Positive Attitude with Six Canines and a Flat Bed

 Romantic sleigh ride? No.

Memorable winter adventure? Yes.

 
I was recently chatting with my married daughter about church. She told me that her friend's sister is in her new ward (congregation) which makes her happy so she won't be bored in Relief Society (the women's meeting). I gave her some of my profound (?) advice:

"Whatever situation we're in will be what we make it to be. Housework can be extremely annoying or we can make it enjoyable with a change of attitude. Going to church can be arduous and boring or spiritually uplifting. Folding laundry can be tedious and monotonous or we can enjoy ourselves by playing music or talking with eachother. Employment can be grueling and status-quo, or a blessing because we have the money to support our family. Our attitude determines the outcome."

I used my own advice in February when Sam and I went away for the weekend to Ogden Canyon. This was our 2012 Christmas present...very enjoyable and long overdue. After all, it had already been 6 months since the Alaskan Cruise! 

As part of our trip, Sam surprised me with a winter sleigh ride in Liberty, Utah. I was imagining a romantic, cute little sleigh with warm blankets, hot cocoa, and a little old man driver. The driver part was correct, but the other details did not match up. Instead of a rustic, antique sleigh (like something you'd see in a historical romance movie), we were presented with a large, cumbersome flat bed trailer; something you'd use for a hay ride. 

As soon as we climbed aboard, six huge dogs jumped up, surrounding us with their panting, slobbering selves. They didn't just sit on the end of the flat bed. No, they got right up on the hay bales with us, warming us up (literally) with their dirty bodies. 

At first I was not happy. 

You're kidding me, right? The driver didn't bother to ask us if we wanted his furry friends to accompany us. I guess they're just part of the gig. I remember thinking, "OK, I can let this really bother me and ruin our sleigh ride, or just go with it and enjoy myself." I chose the latter.

We enjoyed the picturesque mountains covered in snow.

 We watched our little old man driver feed his elk. There he is...see him?

We went up and down snow covered trails. The sunshine kept us warm and the fresh air was glorious. 

Our new canine friends were not so bothersome as time went on. It was actually kind of ironic that we'd have a sleigh full of "extras"....kind of felt like home, although our children are a lot louder than the dogs, but definitely more fun! They even get right in between us, just like our little people at home. :) (Note snout in below photo)

We held hands and linked arms...

...and enjoyed being together -  Dogs and all.

Yes, I find myself regularly needing to take my own advice. In this case, I'm glad I did. What was supposed to be a romantic winter sleigh ride turned out to be the most random and funny winter adventure that we continue to laugh about. Sometimes those unique experiences are more memorable than they would have been under "normal" parameters. Liberty, Utah, little old man, six friendly canines, two European horses, and a flat bed hay trailer provided a day we'll always remember...All because we chose to make it that way.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Sister Wives? Really????

Sister Wives, not-a-whit!

Father, Mother, Daughter...got it?

Father, Mother, Daughter Accused of Being Sister Wives

We had just arrived in Las Vegas from Southern California. Not enjoying the 100 degree weather at 9PM, we took our daughter to the grocery store to buy some ice cream for an evening treat. 

While walking arm and arm in the Smith's Food parking lot, a lady stopped us, looked carefully and declared:

"I was thinking Sister Wives, but uh....No." She hurried off to her car. 

Las Vegas Smith's - Hey, there's our white Yukon!

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. We were flabbergasted that someone would dare to say such a thing. While finding our ice cream, we continued laughing and feeling sorry for the lady who for sure felt really stupid.

Our daughter was grossed out on one hand, but flattered on the other that she was deemed "older looking". Dad still hoots about it. I was glad to hit the Utah sign on I-15. Weird things go on in Las Vegas!

Today's Stick-to-it Tip: Don't go walking around Vegas with a woman on each side of a man. You never know what strange comments it will bring out. 

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Who you Callin' Chunky?

 Not what I imagined for a Mother's Day poem....

but hey, it made me laugh!!

Yes, Mother's Day was a few months ago. However, I was reminded of this poem by my son yesterday when he started quoting it in the kitchen while I was preparing dinner. 

Mother's Day Poem

A mother is a funky thing

Even if she is a chunky thing.

