Easter Break

This year for Easter, we went up to visit with Nana and Papa. Their house just happens to be about equidistant for all of us, so we lovingly refer to it as “The Halfway House.” It was so much fun because all of my siblings were able to come, and so all of the cousins could play together. We really fill their house to capacity now, and there will be two more baby girls in July! They were all so cute, and Hunter and Emma loved having the little ones come looking for them to play.

The day before Easter was the final performance of “Savior of the World,” a play that my Dad has been rehearsing for months. He played the apostle Phillip and surprised all of us with his long hair and mustache when we arrived at the house. He had an awesome beard in the play too, and it was hard to find him on stage because he looked so different. I couldn’t even find him until my grandma pointed him out to me. I guess mothers have that radar. The play was so nice; with beautiful sets, costumes, and music. It was really impressive to see how well a bunch of amateurs can do when they all come together and work at it. Of course, we all think that Papa stole the show in spite of his strong, silent character. “He ate?!” was one of my favorite lines he had. The pictures I took are in the gallery, but they just didn’t turn out all that well, so you’ll need to use your imagination a little.

Sunday was Easter and the kids all had an egg hunt in the house. Everyone had a blast looking for eggs, and there were plenty for all of the kids! This is the first year that I have done the whole Easter Outfit thing. The girls all had special dresses that I bought off of Ebay, and then made hair bows to match. Hunter has his very first real suit which was also an Ebay find. I have done a lot of online shopping lately because going to the stores is just so exhausting. Again, there are photos in the gallery!

Monday was my birthday, and it has been a long time since I have had the whole family to celebrate with. In fact, maybe ten years!? Nana made Rouladen, a German stuffed beef dish that I never prepare myself, but just love. And for dessert we had an Apple Cherry Cobbler A-la-mode that was fantastic! I got some very thoughtful gifts, cards, and a sweet message on my machine. It was a great day, thanks to everyone!

The rest of the visit was spent enjoying each other’s company and just hanging out. Although, before I left I did take some pictures of Matt and Ashley for their wedding announcements. The beauty of this digital camera is that I could take a ton of pictures without worrying about the price of the film or developing. So, I really took advantage of it and took 198 photos! Lucky for you all, I only posted 36 of my favorites in the gallery!

Rob flew home on Tuesday so he could get back for work. So the kids and I drove the 8 hours home on our own on Friday. Thank goodness for DVD players! The kids watched 3 movies on the way home. I was so tired when I got home that I gave Rob a big hug and kiss, helped unload the car and put the kids to bed, and then put myself to bed too. I guess I’m not a drive all day kind of girl. It’s good to be home, and back in the groove: School, activities, scouts, classes, playdates, laundry, dishes… You know all of that fun stuff.

Pork Board Makes Woman Remove Her Shirt

How’s that for an attention grabbing headline! I came across this story a little while ago and I thought some people in the family would find it interesting. In a nutshell, a young mother started a blog focusing on breastfeeding issues. As part of her blog, she offered for sale some t-shirts with breastfeeding related sayings on them. One of the shirts had the slogan “The Other White Milk” (not exactly laugh-out-loud hilarious, but ok, whatever). Anyway, this shirt caught the attention of the National Pork Board which owns the trademark “The Other White Meat.” They didn’t think it was so funny and they had one of their lawyers (who I’m sure is a great guy, just doing his job, way underpaid, loves his mother, etc., etc.) draft up a cease and desist letter that seemed just a tad too harsh for the circumstances.

The real kicker, and the part that raised this story above just another run-of-the-mill company protecting its trademarks case, was the part in the lawyer’s letter where he claimed that, not only was the woman’s use of the phrase confusingly similar to the Pork Board’s trademark (like people will mistakenly believe that the Pork Board endorses breast milk? Don’t they know that the Pork Board has worked very hard to stay neutral in that whole ugly debate?), but, as he states in the letter, “your use of this slogan also tarnishes the good reputation of National Pork Board’s mark in light of your apparent attempt to promote the use of breastmilk beyond merely for infant consumption.” What!? Even a quick look at this woman’s blog makes it obvious that she’s just a mom that thinks breastfeeding is great. Admittedly, her interest in promoting breastfeeding (she calls herself the “Lactivist”. Get it?) is a bit beyond my own personal level of interest and/or comfort, but I can’t see where they get the “beyond merely for infant consumption” angle.

So, news of this letter made the rounds on the internet. I won’t ruin the ending by telling you how it was resolved. You can click on the link above and read how it all played out. I will say that it involves follow up letters from the CEO of the Pork Board written in a decidely less aggresive tone. I like this story because it highlights one of those ironies of life, where the company’s own attempt at protecting its image is what actually hurts its image the most.

P.S. Some of the other shirts she offers are a bit more clever, in my own opinion. I like “That’s my baby’s lunch you’re staring at”, “Breasts: Not just for selling cars anymore” and “Too lazy to bottlefeed”.

