My friend KellyAnne posted some questions on her blog and I thought I'd answer them here. I'm a little embarrassed at some of the answers, but now you know! Her questions are in blue and my answers are in purple.

1. How often do you exercise and what do you do for exercise?
I go for a walk pushing all 3 boys a few times a week. I was running with them, but this whole pregnancy thing took its toll, hopefully I'll be able to pick it back up in a couple weeks when I'll (hopefully) be feeling better. We also really like having dance parties and I always get a good work out dancing around holding each boy in turn.

2. Do you make your bed everyday?
Most days, but if I let the kids into my room its all in vain.

3. What do you do in the evening hours? TV? Blog? Read? Clean the house? ;)
I do all of the above. I generally save folding laundry until the kids are out of my hair and I like to watch TV while I do that. I REALLY hate this writer's strike and I can hardly wait for January 31 when LOST premieres. Then I will watch TV every Wednesday night (for at least 8 weeks anyway!). The only good thing on TV right now are the Presidential Debates. I also get online to blog, check out the latest in the elections, and Find 815 (I'm a total LOST junkie)!

4. What are you having for dinner tonight?
We're having French Dip sandwiches and I can hardly wait!

5. What did you have for dinner last night?
Pot roast, mashed potatoes, and green salad. It was delicious!

6. Who does the dishes at your house? Who takes out the garbage?
So, I've discovered through reading all my friends' answers to these questions how lucky I am...on this one in particular. Ethan and I take turns every other night doing the dishes. It is great! We each get to look forward to when its not our turn, we only have to do half the time, and it gives us an opportunity to serve each other if we're feeling especially giving. Ethan generally takes out the trash, but if the smell gets too bad (we don't have a disposal people!) I do it...lately it seems I've been doing it more and more...you don't think the pregnancy is affecting me do you? :)

7. Give me one favorite cleaning/household tip that you have learned and use regularly.
I'm by no means an expert...my tip is turn on the tunes! Rockin' out while you (and everyone else) clean makes it so much more enjoyable!

8. Do you pluck your eyebrows? I just recently discovered that people do this. I've never even thought about it. Do you do it?
First of all, I can not believe you didn't know people didn't do this, KellyAnne! My friends have been doing it since at least 8th grade. I, however, DO NOT! Never have and hopefully will never HAVE to (I say "have" because I'm sure I could benefit from it, but until it is absolutely necessary I refuse).

9. How many nights of the week does your family have dessert?
Too many! The kids want a treat after every meal it seems. In my defense though, sometimes a treat is just some fruit. In all honesty, we probably have dessert 5 times a week...there I said it, judge if you must!

10. What time do you wake up in the morning, and what time of day do you take a shower?
I wake up at 8:00 am to read my scriptures. The boys aren't allowed to bug me until 8:30. Showering is never on schedule! It just depends on what we have going on for the day! Its supposed to happen between 9 and 10 though.

January Book

Jane Austen has been calling my name for awhile now, so the book for this month will be one of hers that I have never read, but keep hearing good things about...Persuasion. I'll post questions by the 25th of January. I hope we can get a little more participation this time, its been awhile since we've had a good discussion. To get you excited, here's what Amazon.com has to say of this one...

Anne Elliot, heroine of Austen's last novel, did something we can all relate to: Long ago, she let the love of her life get away. In this case, she had allowed herself to be persuaded by a trusted family friend that the young man she loved wasn't an adequate match, social stationwise, and that Anne could do better. The novel opens some seven years after Anne sent her beau packing, and she's still alone. But then the guy she never stopped loving comes back from the sea. As always, Austen's storytelling is so confident, you can't help but allow yourself to be taken on the enjoyable journey



One of the reason I'm dying to do a Jane Austen book is that I am very eager to read a new Shannon Hale book entitled, Austenland. I think we will discuss this one in February, so get your reading glasses ready for some fun chick lit! (sorry guys) Here's a taste of what to expect from this one, quoting Publisher's Weekly...


In 32-year-old singleton Jane Hayes's mind, no man in the world can measure up to Fitzwilliam Darcy—specifically the Fitzwilliam played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Jane is forced to confront her Austen obsession when her wealthy great-aunt Carolyn dies and leaves her an all-expenses-paid vacation to Pembrook Park, a British resort where guests live like the characters in Jane's beloved Austen novels. Jane sees the trip as an opportunity for one last indulgence of her obsession before she puts it "all behind her—Austen, men, fantasies, period," but the lines between reality and fiction become pleasantly blurred as Jane acclimates to the world of Spencer jackets and stringent etiquette rules, and finds herself torn between the Darcyesque Mr. Nobley and a forbidden tryst with Pembrook Park's gardener.

