Subsiding the Craziness

Doug, my thoughtful, brilliant husband, came up with a great idea for the kids. Now, I know a lot of you already use this method, but I'm hoping that it actually WORKS this time for us. He knows how crazy stressed I am right now. Well, it comes and goes. However, because he is who he is, he wants to help minimize it. The Blessed, blessed man.

Now, you have to understand that I'm feeling slightly out of control with the kids. Mornings are nuts with getting the girls ready for school, and in particular Brittnee. I swear, this child has her own time zone, and it in NO WAY coincides with the rest of the planet. Plus, it takes forever, and I mean that literally, to get her homework done. It makes me batty!!!!! There cannot be enough explanation points after that statement. Plus, the boys are getting older and are requiring more boundaries because they'll just run all over me and not stop to think about it. So to please everyone, and to make this a win-win for all involved, Doug came up with an incentive that we'll present to the kids tonight during FHE.

The idea is to help de-stress not only my life, but the girls' as well. And the boys, but their problem is just being obedient. Brittnee needs to de-stress. She bottles up her stress and it comes out in cold sores. I always know she's having a hard time when she breaks out. Teaghan's just really on the ball most of the time. Sometimes she makes me want to pull my hair out when she's in a mood. But the mood I'm referring to is the "I'm a crazy pre-teen who wants to flit around, tease everyone, and then laugh about it." She likes to dance around and sing at the top of her lungs and crack jokes. Then she pulls her sister into it, who really doesn't need a reason to act crazy, and then I've got the both of them going at it. It just gets really loud, and they tune us out when we try to talk to them. This is so much fun to experience right now.

My dad's theory is that if Mom is happy, then EVERYONE is happy too. Keep mom happy, and the rest of the family doesn't have to walk on eggshells. Perhaps Doug, after 13 years of marriage, has figured this one out too!

Here's the plan: We're going to give the kids beans to put in their own individual jars for anything that Doug and I want to correct- aka the crap they dish out that we don't like. They'll accumulate these beans over time and then they'll be able to purchase items in our "Store." Items will include: Jamba Juice gift cards, Starbucks gift cards (for Frapaccino's people!), pedicures, match box cars, Wii games, candy, Claire's gift cards, toys, etc. They can save up and buy the expensive stuff, or they can buy the small stuff. This not only teaches them that good behavior pays off, but how to manage money as well. See, he's brilliant. Anyway, I'm super excited to start it and hopefully it will help us all get along better.

Cross my fingers!

Christmas 2008

Wow, 2008 is over. It came, it conquered, and then it left. What in the world did I accomplish last year?!

Well, my children are still alive, so I guess all the many, MANY meals that I cooked actually made SOME difference. The dental work for Andon is done and paid for, another year of school started, and everyone is happy and healthy.

What did I do for myself? Hmmm.....not sure.

For FHE we decided to work on MONTHLY goals, vs YEARLY goals. It's so easy to get burn out when you're facing 12 months. Plus, the kids just can't think that far in advance. If we can get through the week we're good. (We function on a week to week basis here at the Bassett house. My brain can't handle the overload that even a week and a half provides.) So the kids picked out what they wanted to do for the month of January, and then the first week in February we'll reevaluate and see what we need to change or keep. This seems to be the easiest for me and Doug as well. (Cross my fingers it works.)

I'm not nearly up on my blogging as I used to be, but I'm finding the time this morning. I thought I'd share a few pics from our christmas and trip to Utah.

So here goes:


Both her and Teaghan got necklaces with the beginning initial of their names. They got two cause Grandma bought one and Santa brought another. I suppose Santa and Grandma oughtta coordinate better next year:(


Britt got Kids Bop 14 which she was super excited about. The girl LOVES music. She's building up quite her own CD collection. As she gets older I may need to start getting her good teen church music. Right now her collection consists of High School musical soundtracks, Camp Rock Soundtracks, a couple disney cd's sung by popular artists, and a couple of kids bop cd's. Good music. Let's hope it stays that way.



This is a picture of my boys and their cousin Treven. As you can see, the nudist colony is STILL healthy and thriving. For winter time Doug and I have said that the boys have to have at least a pair of pants or a shirt on at ALL times. We don't care if they take off their shirt, as long as they keep their pants on. It was a fight initially, after the summer was over and they were allowed to strip down to their skivies in the afternoon, but we held firm, Doug and I. So needless to say, when Treven is over, he takes his shirt off too. Boys will be boys. I have to say that there have been times that I wish I was one so that I could take my shirt off and not shock the neighbors. But alas, such is not the case. But thank heavens cause who wants to have boy parts? Know what I mean???



