Riley turns one and some random thoughts...

My little Riley is one!!!! She had a great birthday and we had so many family and friends here to celebrate with us. To everyone that came-- a big thank you for sharing the day with us!!! Here are some pics... Hopefully they will upload okay. It is a BIG file. The cake was the highlight for her and us! She was adorable enjoying her own chocolate cake-- she takes after mom.

I finished Wuthering Heights and I have to say it was not one of my favorites. Emily Bronte is a gifted writer, but I don't like her story-- too sad, so much selfishness and Heathcliff takes revenge to a much higher level than just about anyone else I have ever read about. I did read to the end to see if there would be any happiness for Cathy's (Heathcliff's lover) daughter...at least it ends somewhat happy. I know it is one of the masterpieces of the English language, but I prefer to read books that are a little happier with characters that I feel like I can relate to a little more... So, having finished that and longing to go back to the Twilight series, but not wanting to be obsessive I have started another teen book-- The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. It is about a group of ordinary 5th graders who find themselves at the center of a magic war in their town. It is a good book... I don't think it is the caliber of Harry Potter, but an enjoyable read. Brandon Mull has a series out-- Fablehaven-- which is another enjoyable, fast read geared toward younger readers, but I guess I prefer read books that let me stay young at heart!!!!! There are currently 2 books in the series, but the 3rd is coming out in a month. I will keep you updated on any other good book finds I have. And for the next post hopefully in a day or two I will discuss some political stuff I have been dying to vent about... Happy March Madness to all and to all a happy basketball night! (Not that I will be watching--he-he-- all I want is beat my brothers, Ashley and my dad on their brackets!) Go Kansas!

Another good book..

I just read another good book--The Wednesday Letters-- not as good as the Twilight series, but good. It is about love, family, marriage and forgiveness. I think every couple should be required to read this before they marry. And I am still pushing forward with Wuthering Heights and it is getting much better and more interesting-- it took 50 pages, but I am beginning to really feel badly for Heathcliff. I wanted to read Wuthering Heights because of the references that Stephenie Meyer makes about the book in Eclipse. I have read many of the classics so to speak, but not Wuthering Heights... so I will let you know what I think when it is done. I thought I would also make a list of good children's books that I love... We read all the time in our home. I love to hide (just for a little while) in a good book and I want my girls to find the same refuge. So for all of you with kids-- here are some of my favorites in no particular order!!!

1. Charlie and Lola books-- cute books about a brother and sister. British author, so some words that we don't use in American speak, but great books.
2. The Spiderwick Chronicles-- if your little one is scared easily this is not the book series for them, but I read these chapter books with Hannah and Ellie last summer and we LOVED them. We are rereading them now. They are longer, but they have great illustrations for smaller children.
3. Junie B. Jones-- Good for about the same age group as Spiderwick. She is so funny.
4. Fancy Nancy-- Great for any girlie girls ages 3-7.
5. Skippyjon Jones books-- Fun books about a silly kitty and his adventures-- ages 4-8
6. Parts books by Ted Arnold-- good for ages 4-8
7. Diary of a Spider, Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin-- She is a great author and has a ton of fun books.
8. I have not yet found a book that I didn't like by Mercer Meyer for 2-5 year olds. He is a fantastic author for small children. Ellie loves the book There's a Nightmare in my Closet and all the Little Critter books.
9. Anything by Dr. Seuss. I think we own almost every book he ever wrote. My favorite is And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street.
10. The If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series is great for kids ages 2-5.
11. Keiko Kaza is a fun author with great illustrations. A Mother for Choco is great-- you'll love it.
12. Stand Back Said the Elephant I am Going to Sneeze by Patty Thomas-- from my childhood.
13. King Bidgood is in the Bathtub, Silly Sally, The Napping House and The Little Mouse and The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood... These are fun stories with fantastic illustrations. Her husband is an amazing artist... He doesn't illustrate all of her books, but WOW when he does...
14. The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales-- great for kids 4-8 to read with Dad. They are silly remakes of the old fairy tales.
15. Henry and Mudge books-- books about a boy and his dog. My girls love these stories even though they are more geared to little boys. They are also good books for kids learning to read. Ashley says not his favorite, but what does he know.