One Dog Canoe

I haven't done a children's book for a few days and I came across this one at my last library visit. One Dog Canoe is awesome! Its about a girl who takes her dog in her canoe and then has several animals join in the fun! The illustrations are fantastic, Levi (who loves any book with animals) adores, and so do the older boys because its a silly story. Lots of fun!

The Five Love Languages *****

At Christmas I always get a little stressed trying to come up with the perfect gift for parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. I don't worry too much about my own kids, though I do try to get Ethan something awesome (usually to no avail).

I am the type of person who really values making something for someone else. This year I did not make one single thing for anyone and it was a surprising relief. Those last minute moments of trying to finish crocheting something, tying the last few stitches in a quilt, or painting the finishing touches on a painting always gets me a little worked-up, but I love that feeling when someone opens a gift that I have put not only my time into, but also a little piece of myself.

I think the reason I feel this way is that my "love language" is quality time. To me, giving my time is the same as giving myself and vice versa. This year, although I felt the last minute relief...I felt a disturbing indifference about Christmas and the gifts I was giving. I'm sure that this was in large part to the fact that I wasn't giving something that told them (in my language) that I love them.

The funny part about it is that some of the gifts I gave were better received than any year's past. Ethan and I were analyzing the reason for this and discovered that the love language of the receiver was probably just different from mine, so the homemade gifts in the past weren't seen as gifts of love, but perhaps... cheap? I racked my brain this year to come up with something satisfactory for some people and in the end came up with something they really appreciated and will use. Success!! I hope that in finding that perfect gift they feel that love I put into their gift even though it wasn't spoken in a language I really understand.

If you have never read The Five Love Language by Gary Chapman, I highly recommend it. It discusses the fact that everyone has a primary love language and argues that there are 5 basic languages with many dialects within each. The 5 are: Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Personal Touch. While no one speaks exclusively in one language, they understand and speak one with the most comprehension. I have come to the conclusion that when looking for the perfect gift for the people I love, I have to consider what language they speak, if I'm speaking German and they speak French it won't go over too well, but if I get a French/German Dictionary and make an effort, they will probably get the message.

Book Club

If any of you have ever been to a real book club meeting, you know that lots is talked about that is unrelated to the book, or even books in general. I have been wanting to have a place to talk about everyday things that aren't really for my family blog, so I have decided to use this venue. Check back here if you're OK with posts that aren't all about the kids or what we're doing as a family. I probably won't be doing a whole lot of pictures, so if thats what you're interested in the family blog is the one for you, but if you want to hear whats going on in the mind of a semi-sane mom and what she's reading, join me here anytime. Thanks!

Mommy Tag

1. How long have you been a Mom? Four years, 9 months

2. How many kids call you mommy? 3-although, Bryant and Jonas usually say, "mom" and Levi just yells, "Ma"

3. When you were pregnant did you know what you were having? With Bryant we had the ultrasound and were told it was probably a boy, but to have it double checked...I got checked again and they said it was probably a girl...so we waited to find out til he was born (which is what I wanted to do anyway). We found out with both Jonas and Levi.

4. How old were you when you became a mom? 21 years 10 months

5. How long were you in labor? Bryant 13 hours, Jonas 2 hours of good hard labor (I was on pitocin for about 4 hours before anything big happened...I went from 3-10 in about 90 minutes), Levi 14 hours.

6. What’s your favorite thing about being a mom? The hugs and the "I love you lots mom!"

7. What’s your least favorite thing? All the yelling and noise (from me and the kids)

8. Do you want more kids? Definitely

9. Have you ever taken your kid(s) on a trip?Yup, many trips between Utah and Oregon, Bryant went to Nauvoo and Tennessee with us when he was a babe, several camping trips, and one cross country adventure (although, it wasn't really us that took them0-Thanks mom and dad!)

10. How many times have you been peed on? Maybe once per child...just takes that one refresher to remind me to be prepared.

11. How many times have you been barfed on? Way too many to want to remember...or share.

12. Are your kids named after someone? First names are not really-though we found a common link...prophets and/or their dads. Middle names are for family

13. When is the last time you had a sitter? Dec. 10

14. When your kid gets in trouble, who is the bad guy? If Ethan is home he gets to have the honor, but generally I am.

15. What is the longest you have been away from your kid(s)? Let's see how long was our road trip? Five days I think...HEAVEN!

