Angel Fire

Eric and Ryan went on a weekend trip to Angel Fire for some skiing and male bonding. They stopped in Dallas and picked up my younger brother Steven, who is 17, and they headed out for some good 'ole male bonding and skiing.

Since I was not there, I don't know everything that happened. This much I know. 1. Everyone had a great time. 2. They stayed in a haunted hotel in Cimmarron, NM close to Philmont. 3. The Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders were there for an appearance. 4. Ryan now wants to become a skier. 5. Everyone made it home in one piece.

For a boys weekend, I think that spells success.

Happy Birthday Melissa!

It is just birthday central around here. It is Aunt Melissa's birthday today, so in her honor here are the 26 things, since she is 26, we love about Aunt Melissa :

1. Her bright smile.
2. Her dark hair and blue eyes.
3. Her kindness.
4. She is a great teacher. Even though this is her chosen profession, she was a great teacher before then.
5. Her willingness to come and babysit so Eric and I could go on vacation (twice!).
6. She is a great aunt. The kids love to spend time with Aunt Melissa.
7. She looks like Snow White.
8. She does not mind eating at McDonalds with the kids.
9. She is very crafty - she does not even have to steal ideas to do a scrapbook layout.
10. She is very organized (what do you mean you don't date your spices???)
11. She is very conscientious about the kids in her class at school.
12. She has a cool car.
13. She remembers everyone's birthdays - and then reminds all of us.
14. She has smaller feet than Kelsey (she can still buy her shoes from the Nordstrom Kid's Dept)
15. She does not wear alot of makeup (so maybe this is what I hate about her she does not NEED to cover much up).
16. She has a masters degree - the only one in our family with one!
17. She is a true Linford - she loves Sonic.
18. She still watches Saved By the Bell.
19. She makes great cards - all handmade.
20. She is proud to be from Texas.
21. She is working in the Provo temple now - you rock Melissa.
22. She is a country music fan.
23. She likes reality TV - something that is near and dear to my heart.
24. She likes to take pictures - as a matter of fact she copied me and bought the same camera I have.
25. She has a heart the size of the state of Texas and doles out love to anyone who needs it.
26. Her family is very important to her - and she shows it.

Have a Great Day Melissa!!!!
(you have ten years to find the fishnets and the cheetah print shoes!!!)

Happy Birthday Sophie!

It is hard to believe Sophie is 10. She has moved into the double digits of life. There is no going back now.

Sophie was, by far, our HARDEST baby. She had colic that lasted all day for the first six months or so of her life. I remember I was nursing her, and took everything fun out of my diet trying to help. It did not. She cried morning, noon and night. Ryan and Kelsey were not so sure why we thought it was good to bring this crying thing home.

I had to go to ALA when she was about six months old. Since she was so little and nursing, Eric came with me and he stayed with her all day. He would give her soy formula during the day and she was great. I would nurse her at night and she would cry. That was it, on to soy formula we went. She still was very temperamental, but we could handle it because it was better than she was before. Even her one year old portraits contain a red faced, crying Sophie.

As she got older, and moved from toddler, to child, she has become my easiest child. She is a very easy going, helpful, friendly kid. She works very hard in school and for the moment has the highest GPA of the Pearson kids. (That may change in time, but right now the title is hers). She is very caring and wants to make sure everyone has a friend. She does not get caught up in the "girly" wars, and wants everyone to get along.

Her one downside, if I had to find one, is her sense of style. She has one, I suppose, but it involves tee shirts and jeans. I will get her cute clothes (not girly because we can't have that) but cute outfits. She still comes down in jeans and her favorite tee shirts - her Lakewood Elementary Shirt, her Diabetes Halloween Party shirt, and her Turks and Caicos shirt. Those are three staples to the wardrobe. If that is my only complaint, I am a lucky parent.

She is our athlete. She is on the verge of moving to select soccer, and I am sure all our lives will change. She is also pretty good at tennis, softball, and football. Pretty much anything with a ball is hers.

She claims to abhor all things "girly." However, I have found her watching Kelsey put on makeup with a keen interest. Trying to find church clothes is nothing short of torture, but we keep trying.