Emma’s Song

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ9N5k5szyA

A few weeks ago, Emma came to me and asked if I would help her write a song. I told her I don’t know much about writing songs, but we could try it together. She said there was one she likes to sing in the shower, so we sat down together. She started to dictate the words as I wrote them, and we only got about two lines in before something happened and we were distracted and never came back to finish it. The next morning I found the lyrics written in her notebook on top of her dresser. She had written them out before she went to sleep that night. I thought that she did such an amazing job on them, and was so impressed!

Shortly after, the school announced they were having a talent show and I suggested she sing her song. There was only one problem, we had no music. She told me it sounds kind of like the Sheryl Crow song, “Soak up the Sun.” I knew I was useless in trying to get this done for her, so I contacted my brother Matt who has been known to write a song or two and play along with his guitar. I asked if he would give it a try and send me some music for her lyrics. He said it would be a fun project to write music for someone else’s lyrics, and about a week later sent me an instrumental track and one with his vocals for Emma to learn the tune. Matt did such an awesome job! She loves the music, but changed some of her original lyrics once she read over them again, because she said they didn’t make sense. Here are her final lyrics:

I’m Gonna Let the Sun Shine

I’m gonna let the sun shine on a rainy day
I don’t care what’s coming in my way
I’m gonna play and let it shine
I’m gonna show the world my face

I’m gonna let the sun shine on a rainy day
And do with what I got
And face the things I don’t

So I’m gonna stand up
and show the world, something good
I’m gonna let the sun shine on a rainy day
and make the world,
make it a better place

I’m gonna show the world what I can do
I’m gonna let the sun shine on a rainy day
I’m takin fast steps out of town

And I’m not gonna stop
to show the world my plan
I’m gonna show them all to let the sun shine
I’m gonna let the sun shine on a rainy day

So I’m gonna stand up
to show the world, something good
I’m gonna let the sun shine on a rainy day
And I’ll make the world,
I’ll make it a better place

She has sung the song over and over again in preparing for the Talent Show, but still wanted to have a copy of the words with her on stage. She did an awesome job, and we are so proud of her. It is so fun to see her thoughts combine with music and come out in such a great performance. How many people can say they’ve written a song with their uncle at just six years old?

The Time Machine

A little while back, I won a bid on eBay for a box full of illustrated classic books for kids. I’ve been working my way through them with Hunter and Emma, reading a chapter or two to them each night as part of their “bedtime routine.” We just finished reading The Time Machine and the kids really got into it. When we were done, I figured it would be fun to go rent the old Time Machine movie they made back in the 60’s and watch it with the kids. We had this movie when I was a kid and I probably watched it a dozen times at least. I had all these memories of the cool effects and of how scary the morlocks were.

We had a fun time watching it with the kids who remembered parts from the book and thought it was all fun but let’s just say, this is one of those movies that the years have not been kind to. Amy and I had a hard time not laughing at all the cheezy effects. The best part, I think, was one scene showing a city being destroyed that was clearly some kid’s train set with matchbox cars being set on fire. Hilarious! There were other problems too. It seemed like the time traveler just spent the whole movie yelling at people for being from the future. Plus, the morlocks all looked like they came straight out of a John Goodman look-a-like contest (that they didn’t win for being too fat. Zing!).

It’s kind of sad, actually. I had such good memories of that movie. There are other movies I liked when I was younger that I avoid watching again just because I don’t want to be let down like that. Does anyone else do that?

By the way, I know Uncle Rico’s time machine has nothing to do with The Time Machine movie, but I just couldn’t resist (Oh, it kills, it kills! Turn it off! Turn it off!).

My Favorite Talk

This past weekend was General Conference for our church. This is where our prophet, apostles, and leaders speak, and tell us what the Lord wants us to know right now. It is held twice a year, and the speakers are not given topics, but are led by inspiration as to what they speak about.

This conference, my favorite talk was given by Elder Jeffrey Holland. His talk was all about the importance of the words we speak about ourselves and to others. I struggle with this a lot. Especially around 6:30 every night. For some reason that is when the kids seem to melt down. And if Rob isn’t home to keep me in line, sometimes I melt down with them. There is such a great message here, and I hope you can learn something from it too. I have linked to the MP3 of the talk, so you can listen to it. It isn’t long, but since I know not all of you will want sit through it all, I have included some of the highlights below. There isn’t a printed version available yet, so this is from listening and transcribing on my own. I hope there are not mistakes!

I wish to caution us, if caution is needed, regarding how we speak to each other and how we speak of ourselves:

“The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh, but the stroke of the tongue breaketh bones.”

What we say or don’t say, how we say it, and when, is so very very important in shaping a child’s view of himself or herself. But it’s even more important in shaping that child’s faith in us and their faith in God. Be constructive in your comments to a child, always.

