Summer Quarter Grades

4.0
4.0
4.0

Awesome ;)

Some of what we've done...

We went to the park in Coeur d'Alene. There's this great restaurant that serves giant ice cream sundaes, so of course we stopped in there. We also walked along the beach and the boardwalk...This last weekend we went to visit some friends in Vancouver, WA...we hit the Portland zoo, a local park and swimming hole, and then the beach at Seaside, OR. All the kids got along famously which was awesome as those were the hottest days of the summer. Two nights the three boys camped in the backyard with no adult supervision...ah, new experiences ;)

And then the kids went back to school today. Summer is over for us...short but sweet!

There was a time in my life that I needed to blog. I needed the creative outlet it provided for me, and me alone. This was a blog about my life...sure the kids and the husband were part of that, because my whole life revolved around them. But ultimately, it was about me.

Selfish, selfish woman.

Now, I'm divorced and I don't have time to blog. This sits out here is cyberspace collecting cyberdust and probably cybermothballs. Every so often I throw it a bone and type something on it, (yes I know I just mixed my metaphors, go with me now) but it's more of a guilt trip than anything. 'Remember that poor defenseless blog that you started and then just up and abandoned?'...that's what I hear calling to me, mocking me.

And do you want to know why I have abandoned it? Because I feel like before I wanted people seeing what my life was like, and now I don't. I'm a divorced mother of three great kids. But my life is more about me now than it ever was before. I don't need this blog as a reminder of what a failure I am as a mother because I simply don't have the time to devote to them that I once had. I have school. And homework out the wazoo. And a social life....which in all fairness is a once a week outing that I take for my personal sanity. But I don't get to play with them like I once did, I don't make cool dinners, or bake cookies, or do crafts, or go on outings, or any of the cool things you see on every other Mormon Mommy Blog. Divorce sucks worst for the kids.

So until such time as I have something more positive to report, my poor little abandoned blog is destined to remain abandoned.

Sometimes we do fun stuff

Spring Quarter Grades

4.0
4.0
3.7

It seems I'm slipping ;)

It's so great that Caden's 8!

My son, my oldest child, my baby, turned 8 years old today. Of course that means that we have a baptism on the way, so we are busily preparing for that as well as the big birthday party this Saturday. Yes, that's the ghetto cake for his actual birthday, but the party one should be much, much cooler.

Caden is so fantastic! Here's 8 things you might not know about him: 1. He doesn't like fruit, but he looooooves vegetables. 2. He's really into science and creating things. 3. He has a terrific sense of humor. 4. He's incredibly smart, and pulls the class averages in reading and math UP. 5. He loves to play Wii. 6. He can explain almost anything he's read. 7. He has a very sweet testimony of the gospel. 8. He is a wonderful, tender and kind older brother.

So there you go. 8 years in the making. I have the best kid! Love you Caden!

Winter quarter grades:

4.0
4.0
3.8

Not quite so stellar as last quarter, but not too shabby either. ;)

I miss being married

Do not confuse this with 'I miss my ex-husband' because it's not the same thing. There are certain things that you get with being married, no matter who the other person is:

- The Illusion of Help - someone else might do the dishes, or come up with dinner ideas, or unclog the toilet. Without a husband, you know those things are all on you. And honestly, they were anyway, but the illusion was there...

- A Two-Prong Attack Approach to Parenting - when the other prong is missing it's mostly you just stabbing at things and hoping something will connect. Although possibly it's a horrible idea to follow this whole stabbingatyourkids thought process too far...but hopefully you get what I'm trying to say which is that someone else might take a turn at playing disciplinarian. Although again, this was kind of illusionary for me. I suppose this could also fall under the Illusion of Help.

- People Looking at You Normally - Okay, I am the first to admit that I probably don't fall under the umbrella of normal, but I'm not way out in left-field....more standing just outside the umbrella getting dripped on and trying to keep at least my head partially covered. But I digress. People (especially in the church) look at you differently when you don't have a husband. Do they feel sorry for you? Are they worried that you'll try to steal their husbands? Do they want to fix you up? The answer is YES. To all of them. Sometimes one at a time and sometimes all at the same time. It's annoying people; please stop doing it. I am the same girl I was before, only now I have better self-esteem.

- The Illusion of Love - Obviously the love was no longer with us in the end or we wouldn't have ended up divorced. But the idea that someone was there that loved you more than anything in the world, that would do anything for you just to see you smile, and that you felt the same way about.....oh, what a priceless feeling. Unfortunately it wasn't there for quite a while, so I'm thinking pretty far back in the marriage to remember this. Fortunately, you don't have to be married to feel this one. Although there are some HUGE benefits to being married that you can't (uh, SHOULDN'T) get while single. And I miss that one, big-time.

Of course, there are more, and they cross my mind every so often when things happen. But I'm running short on time (like always) and honestly you should just be grateful I posted something at all (don't you love my new spunky attitude? ;) I have faith that someday I'll get remarried, and undoubtedly it will be fantastic; I know that Heavenly Father has someone wonderful in store for me. In the meantime I will continue to muddle through and find joy in the journey.

What's Up

* Taxes are done
* Almost to Midterms this quarter (this week and next depending on the class) and I have 4.0's in all my classes
* Caden's signed up for an after school science deal starting this month and running for 10 weeks. The boy looooooves him some science. He's also going strong with the piano lessons as well
* Still dating Marc ;) He met my parents this weekend and it went well
* Ryan gets the kids for Spring Break this year.....not looking forward to that
* Catching up with old friends has been tons of fun
* Aile is a chatterbox
* Lincoln's cheeks are thinning out and he finally looks like a kid instead of a toddler
* Made a really cool cowgirl themed cake and got paid for it (I'll post a picture soonish...it's on my mom's camera right now because...)
* I sold my camera because I want a purse camera instead of the bulky thing I had, but I haven't bought a new one yet
* Becoming heavily involved in the auction for Caden's school again this year, even though I've tried my best to be less involved. If anyone has something to donate I'll be happy to take it off your hands
* Some fun dates I've had include: antiquing in Coeur d'Alene, Dueling Piano bar, movies, dinners, desserts, and sometimes (most of the time) a combination of those
* I actually saw New Moon a couple of weeks ago and was surprised at how well they did in making it. Usually I hate movies of books that I love
* Lincoln and Aile's birthday's are coming up this month. They'll be 5 and 2 respectively.
* I need some suggestions about what to do with myself for three weeks this summer when the kids are gone. Reeeeeeally not looking forward to that. I'm thinking a trip somewhere will be in order....so where and when are the real questions there...

So that's what's up with us in a nutshell. Look for more posts coming......well, I guess don't LOOK for them. But they might pop up every so often and surprise you.

And if you want to know what's up you can always call me ;)

This means I get to enter 3 times ;)

I want to win Sue's Best Buy card because I need a new camera. Which is why I'm posting about her giveaway. Go read her here because she's really funny. But don't you dare enter the giveaway because it's mine. Mine mine mine mine mine!