She has the most beautiful blue eyes. They are crystal clear, and I am sure will drive the boys crazy when she gets older (she now wants to die a thousand deaths for me mentioning that to the world).

Here are a list of her favorites right now:

Food: Apples and Grapes
Restaurant: Pei Wei
Movie: Benchwarmers
TV Show: Suite Life of Zach and Cody
Song: Daughters by John Mayer

We love Sophie and are grateful to have her in our family!

Idiosyncracies

OK, so I was tagged by Sarah to list my idiosyncracies and I have not complied. Sorry I have been busy. I know, no excuse so here we go.

I have no mother guilt. No guilt of any kind really. I do not go for the feeling guilty thing. It is sad for my kids because they can't get me. Every once in a LONG time I might feel a little guilt, but for the most part no.

I am always cold. Don't ask me why. I don't do well in a cold climate because of it. My hands and feet are always cold. I have to go to bed at night with socks or slippers on. The rest of the family will be sitting here just fine, and here I will be freezing. I also have to sleep under blankets even in the summer.

I love Diet Coke. I love it to the point of an obsession. I can tell you which fast food restaurants near my house have the best coke mix. I know which fountains at the Costco put out the best coke. I wake up to a Diet Coke each morning. It is a little sick.

I drink a lot. If you add up the Diet Coke, and water when I am trying to be good, I could float away. I always have a drink going, and I have to keep it with me at all times.

I don't obsess about my house - which is code for we are all slobs. I have no problem sitting in the middle of a huge mess and watching TV or reading a good book. Sometimes I wish I could be a little more obsessed, but no. I am trying to keep up with it right now, and with the no TV we are all doing better.

That is it for now. I am sure that is by no means a complete list, but that is what I have for today. Enjoy your Thursday!

Wednesday

It's Wednesday, and I am back. It feels like Friday. This is the one problem with ALA. You work all weekend, come home dead tired, and still have half the week left!! I had a great show, and now back to life.

You will all be glad to know that the chore/quarter system is still in place, and the house looked pretty good when I got home! I guess all that challange to Eric helped, so thanks to you for that. Ellen is coming today, so everything will be sparkling clean. Yeah.

I am off to workshops in Caroline's class, massive grocery shopping (I am thinking the flatbed at Costco), and work followup from ALA. Add in Football carpool, Sophie has yearbook and New Beginnings for Young Womans and that makes for a full day.

I know I have been tagged and will get on that later. I will have to think - do I have any idiosyncrasies? I know you are all saying, YES. So, more later.

Happy Hump Day!

The Floor is Done

Yes, the floor is done. We are all so happy. Even though I hate to admit it, Eric was right. It does give the room a whole new feel. The rug on the floor also helps. Now we just need to find another chair, and that coffee table has to go. Or maybe I just need to paint it or something, I don't know. That will have to wait for a while. I need to have some normalcy back.

We had not put things back together from Christmas because we went right into the floor. So, it is nice to have the living room and dining room back to normal! Now if I could just get the kids to be normal. But, based on who their parents are, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

A Little Late, But It's Here

Well, the ice storm did make it last night and this morning. As you can see, there is a sheet of ice on everything, including some of the roads. This is Houston, TX. We don't do ice. Therefore, all the schools are closed, most of the businesses are closed or opening late, and it will be a good stay at home day.

So, here is the question of the day. If you work from home, and the city is shut down due too ice, does that mean you can't make it to work? I am guessing not, but it will be a crazy day for sure.

The Snowstorm That Wasn't

When I was in high school we lived in New Jersey. We did get snow, and it was cold. I can remember when the news would predict a big storm coming, and warn that school would probably be closed, it hardly ever materialized. It was when you were not expecting it that it happened.

I tried to impart this wisdom to my young yesterday, as they kept chanting, "We are not going to school tomorrow, We are not going to school tomorrow..." I told them, when you expect it, it won't happen.

We woke up to cold - bitter cold for Houston (31 degrees) but dry as a bone. No snow, sleet, ice or any other school closing precipitation. When I woke Ryan and Kelsey up this morning they were not happy, but the grumpiest by far was Sophie. Oh well, maybe tonight we can get some of that much anticipated ice/sleet/snow.

