Ice cream thief

September 26, 2011
In celebration of Pearl's Primary Program surprise, Jeff treated us to ice cream tonight.

Too bad my bowl was quickly claimed by a little boy who thinks he is big enough to do whatever he pleases.

Primary program surprise

September 25, 2011
Today was the Primary Program... Pearl's first.

For weeks we've been trying to get Pearl to memorize or at least practice reciting her part in the program.... "Jesus loved everyone, served others, and kept all of Heavenly Father's commandments".... but to no avail. It really wasn't worth an argument. I figured if we pushed it too much, she'd just freak out when she had to go up to the stand without Mom or Dad and refuse to participate at all.

Boy, did she ever show us up.

We read her lines twice before going to church, twice. And then right before the program was to start, Jeff whispered them to her one more time. We sent her up with her teachers and class fully expecting her to sing her heart out (she knows all the words to every song and loves to sing) but not knowing a single line of her part. It wasn't a big deal. I was just happy she was excited about singing and being up on the stand.

But then! Wow! She got up and said, without a single prompt from her teacher, "Jesus loved everyone, served everyone, (long pause and deep breath) keep Jesus' commandments." Jeff and I both turned and looked at each other in shock. Jeff was laughing so hard he was actually crying. I was in complete shock and kept asking him, "Did you know she could do that? Who helped her memorize that?" Then Jeff told me he had told Pearl a few days earlier, that he'd give her a dollar if she memorized her part.

To make a long, utterly-shocked-Cole-waving-at-his-sister-from-the-very-back-of-room-praising-Pearl-over-and-over-again-story short, when Pearl and I got home (Cole is teething and got sent home early for a nap), she found this taped to her bedroom door. That kid made us look really good today.

Wild Bill

September 24, 2011
Today was the USU Homecoming game.

We shant recount the heartbreak of the 2nd overtime period. Jeff is still in depression.

But... the pre-game hype and festivities were exciting. We tailgated with the Palmer boys again. Pearl is always on the look out for Big Blue, cheerleaders, basketball players, football players, or perhaps the most famous Aggie celebrity, Wild Bill. We missed Bill the first time he walked by and Pearl was distraught. Thankfully, we heard the neighboring tailgaters say Wild Bill had walked by so we took off after him. He was so nice and once we told him Pearl looks for him at every game, he got down so he could talk to Pearl and let us take a picture of the two of them. Pearl was seriously so excited! We love Wild Bill.

This happy picture almost erases the agony of the final play of the game. Almost.

Best carnival game ever

September 23, 2011
We took the kids to our local elementary school's Fall Carnival tonight. It's a fundraiser for the PTA, which they tried to get us to join. Pearl was very excited to spend her Dad's money on all the games, cake walk (we didn't win a thing), and bouncy house.

But the absolute best game I have ever seen at these types of events was a little gem, tucked beside the dart throwing and bouncy house. A book walk. It was awesome! For a single ticket, the only single ticket game in the whole carnival, the kids could win new books. And every kid won, every single round. The lady running the game was so nice and wanted every kid to win a book. There were two huge boxes of books to choose from and we came home with four new books. The mom in me loved the cheap and educational prizes. And the public health professional in me loved the non-candy prizes.

I just might join the PTA after all.

Orphan child

September 22, 2011
I swear to you, he did not look like an orphan child this morning.

We do bathe our children every day. I wipe their boogers 50 bazillion times a day. Their hair is combed, their clothes clean before we leave the house. And I wipe the crumbs from their faces after every meal. How they come to look like this in a matter of minutes, I have no idea.

Copy cat

September 21, 2011
Cole and Pearl were so funny tonight. Everything Pearl did, Cole had to do too. He was a little copy cat. Pearl was playing with one of her pillow pets and Cole had to have one too. Luckily, we have three... a big one, a medium-sized one, and a tiny one. Pearl sat on top of hers and so did Cole. They both pretended they were riding horses. She took her pillow pet outside, so did Cole. She sat on top of hers to color with sidewalk chalk, so Cole had to find some sidewalk chalk to color with. I know there are days that Pearl finds her little "shadow" totally annoying but on days like today when you can see the love and adoration between them, it sure is wonderful.

Thief

September 20, 2011
Cole is quite a character.

