home with pink eye

Rachel was home for a few days with pink eye.  It's been a while since I have had all day to spend with my little Rachel (who is not so little anymore).  The playroom was nice and cleaned up, so there was plenty of room to make a new mess with a picnic for all of her friends :)

Rachels school work..and puppies

Rachel drew this when they were learning about different kinds of houses. She probably just copied what other kids in her classes were writing, but I had to laugh when I read it :-)

I am sure her uncles and aunts are wondering which one of them lives in a Teepee and which one lives in a hogan :-)

She left this note for the tooth fairy. She had put her tooth in a little box she got at school but wanted to make sure the Tooth Fairy didn't take the box when she took her tooth.  (For the record, the tooth fairy read the note, and followed her request, but the note was too big for her to carry so she left it here.)  Not sure why uncle Trevor's name made it on the note.

Offical blackmail.  I don't know exactly who this is, but I know it is not a boy in her class, it is some boy from a tv show who is a singer.  Ah...her first tween hearthrob :-)

And this one leads us to the topic of puppies.

Rachel Loves Puppies!... and kitties, and bunnies.  Really anything soft and cuddly. 

These are only the pets I could find, she has many more, one I know she has been sneaking in her backpack to school every day. 

I know some friends say I am crazy for wanting to get a dog, or driving around following rez puppies hoping they woudl come home with me.  Everyone I know who has a dog has been trying to give it away, but when your little girl has all this love to give, and just really, really, really, wants a puppy or a kitty, it is hard to watch her talking to her battery operated dog named 'Lucky' and not feel like a lame parent.  (Even if the dog does do tricks on command--I mean, for a toy dog--it is a pretty impressive dog.)  

Growing up, my family wasn't what I would consider a 'dog family', but even we had a few dogs, cats, even a bunny and a chicken, over the course of my growing up years.  Sure, maybe they didn't stick around for very long  (any pet lovers out there are probably cringing when I say that, but I admit, sometimes the animals would "run away" out of the blue-usually when we were at school) --but I know that a certain chicken found a nice new home on a big farm (after it starting pecking at my little brother who had brought it home as a chick from kindergarten)  and I am sure, the rest of the animals that disappeared found equally happy new homes as well.  :-)

 Maybe I feel guilty that she doesn't have any siblings to play with.

Maybe I am trying to fill my (and her) desire for another baby with a puppy instead.

Maybe I feel guilty that we live on the rez.

Maybe I understand she is jealous that all of her friends here have dogs (and little brothers or sisters) so I know I can do something about the dog part .

Maybe I just want to spoil my little girl sometimes and give her something that she wants.

Whatever the reason, we have decided we could handle getting a dog and we have been looking to find the perfect pet. 

Sam would like something like this:

Rachel would like something like this:

And I would like something in between :-)

Maybe a Brittany?

Something medium sized, preferrably a light shedder, easy to train, loves kids, loves to play, loves to go for walks/runs (but only when I am in the mood, like when the weather is nice) and is happy to play at home (nicely). 

More on this topic later, this post has gotten really long.

Recipe for Chicken with Lime and Avacado salsa

We made this last night and it was super Yummy!   I have to admit, I was flipping through all my old Better Homes and Gardens magazines looking for recipes that I wanted to save and this caught my eye, mainly because it looked colorful in the picture, and it had cilantro in it.  (I have a nice little plant of fresh cilanto that is still alive and I was dying for a recipe that let me use some of it).  Sam loved that it was so Full of Flavor--though it was a bit spicy with the jalapeno so I would suggest keeping those separate and let the family members who like their food spicy add it to their plate, and to make it even more kid friendly keep the onions out too.  The lime and cliantro together was delicious!!

slight changes: We only used one avacado, about one-fourth of a large red onion, and only half of a jalapeno.  It needed a little something to go with it, so we made some instant brown rice. (I got this idea from somewhere recently, I don't usually buy instant rice, but brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice, so I usually never make it--but the instant rice made a nice easy addition.)  The chicken I used was pretty thin already so I didn't cut it in half to make 'cutlets', I just punded it with my super heavy marble rolling pin.  For those of you who haven't ever made cutlets before this is for you:

When cooking on the stove, having evenly-thin chicken pieces makes it easier to cook the chicken evenly so it stays moist and doesn't get dried out while you are waiting for the thickest part to be cooked throughout.  This picture says to flatten with your hand, but you can also pund it with something heavy--I would suggest putting a piece of plastic wrap over it or put it in a plastic bad before you start pounding. 

Enjoy!

Annoyed with neighborhood kids

I first posted this on facebook...but I had a hard time condensing it into just a few words, so I decided it was probably a better blog post. 