16. Are your toes painted? Nope

17. Last movie you saw in theater? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Last book you read? The Mormon Way of Doing Business (OK, I've read lots of kids books since I finished that one, but its the last one I finished for myself...I'm currently reading A Mormon in the White House?)

18. One thing you will not give up just because you’re a mom: Hopefully, my sanity :)

19. One thing you did give up now that you’re a mom? Sleeping in

20. Favorite Cartoon: Cyberchase and Arthur (its pretty sad when I sit and watch them by myself)

21. Favorite Snack: Granola bars, fruit snacks, craisins, cheese sticks

22. When the kid(s) are napping, you are: Either napping, reading, or blogging..though Bryant doesn't nap he just has quiet time.

23. Where is/are your kid(s) now? Eating breakfast

24. If I could do it over, I’d do this differently: Have more fun

25. What is a lesson you’ve learned as a parent? Patience is a virtue, pride is a vice. Love is the best medicine for everything...hurt bodies or feelings.

I tag...if you want to do it, please do...I'd love to see what you have to say!

Grandpa Takes Me to the Moon

In honor of the shuttle launch that we have anxiously awaited (and continue to wait for) we checked out the book, Grandpa Takes Me to the Moon by Timothy R. Gaffney and illustrated by Barry Root. The boys really enjoy reading it over and over and then they get VERY excited to see the shuttle launch. It was supposed to take place on Thursday and they have tentatively planned it for each day since then, but yesterday they canceled without another date listed, so we're hoping it will still take place this week. The book is about a little boy whose grandpa went to the moon on an Apollo mission and whenever grandpa comes to visit he tells all about it. The little boy imagines that he is with his grandpa on the adventure. Its a fun and interesting book that your kids will probably want to read time and time again.

Children's Book

This week's book is S is for Sunshine A Florida Alphabet by Carol Crane and illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe. I absolutely love this book and want to buy it for our family library. It goes through the alphabet with things that are special to Florida like, "A is for Alligator..." "B is for Beaches..." "N is for NASA..." You get the idea. Each page has a little rhyme and a gorgeous illustration and on the side it goes into detail about the item for a paragraph or two.

The best part about this book is that there are several volumes. From B is for Beaver An Oregon Alphabet to A is for Arches a Utah Alphabet to P is for Potato An Idaho Alphabet. I really want to collect these from the states in which we have lived and will live. I just checked Amazon and it looks like they have all the states. It looks like they have counting books for the states as well. The books are by different authors, but all published by Sleeping Bear Press. Check it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

The Princess Bride Discussion *****

So...we've all seen the movie a hundred times...can quote most of it...now you've read the book (I hope!)...does the book hold the same appeal as the movie for you? Discuss amongst yourselves...

Goldman wrote the screenplay for the film version of The Princess Bride. There are many differences between the two. Identify as many as you can. Why do you think Goldman made these changes? With which of his choices do you agree? Disagree?

Why do you think that Goldman inserts himself as a character in his own novel? Did you feel he was portraying his actual self or a character with his name? What other books have you read where the author adopts this narrative strategy?

The Princess Bride can be thought of as two intertwining tales, one focusing on Westley and Buttercup, the other on the life of Goldman himself (or the fictional Goldman?). How do these two stories parallel and play off of each other?

When we first meet Inigo and Fezzik (my two personal favorite characters), they are working with Vizzini to kidnap Buttercup. Later, they become allies of Westley in his efforts to rescue her. What causes Inigo and Fezzik to change . . . or do they really change at all over the course of the novel?

Compare the relationships between men–such as Goldman and his father, Fezzik and Inigo, Inigo and Domingo, and Goldman and his son–and those between men and women, especially Westley and Buttercup. Which are presented more positively? Why do you think that is?

The "good parts" version is what Goldman remembers his father reading to him from an original S. Morgenstern. Did you ever doubt the validity of this claim? Or the truthfulness of his account of Florin? How would it affect your enjoyment of the novel if both devices were fictional?

Is Goldman laughing with his readers . . . or laughing at them?

Happy Thanksgiving! Children's Book Highlight

I am sorry that I didn't get this posted sooner, I was going to try to do it on Monday, but all 3 kids at the library and getting on the computer don't mix. Anyhow, the book for this week is One Tough Turkey A Thanksgiving Story by Steven Kroll, illustrated by John Wallner.

"Solomon is one tough turkey! And when the Pilgrims decide they must have turkey for their first Thanksgiving dinner, he's not about to let them succeed.