Praise each child individually for what that child is and help him or her escape our culture’s obsession with comparing, competing, and never feeling we are enough.

Negative speaking so often flows from negative thinking, including negative thinking about ourselves. Before long we, and everybody around us, are miserable.

The spirit of the gospel is optimistic. It trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things.

Speak hopefully, speak encouragingly, including about yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly.

Life has its problems, and there are negative things to face. But please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living: No misfortune is so bad, that whining about it won’t make it worse.

Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity. The three great Christian imperatives so desperately needed in the world today.

Ephesians 4:29-32:
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers… Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Podcasts

So, I was able to come home early from work today (hey, wait a minute! Amy doesn’t go to work. Who is this?) and I’m watching the kids while Amy (yes, this still isn’t her) is taking Hannah to a doctor’s appointment. Before she left, Amy (have you figured out who this is yet?) told me that I finally need to write a post of my own on the blog. I think she’s gotten kind of sick of me telling her, “you should post about this” or “why don’t you write about that.” Anyway, I thought I’d post a list of my current favorite podcasts. For those not in the know (you know who you are… or maybe you don’t and that’s the problem), podcasts are mp3 audio shows. They can be from big multimedia companies or from some guy in his basement. You can subscribe to the shows using iTunes or some other program and it will download each episode as it is posted for you to listen to on your computer or mp3 player.

I got hooked on podcasts back at Duke when I was issued an iPod by the school. I stopped telling people that Duke gave me a free iPod when I started having to repay my student loans. At first, most podcasts were of the “guy in his basement discussing his latest government conspiracy theories and/or Star Trek fantasies” variety. As time has gone on, bigger companies have gotten in on it and there are some pretty good ones out there now. It really came in handy when we were up in LA and I would have to deal with some pretty long commutes. Now, though, I’m totally hooked on them and they’re all I’ll listen to in the car no matter how short the commute is.

So, without further ado, here’s a list of some of my current favorites. You can find any of these by doing a search for them in the iTunes store. They have their own podcasting section and they’re all free to subscribe to:

Slate Explainer Podcasts – these are cool, 5 minute articles from slate.com that come out just about every day. They explain something that is usually tied to some recent news event. Recent episodes have been: “Why do Iranian bombs have English labels?”, “Why does the camera add 10 pounds?”, “Was Britney’s Hair Full of Drugs?”, “Can you smell without a nose?” and my personal favorite, “Do Mormon athletes wear the temple garment under their uniforms?”

NPR: Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! – This is a great show that comes out once a week. It’s a quiz show about stories in the news from the previous week. It’s a bit of a mix of The Daily Show with Who’s Line Is It Anyway. They have three panelists for each show (Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone and P.J. O’Rourke are repeat guests) and they quiz them on stuff from the news. The actual quiz isn’t that important; it’s mainly just a vehicle for them to point out stuff they think is funny. They also have a celebrity guest on each week and quiz them on random stuff. They just had Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer on and they quizzed him on what he knew about Ozzy Osbourne (not much, as it turns out).

The Ethicist – This is a podcast of a weekly article in the New York Times where people write in asking about ethical dilemmas. It’s short and interesting and the author can be pretty funny sometimes.

NPR: Sunday Puzzle – A weekly podcast hosted by Will Shortz, the editor of the NYT crossword puzzle (if you haven’t seen the documentary, Wordplay, about crosswords and the annual tournament hosted by Will Shortz, you should. It’s good). This is a nice, little brainteaser.

Mike Birbiglia’s Secret Public Journal – This is a series of stories written by stand-up comedian, Mike Birbiglia. He doesn’t seem to be putting out any new ones, but the ones that he did put out are really funny.

Grammer Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing – Pretty much what it sounds like. Surprisingly interesting and I’ve learned a few things already (when to use further vs. farther). There are a whole series of “Quick and Dirty” podcasts on other subjects you can subscribe to at qdnow.com. I also like Mr. Manners and Legal Lad.

Chronicle Podcasts: Correct Me If I’m Wrong… – These are hilarious. The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper posts some of their more interesting voicemails left by readers. They’re usually cranky weirdos with way too much time on their hands. One of their posts from a guy complaining about how the term “pilotless drones” is redundant has gotten popular from a bunch of people sampling it in songs.

Discovery Channel Features – These can be either 5-minute teasers for upcoming shows or, sometimes, the entire show. Pretty cool.

This American Life – This is another show from NPR. It’s a weekly, 1-hour show that picks a theme and tells 3 or 4 stories about it. I’m actually a bit surprised that I like this since the host of the show has a highly mockable presentation style. The stories can be really interesting, though. Last week, their theme was “The Allure of the Mean Friend”.

I have a bunch of other podcasts that I subscribe to, including some cool ones in Italian, but this is a pretty good sample of the ones I find most interesting. Does anyone else listen to podcasts. Any suggestions on other good ones?