She always makes me cry

When she says bye, bye.

She goes out with Dad,

And that makes her glad.

I love her so;

She reminds me of a doe. 

When I read this poem, I could have cried...."My son just called me a chunky thing." But I didn't! Instead, I laughed so hard; the smile on his face was priceless! I was so touched that he took the time to write a poem and add some good humor to it, too. His Grandpa would be proud!!

The Poet with "The Chunky Thing"

Raising Stick-to-it Kids takes a sense of humor. It will save you when you feel like you just can't do it anymore. Baby Ruth, anyone??

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

The Learning Experience

Just cover it up with a paper towel...nobody will notice!

My two boys were babysitting the other night and did a fabulous job! However, the next morning, I found this on the floor in the kitchen...

Suspicious paper towel with an odd-looking stain on it

I picked up the paper towel and found this:

Brown, messy piles always have me concerned

I immediately smelled the brown disaster; phew, smells like chocolate. I decided to wait for my sons to wake up to get their take on how this lovely, mystery mess ended up on the kitchen floor.

Once they staggered out of bed, I directed them to the paper towel. They immediately smiled and acted innocent. "Give me the drill", I quickly exclaimed. By the way, that's not a question.

Here's the drill...

Boys: "We were getting ice cream for everyone but we didn't have any hot fudge. We didn't want to make any so we decided to melt chocolate chips in the microwave. The chocolate chips started smoking..."

Me: "Stop, stop. How long did you set the microwave for?"

Boys: "One minute."

FIRST LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Me: "For next time, when you melt something like this in the microwave, you set it for a short time - 15 seconds or so, stir it, and then repeat until it's melted to desired consistency."

Boys: "OK - so it was smoking and we had to open all the doors. Then, the chocolate was so hot and messy and we didn't want to put it in the garbage, so we decided to pour it in a ziploc bag."

WOW! SECOND LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Older Boy: "The hot, burned chocolate melted the bag and it all fell on the floor."

They didn't need me to tell them that this was a bad idea. They learned, from experience.

Older Boy: "I told him to clean it up (Pointing to his younger brother) but he didn't."

Younger Boy: "No, I told you to clean it up. I was putting the ice cream away."

I laughed. It's easy to laugh when you're not in the heat of the moment. That's why I like addressing the problems when some time has passed and I'm not so fired up about it. 

I don't know how the paper towel made it on top to hide the catastrophe, but nevertheless, they were quickly given instructions to clean it up.

Once the mess was taken care of, we talked about their "Learning Experience". They realized what went wrong and next time, I think they'll both be smart enough to avoid the chaos altogether. How else do we learn, but by experience?

I'm glad they didn't clean it up before I got home. I probably wouldn't have heard about it and they would have missed out on some helpful tips and positive instruction.

So, thank you boys for giving me a good laugh, and for letting me be part of "The Learning Experience."

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Today's Mommy Award

Write-Downable of the Week...

My three year old declared: "You're good at wiping #2."

YES - just what I have always aspired to! 

I'm so excited....and I just can't hide it!

If my calculations are correct, I've wiped approximately 11,680 #2 bums...1 time per day for 4 years times eight children. (see my no more diapers philosopy)

Now, I should get an award for that!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Laugh your way through the Booby Trap

“The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. 

You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” 

 Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I took this advice last night when I went to the kitchen sink to get my last drink for the night. My son was asking me some questions and standing right by me. I turned on the faucet and water started spraying both of us. Quickly turning off the faucet, I tried to make sense of what had happened. The source of the spray was the sprayer, with elastics tied tightly around the button, engaging it for an attack on the innocent victim. I fell into a booby trap! 

Yes, I was quite startled. In fact, for a moment, I was rather annoyed. Then my son started laughing. Then I started laughing, not because I was drenched, but because he had created the booby trap and he got trapped by his own contraption! It was meant for someone else (probably me), but he fell victim, too. 

I love the above quote by Marjorie Hinckley. It's so true - crying does give you a headache. So laugh about it instead of crying or getting angry or upset. A moment like the faucet could have gone sour in a hurry. Instead, it will be a memory for a lifetime. Oh, and two can play that game! Look out, buddy...I just might burst your bubble!

More to come...but until then, Stick-to-it!