That is just a beginning. I will have to add more as I think of them. Those are just some of my favorites. Happy reading!!!

Why can't I teach my child...

Last night on the way home from a meeting I listened to a local talk show program amazed and stunned at what I was hearing. The Charlotte Mecklenburg schools want to implement an anti-bullying policy to include specifics such as: race, religion, gender indentity/expression and sexual orientation. Honestly, when I first heard that I thought-- no big deal. Having taught school and witnessing the bullying that can go on first hand I don't think anyone should be bullied for any reason. I have often taught Hannah to go to the aid of the less popular and often picked on students in her class and offer them the hand of love and friendship. I was, however, more concerned when the host went on to describe the current situation in California because policies similiar to the one they are trying to implement in Mecklenburg County were implemented. The policies implemented in school districts in California went on to change state law. To quote from Bob Unruh on WorldNetDaily.com, "The new law demands, 'No teacher shall give instruction nor shall any school district sponsor any activity that promotes a discriminatory bias because of a characteristic [including perceived gender.]' " The article goes on to explain that teachers will not be able to use the terms "mom" and "dad" exclusively when discussing family relationships, because that would be discrimination for children who live with 2 parents of the same sex. (Check out the full article at http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59033.)

This policy in Mecklenburg County could produce the same results. In the current copy of The Rhino Times (available at any Harris Teeter) the front page article more fully explains the future repercussions of this anti-bullying policy. There is currently anti-bullying policy in CMS schools that does not give specifics, but according to the Rhino article, "The national watch-dog group Bully Police USA...gives low grades to anti-bullying policies, rules and laws that are crafted along those lines (meaning naming specific groups)..." So, our current policy is not only sufficient, but better than the new policy that would name specific groups. This is a little alarming considering that if you read on in the WorldNet Daily article you see that parents in record numbers are taking their children out of public schools to homeschool. I don't want to go off on a tangent about that, but California is also brewing about homeschoolers while the uproar from this new law goes on... You can read about a California court's ruling on no homeschooling without credentials at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL. I am glad not to live in California, but how far behind them are we with our current board of education and local school leaders? I don't want a homosexual/transgender agenda taught to my children-- especially my little children. Frankly, I don't want sex taught to my children at all in the schools, because that is my responsibilty and I plan to do a thorough job. To quote from the Proclaimation on the Family that was read in an address by the late prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." I think that just about sums it up.

Tax payer money at work

Our tax dollars at work... He says he is a she and the taxpayers should pay for him to have the necessary treatment and surgery. Why? Because when he was a he, he killed his wife-- in self defense of course-- and is now serving a life sentence. He has been to court several times (hundreds of thousands of dollars I am sure) and lives in prison-- and we owe him! http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/510856.html
Has the whole story... I love my country, but COME ON!!!!!

Thoughts on Motherhood and Service

A friend of my has a "thought of the week" on her blog. I am not talented enough at this blog thing to figure out how to put that on the side bar of my main blog, so I am just going to post one of my favorite quotes about motherhood and service. The quote is by Neal A. Maxwell, who passed away almost 2 years ago and was an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For those of you who don't know, we as Latter Day Saints believe in modern day prophets and apostles like the church that Christ established in the New Testament.
Now to the great quote, "Women rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing them by, because they know they hold tomorrow tightly in their arms. So often our sisters comfort others when their own needs are greater than those being comforted. That quality is like the generosity of Jesus on the cross. (The kicker) EMPATHY DURING AGONY IS A PORTION OF DIVINITY...When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sounds of lullabies? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? No wonder the men of God support and sustain our sisters in their unique roles, for the act of deserting homes in order to shape society is like thoughtlessly removing crucial fingers from an imperiled dike in order to teach people how to swim." Elder Neal A. Maxwell 1979
I love that quote-- you all know my love of politics, but I have to agree though political involvement and letting our voices be heard is important, what I do daily with my little girls will do more to shape this world. It is the single most important thing that I will do with my life and it will decide how I spend my life and the life to come. It is an overwhelming realization, but when we have precious and sweet moments with our dear little children it is worth every ounce of sacrifice.