There are 3 neighborhood kids who are just older than Rach, that I am losing my patience with.  Every time they come over something is either missing, or broken, and they always climb up into her closet and get out the messy toys that I have intentionally put out of Rachel's reach (legos, mousetrap game, etc). These are the kids who wander around the neighborhood, apparently their parents have given them cart blanche over where they are allowed to go.  (okay-Sometimes they borrow my phone to call their parents, and sometimes two of the girls carry walkie-talkies around and talk to their parents on the other end telling them where they are)--so maybe it isn't as bad as I make it sound.  They are in 3rd and 4th grade I think--so maybe that is normal when your kids are that age.   But they just appear all the time, usually just before dinner, or every sunday when we like to spend time with family...(you get the idea).   Honestly, I don't think Rachel even considers them very good friends, because I have heard her tell them many times that she doesn't want to play when they ask and sends them away.  (is it bad that when she does I am usually thinking "hip hip horray!)  But on a day when she is bored and they stop by she is happy to have someone wanting to play with her and she invites them in...and inevitably I get crankier. 

A while back they thought it would be a great idea to tie jump ropes to a coat rack that was hanging on her wall, to make a fort, which caused the coat rack to be ripped from the wall and holes left in it's place.

One day they brought "back" one of our brand new games and left it hanging on my car door since we weren't home.  I was happy they brought it back, but annoyed they had taken it in the first place.  Okay-Rachel may have given them permission to 'borrow' it, but she doesn't offer it up willingly, it is only after they keep asking "Can I borrow this? Can I take this home? I'll bring it back.''  And Rachel, being a nice person, says okay.  I mean, every time they come, they are each carrying a large bookbag, perfect for toy snatching.  Now I have to make sure to look at them as they are walking out and ask them nicely to leave any of Rachel's toys here.  (I am all for toy sharing, but only with kids that I trust to return it and usually I am friends with their parents)

Yesterday, one girl brought in a bag of popcorn, an entire bag, she was just carrying it around as her after school snack.  And I look over after the kids go into the playroom, and there is popcorn all over my floor.  (for the record, I did go ask her nicely to come and pick all of them up.) 

Then, I found two otter-pops (popcicles in the plastic wrappers) in the playroom the other day, not only did they take food into the back rooms (again)--which Rachel knows is not allowed, but she also 'forgets' the rules when they are here--but they set them down and forgot about them! Thankfully they were standing upright so they didn't spill even though they were completely melted. 

And, there are certain toys that I put up high in Rachel's closet--in attempt to help her keep her room clean, I decided those would only be allowed out if she asked and we cleaned up the rest of the playroom first.  They are up really high in the closet--like on a second shelf above the where the clothes hang.  And a few times I have gone in there and saw it out, and knowing Rachel can't reach, assumed I had left them out or something.  Only to go in there the other day and see one of the older girls climbing on everything in my closet (a stereo, boxes, and metal shelves) to reach up and drang the toys down.  UGH!!  I mean, I wasn't trying to be mean, I never actually told them, or Rachel, that these toys were banned, it was just implied with the fact that I put them out of reach.

Then yesterday, right after they left I realized a certain American Girl library girl book was missing.  (okay this one is probably not their fault--I have no proof, but this is how I have come to think of these girls.  --Not to mention that we have looked everywhere and still can't find the book, which we know was in Rachel's room right before.

Then just now, I tucked Rachel into bed and looked over and noticed that the shelf I just hung up in her room a few months ago to hold her trophies and tball pictures (also hung intentionally out of reach), was also about to fall down because the top screws had been pulled out of the wall!  Someone had climbed up on Rachel's desk to put their lego structure up on display and pulled on the shelf.  UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More than anything I am annoyed at the person that I become when they are here.  I become mean, and strict, and hovering, and can't wait to send them home.  I like friends, I usually like my daughter's friends.  I mean, she doesn't have any siblings so the only time she gets to play with other kids is when friends come over, so I am usually the first one to call and invite someone to come play.  But these kids I want to ban from my house!  I have tried to make Rachel just go outside and play when they come over, but the weather has been so crappy that I let them come inside because Rach was bored and wanted a friend to play with.  I am a fun mom, and fun moms don't ban kids from their house...do they? 

Am I overreacting? Do I just need to lay down the ground rules for my house...again?  Do I need to post signs in the play room:  NO FOOD ALLOWED!  TOYS ON TOP SHELF ARE OFF LIMITS! NO CLIMBING ON FURNITURE! 

I also don't know if it is just these kids, or more the fact that they are older than my own kid.  You know, since I haven't had a kid that age yet I don't know how they act or what to expect.  Does anyone else have similar problems?

(okay, taking a deep breath and trying to relax and go to sleep now ;-)

Dog sitting for a day

So a friend of ours lost their dog (a little husky pup) and I found it this weekend. Our friends were out of town for the day so we took care of it until they got back.

