catch with Daniel.

. . . smiling at Joy.

. . . getting lots of stuff done.

. . . Phillip offering me the last jelly bean (then discovering that Daniel had eaten it when Daddy wasn't looking).

And another thing . . .

. . . some of the many reasons I like Trader Joe's:

- friendly, cheerful staff
- friendly, cheerful customers ranging from hippies to yuppies
- fun background music
- no tabloids at the check stands
- store brand staples tend to be inexpensive and good quality
- my picky kids will try virtually anything at the sample counter

Home Again on a Cool Spring Day

Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . feeling the cool, spring breeze at the park today.

. . . my husband coming home from his long trip.  It was so very good to see him and hold him again.

. . . seeing the kids get excited to see their Daddy, too.  Anna was so happy that she kicked her little feet while he held her.

. . . cooking a dinner that everyone liked.

Story Time and Fire Girl

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . collaborating with Joy to make a costume for superhero day at school.  Joy chose to be Fire Girl (who can ignite or extinguish blazes at will), and I'm glad I got her input on the costume, because her idea was much simpler than mine.

. . . the car wash guys finding the house key I lost in my car four months ago.

. . . hangin' with my fam.

. . . taking a nap.

. . . telling Joy scripture stories in the car, at her request.  Sometimes I'm tempted to decline when I'm tired and she asks for a movie recap, but how do you say no when your daughter asks you to tell her about Jesus?

Courage and a Ceibo

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . singing Nephi's Courage in Primary.  It's one of Phillip's favorite Primary songs, and it makes me think of him.

. . . the Primary chorister drawing hilarious stick figure art to help the kids learn a Father's Day song.

. . . taking the kids for a walk and seeing a ceibo* tree in bloom.  It is one of the few trees native to Uruguay, and it always makes me think of the land of my mission.

. . . reading yesterday's post on the (Gay) Mormon Guy blog. It was both heartrending and inspiring.  I deeply respect the fact he keeps going (in the Gospel and the dating scene) even though it's so very hard sometimes.

*Pronounced "SAY-boe"

Shards and a Goblin

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . the unmistakable sound of a glass bowl shattering when my daughter dropped it.  The kids actually broke two of our ceramic bowls today, too (never on purpose).  Our dish population is dwindling rapidly, and I think it's time to shop around for some durable plastic plates and bowls that are nice enough to use for dinner.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . making a Green Goblin Smoothie.  I love my Green Monster smoothie, but variety is a good thing so I decided to branch out and try something a little different.  I seriously tweaked the recipe, but it turned out well.  Joy said she liked it, but changed her mind after a few sips.  Daniel said he didn't like it, but then changed his mind and asked for seconds.

Jello Newb and Too Many Artichokes

This week . . . 

my not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . most of Tuesday.  I was dragon mom.  It was really, really bad.

my favorite moments included . . .

 . . . Phillip getting home from the lab on Tuesday.  He was very supportive, and somehow he helped me back onto the sanity track, from which I had totally derailed.

. . . making a strawberry lassi to share with Daniel.

. . . cuddling Anna.

. . . sharing a hug with Joy.

. . . Anna happily kicking her feet in the pool.  Joy got right in and swam (with her pool ring), but since the water is still pretty cold I was happy to sit on the side with Anna and let her splash.

. . . taking a walk with the kids to check out local gardens in the area.  The corn is high at one house, and the Anna apples are almost ready to eat at another.  I asked an artichoke grower about his giant plant, and he commented that thirty artichokes is far too many to eat in five weeks.  I agree.

. . . having a good laugh when we walked past a garden that has always struggled, and found that the owner had finally given up and replaced the veggies with lots of roses, which looked healthy and happy.  I'm glad they found something that worked for them.

And another thing . . .

. . . Joy asked me to make strawberry Jello for her class buffet today.  I can't remember the last time I made Jello.  I had to check the box more than once to confirm that the boiling water goes in before the cold water.  Or is it the other way around?