I caught him pulling his sister's pajamas out of her dresser, not once, but twice today. I have no idea how he managed to yank that drawer open but somehow he got it open just enough to grab two pairs of jammies, one in each hand. He'd run into the T.V. room with a big grin on his face and then throw them into a pile in the middle of the room. He did this until all of Pearl's pajamas were on the floor. Then he plopped himself down right on top of them, threw them up in the air a bit, and then laid down on them like he was going to take a nap. Surprisingly, Pearl was a good sport about the whole thing.

I'm just glad he didn't get into his clothes too.

Discovery Gateway

September 19, 2011
I took the kids to a new park, with the plan of playing in the free splash pad until they were both worn out and ready for naps.

It didn't quite work out.

The splash pad wasn't on. Apparently now that school is back in, its hours are only on the weekends. And the playground next to it? It was awesome... if you are between the ages of 5-12. Cole had no problem with it. He thinks he is 12, big enough to conquer anything. After catching him as he ran across an open part of the playground (this mountain thing connecting two different parts of the playground), I'd had enough. We barely missed a trip to the E.R. for a head injury.

But Pearl really wanted to do something fun. I asked her for ideas, hoping she'd just say go to a different park. She begged and begged and begged me to take her to the kid museum. I tried my darndest to talk her out of it but I finally gave in. I figured it was either deal with a disappointed, whiny four-year-old or a tired baby, so either way I was on the losing end.

The kids had a blast. It was the first time we'd been there with such a small crowd and it was awesome! Monday afternoons are definitely the time to go. There was actually food in the farm, eggs in the chicken coops, food in the grocery store, cars at the gas station, water in the fountains, and blocks in the construction zone. I didn't have to worry about my kids getting lost amongst the 143 max capacity kids crammed in there or getting bullied or bored because there wasn't any room to run around. Cole loved pushing the grocery cart around, filling it with food, and pretending to eat the apples. Pearl played "house" going to work, then the store, then putting the groceries away, then back to work as a construction worker. They had so much fun that Jeff and I decided to buy a 6-month pass so I can bring the kids back as many times as we want.

Tepee

September 18, 2011
We had a pretty lazy Sunday, make that weekend. We seem to run around going to Aggie games, Bear Lake, and other various activities most weeks so when we have two days of doing nothing, it's kind of weird. The kids are going to drive us bonkers when it gets cold outside.

But I won't complain. Pearl mentioned that yesterday (Saturday) was fun day because we made cookies, played outside, and went to a new park. Today she was a little less forgiving with Jeff and I's desire for some quiet and afternoon naps, what with the apparent high expectations to be entertained after yesterday. Luckily for her, one of the speakers in Sacrament meeting said something about love beginning in the home and then read a story about a Dad who patted his son on the head when he got home and said I love you son. Then the kid said something like I don't want your love, I want you to play football with me.

So this afternoon after Jeff entertained Pearl for a bit, it was my turn. I'm not really fun... I don't like this about my mothering. But that talk was still in my mind so I built a fort for Pearl to play in. It soon turned into a game of Pocahontas and my fort became our "de-pee" or a "g-pee" or a "gee-pee" because she couldn't pronounce tepee. I tried to keep the playing accurate, according to Disney standards, by telling Pearl I was Pocahontas and Jeff was John Smith so I got to kiss him. She was ok with our assigned characters but not cool with the kissing part. Neither was Jeff.

See if I build another tepee again.

Conclusion

September 17, 2011
I've come to the conclusion that cooking everything from scratch takes about five times the amount of dishes than if I just made dinner out of a box.

I was so glad though, that Jeff said it also tasted twice as good.

Differences

September 16, 2011
The past few weeks I've noticed a HUGE difference between boys and girls. Beyond the obvious stuff... I already knew about that.

Cole is a two foot monkey. He can climb up the playground ladder in our background and at the park then fearlessly goes down the highest of slides without flinching. Pearl was three before she braved these feats herself, or physically could for that matter. He pushes boxes, stools, pillows, or whatever else is nearby over to whatever he wants to climb on. He's fascinated with remotes... the "manhood" as Jeff calls it. That doesn't go over well with Jeff. He thinks he is smart enough to use the electronics in the house too, like the DVD player which he did successfully open and take out the DVD yesterday. I freaked out when he brought me Megamind from the DVD player and Hidalgo (he opened the cupboard to get it) instead. He thinks anyone near the ground is fair game for wrestling with or tackling. He out eats us most nights. He sticks his hand down his diaper and runs around grabbing his you-know-what giggling. He doesn't talk much, unlike his sister who was saying almost full sentences by the time she was Cole's age... except to yell "DAAAAAAA!" when he wants to get Jeff's attention. Every time he sees a loud truck, motorcycle, or ATV he goes ga-ga, pointing and squealing with excitement.