We thought it was a great time to practice all of our skills we have learned from watching The Dog Whisperer :) The first time we fed her we realized she had some doggy food aggression issues, she totally snapped at me when I walked by her while she was eating. But after feeding her just two more times we successfully got her to calm down--to where even Rachel could feed her. YAY! (I was, however, unable to break her of the habit of thinking that my arm was a chew toy).   Here is Rachel waiting patiently for the dog to be calm and look her in the eye before she gives her the food.

Here is Rachel holding the food (and also practicing taking it away a few times) to show the dog that she is the "pack leader"  and that the food is hers, and she is just sharing it with the dog :-)

The family was so happy that we found their dog, they even brought us some flowers to say thank you.

I called them the next day for something else, and before I hung up they asked, "So ....um...have you seen our dog?"  Yea, less than 24 hours they lost it again.  It dug a hole under the fence to escape the first time, not sure how it got out this time. 

Lose your dog once, and I will feel sorry for you and your kids who just barely got a puppy for the first time (especially because their grandpa had just died that week)  and I will help you find it.

Lose it again, in less than a day, and it starts to get old. 

It is a cute puppy, and now I have friends who helped me find it that say they make no promises they won't keep it for theirselves if they see it around this time.  I guess I can't blame them. 

May on the rez

We have had a few days of snow in March and even April...and now in May too.  : (

We are just so anxious for spring...and it is taking forever to get here.

After all this crazy weather (not just snow, but 60mph winds, freezing temps and 50 degree temperature swings up to 75 degrees) was making me wonder if any of my grass seed would even make it.  It was supposed to sprout in about a week, and after about two weeks of watering it I was losing motivation to keep watering dirt.  So I got down on my hands and knees looking for some sign of life. And thankfully I found some! Wahoo! So these pics are from a few days later when the grass was actually visible.   

So I may not have the perfectly filled suburban lawn, but there is signs of life in my front yard, and I even saw a butterfly two days in a row.  Sweet!

I started all of these seeds after I went to Phoenix in February and saw spring starting there.  I knew it was way too early to plant here, so I started some seeds inside assuming I could transplant them in a few weeks, or months. But with the bad weather, here they remain, 3 months later.

here is a closeup--some of these cosmo flowers are actually starting to bloom.  :-)

In all of these larger pots I have tomatoes, peppers, and in the font there is cilantro and basil.

So if nothing else, here is proof that I can keep plants alive, and if they die later,

 it is all the weather's fault.  :-)  I actually wish I could keep them in this protected little space forever.

I would rather...

I would rather...clean the house than.... make dinner.
I would rather wash 5 loads of laundy than  fold and put away one load.
I would rather spend ten hours in the car over a weekend to do something fun than sit at home, inside, bored.
I would rather buy something used at a bargain price than pay full-price for it new. 
I would rather shop for running shoes than for high heels. 
I would rather sleep in an extra hour and a half, than wash my hair every day and have to dry and style it. 
I would rather eat at home, than eat at fast-food-burger restaurants.  (usually)
I would rather pay money to take a class, or work somewhere for free, than sit at home most days.
I would rather eat waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast than bacon and eggs.
I would rather play a fun game after dinner, or go for a walk, than clean up the dishes.
I would rather run 3 miles than do yoga.
I would rather clean for 3 hours, once a week, than clean for 15 minutes every day.
I would rather have laser hair treatments, than get a boob job.
I would rather have a huge jetted bathtub, than have a 3,000 sq foot house.
I would rather babysit someone's kids, than volunteer to take them a meal.
I would rather have to water grass seed every hour, than look at just plain old dirt any longer.
I would rather got to a drive in movie than go to a fancy restaurant on a date.
I would rather spend money on trips to see friends, than buy the latest technology (aka-an ipod, or a phone that works. :-)

Here are some of mine...I would love to hear some of yours.  If you post some on your page, leave a comment so I can come read them. 

Quotes from Rachel

"I just finished this whole book! (Arthur--10 chapters long) This is the happiest day of my life!"

"My first dream is to be a singer, on stage.  My second dream is to be a cheerleader. "

Rachel flips the tv on every time I turn around.  When she walks in from school, when we get home from church.  When she wakes up in the morning...you get the idea.  So most days I spend a lot of time saying "Rach, turn off the tv." but on the days when I am sick of sounding like a broken record sometimes I give up (even though I know I should stick to it, usually it is on a day when it is miserable outside so I can't really blame her, even know I know she could  come up with other things to do inside.)    But today when we got home from church and she flipped it on, I stuck to my guns.  It was a great day outside and I told her to turn it off, and it will stay off all afternoon.  She made a picnic for us (juice boxes, pepperoni, cheese, and grapes) and we ate in the back yard while basking in the sunshine. 

Then we spent a couple more hours in the front yard.  I sat in a lawnchair flipping through magazines and cutting out the pages of stuff I liked (something that I have been meaning to do, but never get around to it) and she sat in my hammock chair and read books, and I watered my grass every hour (cmon grass--grow!). 