This is my adorable niece Maycie. I wish they were planning on living in california for the next five years because I want to use her as my guinea pig when I need to learn something about my camera. I love taking toddler photos!!



More pictures of the nudists. Wouldn't it be funny, 10 years from now and they're still not wearing shirts? That day may have to be documented and put on my wall, ready for the use of blackmail as a coercion tactic when they're teenagers.



The girls are opening gifts. Note the little tree at the top: that wasn't our christmas tree, but now that I'm looking at it I realize that I didn't get a photo of the tree. Why in the world not??!!? It was absolutely gorgeous! It was the best tree we've ever had, and we've been married 13 years. Why in the world did I not get a picture???? Oh, how I lament.

It really was quite the tree.

Anyway....



Archie loved the wrapping paper. However, he didn't like the fracas of all the UNwrapping. Too loud I suppose, cause it really was a free for all.



You may be wondering why we got silverware for Christmas. No? Oh well. You can just skip to the next picture while I explain. Doug's mom lived with us the last couple of months while she was trying to sell her house, and one day she heard me complain about how I am always buying spoons but we NEVER, and I mean NEVER, have any. This went on for months. I would buy some, cheap though they were, and they would turn up missing. It became the joke around meal times to see if we could actually get enough spoons to feed everyone. The joke became very poignant particularly when we had soup for dinner.
So guess what she got us for Christmas? Yep. Silverware. Sweet, blessed silverware. One can never have too many. In fact, it's such nice silverware, that the drawer that it all sits in is very heavy. Oh how I love it!

I guess I should've warned you at the top. This post is turning out to be fairly long.

We went to Utah this christmas to see my family. We stayed with my sister. The kids couldn't wait to wake up and play in the snow in the backyard. Andon didn't think it was going to be that cold. He came in afterward complaining that his pants were wet. Go figure.






This was Zak's first time seeing snow. We got smart after Andon's complaint of wet pants and put bibs on Zak. He wasn't sure what to do with the snow once he got out there.


"You want me to lay down in this? Are you crazy?"


"Yes, see... watch us. It's fun!"


One of the days we were in Utah we took the kids down to temple square and over to the conference center. We've been inside before but had never taken a tour. It was very interesting hearing all the data about the building. It was quite the undertaking, especially when Pres Hinckley asked if they could get it done in just three years, so that he could be alive to see it completed. And they did! The view from parts of the building was spectacular!



One of the things in the Conference Center is this miniature waterfall. Children toss their coins in the fountain and then the people who work there gather it up and give it back to the church. I wish I could remember the amount she said gets collected, but I've never been one for retaining facts. I suppose that's why I suck at trivial pursuit. Anyway, it was a rather large number because I remember being astonished that that much money is pulled out of this little fountain. So Brittnee tossed in coin. I don't know if she made a wish or not. One can't ask those things you know- the wish won't come true:(



Doug and I got married in the Salt Lake Temple, and we took one of our wedding portraits right here. We thought it was only fitting that we get one of the kids in the exact same spot. This picture has become a reminder for me what two people can create. Here Doug and I started out, just the two of us, and 13 years later we have this little family. Absolutely amazing!



Did you notice the girls with no coats? I'm practically freezing to death taking the photo and the girls don't have coats. (Neither does Doug, but you can't see him.)
Are we from California or what? "Coats? What are coats? We don't know what those are. We have no use for those."

We took the kids to see the Joseph Smith movie in the Legacy Theatre. It was sooooo good!! I fought tears the entire time! The girls came out of it crying as well, but Brittnee in particular was quite touched by it. She came home and on her wall, put up pictures that she'd pulled from the Ensign of the First Presidency, along with numerous other church pictures. She wrote on one of the pictures with permanent marker that says, "Stand up for Yourself." She told me that Joseph Smith stood up for what he believed in and we should too. I'm slowly getting it that Brittnee is a deep thinker, and is actually quite profound at times. I was so moved and touched by her thoughts from this movie. So glad we went!!

All in all, a great Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I hardly ever do family photos at Christmas. I don't know why, other than I just get too busy and never think of sending them. That is, until I get all of your cute christmas cards. My refrigerator is covered with them! So I started feeling slightly guilty and decided that since it was too late, I would just post a picture on my blog. That way, those of you who have sent me cards can have one in return.

So just imagine this picture coming to your mailbox. It's sort of the same, right?



MERRY CHRISTMAS!
love,

The Bassett Family








Here are some of our outakes I thought were cute:

I LOVE ME A GOOD FUNNY!

