So maybe it's not so bad

Good news to report! Mack and I have mastered area and perimeter. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I have now decided to try to instill in Mack that math can actually be fun and enjoyable. No more complaining about it. No more stressing over it. It actually was kind of fun bonding over graph paper. Maybe dusting off my protractor for another spin wouldn't be all that bad...

I hate geometry

Anyone out there have any good tips on teaching perimeter and area? Mack and I have been working tonight on these concepts. I have decided geometry and I (even basic, elementary stuff) just do not get along. Thank goodness for Google and all those homeschooling Moms and their amazing tips on teaching. I would be so lost:)

Thoughts courtesy of Gaynell

59 Things About Me
1. What time did you get-up this morning? 7:15 A.M.
2. Diamond or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Emma Smith Story
4. What is your favorite TV show? Top Chef
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Egg McMuffin
6. What is your middle name? Emily
7. What food do you dislike? Cream Cheese, Bacon, Whipped Cream
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Phantom Planet - Raise the Dead
9. What kind of car do you drive? BMW X3
10. Favorite sandwich? Tuna, turkey, grilled cheese panini--the list could go on and on
11. What characteristic do you despise? A read a great despised characteristic in Real Simple this month: An unwillingness to sacrifice in the present for a better future.
12. Favorite item of clothing? Banana Republic sweaters, American Eagle jeans and Simple flip flops
13. If you could go anywhere in the world, on vacation, where would you go? Western Europe
14. Favorite brand of clothing? See above:) I also love H&M
15. Where would you retire to? St George or Phoenix
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? My last
17. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball
18. Furthest place you are sending this? I got some random comment from a stranger in Brazil, so maybe he will drop by again
19. Who you expect to send it back first? Anyone who is looking to post something new
21. Are you a morning person or a night person ? Night
22. What is your shoe size? 10. I have huge feet, but get amazing deals on shoes that way!
23. Pets? Belgian Malnois--soon to be replaced by a bloodhound puppy
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I just finished an amazing book--will share on another post! I also made Shane go to Game Stop last night at midnight in his police uniform to buy Mario Kart for the Wii. Dang, I love him.
26. What did you want to be when you were little? Just like my mommy--a teacher.
27. How are you today? Relaxed--I love Sunday mornings.
28. What is your favorite Hersey's? Just the plain old chocolate bar
29. What is your favorite flower? Tulips, Bird of Paradise, Orchids
30. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Memorial Day weekend
33. What are you listening to right now? The new Weepies CD I dowloaded, Jamie at Home in the background
34. What was the last thing you ate? Chex and a banana
35. Do you wish on stars? Sometime
36. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Burnt Sienna
37. How is the weather right now? Bright and sunny
38. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Melody--my favorite friend from church
39. Favorite soft drink? Half Diet/Half Regular Coke
40. Favorite restaurant? I had the most amazing omelet at the Eating Establishment in Park City this week. So good.
41. Hair color? Dark brown with some blond highlights
42. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies. I still love the smell of plastic to this day.
43. Summer or winter? Summer
45. Chocolate or Vanilla? Both
46. Coffee or Tea? Love herbal tea
47. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes
48. The last time you cried? Last weekend
49. What is under your bed? Nothing
50. What did you do last night? Had dinner at my friends new house in Kaysville
51. What are you afraid of? The economy and the impact it is having on everything - rice, gas, employment - has me freaked.
52. Salty or Sweet? Both
53. How many keys on your key ring? Three
54. How many years at your current job? Seven and a half
55. Favorite day of the week? Friday
56. How many towns have you lived in? Four
57. Do you make friends easily ? I can usually talk to people pretty easily as that is my job, but making good friends is another story
58. How many people will you send this to? All of my blogger friends
59. How many will respond? All of them!

I am sick of global warming

Went up to Park City yesterday for a conference, and was assaulted by snow and ice.  It is the end of April--what is going on?!?!  Maybe my body is just in shock as it was in 90 degree weather a few days ago in Phoenix.  Is anyone else wanting to wear their flip flops even though it is FREEZING?!

