It's Wednesday again. It seems like it is always Wednesday. I have a day off today, which means it is the day I stay home and let the dog and cats out and in and out all day long. The dog goes out, and tramples the cats as they hover near the door waiting to get in. Then the dog realizes the cats are in so she barks to come back in. Then I get sick of all these cats laying around my house so I throw them all out. Next thing I know the dog is begging to go out so she can bark at the neighbor. When I let her out, the cats all come stampeding in again. I don't know how they all survive on the days they are home alone. In addition to attending to the needs of my furry children today, I plan on throwing away a few things so that I can say I did my spring cleaning. Duncan is home today as well. He has a break from the mill because there is a devotional and dinner tonight.
Olivia went back to school on Monday after a three week break, so it is adjustment week around here. Then again, with year round school, it seems we are always in adjustment mode. We got the calendar for next school year, and the school gods have been merciful and granted us a full three weeks off in July! Woo hoo! We must be living right. She gets out July 1 and starts sixth grade on July 26. That is like a third of a real summer!
I can't believe that I will only have two kids left in school next year. I could really get ahead of myself and think ahead to the next year, when I will be done forever as the parent of an elementary school aged child. But I don't want to go there yet. Olivia in junior high is a thought I am just not ready to entertain yet. Life is moving way too fast.
She got up late this morning, and as we were getting ready to run out the door, she announced it was class picture day. Her hair was a bit wild, and I attempted to tame it, but she was having nothing to do with that. It's only class pictures after all, she informed me. So I backed off and let her go with her crazy hair. Then she forgot her picture money anyway, so oh well. Maybe we will get a year book instead.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Stuff I Just Can't Believe
We finished our Whole 30 just in time for Audrey to have a birthday and get a life. Next week she gets her drivers' license. I just want somebody to tell me where my baby went.
I have written two long blog posts about our whole 30 experiment, and I hate both of them. Suffice it to say that I hated whole 30 for 29 days. On the evening of the 29th day, I realized suddenly that my cravings were gone. Vamoosed. I didn't need or want anything treaty in my mouth. Two days later was Audrey's birthday and we gorged ourselves on cake and ice cream and pasta and cheese, and I felt so sick that night. In my agony, I vowed to keep up my new habits, and stop randomly putting crap in my mouth. I worked hard to get rid of those cravings, and I want them to stay gone.I can't believe that I made it thirty days without any sugar, caffeine or flour. I can't believe it took me 29 stinking days to stop craving all the junk. I can't believe I ate so terribly my second day off the diet. I can't believe I had a diet coke yesterday and didn't even like it. I just don't know WHAT to believe anymore. Oh, and I lost seven pounds. If it isn't obvious, I'm a little conflicted over the whole thing.
Olivia is having a sleep over tonight. I can hear her and her friends in her bedroom, belting out "I wanna know what love is...." and then one of them said, "You have no idea what love is!" Friday night entertainment, just across the hall.
Audrey's birthday celebrations continue tomorrow with Waffle Wars. She is having a waffle making party in our basement. I will be upstairs, probably making waffles for everyone and having angst over whether I should eat one or not. Which reminds me of pancakes. We made green smoothie pancakes on St. Patrick's Day, and they were so good. Spinach, eggs, flax, banana, and a little flour and baking soda, served with runny frozen strawberry jam. Who knew spinach could make a pancake green?
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Oscar Night
Well, here we all are on Oscar night, in the comfort of our family room,ballots completed (at the urging/insistence of the resident film critic), all waiting with something less than eager anticipation for the winners to be announced. I mean, DAN is eagerly anticipating. I am half heartedly attempting to feign interest, and not being very successful. The kids range from one end of the interest spectrum to the other. Every year, Dan makes us all fill out ballots, then carefully tallies our results, then announces the winner. Which is always him. Then he lords it over our heads for the rest of the night that, surprise suprise, he won AGAIN. But, he makes attempts to support my holiday efforts at carving pumpkins and hiding Easter eggs, so I indulge him.