It is not going to get any warmer today, in fact it could get even colder. As someone who loathes the cold, just ask my colleagues in New York, that does not make me happy. However, I have the opportunity to sit here in my nice warm house, drinking hot chocolate and pondering my work day while listening to the wind and cold outside. Not such a bad vantage point. It could be worse.

No Pictures Today

Of a grouted new tile floor. As I thought would happen, Eric was too wasted to do the floor. I knew that. Who can run 26 miles, and come home and grout a floor? He is superman, but come on. So, now it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the kids are out of school, I need to work and the house is still upside down. There is some prep work Ryan can do to make the grouting go faster when Eric starts. So, that will be his job today.

Keep you fingers crossed that by Wednesday I can post a picture of my new and improved family room. Of course, if the weather reports hold out and we have sleet/snow/ice we may be hunkered down for a few days. Let's hope for the best.

An Active Saturday

It does not involved one child in an activity, but I have been on the move since I left here at 7:45 to run. It is not 4:00 and I have sat down for the first time! Nothing that exciting, just this and that. The best news is Eric is working on the floor and we are hoping it is all grouted tonight! Since Eric is running the marathon at 7:00 am I am not holding out a lot of hope for much work happening tomorrow...

Scratch that. Eric just came in and told me that he can't grout today because the tiles he and Robert just cut are wet. He says tomorrow... Well, we shall see. Robert has been a big help to get these cut and down today.

So, our construction zone will live on. It has not bothered me as much as I thought it would. I am not sure what that says about me, but how about I can adapt?

I did find a rug I liked at Home Depot. Of course our store did not have the size we needed, but there are some in the aread who have it. Why is it all home improvement projects include multiple trips to the Home Depot??? I think it is a master plot against us by Home Depot.

11/2 teaspoons Twice a Day for Ten Days

Directions which strike fear and loathing into the hearts of mothers everywhere. OK, at least this one.

I took Caroline to the doctor on Wednesday because her ear hurt. We have the WORST ears in the history of america at chez Pearson. Sophie has even had TWO sets of tubes. But, when Caroline first told me her ear hurt I told her we would deal with it later. If I ran to the doctor each and every time someone told me somthing hurt I would live there. So, the next day same thing - my ear hurts. Let's talk about it tomorrow was my response.

So, day three I decided maybe we need to go to the DR. Can I just say here that I LOVE the after hours clinic? I called while bringing the older ones to YM/YW and they got me in by 8:00. While sitting in the waiting room I asked Caroline, which ear hurts? Her response, "I don't know." What do you mean you don't know? Does it hurt now? Her response, "No."

I then ask, "So why are we here?" Her response, "I don't know, because you brought me?" I think to myself, if I am wasting time here I am going to kill this child. But, I don't say that because I am at the DR office and they have a direct line to Child Protective Services.

Needless to say, she does have a RAGING ear infection, which does prompt a little of "the look" from the doctor. You know the look - why did you not bring this child in sooner? Then came the medicine. 1 1/2 teaspoons, twice a day for ten days. You have got to be kidding me. With all the advanced in medical science can we not come up with a patch for this stuff? You can control conception with a patch, get rid of nicotine cravings with a patch, why can't you cure an ear infection!!!

The good news, Caroline is quite taken with the medicine, so she reminds me. To date, we have not missed a dose. Check back on day seven...

Getting On Track

So, it is January 11. It only took me 11 days to get into the swing of 2007, and feel like we are moving in the right direction. Getting all seven members of this family focused on what needs to be done, and then getting action is an amazing feat!

In a fit of rage that would make the hidden cameras, if they were in my home, blush I unloaded on this family of people who never seem to want to do anything, and thinks I am their personal servent. It has been a long time coming, but the volcano blew and it was not pretty. Why my kids don't snap to action PRIOR to the complete rage is beyond me.

I decided at that moment that I needed to take the bull by the horns and get these people doing something. I created a very detailed, and somewhat elaborate, chore chart, banned TV from the house on school days, and instituted the quarter program.