While she can read chapter books, she usually isn't a fan because she doesn't like that they don't have big colorful pictures.--but this last time at the library I made her get all chapter books.  She grabbed a book on her own, and thought sitting in the hammock was so fun she was happy to sit and read chapter after chapter.  It was great!   It is nice for her to learn that you can find ways to enjoy new things --kind of like when  she went jogging with me last week.   I went outside to go jogging and she asked if she could come (I thought she would ride her bike along side me) but when I went outside she was in her sneakers and had my MP3 player (that has some of her music on it) clipped to her shorts. She said she wanted to run with me.  I think having a little running buddy is going to be fun.  I stuck close to home in case she got tired and wanted to stop, but she did pretty well.  She would walk then run a bit, she'd walk a little longer than I wanted to, but when she would run she would run a lot faster than I normally would--so she wasn't always the hold up :-)

My life doesn't always turn out the way I thought it would be, but days like this are a pleasant suprise!

Girls Weekend

Sam is in Phoenix this weekend and Rachel and I stayed behind in Chinle.  First thing on the agenda was to try and make a batch of Penuche.  Penuche is a brown sugar fudge/candy that my Grandma Ellen used to make every time we visited her.  I say try because no one in my family has ever been able to make it ourselves.  Candy making is a science, and apparently, none of us are scientists.  It is supposed to be creamy and smooth and it always turns out grainy, and usually hardens in the pot before we can even pour it out.  But it doesn't stop us from trying to figure it out.  My Grandma didn't intend to keep the recipe a secret--she willingly handed it out, but even with the recipe we didn't know her tips and tricks.  After she passed away it made it even harder.  Maybe about once a year I make an attempt at the recipe, and like I said, I usually end up scraping it with a spoon out of the pot, which is still good, but not the same. 

Until....last night! I googled reciepes online--and while I already had a recipe--some of the comments were extremely helpful.  After reading through many of them that said they had success I tried these tips:

(since I tried all of them, I can't say which one was the crucial miraculous step--so for any of my family reading this--my suggestion is that just try all of them.)

1. Stirred to initially mix sugars and cream  (and added a little pour of extra cream)--but did NOT stir at all once it started boiling.  (comments said stirring too soon will start the crystalization process  too soon and it will go hard and grainy--exactly what mine had been like in the past).
2. Heated to 234 degrees (just before soft ball stage on a candy thermometer)
3. Then, removed from heat and still did not stir until it cooled down to 115 degrees  (as it cooled it seemed very sticky, and grainy--and I had my doubts whether any of my new tips would make a difference--but it worked so at this stage there is still hope :-)   
4. Added vanilla (per original recipe) and also added 1.5 Tablespoons more cream (comments said it would help it to be creamy, and slice easier)
5. Mixed for over 5 minutes with a hand mixer on high.  (My Grandma used to ask my Dad to beat it with a wooden spoon, but it makes your arm sooo tired, and so when someone had success using a hand mixer I definitely wanted to try it.   I bet Rachel that it would go  hard and the beaters would get stuck...but IT WORKED! :-) YIPEE!!   (My grandma's recipe said to beat until the candy loses it's shine, and that didn't happen (a comment said it might not though if you add extra cream.  So I stopped after it had been at least 5 minutes and hoped it would be enough.  It was creamy enough to pour into a pan to cool. 

So I hate to rub it in--but to all of my family--this is a big NEENER NEENER from me and Rachel as we gobble up this entire batch :-)  

Maybe next time I will make a bigger batch so I can mail some to everyone....maybe :-)

 Today was also Opening Day for Rez T-Ball. 

(rachel is in the back on the right).

This year Rachel is playing on the Red Sox--which is pretty awesome. 

I am helping coach, and these little guys needed A LOT of coaching today so I didn't get any any action shots from the game--But Rachel did hit 3 HOME RUNS! WOOOO!

April...so far

We decided to go to Phoenix last minute this past weekend.  My sister and I took our girls to a junior golf clinic.  (This is where I was laying in the grass and feeling like I was in heaven :-)  The exectutive  course near my parents' house has a special program for kids where they attend one ettiquite clinic for $20 and then are given a card which gives them ( + one adult) free golf for the entire summer.  I may come just to roll around in the grass.  It was just so soft...and so green! 

I didn't get out the camera again until it was time for us to head back home, and Rachel's little cousin was so sad.  She gave the biggest, most sincerely sad, pouty lip--but I wasn't able to catch it on camera.  When I tried both girls started being silly, which is cute--just not what I was going for.  Then as we were driving away I looking back and saw her sad little pout again.  I am sorry that both girls are so sad but I am happy that they are so close--as all of Rachel's cousins are the closest thing she's got to siblings. 