And he can throw a ball. Way better than his sister... or mom for that matter.

Breaking news

September 15, 2011
We like to joke about one of our local news stations. Every time they report "breaking news" it's a fire. It doesn't matter how big or small, it's always the same story. A fire. The other news stations could be reporting something that might be considered actual breaking news or move on to the rest of the news stories but Channel 2 does their entire broadcast on the fire.

Well, this time the breaking news was just a few miles away from us in the neighboring city. The fire is pretty low in the foothills and they've actually evacuated a good portion of neighborhoods there. And while I don't want any rain to ruin my car wash, if it saved people's homes I'd be happy to have spots again.

Squeaky clean

September 14, 2011
Wednesday is "wacky Wednesday" at the car wash. It was well worth the five bucks to get rid of weeks of dirt and water spots. Now if Mother Nature will just cooperate and keep the rain clouds away from my clean car.

Yoga

September 13, 2011
Pearl has been learning yoga at school. It's been quite exciting for her to tell me about it every day on our drive home. So tonight Pearl gave me a mini-yoga lesson. It went something like this.

Pearl: "Mom, first you sit on the ground. Put your legs like this."
Me: "You mean like this?"
Pearl: "Oh yeah. Now we do this (as she sucks in a big breathe of air and squeezes her lips together and moving her arms out and in)."
Me: "Ok, now what?"
Pearl: "Now you stand up and do this."
Me: "Is this right?" As we are now with our heads upside down like in the picture.
Pearl: "Ok, now you stand up. Put your leg out and go like this with your arms. No, like this, Mom!" (I did finally figure out what she wanted me to do, just basically stand there with one leg pointing out the other pointing the other way, slightly bent with the knees, and waving my arm above my head and then back down to my knee.)
Me: "I'm tired."
Pearl: "Good job, Mom. Cole do yoga. No, Cole! Get off of me, Cole!" (Cole figured yoga meant a wrestling match with his unsuspecting big sister.)

My lack of yoga terminology is glaringly lacking as you can tell. Maybe after a few more yoga lessons, I'll get it down.

Utah's Healing Field

September 12, 2011
Yesterday, I couldn't get the images from 10 years ago out of my mind. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing as they saw and heard the horrific events that will forever be etched in our country's minds. I longed for something to calm my troubled mind and heart. Something to give me that connection I felt 10 years ago, something to heal the unimaginable, unreal suffering that my mind could only try to comprehend.

I asked Jeff to take us to the Utah Healing Field 9/11 Memorial. I knew we were pushing our luck with the fading light and dark clouds but I had to go, even if just for a moment. It was the first memorial of its kind in the country after the 9/11 attacks. Spanning an enormous lawn, there was one flag for every single victim in the Twin Towers, American Airlines flight 93, American Airlines flight 77, the Pentagon, United Airlines flight 175 and United Airlines flight 11.

Breathtaking. Unimaginable. Humbling.

But the winds and rain suddenly burst open minutes after we got there. I only got a couple of pictures before we ran back to the car. So tonight, we went back to the site. I felt this longing to go there. Almost like a need for closure after seeing the images and videos, hearing the recordings from the planes and victims all over again... some only now released publicly. We walked up and down the rows and rows of flags. We read the name tags attached to each flag and stood in utter disbelief as the victims suddenly became real. We walked to the "Hope Rising - To Lift a Nation" bronze monument, depicting the three firemen who raised the American flag at Ground Zero soon after the attacks. I touched a piece of steel from the World Trade Center towers. We tried to explain to Pearl why we were there, how special this was but words just wouldn't come.

May we never forget and may God bless America.

9-11

September 11, 2011
May we never forget the day the world stopped turning ten years ago.

May we never forget those who lost their lives.

May we never forget those left behind.

May we never forget the way we felt when we saw the smoke, the flames, the planes, the dust, the horror.

May we never forget our belief and hope in God.

May we never forget.