One of the kids big beefs was that they felt they did their chores(debatable at best) and did not get allowance on a regular basis. The discussion of should you even pay allowance for family stuff aside, they were right. We have NEVER been good about accounting and payment of allowance. With the quarter program, each child has a cup filled with quarters (see pictures of the bright and cheery quarter cups). They start with their full amount. They lose quarters for not doing chores, fighting, or in any other way just making me mad. They can earn quarters for going way above and beyond.

So far, there have only been a few quarters taken. Of course, the amount of work on my part to remind about chores, making of the bed, etc has been pretty big. However, for the first week I think we are doing pretty great. Each kid has the chore to fold and put away one load of clothes one day during the week. Since that is one of my endless battles, it has been nice to have the help.

Now, the real test will be when I leave for a few days to Seattle next week. Will things still get done? Can Eric take on the job as taskmaster and keep it going? Will it all fall apart in a period of a few days? Only time will tell.

It is Wednesday

It is the middle of the week. It is a crazy hectic week, pretty much the norm for around here. When you add in the floor project, it makes everything so much more fun. Eric has all the tiles to put in that require cuts. Then it is grout, clean and we are done. We should be back to normal by this weekend.

New Year, New Project

What would the new year be without a construction project? We have been lax, read that as lazy, about doing things around the house lately - and with five kids this house takes a beating. Eric has been wanting to redo the floor for a while. Our carpet, while not that old, was full of kid, and many dad coke, stains.

Since we were waiting for Ryan to finish his ONE last project for his Family Life merit badge (his last before his Eagle project), I got the idea for him to help Eric and have this count. Brilliant I think. It has caused the two of them to work together, taught Ryan about how to lay a tile floor, and I think they have had fun with it.

This picture was taken after day one - much of which was spent driving to not one, but three Home Depot stores to acquire the correct amount of tile. It is much further along now - in fact the computer has been disabled leaving only my laptop as the working computer in the house. That should keep everyone motivated. Tonight we take apart the TV, but need to figure out a way to keep the satellite and DVR going. Eric said to just put it on a card table and he will work around it. Good plan, I just need to do that. Since Mr. Dish Network came and installed the thing, I have not really looked at how it is put together. I just need to make sure I can get it all correct later this week.

Off to get the kids out the door, run my 30 minutes, shower and be ready for my 9:30 conference call/training. Happy Monday!

This is What I am Working With

So, Blake was coming to meet the family. People were thinking, "What practical jokes could we pull on him?" This is Eric's idea. To get a temporary tatoo, and see his reaction. I guess this was not so much a practical joke, but a test. The thing is, with the facial hair, jacket, etc it was a little too realistic for my liking. He wanted to get the Henna tatoo and write love on the fingers of one hand, and hate on the others. I think those might have been harder to wash off.

Of course, Blake was not going to come and meet everyone and geek at the tatoo. He did see it, and said he thought ok wild youth, now he has settled down. The thing that is funny is that Eric went and washed it off while we were at dinner so Blake looked up and said, didn't he have a tatoo? It is a good thing he took it off because a family we knew from the Colleyville Ward walked in right after that. I guess they could chalk it up to a midlife crisis. Who knows.

So, Blake passed his test and Eric had his fun and no one was hurt in the process.

Megan and Blake and Wii Oh My

While we were in Dallas, Megan's boyfriend, Blake, came to visit and meet the family. They have been dating for a while at school, and I am not going to give any kind of an editorial comment here other than to say he came to meet the family.

While he was there, we decided to take him to a North Texas Fav - Babe's Chicken House. They make, as you might guess, chicken. Fried Chicken. The only other thing on the menu is Chicken Fried Steak (do you see a theme here?) The sides include homemade biscuits, homemade mashed potatoes with gravy and homemade creamed corn. It is North Texas healthy eating at it's best. But let me tell you - it is tasty. It is a small place, and people wait for hours to get in. The decor is redneck chic, and the sites and tastes can't be duplicated.