Here is the really big news though: Today is Day 14 since I have had a diet soda. !!! Can you believe that? I almost can't. The last time I gave up diet Coke for more than a day was when Audrey was a newborn. And I never thought I would give it up again. But this year, about the time that Lent started, Alisa called and asked what I was giving up for Lent. That got me thinking, and then Audrey and I got this crazy idea to do a Whole 30 food challenge. This means that for 30 days, you eliminate basically everything worth eating from your diet. Really all we eat now are vegetables, meat, fruit and nuts. In a few hours we will be at the half way point, and now I'm wondering why this ever sounded like a good idea. But, hey, I have at least proven to myself that I CAN live without diet coke. I just don't want to.
Here is what we have learned so far: Breakfast is really important. Have a big, high protein breakfast, and you can eat healthy the rest of the day. Miss breakfast, and you will crave junk food all day. Also, I have learned that I depend on food as a cure for boredom more than anything else. When I have to take the kids somewhere and wait for them, or when it is slow at work, those are the times that I NEED a diet coke.
Like now for instance. Watching the Oscars bores me. I could really use a diet coke right now. I am going to be strong now, and drink my smoothie like a good girl. And go try to pay attention to who is who and who is winning what on this silly show.
Here is the really big news though: Today is Day 14 since I have had a diet soda. !!! Can you believe that? I almost can't. The last time I gave up diet Coke for more than a day was when Audrey was a newborn. And I never thought I would give it up again. But this year, about the time that Lent started, Alisa called and asked what I was giving up for Lent. That got me thinking, and then Audrey and I got this crazy idea to do a Whole 30 food challenge. This means that for 30 days, you eliminate basically everything worth eating from your diet. Really all we eat now are vegetables, meat, fruit and nuts. In a few hours we will be at the half way point, and now I'm wondering why this ever sounded like a good idea. But, hey, I have at least proven to myself that I CAN live without diet coke. I just don't want to.
Here is what we have learned so far: Breakfast is really important. Have a big, high protein breakfast, and you can eat healthy the rest of the day. Miss breakfast, and you will crave junk food all day. Also, I have learned that I depend on food as a cure for boredom more than anything else. When I have to take the kids somewhere and wait for them, or when it is slow at work, those are the times that I NEED a diet coke.
Like now for instance. Watching the Oscars bores me. I could really use a diet coke right now. I am going to be strong now, and drink my smoothie like a good girl. And go try to pay attention to who is who and who is winning what on this silly show.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Five Months In
How is Duncan doing on his service mission you ask? Well, it is hard to believe he is five months in already. I am happy to report that the mission is going really well. It for sure has some challenges, but mostly they have been good challenges that have helped him grow.
The challenge for me has been to get him there every morning at 8. I have to be to work at 9, and Olivia has to be to school at 8:40, so it is a little time crunchy every morning. I try to get Duncan dropped off in Kaysville by 7:50 so that I can turn around and drive back to Syracuse to get Olivia to school on time, and then hit the southbound freeway once again to get myself to Bountiful by nine. It works, and I consider myself lucky. It's not every mom that gets to say goodbye to her missionary every morning and then welcome him home every night.
Right now, there is a group of seven service missionaries at the mill, including one sister. First thing in the morning they have a morning devotional and study time. They are in charge of it, and I would love to be a fly on the wall in one of those meetings.. The senior missionaries that work with them have told me it is often very spiritual and enlightening. I am going to bet that it is occasionally wacky and often intensely humorous. But that is just my guess. I do know Duncan is learning so much and getting a lot of opportunities to speak and teach, and that is so good for him. The senior missionaries are so great, I can't say enough good things about them. They have so much respect for those missionaries, their opinions, feelings, and abilities, and work with them at whatever level they are on, and are so encouraging and kind.
From 10 to 11:30, they serve in the mill, usually working on production with the volunteers or cleaning. Keeping a place like that clean is a never ending job, so they are always busy. Duncan has become a pallet expert. Everything they produce at the mill is boxed in different sized boxes, and each sized box has a specific pattern that is the best way to fit as many boxes onto one pallet as possible. Apparently, Duncan is really good at figuring out the best way to fit the boxes onto the pallets. Can anyone say Tetris? Lately though, he has been opting for sit down jobs on the production line. Variety is the spice of life after all.
11:30 is lunch time. After lunch they have another meeting where they either work on their journals, or work on life skills, or take care of other mission business. Then from about 1:30 to 4 they are back at work in the mill.