Football season is here

September 10, 2011
Aggie football is here.

Jeff could hardly contain his excitement. He's like a kid in a candy store multiplied by 10 thousand.

We tailgated with the Palmer boys before the game... although Jeff and Grizz would have started the party about six hours sooner if they had their way. Then the kids and left Jeff to heckle, yell, and cheer his heart (and voice) out to an Aggie victory over Weber State. I still am not convinced spending a November evening outside in Romney Stadium is the way I want to spend my money yet. I'm more of an inside winter sports fan... like men's basketball. Maybe next year.

Hail the Utah State Aggies!

Outdoor learning classroom

September 9, 2011
I serve on our daycare's Child Care Advisory Committee. I suppose it's my way of being a PTA mom, minus the PTA. It's been a good thing. I've learned all kinds of things about my kids' daycare... some good, some bad. We've been able to change the menu to make it more healthy, buy new sand for the sandbox, write a Parent Handbook, get all the teachers CPR and first aid certified, and make other improvements.

Today our committee held an open house to unveil the new Outdoor Learning Classroom. Mr. Derrick won a big grant to turn the unused area behind our building into a new play are for the kids. It's awesome! There are musical instruments, a tepee, stepping stones, animal footprints in the walkways, a garden, and even a water feature. The best part though, is that it's shaded all day so the kids can get out of the hot sun in the front playground. We invited all the parents to come and see the plants each of the classes had planted and explore the new outdoor learning classroom. Everyone got 100% fruit juice Popsicles and had a great time. I can't tell you how excited I am about the project!

Girls night out

September 8, 2011
"The girls" invited me to their Girls Night Out tonight. We were getting pedicures and a treat afterward.

Well, after a morning of screaming at Pearl to get ready, comb her hair, eat breakfast, get dressed, be nice to Cole, stop whining, get in the car, hurry up, stop whining, stop crying, pick this up, pick that up (you get the idea) I felt a whole lot of guilt for doing nothing but yelling and getting upset at my sweet Pearl. I just had this feeling that I needed to take her with me. Maybe as a way to make up for my crappy parenting. I don't take enough time to do things with just her, stuff that she would think is fun. So at the last minute, I asked her if she wanted to go on a girls date and leave the boys home. She was so excited! She jabbered to me the entire way to the salon and asked about a zillion questions about everything you could imagine.

Pearl picked out a sparkly, Aggie blue polish while I opted for a more mature redish color. Pearl said my toes weren't as cute as hers. I have to agree. Her little piggy toes are so dang cute! After enough "girl time" for mom with "the girls" Pearl begged me to take her home. Well, begged me to take her for ice cream then home. So we stopped at Baskin Robbins on the way home.

I hope Pearl always remembers how much fun we had. I know I will.

Nest

September 7, 2011
Pearl and Cole were supposed to be helping their Dad put the wisteria vines in the garbage can. Emphasis on supposed to be.

Instead they decided it was more fun to pretend they were birds and built nests with all the vines. I have to say, I was impressed with their creativity. And happy that Pearl didn't ask me for any eggs to sit on.

Homegrown tomato

September 6, 2011
Pearl says this homegrown tomato looks like it has a thumb.

I say it looks like it has a long nose.

Jeff says it must have seen a good lookin' carrot.

You take your pick as to what I will now think of every time I see this bad boy. That is until he is bottled.

Old and forgetful

September 5, 2011
I really am old and forgetful.

I forgot to pack my swimming suit. For Bear Lake of all places!

As we were coming out of Sardine Canyon into Wellsville, I shouted just as sudden as the thought popped in my head, "I FORGOT MY SWIMMING SUIT!" Yes, it was that dramatic to require all caps. Jeff was stunned. I didn't have any good explanation as to how I could have forgotten the one piece of clothing that I could get away with wearing the entire weekend. To make matters worse, I was already in a grouchy mood and this was not helping.

Jeff tried his hardest to be positive about the whole situation. And even though I don't spend nearly the time at the beach like I want to, should, or used to before I had kids, he insisted we go and buy one. Oh boy, my most favorite activity. Ugh. I can't tell you how much I loathe shopping for a new swimming suit. It takes me hours. I hate swimming suits. The worst part about shopping is that my top isn't the same size as my bottom. And most suits are sold as a set, so you have to sacrifice the chance of flashing someone to keep your flabby buns covered or buy a pair of shorts or some sort of cover up to keep folks from gagging at the sight of your huge, white butt being sucked in to a way too small bottom while your boobs stayed covered. It's a traumatic, depressing experience to say the least.

