Addicted

 

I am really not much of a TV watcher.  From time to time I will sit and watch a program with Mr. Collins or the boys, but mostly, I enjoy doing activities and the internet.  A few weeks ago my world turned upside down.  Or upside Downton!

There is nothing better when one is ill than to relax and watch some mindless show on the tele.  Two weeks ago I decided that it was time to see what all the hullaballo about Downton Abbey was about.  That was a mistake because I was quickly hooked.  I blasted through seasons 1 and 2 and then re-watched them with Mr. Collins and Reed while they caught up.  We have even purchased the episodes of season 3 that are available on Amazon Prime so that we would be caught up to  watch on PBS.  And now we are waiting.

Here are a few goodies that I have found that show me I am not alone in my obsession.  Simply click on the photos to go to the sites!

Downton Abbey Bingo-
     Four different cards available for your viewing/playing pleasure.

Downton Abbey Paper Dolls-
    Not for children, but quite funny nonetheless.

 

 

Downton Abbey Printable Quotes-
    Perfect for framing.

"Free Bates" T-Shirt
   Available from pbs.com

Downton Abbey Cookbook
    For only $11.70 you can have it from Amazon!

Blue-Eyed Boy

Colby has had a frustrating couple of weeks.  He got hired at WalMart for the Christmas season and did really well as a cashier.  On the Monday after Christmas they told him that they were going to keep him on even though they were letting everyone else go.  He filled out some paperwork and was happy about having a job- even if WalMart wasn't his first choice.  That Friday he went to work and was given his last paycheck and a termination notice.  Not a good day for a young man getting married in two months.  The HR director told him that they were waiting for permission from corporate to rehire the temps to permanent positions and that they would call him the next week.  They didn't call until yesterday, but he was clearly relieved. 

Today he had an interview at a call center that deals with people who are interested in taking online college classes.  He got hired on the spot for $1.10 an hour more than he was making at WalMart.  And if he does well he can increase that by $3.00 and hour with commissions.

When he came home he was happy and relaxed.  He plopped down on the couch and chatted for a while.  He looked so handsome that I had to grab my camera and take a few shots.  Don't get me wrong. . . I am happy that Colby is getting married and moving out on his own in March, but. . . I am going to miss having my blue eyed boy around.  Isn't he handsome?

Censored

This morning I was watching our local news and found out that nearby Herriman High School's production of All Shook Up has been cancelled because it does not meet new district policies that were put in place last year after complaints about another musical.  All this has happened because one person expressed concerns.

WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?

Really.  How bad can this musical be?  I haven't seen it, but I am confident that I would let my kids go see it.  Even without me.  I don't know exactly what the standards are, but will any play or musical meet them?  Will the students ever be exposed to topics that might make them think about where THEY stand on an issue?

I can't say that I am against censorship because that would be hypocritical.  I do not believe that nudity, sexual acts, mortal violence, or hate rants are things that I want (or want my children) to be exposed to everyday.  But I also don't want them to grow up in the dark about what is out in the world. 

My brother bought me Mickey in the Night Kitchen when I was little.  A banned book!  Gasp! And guess what?  I am not scarred and I don't have nightmares about naked boys floating through a kitchen.  The whole hulaballoo was dumb.

I am all about teachable moments.  When we watch a movie, see a play, hear a song, or watch a commercial that brings up a topic of concern, I use it to TALK to my kids.  They are smarter than we think.  And they know a lot more than we wish they did.

So be forewarned.  There is very little censoring at my house.  We do avoid Rated R movies because the Prophet has asked us to.  (And I don't think I have missed much there.)  We do allow them to play M games (they are 19,16, and 15) because we would rather have them play at home than sneak over to their friends' houses to play.  We discuss violence, responsibility, and choices in relation to the games.  They can read just about anything (I would draw the line at porn- I haven't read 50 Shades of Gray and I'm not going to let the guys "read" Playboy or Penthouse.) But yesterday we had a great discussion about pre-marital sex, STD's, infatuation and abstinence.  I will answer ANY question that I am asked, to the best of my knowledge.  That is my job as a parent.

Maybe if more people TAUGHT and TALKED to their kids, they wouldn't have to worry so much about what they might encounter out in the world.  And maybe they wouldn't have to worry about MY kids.

P.S.
For those of you who may not know, most companies that lease plays have a clause that PROHIBITS teachers from changing or censoring a play.  The body of work that is "appropriate" is shinking at a frightening rate.

Three Goals a Month

res·o·lu·tion (rz-lshn)

n.

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

2. A resolving to do something.

3. A course of action determined or decided on.

4. A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion put before or adopted by an assembly such as the U.S. Congress.