Blake received a coveted Christmas gift this year - a Wii. While I had heard of them, I thought OK another video game big deal. Oh was I wrong. He was nice enough to let everyone play, even the babies. They thought it was big fun to try and play tennis, baseball and watch all the action. Blake even sat there and taught them what to do showing his extreme patience with five year olds. I took a turn at the tennis, and lets just say the only person I beat was Allie. But, it was a smashing victory!

We enjoyed meeting Blake and his Wii. He was even a big sport and played Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture with us - we always play boys vs. girls. We won't say who won because I think the game was fixed, but it was fun.

Back to Real Life

I am back from Dallas, and now just trying to do my best to catchup. I have to de-Christmas this house, work, get my last expense reports done from last year so they pay me, get us food, run, and all the other various things required to keep this family moving forward (that is code for laundry and all other yucky stuff). Maybe I should just go back to bed!

We had a great time in Dallas with the family. The kids were very spoiled. There was someone there ALL the time to play with them, and many times cater to them. Now, back to reality. There will be no catering by mom, but the trip has given me lots of fodder for the blog. Stay tuned for more Linford than you ever wanted to see.

On Friday, Aunt Melissa took Allie, Caroline and Sophie to McDonalds. It is amazing to me that with all the things we have done for them, the places we have taken them, McDonalds is still the most exciting place they can go. Melissa even let them get ice cream cones and McFlurries. You know mom would not do that!

Tomorrow is school!! I have enjoyed having the kids home, but we need to get back on a schedule. I have a crazy week with a day trip on Thursday, so we need to get back in the swing. It is going to be bitter, however, since it is 7:50 am and not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse (OK, maybe the cat).

Here to getting my list knocked off!

Invasion of the Pearson Clan

We have invaded my mom and dad's house. That is all of us except Eric, he had to work and is on his way here this very second. It has been so fun to see my brothers and sisters who are away at school - and Steven who is just not with me very often. My kids are in LOVE. They have been playing non-stop ever since we got here. They have been outside throwing the football, playing soccer and the twins have been riding their bikes.

On the bike riding, I have found that Caroline is a little clueless with the whole pedaling and steering thing - two basic requirements to riding a bike. I did not think riding a bike with training wheels could be difficult. I guess I was wrong. We are going to have to work with her on it. Michelle has taken some photos with her new camera, and when she wakes up I will have to post them because they are funny. Allie even poses on her bike.

Today we are looking forward to a day of more playing, I think Aunt Melissa is taking the twins to McDonalds for lunch, and some more visiting. When Eric gets here I think we will go and see his mother. Fun times for all.

Tradition

Say that with the gusto of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof! Christmas Eve is a time for great traditions in the Pearson Family - and this year we started some new ones as well.

Ever since I can remember, we eat waffles on Christmas Eve. This started in my fathers family and he carried that tradition to our family growing up. At some point in my early childhood, someone gave my dad a pinata on Christmas Eve and we had so much fun with it, we started to get one each year.

When Eric and I got married, we just adopted those traditions and added to them slightly. We watch Luke II each year, and read the Nativity Story from the Bible. Then, the kids open a gift wich is pajamas which they wear that night. Sophie has told me that she likes Christmas Eve as much or more than Christmas because of our traditions.

So, this year we did the waffles, pinata, watched Luke II, opened PJ's and added the girls doing the Nativity Story in the form of a play. It was fun to see them, and they sure enjoyed putting it together. Although, when Caroline as a pregnant Mary was riding the donkey, Kelsey, and waiving like a beauty queen it made me wonder if she really got it. You will notice Kelsey and Sophie serving as the choir of angels.

One of the big questions is always who will break the pinata. There is alwasy lots of postering about who is the most studly. We go in age order. This year, it was Ryan who busted it open. I can remember, in my youth, going through the family a couple of times to get it open. I just don't think they make them like they used to.

We like to bring the festivities to an end by 8:00 so the little people can go to bed. Since that included Kelsey and Sophie this year and Ryan got to stay up a while, we had all kinds of weeping and wailing and cries of "It's not fair." Since Santa does not come until everyone is asleep they finally gave up.

It was a great night of tradition, family and fun.