But I was trying to be a good sport and not ruin the weekend for everyone so I went along. We ended up at Poco Loco which sells some pretty pricey swimming suits. I had already told myself I was going to have to suck it up and buy a suit without a cover up or board shorts because I knew my choices might be limited at the end of the summer season. Besides, I hadn't really budgeted $100 for a new suit and shorts. I found the clearance rack where luck would have it that everything was sold separately. Since I'm not a size 2, my choices were pretty limited for what would fit me. I found a matching top and bottom in turquoise - one of my favorite colors - and decided to give it a try. They both fit pretty good and I was actually somewhat comfortable at the thought of not having any cover ups for my big bum. The top had a second layer in it that came down past my hips which was nice. I showed it to Jeff, thinking we'd be able to get out of there in record time. Well, he wasn't such a fan of the color and I got all upset at the thought of looking horrid at the beach, even if it was just in front of my family. So I grabbed about 15 other suits to try on, all of which were double the price of my clearance rack find. But I didn't like how any of them fit so in frustration and knowing Jeff was probably done with this whole shopping thing, I said let's just get this first one. I'll be the frumpy, flabby beach goer. My Dad took pity on my plight and managed to find a cute wrap-around in the trailer for me to cover up with.

Jeff teased me all weekend that he had forgotten to pack his shoes, in the hope that I would give him the go-ahead to buy some new ones. It's not like I forgot on purpose! I'm old for crying out loud! The ironic part about this long story is though, had I not bought a new suit I might not have gone down to the beach at all. The best weather days we had at Bear Lake were spent 4-wheeling and exploring Bloomington Lake. On the last day we were there, I suited up and headed down to the beach right after breakfast. I HAD to wear this new swimming suit or risk lifelong teasing from Jeff, even if it was cold enough that I wore a jacket over it for most of my beaching. I did manage to will the sun out just long enough for Cole to get his sticky, licorice and chocolate covered fingers all over the front of my suit after I had taken my jacket off. Hence, the dark spots on it in the picture.

But with all the fuss and forgetfulness, I can actually say this is the first swimming suit I've ever had that I would actual wear without a cover up of some sort. I'm not saying everyone around me would feel the same way, but I really do like it.

There is beauty all around

September 4, 2011
I'm not sure how anyone can question whether there is a God. With the beauty of a mountain lake, wildflowers still in bloom, and the occasional sighting of wildlife... in this case a moose, it just make sense that a higher power is the Supreme Creator of our lives.

Now if He could just get the Forrest Service to put up a sign marking the correct road to Bloomington Lake...

Hodges Canyon ride

September 3, 2011
That's one thumb up, one thumb down if you can't tell. I wasn't sure what to think about Hodges Canyon's trail.

What you can't see in this picture is the raging torrent of run off and snow melt coming down the trail (yes, in September). Or the knee deep, nearly two feet wide trenches. Or the spare logs washed down the trail. Or the previous water holes, mud, and rocks. Or the three mamby-pamby sissy boys (three grown men) who let us pass them on the trail because they were turning around. Or the top speed of 5 mph max the entire way down because of how difficult the ride was. Or the near roll over Jeff had previous to this picture. Or the fear in my eyes as I realized what I had left Jeff talk me into. Or the few curse words I let slip as I turned the corner after thinking I just might die or at the least break my leg, only to see more muddy trenches with no relief in sight. Or the four or five times I had to get off my 4-wheeler and let Jeff maneuver through a ridiculous trench or slope or tree which happened to have fallen right in our way. Or the sign at the END of the trail saying Hodges Canyon was an "extremely difficult" ride... yeah, had I seen that BEFORE I agreed to seeing what the trail was like just for fun, I would have told Jeff "h-e-double-hockey-sticks no." Or my crazy hair and dirt covered face after taking my helmet off once we made it back to the Bear Lake property. Or my big smile as I told Jeff it was the kind of fun that I had a blast doing but that I never want to do again.

Mowing buddy

September 2, 2011
It's never too early to give the dwarfs chores, right?

Let's just hope Cole's enthusiasm is still there when he gets assigned lawn care duties or when he realizes the lawn mower is NOT a 4-wheeler.