I got this a while ago in an email, but then Doug came across it the other day. It's called "Charlie bit my Finger." It's so incredibly funny!!! I don't know if it's the british accent, or how laid back the older brother is. Actually, what I think it is, is the baby. His timing is impeccable!!! If you haven't seen this, you have to watch it- it will brighten your day!!!
(For some reason this particular video doesn't post to Blogger, or I just can't figure out how to do it, so you'll have to just click on the link.)

Charlie bit my Finger

Journal Jar Prattle #3

I had an hour to do absolutely NOTHING (WOW- I know) and decided that I would write about something from my Journal Jar. So I took the jar off my dresser, dusted it off cause even the paper inside was dusty. (This tells you how long I haven't touched the thing). I look inside and see Starburst wrappers. Apparently someone thought it was a mini garbage can. Oh the wonder of a child's mind. Someday I'll write about it.
Maybe....Someday....

Here's the question: What regrets do you have about your life? Why?

Well, regrets are easy to write about. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe because hindsight is 20/20. Or maybe because it's easier to see one's life with the should have/could have's. Either way, I have just a few, which I suppose is better than having too many. Though I'm not about to list them all for you. One has to have some anonymity. Full disclosure is only good at certain times. (wink)

In high school I was fairly quiet, at least to those who didn't know me. However,if you knew me and we hung out, you would never think this. I was too concerned with being perfect- acting perfect, looking perfect, that I think I missed out on a lot of great relationships. Especially one with myself. Maybe this is why I like the movie "Never Been Kissed" because she gets a second chance to go back to high school, but undercover. She gets to redo the awful experience that she had when she was actually IN high school. Granted, I never was picked on or had a bad experience, I just didn't live it to the fullest. I guess that's the regret- that I didn't live my life to its fullest in my youth.

If I could go back, I wouldn't be so concerned with what others thought and just had fun. The irony is, when you're being yourself, and not what you think others want you to be, people gravitate toward you. THAT'S when you come to learn about yourself. That's what makes people like you. When you're genuinely you. So to sum it up, I wish I could go back and be 'genuinely me.' Though now that I'm thinking about it, maybe those experiences that I've had since high school are the ones that have made me who I am today. I suppose that I would like to be the person I am now back when I was younger. I think I would have had so much more fun! But we can only be who we are at THAT particular time. All the experiences and happenings that we've had up to that time make us who we are, AT THAT TIME. Maybe it's a good thing we can't go back. I might be prone to kick a couple of butts! So kudos to those of you who were genuine yourselves in your youth. I bet you had lots of friends! And really, that's what it's all about.

I also wouldn't have left one of my dates on my doorstep stunned. He had leaned in to kiss me, but I SOOO didn't want him to and so I grabbed the door knob behind me with the hand that was behind my back and practically fell into my house! I bid him goodnight and shut the door. I peeked through the peephole to see if he was still there, and HE WAS. Staring at the door with this stunned look on his face like "I can't believe that just happened to me." Needless to say, he avoided me like the plague for WEEKS. I did feel really bad, but what could I say that would make it better? "Look dude, I just didn't feel like pressing my lips to yours, especially after you were so handsy during the haunted house?" Yeah, like that would've helped his ego heal! Anyway, he kept tabs on my via my sister, who came to be very annoyed after some time. In his defense though, he really was a great guy. There were a couple of other girls that wanted to date him, but there just wasn't any chemistry after the 2nd date on my part. A girl should never lead a guy on right? I was just doing him a favor right?

Irregardless, I do still feel bad about that. I suppose I could've ended the date better, but really..I was seventeen. I wasn't all that with it then. See, that's why I would love to go back now! What perspective I would have! What incisiveness I would exhibit! Of course, the guys would all avoid me like the plague as I would most likely be lecturing them that they really should not kiss a girl on the second date. I know my girls will NEVER do such a thing. NEVER.

Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes!

Last Friday was the Single Adult Jingle Bell Ball, in which I delivered 10 large pans of Au Gratin potatoes. As I was loading them in the car, I was trying to be so careful how I placed them because I didn't want spillage. What I should've done was lay something on the floor of my car IN CASE of spillage.

Duh.

After I dropped it all off I noticed that there was some spills, but nothing major, due to my cursory inspection. If you've read the last post, this was the night Doug and I were doing our christmas shopping, so needless to say, I wanted to get home! Thus the quick perusal of any spillage in my car. Plus it was dark. One just can't see a whole heck of a lot in the dark. (Yes I said heck. Yes, I grew up in Utah.)