March

First day of Spring easter egg hunt

Fun-but not very springy weather (about 40 degrees) hense all of the winter clothing.  So much for sticking around for a picnic :-(

Susan's Run

Sam's parents have started a foundation in Susan's name to benefit other young adults with cancer.  Since Susan was a runner, they started a race as a fundraiser.  Here is Rachel in the Kid's run--she was in the group of kids 6 and under and WON! (as you can't see--the three year olds weren't much competition :-) 

 

Driving to school on March 31st--for documentation purposes.  Snow... really?! The roads were so bad I was still slipping even with the 4WD. 

Quick, Easy, and Yummy Alfredo Sauce

Add Alfredo sauce to the list of items that cannot be purchased in Chinle.  Last night I really wanted to make pasta with alfredo sauce, so I was forced to make it from Scratch.  Here is a recipe that I found and liked:

Ingredients


1/2 cup butter

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 cups milk

6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1.Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Growing up Navajo

So there is a really fascinating book that follows the lives of 4 different Navajo kids as they grew up, some are as young as kindergarten.  The interesting part is the story of how they actually grow up in foster homes off the reservation and in boarding schools.

 Now, there are lots of stories about the mandatory boarding schools where children were sent  (sometimes were kidnapped), and forced to cut their hair and weren't allowed to speak Navajo.  But these are not those schools.  These are programs that the parent's entered into voluntarily.  Sometimes because they were living in impoverished conditions, and they struggled to make sure their kids had food to eat each day.  Sometimes parents saw the opportunity for their kids to have a chance to do better in school.  (there were schools on the rez back then, but familes that lived in outlying areas -the kids would have to walk down long dirt roads to make it to the bus stop, usually early in the morning, and sometimes the bus wouldn't drop them off until dinner time.  At that point they were usually too tired to get any homework done, and even if they weren't, it would be difficult because living in a hogan at night without electricity meant doing homework by candlelight--which usually didn't happen.  And if there was bad weather--snow, rain, mud, or even dust-- then they might not make it to the bus, or the bus might not come, and then they end up missing so many days of school it becomes too hard to catch up that they get held back. 

So basically many of these kids (and for reference this is kids born between approx. 1970-1980)  ended up getting sent to live somewhere else during the school year. 

Some kids were sent on placement.  This was a program run by the Mormon church.  Children had to be baptised into the church to be eligible (so they were at least 8 years old) and these kids were sent to live with Mormon familes in Mesa, Phoenix, Provo and other towns (all at least a 6 hour drive away.)  They called the familes they lived with their foster families and some grew pretty close to these familes, and other kids were bounced around to different families each year.  Most stayed the entire school year, they could come home on Christmas break but they would be so sad when it would be time to go back to school that most of their parents opted to avoid the heartbreak and just wait till summer to bring them home.  Buses would arrive at the beginning of the school year to pick up the kids from the rez and to bring them home for the summer.  One of the older boys remembers one trip where they were on the bus up to Provo when some of the first-timers decided they were too home sick and didn't want to go anymore.  When the bus made it's first stop the young kids snuck off the bus and found a spot to try and hitch hike a ride back to Chinle.  The other kids on the bus covered for them until they were sure they had gotten in a care and were far enough away that the adults would just let them go. 

One little girl grew attended boarding schools (on and off the rez) for K-12.   She was in kindergarten when she goes to her first boarding school.  She is happy--though she remembers wishing her mom had let her go on placement like her older cousins.  Despite this, she liked the boarding school, everyone was nice, she shared a room with two bunk beds with 3 others girls, she got a lot of food to eat each day.   There was one dorm mate (kind of like an RA in a dorm) that slept on their floor and was the grown up in charge.  The teachers were all Navajo and there were even older ladies that reminded them of their grandmothers.  She was closer to home, so she was sometimes able to come home on weekends. 


So about the title of this book.   I will let you know what it is called...if I ever get around to writing it.  

These are the stories of some of the friends I have made while living here.  The little girl who went to boarding school is my lab partner--just two years older than me.  When she told me she went to boarding school at age 5 I was speechless at first, and then I couldn't stop asking questions--I wanted to know what it was like.  I just kept picturing my little girl on her first day of kindergarten, braided pig tails in her hair and a pink princess backpack, hoping she wouldn't miss me too much now that she was in school full-day.  I can't imagine sending my little baby away at such a young age.  Maybe for high school, junior high would be pushing it--but no way--not for my little 5 year old! :-)  

The part that fascinates me is the way that they made it work.  The way that the kids enjoyed the experience (most of the time).  Because of how things were at home, how the new living conditions were an improvement.  The Mormon church is so big on families--at first I didn't understand how they could run a program that separated young kids from their parents--but I can see how in many cases the church did in fact have the families' best interests at heart.  They made it easier for the kids to get an education, and to have access to three meals a day.  In some cases, it made it easier for the parents to find work and earn a living  (one child's parents traveled around as migrant farm workers while he was on placement.) 