My Sweet Girls

Hannah loves to pose. She loves for us to take pictures and movies of her... Sometimes it is okay to include her sisters... Too cute.

Ellie playing some computer games with a lovely hat... She loves putting stuff on her head and saying, "Mommy, do I look beautiful?"

Riley enjoying some chocolate frosting. We have an adorable movie of her eating it and not letting me near it, but that is way too big for me to figure out how to upload.

Busy and obsessed

Okay…okay… This has been a long time coming. I have been busy and obsessed and just haven’t gotten around to writing in a while. Busy because I have three small children that DEMAND my attention awake and asleep (The cat keeps waking Ellie up at night, so this morning at 4am she needed a band aid. Then at 4:30 she needed Daddy to sleep with her—why she didn’t ask Daddy herself I don’t have a clue. I began sleeping on the far side of the bed, so that the kids would wake him in the middle of the night instead of me, but now they just walk the long way, away from the bathroom, to my side of the bed to tell me that they have to pee or need a band aid. One of the many gifts of motherhood.) And obsessed because… I have discovered the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. I had so many people RAVE about these books and tell me that I HAD to read them. One friend even telling me that they were better than Harry Potter… I thought—she’s blasphemous… how can anything be better than Harry Potter??? Why didn’t I read them sooner? Well, I know that I have an obsessive personality when I like something and I just don’t have time or patience to obsessed right now in my life. I am way too practical to get obsessed over any books—right?! And because I never thought that I would enjoy the subject matter of these books—1. It’s a cheesy romance—which I guess I do like a good romance, but it is hard to admit that I do. 2. Not only is it a cheesy romance, but it is a cheesy romance about vampires and werewolves. That is really hard to admit…But, here I go admitting… I have read all three books (Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse) and anything readable on her website and here I am reading the books again. I read New Moon in less than a day (I still made dinner and put the children to bed—I just stayed up until 4am in the morning—no worries I still got up with the kids at 7am.) I only stayed up until 2am with Eclipse, although I thought it was a better book. So, to all 3 of you reading my blog—have at it… I love the Twilight Series. I can’t wait for the other 2 books that she has coming out in the series. Breaking Dawn will be out on August 2nd and I find myself wanting a party at 12:01 am at Books A Million like they had with the Harry Potter books. I would stay up all night to finish it… But, I doubt they will do that—I may just have to order on Amazon and wait…Ashley is reading them, but not enjoying them to anywhere near the degree that I did or that any of my girlfriends have. As Anne’s neighbor in the Anne of Green Gables books always said, “That’s a man for you.” I do a appreciate him reading the books just so he can discuss them with me, but I am not sure if it is worth the teasing I am getting for liking a cheesy love story about humans, vampires and werewolves…
Enough about my obsessive disorder—I would talk about politics, but it leaves me feeling a little sad and hopeless at this point. I am beginning to feel that I will have to vote for McCain—because I am so scared of Obama. I think that Hillary is done and that Obama will probably be our next president. Sorry to all my friends that are Obama fans—you know that I am conservative to the core and he is not. Universal Health Care(maybe if we followed plans in Europe that included private companies—but our plan is like that of Canada and Britain—which are failing miserably), taxes put on us by the United Nations that would account for 0.07% of our Gross Domestic Product, promises of money to everyone, totally open and unprotected borders—not to mention the Supreme Court Justices that are waiting to retire—well, we can save that post for another day—right?! His message of “hope” is just not getting through to me… Promise to be better at writing in the future… Love to all, Shannon