Doug and I did our shopping till late at night (thanks Meems and Tucker!!!)and then the following day we had plans to get our Christmas tree. As we loaded into the car, excited about our christmas tree prospects, the assaulting aroma of Au Gratin potatoes hit our noses. Whewww! It was like I'd just baked potatoes in my car! It was that strong. I thought, "oh, don't worry about it. The smell will be gone by the end of the day." I did try to clean up the few spills that I caught before we left. However, I may have missed some. We took Archie along with us. For some reason he was fascinated with the undercarriage of the driver's seat. Apparently there was more of a spillage than I thought. (grimace)

So now, everytime I get in my car, the Au Gratin smell is as strong as ever. It hasn't even dissapated. AT ALL. I'm now afraid that the Au Gratin is going to turn into the AU ROTTEN. Doesn't food spoil? Even if it is just a spill? Okay, a rather LARGE spill?

I have taken to rolling my windows down while my car is parked in the garage cause it's just too overwhelming to climb in with the smell so strong.

Years ago, and I mean YEARS AGO, when I was a teenager, my family took a vacation down to Southern California. We visited Mexico and brought back some vanilla. En route home, one of the bottles cracked and the vanilla slowly seeped into the upholstery of the car. Sort of like a built in air freshener. It smelled like vanilla for years! I kid you not. I think if I was to smell the car now, cause they still have it, it would still smell like vanilla. The reason I tell this tiny little story is that I'm afraid of the same thing happening to my car. Unfortunately it won't be the nice smell of vanilla but the rotten smell of Au Gratin potatoes. The dehydrated kind no less!

I suppose I'll just have to get it professionally cleaned. But even then I'm not real hopeful.

Oh the woes of a Relief Society President.

The "Funny Farm"

The "Funny Farm" has been a long used term in my family growing up. My mother would often use this expression when she was stressed, overworked, and just plain tired. I never really understood the FULL measure of this expression until lately. The Funny Farm has a new resident, and that resident is me, and I may be taking up permanent residence for the next couple of weeks. Well, maybe more like months. Or really, maybe more like until the day that I've officially "exited" this calling. Yah, maybe more like the latter.

Luckily, tonight Doug and I are FINALLY going to do some much needed Christmas shopping for our little family. So after I run 12 pans of potatoes to the stake center tonight (don't ask me how I'm going to get 12, count them...12, BIG OLE pans of potatoes in my car, let alone just getting them into the building) Doug and I will be off to shop. One of my absolute favorite things to do. Shop with my hubby! I love it because he HAS to do it, it is christmas you know. And he HAS to spend money on things that he normally wouldn't. Not that he's a tight wad, though some days I wish one of us was, but he's frugal. Plus it's just plain fun to shop for your kids and other family members! It's just FUN!!!!
And then tomorrow we're getting our christmas tree and complete the christmas decorations that I put up on Monday because I didn't want to wait for the tree.

So for today I think I will vacate the Funny Farm and return to it later tonight. The craziness will resume as normal. But later. Much later.

Smith Photos

I took the Smith's photos on Saturday. They're kids are SO CUTE and SO energetic! Kim, I hope you like the pictures. (I'm crossing my fingers here) I just wanted to share a couple of my favorites, cause unfortunately I can't share ALL of them. I hope you don't mind. (smile)

Saturday Morning

This morning we awoke to some intense fog. I happen to love fog, how it's sort of surreal looking, how it gives a soft glow to everything it touches. There's just something so sweet about "being in the clouds." I was getting geared up to take The Smith's photos and was somewhat dismayed to see the fog, because I wasn't sure we were going to be able to get pictures, but as the morning ticked by and the sun tried to come through, I realized that it might make for some great photos. So I grabbed my camera, jumped in the car, and drove out to where I wanted to shoot some pictures. It was GORGEOUS! Some curious stares coming from the motorists passing by. I suppose one doesn't see someone in their pj's, socks and flip-flops often enough! Fashion no-no I suppose.

I need to figure out how to blow these up larger than blogger allows. It's in my new photoshop software but I have neither the time nor inclination to try to figure it out at the moment. Hopefully you can see how absolutely gorgeous it was this morning. AND I didn't doctor anything!

I just love mother nature!

Play Photo Shoot

This post is primarily for Kim, but you can still look if you want to. I was just going to email them but the attachments were just too big so I am using my blog. Kim asked me to do her family christmas photos and I have a location in mind, but I wanted to see if she would be happy with it, or if she is looking for more color. Anyway, I just took the boys and Brittnee out in whatever they were wearing, so pardon the outfits. (Though I'm not much for spending loads of money on one time outfits. Would if I could however!!!) So these are just little quickie photos I took so you could get the general idea of which direction I would go with your pictures.
So here they are Kim. Let me know what you think. Either email me or leave me a comment. If you want we could do more than one location, if you're looking for more color.
(Just a small side note: I think the fourth picture in of Andon looks so much like the character Lincoln on Prison Break.)