Anyway--thanks for reading this very long post --and seeing a glimpse of the thoughts floating around in my head.  Sometimes I wonder if it is only interesting to me, because I am here.  So I would love to hear what you think.  Writing a book like this would be a lot of work, but it could be the type that could record a part of the navajo history, educational for those of us who lived elsewhere off in our own little world,  and interesting story when written through the eyes of these little kids. 

Spring Break

I went to Phoenix for a few days during my Spring break...but I forgot my camera so no pictures, but here is how I spent my time

• Spend the 5 hour drive with Rachel--singing along to the new CD we burned for the trip (half my songs, and half music she would like (Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Taylor Swift)  I have to admit--I like "Party in the USA" it is quite a catchy tune. :-)
• Stopped by to say hi to my dad for his birthday and went out to ice cream with him and his friends (even got to see Ben--an old friend from high school )
• Drove back to the east valley to meet up with Sam at our house.  Woke up at 5:30am when Sam got in the shower --apparently the shower also woke up our 3 year old  niece Jamie because shortly thereafter she was jiggling the bathroom door handle and yelling "Rachel! are you in there?! Rachel! I want to see you!"    lol --she LOVES her cousin Rachel and always knows when we are going to be there in the morning. 
• Got my hair cut and added some highlights--to lighten things up for summer (lol--like how I am already thinking of summer when it isn't even spring yet? )  I LOVE getting my hair washed and styled.  A nice  head massage, and a break from having to style my hair, and a chance to see it look amazing--way better than I can ever get it to look :-) --Thanks Nikki!
• Went out to dinner with friends.  I had planned to take Sam out to a romantic restaurant for our anniversary...but when I heard about some friends that were going out to dinner  (and was positive I could get myself invited) I decided to go for that instead--I mean...Sam and I spend a LOT of time with each other--and the main thing I wanted was to go out with 'adults only'--so this outing still qualified and it was fun.  I would say the funniest part of the night was while we were eating.  They assigned us a booth in the shape of a semi-circle and we sat down with the 3 guys next to each other--and then us 3 girls next to each other on the other side--after all, you don't go out to dinner with friends just to sit by and talk with your spouse.  It made sense to us--the girls wanted to catch up, and so did the boys.  Anyway, it made sense to us--but when the Waitress walked up she just stared, was speechless for a minute--totally confused! lol
• Saturday morning--Heidi and I left the house early hoping to find a few yard sales--and we hit the JACKPOT!  A fancy neighborhood a few blocks away was having a neighborhood sale.  We both got tons of fun stuff--and I even took three different trips to make room for 4 new chairs to lounge in by the pool. 
• Saturday--spent the afternoon doing yard work.  Lame I know.  on vacation and doing yardwork.  Something about it actually sounded like fun--the part where I got to be out in the sunshine and use the leaf blower to clean up the mess that all of the storms had made, making my yard look pretty so whenever I actually get to sit by the pool in my new chairs it would be pretty.  The part where I actually had to clean up all the leaves ---not so much fun. 
• Shopped at Target, IKEA, some consignment stores
• On Sunday Sam came home, and I spent the next few days in Glendale with my family
• Played a great game of Monopoly---there is something soo fun about playing speed monopoly--where a person misses their chance to collect rent if they don't ask for it before the next person rolls. 
• Made an easter craft with my sister

It did give me a little bit of Spring Fever--even though it was actually rainly while we were there, grass was green, and flowers were growing.  And the first day back in Chinle--I woke up to this:

More snow.  I guess it is going to be a while before I can lay out in my swim suit.  

Sing down the Moon

I wanted to read this book because it is based around Navajos living in the Canyon de Chelly which is right here where I live.  I enjoyed it, even though it was meant for 4th graders. :-)  I have read other books by this author and remembered liking them, and since it was also based on historial information I learned a few things too.  I wanted toread it aloud to Rachel--but I am glad I didn't.  First of all I don't think it would have been interesting to her, but also -it included a few things that I am not sure I am ready for her to hear about yet.  (being kidnapped and taken from your home.)  I do want her to learn about history...but I would like to keep her innocence a little while longer.

What's your passion?!

That is the question of the day.  But just to be clear--I am not the one asking...more like--I am the one who is going to slap the next person who asks me that in the face with a nice whipped cream pie.  :-)

So I just got done talking with a friend of mine who is a pharmacist.  I was quizing her on the 'life of a pharmacist' and she was quizing me on why I want to be a pharmacist.  I explained how I don't know for a fact that this is what I want to do--but right now it sounds appealing so I am pursuing it.  She told me what it is like, and that for the most part she likes it, but honestly what she really wants is something more like my life --what? crazy huh? lol (more free time, out of the daily grind of work--I get that).  So I asked her  'What would you do if you were me? What do you wish you had time for, but don't?'  And what I interpreted her answers to mean--were her hobbies.  When you work full time you miss having time to scrapbook, read, garden, learn farming (in her case :-)  etc, etc.  But when you are home all day --and your only child is in school all day --you don't want your daily/life accomplishments to be those hobbies.  Is scrapbooking fun? YES! Do I want it to be the most important/only thing (other than the chores) I accomplished? no.  (not to mention you have to have an interesting life so that you have something fun to scrapbook --right?)