Oh Sweet Sadie

I raved about this boutique a few months ago. They are at it again in Herriman and Riverton next month! If you love cute things, this is really fun. You just walk around and take in all the cuteness. I bought the best fresh homemade chicken soup and rolls ever here. Here is their website. If anyone wants to go--leave me a comment:)

http://www.ohsweetsadie.com/

Spring Break Part One

Love, love, love our annual family trip to St George. Amazing weather, tons of laughs and loads of relaxation. Here were the highlights:

~We broke tradition and stayed at the Marriott Courtyard instead of the Abbey. The bedding was yummy as well as the waterfall pool, but Sam kind of got after me for choosing a hotel with no bacon (no breakfast:). Here is cute Kaela diving off of the rocks. Shane, Ian and Keith hit the links all day Saturday, so they missed out on the fun pool.



~Keith and Ashley have a Coldstone thing going. We ate it two nights in a row at their suggestion and for some reason our little jaunts just made it seem like summer! Loved the cake batter with cinnamon. So yummy. Also loved visiting the Pasta Factory again. Sorry about the beam Rich and Joey!

~Our "hike" in Snow Canyon. It was a hike I could handle in my flip flop Crocs. We sort of interrupted a yoga class in progress from Red Mountain Spa (an Oprah fave!), but the trade off was I got some amazing pics of my siblings. Thanks Ian for letting me do a study in "Reflective Ian"






~Richard and Joey are sooo good and get us all to sacrament meeting on Sundays when we go on vacation. It was fast and testimony meeting, and a lady got up and said she was grateful for her fresh bar of soap that morning. Shane laughed about it the rest of the day, but I loved the thought. Made me think of all the wonderful things I enjoy too.

~Everyone left Sunday, but we had decided to stay an extra day. We drove to Las Vegas Sunday afternoon and hit the Paris, Planet Hollywood and New York, New York. I am so not a gambler, but I LOVE Las Vegas. Again, I am a sucker for amazing weather and I love the super stylized backdrop of Las Vegas! We drove down Las Vegas Blvd during the Bellagio water show and then went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I then forced the boys to the Miracle Mile shops where we hit Sephora (I finally got my the shu uemura eyelash curler I have been coveting), H&M, Build a Bear and L'Occtaine. We then headed to the ESPN Zone for dinner and watched the Yankees and Red Sox game.




~The drive home was really nice too. I love long road trips with magazines, the paper, a fresh Coke, the sun streaming into the car and the radio going. We switched out everyone's iPod's to listen to favorite playlists. Mack loved his new Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack (don't recommend unless you are 10 and under), Shane put together a Def Lepard anthology ( I didn't think he read my blog, but I think he may have read my post about Cosmic Bowling--love ya hon!), and I tortured the boys with my girl rock (new Anna Nalick, Inara George and the Bird and the Bee).

Love you family! Am already counting down to next years trip:)

BB Fascination

Mack is totally into BB's.  Not sure why, but he loves collecting them and putting them in water bottles.  Here is Stockton and Mack showing off their BB collections.  Hmmm--boys...

Easter

Loved Easter this year.  All my family was in town for my grandpa's birthday, so we had a blast hanging out with them.  I actually hosted Easter at my house this year.  Have never hosted a major holiday before, so felt pretty grown up!  

Happy Anniversary Babe:)

For the last nine years, we have celebrated our wedding anniversary on the same day as Mack's birthday.  Mack's birthday has continued to overshadow our day as the years go by, but I am convinced that one day our day will make its return.  So, nothing completely exciting to report (I had secretly hoped to fly down to Vegas and stay at the Four Seasons for a night), but we had a great date night (thanks Joey!), and I was gifted with these amazing flowers.  

I read a great thing over the weekend in a book that made me stop and think about marriage.  The author was discussing with his brother how to make marriages really work and keep progressing.  One was the proponent of constant communication.  The other said that the only thing he thought that really kept the glue together for him was commitment.  Kind of stopped me in my tracks.  He went on to talk about no matter what obstacles come up in your way that true commitment to each other outlasts everything else.  Loved it.  Here's to commitment babe--and lots more years:)

Cosmic Bowling

Amanda and her family invited us to go cosmic bowling with them a few weeks ago.  Sam was sleeping over, and both boys reveled at the prospect of not leaving the house until 10:00 pm to go and possibly staying up all night.  We had a BLAST.  Not only was bowling in the dark with assorted lasers totally fun, I also had forgotten how awesome Def Lepard was, especially really, really loud.  Thanks Gundersons for introducing us!