For a few minutes...

September 1, 2011
It doesn't happen very often but when it does, I pause and enjoy every second of it.

Every few days Pearl and Cole decide it's more fun to play together instead of screaming at, fighting with, or making a mess. Ok, so they still make a mess. Tonight I found those two crowded in Pearl's room playing restaurant. They were jabbering to each other and sharing all kinds of delicacies. It was really sweet. I love moments like these, when my kids are sincerely happy to play with other.

Too bad the sharing and sweetness didn't last long enough to get their mess picked up.

Luck or inspiration?

August 31, 2011
I think I've mentioned before that I'm a pathetic slacker when it comes to doing my Visiting Teaching. For my non-LDS friends, visiting teaching is where you get assigned 3-5 women in the ward to visit, check up on, and provide a spiritual message to every month. You're supposed to visit your "sisters," as we call, them BEFORE the last day of the month. As every month seems to go, the end comes before I've even realized a new month has started. Feeling more than my share of guilt at the thought of missing my visits AGAIN, I called all of my sisters and begged them to let me and my V.T. partner come by for a visit tonight. What I wasn't expecting with my pathetic pleas for forgiveness was to have one of our sisters actually break down and say it was inspiration that I had called when I did. She'd had a really crappy week... with her husband hurt in a car crash, their brand new truck totaled in the process, a huge fight with her mother-in-law, and losing her job which now meant they had no income for at least two months until her husband was cleared to go back to work. With two little kids, I knew cooking dinner was probably the last thing on her mind and the last straw after several days of stress. So I offered to bring her dinner instead of a visit. And while my family turned their noses up at my Chicken Tortellini Bake, I know my meager offering was appreciated.

Even though my slacking paid off this time, I'm not taking any chances next month and will be calling my sisters before the last day.

Feathered friend

August 30, 2011
When we got home today, Pearl shrieked, "Mom! There's a quail in the garage!" At first I didn't believe her. Well, I really couldn't hear her or understand what she was saying. Then I looked up and spied a little feathered friend, frightened and perched high up in the garage. He looked petrified so I figured I had enough time to grab the camera and take his picture. One snap of the flash and an open garage door, and he was gone. And if you have quail in your yard, you'll know they don't fly very well... they're much better at running. They sort of flap in this panicked, loud, zig-zaggy way. Needless to say Pearl and I both ducked and screamed. Hopefully this little guy won't be tempted to venture into our garage anytime soon again.

A lesson in honesty

August 29, 2011
I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I had a moment today where I had to choose between a right and a wrong.

Luckily for my eternal salvation's sake, I chose the right.

I didn't pack a lunch today and had to run down to our building's cafeteria in between meetings to grab something to eat. I ordered a sandwich and picked up a bag of pretzels for Pearl and Cole to eat on the way home. They get a bit cranky on the ride home without a treat of some kind. I sat the bag of pretzels down and told the cafeteria owner what I had ordered so I could pay. Here's the catch though. The owner is blind. So he can't see what is written on your ticket or what you might have on the counter. I was so focused on telling him what I had ordered that I completely spaced telling him I also had a bag of pretzels. It wasn't until I had paid and walked off that I realized I had just stolen the pretzels. I turned around, only to see a suddenly long line, and had this split second thought come through my head, "No one probably even saw or cared about the pretzels. It's a $1.29 anyway... maybe I should just put them back on the shelf. But wait, Karlee (one of my coworkers) was right behind me. How would she feel if she knew I was being dishonest about not paying for these pretzels? Am I honest with all my fellowmen?"

I'm glad I squashed the temptation to just walk away without paying. Being honest, even for something as small as a $1.29 was the right thing to do. It's little moments like these that build true character.

Mac & Cheese

August 28, 2011
Good Mormon wives and moms are supposed to make a healthy, delicious Sunday dinner. The kind with pot roasts, veggies, homemade rolls, perhaps a jell-o salad or two, and of course dessert.

But I'm not a good Mormon wife or mother. My kids got a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Pretty pathetic. Jeff even had a bowl, mixed in with some refried beans and taco meat. By the time Sunday rolls around all my cooking energy is ka-put. Not that it is ever at much of a high during the week to begin with.

Someday my family will get their deserved and traditional Mormon Sunday meal.... maybe when we have grandkids.