This just further solidified my theory that working part-time would be ideal.  Have your cake and eat it too! Right!  Anyway, after talking to her-and saying everything out loud, here are some things that became more clear:

Reasons why Pharmacy sounds appealing:

• getting to work towards a new goal--one that will be hard, but very fulfilling once it is complete
• get to have the feeling of moving forward
• just getting to learn new things:  In college, and in High school... and in elementary school--I loved learning.  I was the kid in first grade who had fun reading 100 books just to earn a plastic plaque, I was one of those kids who left class during math and reading to go to the gifted program--and got actual enjoyment out of how many hard books I could read, or how much math homework I could do.  I was one of the kids known as "GG" (goddy-goody) I did all my homework--and got straight A's--so sue me. :-) I was one of those college students at ASU on a full academic scholarship, graduated with honors in just 3 and a half years.  Basically --all I am saying is that I like learning, and that I am good at it--so maybe I should stick with it -eh?   (ps--for the record--I did not feel this way right after I finished at ASU,  but now I have had a break, and had a chance to miss it, and got the desire to 'just be a mom and have kids' out of my system...sort of :-)
• being social  (okay--so maybe it is worse here...but honestly even in Boston and Phoenix there were times that it was just me and Rachel most days and maybe I would talk to a few other adults.)
• after graduation--being able to make enough part-time that you don't have to work full time--therefore having the money--and also the time --to do fun stuff--travel, scrapbook, etc

Are there other things that could fulfill the above requirements...without having to go to four more years of difficult school and taking out a ton more in student loans?   (maybe...I think I hope so--but I haven't found it yet--and I want to do something!)  Here are the alternatives I have thought of:

• gardening/scrapbooking/reading/traveling---fun for a little while, and fills the time, but isn't fulfilling --(See comments above)  and I don't want to be the person who just sits at home spending money while my husband is working hard making the money.  (not that I spend that much money, or that I am the only one spending money, or that I don't contribute at all financially)--but it just seems wrong--and it's not who I want to be.  (hmm...maybe it would be nice if I could just sit at home and enjoy it huh? :-)
• some at-home-business idea--usually the type of money made makes it more of a hobby than a job.  And I also miss the social part--I don't have to be at home--so I would rather be out 'there' (in the world)--Honestly talking to my friends is usually one of the highlights of my day.  (Thanks Julie! :-)
• change careers by going to a technical college (dental hygiene, ultrasound technician...) Less cost, and less time in school...but I feel like I am moving backwards, and that my bachelor's would be pointless. Sure--learning is never pointless...but that is how I would feel.  Not to mention the pay isn't very much--so unless it was something that I LOVE and am passionate about...(more on that later)   then working would be pretty pointless--as in just the same way it is now.
• teaching--I miss socializing with adults, not kids.  And after volunteering in Rachel's class I saw very quickly how being tapped on the leg/arm and hearing "mom, mom, mom" is multiplied by about 24 as a teacher--and I am not sure I can--nor want to--handle that.  Justified by reiterating that I said I love learning...not  teaching. :-)  Maybe teaching high school/college would be different but not interested in either of those right now.

And back to the question of What is my Passion???  That is a tough one--and when some things you enjoy don't fall in a precise category (a sport, a craft, a past-time) then I question whether in fact it counts.  But here are a few of my newly justified passions/hobbies:

• Running  (only when it's sunny, and I have music to listen to) 
• Scrapbooking/blogging/journaling--I have a bad memory--anything not written down, i forget.  Just writing it down--whether or not I look at it again--helps me to remember it.  And I definitely don't want to forget any of my happiest times so I try to make sure they are all documented.
• memory making--the hobby of doing things just because they would make a good memory/entry on my blog/page in my scrapbook.  Hey--it's true, I am not afraid to admit it--and calling it a hobby justifies it and encourages me to get out there and do more stuff and try new things.
• thrift store shopping--the thrill of the search and the thrill of not just finding something amazing--but finding it super cheap!
• reading
• Basking in the sun shine  (whether it be curling up by a window inside the house during the winter to pretend it is warmer than it is, laying out to get a tan, sitting in my hammock chair reading a book by my garden, sitting in my car reading a book between classes with the sun shining on me through the window--anything is better in the sun).

As for the question--do I think you should choose a career that is "Your Passion" ??   My conclusion is that if you can make a living doing something that you love--great! then DO IT!  (ie: you have the voice of a rockstar and the desire to live on the road, or you LOVE doing makeovers and having your own salon is your dream come true, get the idea?).  But it doesn't always work that way.  And, if you can't, (or making a career out of your passion would ruin the fun of it), then find a career that makes it easier to do the things you love in your free time.  As in, find a job with a paycheck that will pay for your expensive hobby, or choose a career that has a slow winter season so you will be able to take lots of time off to go skiing, or choose a career that pays more so you can work less and have more time to sit at home and read books, lay out in the sunshine, and go shopping! 