With the help of his wife and his children, Solomon leads the hunters on a wild turkey chase. The results are disastrous...in this slapstick version of the first Thanksgiving." -From the inside cover

The kids have really enjoyed reading this one the past week or two, its silly and fun...just what we needed. It has old school illustrations with very few colors, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

Just FYI, I looked it up on Amazon and the lowest price is $40.00!!! It goes all the way up to $121.17. I'm not sure why that is, but I found it fascinating. Just for the record, I would not pay that much money for this book, but if you can get it from the library, its a fun one!

Children's Book Highlight

I've decided to highlight a children's book each week. It should be fun to try to find new books on a regular basis that we love and can highly recommend. The kids will be a big part of selecting the book that gets highlighted, so if you don't like it...you can take it up with them. ;)

The first book that will get this special honor is one of our very favorites by perhaps my very favorite children's author to date. We love all his book, they are interactive and educational. They are entertaining and most spectacular of all the illustrations are fabulous! I'm sure that you all are at least somewhat familiar with his work and some of you may be as big a fan as we are. Here's a pic of Bryant reading it to Jonas.



Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Eric Carle. I was first introduced to this book by friends (Jared and Lisa)in Sacrament Meeting. They had it for their son and of course our boys were right in their faces, so they let us look at it. I fell in love and decided we needed to get it. It is incredibly simple and stunning at the same time. The kids really enjoy knowing what comes next and it is a great vibrant book that teaches colors, we can also teach animals and their sounds as we read it. The reason this is the highlight book is that it was the beginning of Carle's "true career." For which I am so grateful.

Some of our other favorites of Carle's include:
From Head to Toe (the kids love acting out all the things they and the animals can do).
The Very Quiet Cricket (the last page is a special treat)
The Very Lonely Firefly (again the last page is great for the kids)
The Very Busy Spider
The Tiny Seed
Do You Want to Be My Friend?

Check out Eric Carle's webiste and the website for The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. We love to read Eric Carle's book and we hope you do too!

Next Book...

Well, I guess if you're reading this, you've forgiven me for my slothfulness. Thank you. The next book we'll be discussing is a FABULOUS read! It should be great fun to discuss too. It is...The Princess Bride S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman. Its a pretty long title, I know. This book was recommended to me by Amy in Oregon and I'm so glad that I found it (I needed a book to read while waiting for Ethan one day at work, we went to the DI and happened upon this beauty!) It is great, I don't think you'll be disappointed, but if you are, do tell!

Eclipse ***

OK, so we've been if Florida, what 5 days? I have already read all of Eclipse, that just proves that Utah is why I was basically illiterate ;) So I'm curious what those of you who read it think...

Those of you who haven't read it (or have no idea what it is) its the 3rd book in the Twilight series.

I liked it, I didn't love it. Probably my least favorite of the three, but I really liked the others a lot so I don't know what that means to any of you. :) I felt like it was a little forced...especially Jacob and he was driving me crazy (not in the good way).

It will be really interesting to see what she does with the 4th (and final?) book in the series. I hope if Bella does change that we get to see what she goes through. If we miss that, I will feel robbed...but then again, she may not change. What do you think will happen?

What did you think of the book? While Heather was reading it, she kept saying it was frustrating...I'd love to hear what was frustrating to you all.

What did you like about it?

I obviously need someone to bounce my editorial off of, so please let's get this party started!

To Kill A Mockinbird ****-

Utah has been very bad for my reading plans...in Oregon I read a book a week or close to it. Since I've been in Utah (more than 2 months people) I have not finished a book-and that includes To Kill a Mockingbird. For that reason I have no idea what questions to post for you all to discuss. However, so you have a place to comment about what you thought of the book, I am admitting my failure and posting this. I promise I will do better in the future, in the meantime...To Kill a Mockingbird.

Poetry

If you read our family blog, you've already heard about this, but since I'm a proud little sister I just wanted to invite you to my brother Sean's website.
He has been writing poetry for as long as I can remember and he is so good! Since I know you all enjoy a good book, I thought you might also enjoy some great poetry. It isn't down and depressing, but it can make you think (see In The Mansions of my Father).
I have enjoyed many of his poems for their wit (see Rubber-necker's Revenge or Jelly Beans) and if any of you know Sean you know he is as witty as they come!
This is the same Sean who has joined us for book club once or twice, he chose the books for this month and please don't let his critique of Twilight keep you from his poetry ;) he is incredibly talented. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy his art as much as I do!