Once a month, they have a zone conference with all the other missionaries in their zone. They have put together hygiene kits, gone to the temple, and had a picnic and some holiday parties. Just today they had a whole zone conference on life skills. They learned about table manners, good hygiene, conversation skills, and how to iron a shirt. I bet they aren't the only missionaries that could use a refresher in those areas.
Duncan has already learned some great life lessons, like being responsible to show up ready to work, even when you don't really feel like it. There have been days when he really hasn't wanted to go, and was looking for any excuse to stay home. But don't we all have days like that? But most days he really enjoys going. He says it feels good to work hard and accomplish something and then get to come home and relax. He knows that he is really helping and working at something worthwhile.
The challenge for me has been to get him there every morning at 8. I have to be to work at 9, and Olivia has to be to school at 8:40, so it is a little time crunchy every morning. I try to get Duncan dropped off in Kaysville by 7:50 so that I can turn around and drive back to Syracuse to get Olivia to school on time, and then hit the southbound freeway once again to get myself to Bountiful by nine. It works, and I consider myself lucky. It's not every mom that gets to say goodbye to her missionary every morning and then welcome him home every night.
Right now, there is a group of seven service missionaries at the mill, including one sister. First thing in the morning they have a morning devotional and study time. They are in charge of it, and I would love to be a fly on the wall in one of those meetings.. The senior missionaries that work with them have told me it is often very spiritual and enlightening. I am going to bet that it is occasionally wacky and often intensely humorous. But that is just my guess. I do know Duncan is learning so much and getting a lot of opportunities to speak and teach, and that is so good for him. The senior missionaries are so great, I can't say enough good things about them. They have so much respect for those missionaries, their opinions, feelings, and abilities, and work with them at whatever level they are on, and are so encouraging and kind.
From 10 to 11:30, they serve in the mill, usually working on production with the volunteers or cleaning. Keeping a place like that clean is a never ending job, so they are always busy. Duncan has become a pallet expert. Everything they produce at the mill is boxed in different sized boxes, and each sized box has a specific pattern that is the best way to fit as many boxes onto one pallet as possible. Apparently, Duncan is really good at figuring out the best way to fit the boxes onto the pallets. Can anyone say Tetris? Lately though, he has been opting for sit down jobs on the production line. Variety is the spice of life after all.
11:30 is lunch time. After lunch they have another meeting where they either work on their journals, or work on life skills, or take care of other mission business. Then from about 1:30 to 4 they are back at work in the mill.
Once a month, they have a zone conference with all the other missionaries in their zone. They have put together hygiene kits, gone to the temple, and had a picnic and some holiday parties. Just today they had a whole zone conference on life skills. They learned about table manners, good hygiene, conversation skills, and how to iron a shirt. I bet they aren't the only missionaries that could use a refresher in those areas.
Duncan has already learned some great life lessons, like being responsible to show up ready to work, even when you don't really feel like it. There have been days when he really hasn't wanted to go, and was looking for any excuse to stay home. But don't we all have days like that? But most days he really enjoys going. He says it feels good to work hard and accomplish something and then get to come home and relax. He knows that he is really helping and working at something worthwhile.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Five Guys, Burgers and Fries
Duncan and Will both had big birthdays this year- 18 and 21, respectively. I don't care. No matter how old they get, they will always be babies to me. MY babies, and they better do what I say, no matter how legally adult they think they are. Mother always knows best, and they better remember that.
In honor of this momentous year, they headed up to Logan for a little combined pre-birthday celebrating. It was back to Angie's with their childhood buddies, for lunch and a cleaning of the sink.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
A Detour in Time
We now interrupt our regularly scheduled January evening for an important news flash. Recently discovered photographic evidence proves that in October 2015, the Metcalfs were spotted at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, UT , enjoying a night of frights and giggles at Frightmares. It is believed they were there courtesy of Audrey slaving away at the park all summer long.
According to Olivia, one of the scariest moments of the night was the Ferris Wheel.
EVIL LURKS OVER EVERY SHOULDER
Thank you. We now return you to our regularly scheduled Tuesday night.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
On the First Day of New Years....