That is my passion--and I intend to find SOMETHING that will make it happen 

(all while making me feel smart and useful --rather than just a laxzy bum who gets to do all those things already :-)

Ratings for books

Have you ever wished books had a rating like movies do?  After seeing previews for a cute movie called "Tales of Desperoux" about a brave little mouse.   I picked up the book and started reading--only to be APPALLED by the content.  The little girl in the story was sold by her father for a pack of cigarettes and grew up with her "uncle" (the man who bought her.)  He beat her so often that her ears were permanantly swollen.  Later on the girl teams up with a rat to kill the princess so she can take her place. 

 I was snuggled up with Rachel in the bed and she was so excited for me to be reading this book (she had seen the movie preview as well)  that I didn't want to ruin the moment--so when I saw the words coming I changed them as I read aloud and left a lot of stuff out.  I would never had read this book to my five year old if I had know what it included in the story.  And I definitely didn't go see the movie--though I hope that they had the decency to exclude all of that stuff. 

Well, today I learned something interesting--that there is a Web Site that does just that for children's books, movies and tv shows.  They are partnered with Barnes and Nobel (and possibly other places too) so the reviews can be found on their site--or they appear when you search for the book on Barnes and Nobel.  It gives a suggested age for the reader (your child) and then further rates on a scale whether sensitive topics are mentioned:  sex, violence, language, consumerism, drinking drugs and smoking. 

I have been looking for fun chapter books to read with Rachel--and I was happy when I found a children's book by Meg Cabot--one of my favorite authors.  I just typed it into the site and was told that:

•  it is age appropriate for ages 8 and up  (questionable since Rachel is only 6--so I kept reading)
• the only questionable topics are consumerism--and it was given a mild rating: it mentions bratz dolls, and polly pocket

 I was curious how reliable the ratings are--so I typed in Tales of Desperoux and was told it was also appropriate for ages 8 and up  what?!  And only slightly mentioned the little girl who is beat by her uncle under the violence section.    So it isn't perfect--but in the ratings it appears to give parents a little bit of the need to know information--for those of us who don't want to read entire books to see if we approve them for our kids. 

So take a look-look up a book you know or a tv show and see what it says--I would love to hear some more feedback on what you find.

Salt Lake Trip

Last weekend we were able to make a quick trip to Salt Lake.  It was a pleasant suprise to find that it is only six and a half hours away.  Sam planned the trip to meet up with and ski with a friend, and I insisted on tagging along.  Even though I had to ditch class to pull it off--it was totally worth it!  I hadn't seen Kim in over a year and a half and I wasn't about to sit at home while Sam stayed at her house. 

We went shopping,went out to lunch, exchanged books, and we even invited ourselves over to my friend Kirsten's house.  I apologize to everyone else who lives in Salt Lake--there are now so many of you up there it would have been impossible to try and see everyone on this trip--but maybe now that I know its only about 6 hours to drive maybe I will make the trip again--but hey--the road goes both ways--and you are all welcome on the rez anytime :-)

Savanah and Rachel become best friends. 

These two slept in the same room each night--and they actually slept (which is more than I can say for each time sleepovers are attempted with cousins--those nights have all ended in kids crying, one kid wants the door open, one kid wants it closed, another wants the light on, the other doesn't...you get the idea.)  But these two did great.  And Rachel loved Savanah...and her toys.  Barbies (with all the tiny accessories that mom doesn't let her buy) and ponies (with their own castle) and play kitchens--she was in Heaven. 

The one picture I wish i would have taken was of Rachel pouting at Kim's parents' house.  Kim and I were going to go shopping and so we had planned to drop Kim's 3 month old off with the grandparents and we could shop without lugging the infant car seat everywhere.  Once Rachel got word where we were headed she was not happy.  We got out of the car at their house and Rachel told me she wanted to stay there.  I said "First of all, you don't even know them, second of all you haven't been invited.  You and Savanah are coming with us we are just dropping off the baby." She pouted and refused to move.  Which I ignored and walked inside.  A few minutes later Kim's dad came in wondering what was wrong with Rachel--apparently she still hadn't moved lol!   I just think it was funny that despite the fact that we were at a strangers house  (okay--she knew that I knew them, but she is usually shy around people she doesn't know)  she was throwing this fit to stay at their house--mostly because of how much she despises shopping.  That's right--she hates it.  Grocery shopping you name it.  Unless she is at claires spending her own money on frilly girly things--she is miserable to take into a store.   She definitely got that from Sam, not from me :-)   Thankfully, her love of wearing skirts and dresses, makeup, and getting her nails done --makes up for this lack of a shopping gene.