5. Physics & Chemistry The act or process of separating or reducing something into its constituent parts: the prismatic resolution of sunlight into its spectral colors.

6. The fineness of detail that can be distinguished in an image, as on a video display terminal.

7. Medicine The subsiding or termination of an abnormal condition, such as a fever or an inflammation.

8. Law A court decision.

9.

a. An explanation, as of a problem or puzzle; a solution.

b. The part of a literary work in which the complications of the plot are resolved or simplified.

10. Music

a. The progression of a dissonant tone or chord to a consonant tone or chord.

b. The tone or chord to which such a progression is made.

11. The substitution of one metrical unit for another, especially the substitution of two short syllables for one long syllable in quantitative verse.

 

I probably won't do (or deal with) #2, #5, or #11, but the rest are still on the table.

 

I really don't like resolutions, but I love goal setting.  I guess it is the whole year-long thing that bugs me.  So I have decided that this year I will set three monthly goals.  Maybe they will even turn into habits and stick around.  And there's no reason that I can't re-set the goal. Here goes. . .

 

• I have a brand new Canon D7 camera, so I will use it every day so that my skills will improve.  This can be one photo or one hundred.  It is quite a bit heavier than my xTi, so I just want to get used to it.
• I will write notes to at least four people.  Nothing is better than getting a hand written note.
• I will make sure that the kitchen is picked up before I go to bed every night.

 

Recap of 2012

I can hardly believe that it is already 2013!  There were certainly times when 2012 seemed to drag, but taken as a whole, it zoomed by.  So much happened- here is a quick run down:

Ed:

• Lost 100 pounds.
• Opened an office in North Dakota in April.  And just finished their second office a few weeks ago. 
• Wired up the cabin so that we can see what is happening down there.

Kaye:

• Got recertified to teach for another 5 years but discovered she is no longer marketable.
• Bought a serger and spent many happy hours sewing- especially for Baby Gracie.
• Still serves on the City Council.

Colby

• Spent the summer working in North Dakota.  He made a pile of money.
• Got engaged to Danaca Moore on Halloween. 
• Worked at WalMart this fall, but got laid off last week, so he's looking for a job.

Parker:

• Healed his separated shoulder but then had surgery in November to remove an osteochondroma on his knee.  Soon he might get to wrestle again.
• Got his driver's license. . . and wrecked his truck.
• Hit six feet tall and size 14 feet.

Reed:

• Played baritone in the Lehi High School Marching Band and went to Washington, DC to march in the 2012 National Independence Day Parade.
• Is on the Lehi High School wrestling team and has a JV spot at 113 pounds.
• Has six happy chickens and sells eggs to the neighborhood.  We also eat lots of omelets.

Lewis and Clark:

• Big Lew got hurt fetching the tennis ball at Thanksgiving with Madison.  He couldn't even get on the bed, but now has his hops back.
• Clark sliced his tail open in January which resulted in a partial amputation of his tail.  This fall we have no idea what he did, but we came home one day to find a big chunk out of the end of his tongue.  
• They are the funniest, best dogs around.  Except when they are being sneaky and stealing food off the counters! 

Where I'm At

I haven't had the easiest year.  I have definitely had some rough patches, but I have come through them and things have settled down.  It is amazing to me that good can come from the worst experiences.  I had no idea what I was supposed to be learning in August in September, but here's some of the lessons that are fresh in my mind.

• I have lots of things that I like at least as well as and maybe more than teaching music.
• My kids need my attention.  I tend to be a little selfish with my time and what I want to do, but right now I need to focus on them.
• Honesty is always best in the long run.
• I have more compassion towards those in pain.  I get it. . . sometimes your head can't make your heart stop hurting.
• Some people do not deserve my time or trust.  Life is too short to read Facebook posts that are rude or to cajole people who stab you in the back every chance they get.  I can forgive them, but I don't have to keep doing things the way I have been.
• Happiness is truly a choice.  And happiness and pain CAN co-exist in a weird way.

There's more to learn, but I am grateful that I am where I am at.

Surveys

Yesterday a letter came for me from the Church.  Ed brought it in and handed it to me.

"This looks interesting," he said as he leaned on the counter, waiting for me to open it.

"Hmmm.  The Church wants me to take some surveys.  I apparently got selected randomly," I sneered as I handed him the letter to read.

"This is actually kind of cool, you know."

"Do you have any idea how many surveys I get every single week because I serve on City Council?"

He laughed and said, "Well, it's not every day the Lord asks your opinion."

Point, Ed.  I took the survey this morning and I am on the panel for the next 18 months.  And it was pretty cool.