Kicking back on New Year's eve, around about 11:15 or so, and our doorbell rings.
It was our sixteen year old neighbor.
He was extremely upset.
I though someone had died.
But no, He just gotten his first traffic ticket on the way home from a New Year's Eve party. His parents were out at a party, and he was certain they were going to kill him when they found out about the ticket. We invited him in, listened to his story, offered what comforting words we could, and assured him that his parents would not kill him over a ticket. We explained that his parents would just be glad he was okay. Then Dan called his folks on their cell phone to break it to them gently. All ended well, the kid pulled himself together, fixed our computer for us (because he is a genius that way), and went back to his own house a little before midnight.
Fast forward to about one in the morning when Dan's cell phone rings.
It's Will.
He has wrecked his car on the way home from a New Year's eve party.
Odd, that sounds familiar. In his case, no ticket, because he ran into a tree, but the bumper has come off the car. Now it is suddenly our turn to practice what we were so fervently preaching to the neighbor kid only an hour earlier:
"its okay that you wrecked the car. We are just glad you are okay. It happens to everybody eventually."
Which, yeah, it's all true, but is not much comfort when faced with having to go out into the subzero in the early hours of New Year's Day to retrieve your bumper from the pavement, and then try to figure out how your kid is going to get to work and to pick up his brother every day without a car.
I think it was good that we got to practice on the neighbor though, because we were both pretty calm about the whole thing. I think the first time we went through the wrecked car scenario with one of our kids, it looked like the scene in Christmas Story where Ralphie's mom is talking on the phone to Flick's mother and telling him the terrible, awful word that Ralphie just said, and which he claims he heard from Flick. Ralphie's mom whispers the word into the phone, then holds the phone far away from her ear, as Flick's mother can be heard yelling through the phone- "WHAAAT? WHAAAT? HE SAID WHAAAAT?????" Compare that to my reaction to Will's wreck:
" You wrecked the car? That sucks. How was the party?"
Ask him. Those were my exact words.
The best part is, both boys are fine, both sets of parents have their sanity intact, and now Will gets to learn how to reattach a car bumper, which is a valuable life skill. 2016, you ain't got us beat yet.
It was our sixteen year old neighbor.
He was extremely upset.
I though someone had died.
But no, He just gotten his first traffic ticket on the way home from a New Year's Eve party. His parents were out at a party, and he was certain they were going to kill him when they found out about the ticket. We invited him in, listened to his story, offered what comforting words we could, and assured him that his parents would not kill him over a ticket. We explained that his parents would just be glad he was okay. Then Dan called his folks on their cell phone to break it to them gently. All ended well, the kid pulled himself together, fixed our computer for us (because he is a genius that way), and went back to his own house a little before midnight.
Fast forward to about one in the morning when Dan's cell phone rings.
It's Will.
He has wrecked his car on the way home from a New Year's eve party.
Odd, that sounds familiar. In his case, no ticket, because he ran into a tree, but the bumper has come off the car. Now it is suddenly our turn to practice what we were so fervently preaching to the neighbor kid only an hour earlier:
"its okay that you wrecked the car. We are just glad you are okay. It happens to everybody eventually."
Which, yeah, it's all true, but is not much comfort when faced with having to go out into the subzero in the early hours of New Year's Day to retrieve your bumper from the pavement, and then try to figure out how your kid is going to get to work and to pick up his brother every day without a car.
I think it was good that we got to practice on the neighbor though, because we were both pretty calm about the whole thing. I think the first time we went through the wrecked car scenario with one of our kids, it looked like the scene in Christmas Story where Ralphie's mom is talking on the phone to Flick's mother and telling him the terrible, awful word that Ralphie just said, and which he claims he heard from Flick. Ralphie's mom whispers the word into the phone, then holds the phone far away from her ear, as Flick's mother can be heard yelling through the phone- "WHAAAT? WHAAAT? HE SAID WHAAAAT?????" Compare that to my reaction to Will's wreck:
" You wrecked the car? That sucks. How was the party?"
Ask him. Those were my exact words.
The best part is, both boys are fine, both sets of parents have their sanity intact, and now Will gets to learn how to reattach a car bumper, which is a valuable life skill. 2016, you ain't got us beat yet.
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