Your Book Lists (Again)

OK, I have this post at the very bottom of the blog, but I thought it deserved to be brought to the surface again. I want to know what you are reading and what you have been reading. Keeping track of your reads is a great thing for personal history, so use this as a means!

Love you all!

Ender's Game Discussion *****

Ender's Game...FINALLY!!! Did you read it? Did you like it? What did you or didn't you like? Let's get some good discussion going.

Explain the statement, "Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth." After you explain it, tell whether you agree or disagree with the statement and give reasons to support your answer.

Competition and praising Ender's skills are meant to set him apart from the others. For what purpose is this being done and what are the possible types of consequences of these actions?

Explain the following quote in relation to this story and to your own life: "Individual human beings are all tools, that the others use to help us all survive."

Ender works hard to express his feelings in private and not show homesickness in front of any other person. Is it healthy for him or not? What is positive and what is negative about showing feelings? What is positive and what is negative about not showing feelings?

We learn in this chapter that there is a question of whether it is OK to sacrifice the well-being of a child in order to save the world. What exactly is Ender having to sacrifice? How do you think he is being trained to save the world?

How does Ender react to conflicts? What are his reactions? How would you react to the same events? Is what you would do different from what you would like to do?

My brother Richy added a couple of questions in his post, let's add them to the discussion:

What did Peter represent to Ender, and why was this important? Do we have "Peters" in are lives?

What were the pros and cons of Ender's leadership style? Compare his to Bonzo or Rose de Nose.

Thanks everybody, for your patience and for participating. It is really fun for me to talk about books with you all. Until next time, Happy Reading!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows *****

BIG THANKS to our friends the Schneiders for letting me borrow their copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!!! I read it in between packing and cleaning (and cooking and kids) Wednesday and Thursday (here I am finishing it up, as you can see, I was really into it. Jonas kept handing me my helmet and was very adamant that I wear it-you know what I always say, "Safety First!") and it was excellent!

I won't be able to get my hands on Ender's Game until we're in Utah so I'll post questions around the middle of the month, for now let's talk about my and possibly your latest read...Harry Potter.

Have you read it yet? Did you like it? What did you predict correctly? What surprised you? What did you like or dislike?

If you haven't read it (or finished) yet, please don't read comments because they will be full of spoilers!

August's Book: Ender's Game

Well, the vote turn out was small and close, but it comes down to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card for August. It will be a good one for summer and for me in particular since I've got a pretty busy August.



For those of you who want to know what you're getting into here is the set-up (mostly from Wikipedia)

The book takes place somewhere in the near-distant future of Earth. Mankind has made contact with an insectoid alien race known to humanity as the Formics, or colloquially as "Buggers." The buggers have attempted to invade earth twice, having been narrowly defeated the second time by a man named Mazer Rackham, and the threat of the third bugger invasion looms large over the earth.

Enter Ender Wiggin, a six-year-old boy and third son of his parents, an audacity under the population restriction laws, permitted only by special sanction by the government that is seeking the next brilliant military commander. Young Ender is approved by the government for training at the elite Battle School, a space station where children train in armies commanded by older children in mock 41-on-41 battles. Ender chooses to accept the government's offer, leaving behind his parents, his sister Valentine whom he deeply cares for, and his sadistic and manipulative older brother Peter.

The book is mostly about Ender's experience in Battle School and doesn't feel incredibly science fiction to me. In fact, also according to someone who posted on Wikipedia several schools around the world have adopted Ender's Game as required reading, some for its psychological aspects, others for its science fiction background. For example, The Marine Corps University at Quantico as a textbook for the psychology of leadership and Teachers College, Columbia University as an example of online learning

It is really a fascinating book and I think we'll all enjoy discussing it! Until then...Happy Reading!

Twilight *****

July is here and it is time to open our discussion of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I'm really excited to hear what you have to say and to see if you liked it as much as I did. Special thanks to my friend Terra for some great discussion questions. Let's get started!

What did you like about the book?

What didn't you like about it?

Were the characters believable? Was the portrayal of vampires realistic or too caricature?

Why do you think the author chose a high school setting for this grown up romance? How would the story have changed if these characters were adults?

As a first time author, how would you as a reader advise Ms. Meyer in future writing endeavors?

The story has been picked up for possible production into a movie, who would you love to see cast in the roles?

Argue for or against Bella becoming a Vampire.

Why is Edward so against Bella "changing" since he holds no animosity towards Carlisle for changing him?

Edward says he is a selfish being--how is keeping Bella human selfish?

And away we go...