Why Are We Allowed to Babysit?!

We are probably ruining Dawson and Haydon. Babysitting this weekend so Mike and Tyfani could go to Moab for their 10th anniversary proved we were terrible caretakers. We don't get them to bed on time. Due to the fact that we allow them to watch a movie, have 3 bedtime stories, listen to a grandma tale and have drinks of water... they don't get to sleep until almost 10 pm. Also, for supper we take them to McDonald's for chicken nuggets (hey they do get apple slices) and for breakfast they can have scrambled eggs and french toast. They can play Wii for hours. They can lay in our bed with us and watch a movie. I'm telling you, we are ruining these children and we should not be allowed to keep them for an entire weekend.

Book Look Review "April Fool Dead"

“April Fool Dead”


I want to do my part to help the economy. My stimulus package is simple. It involves a library book and chocolate. If you are really in a financial crisis you could skip the chocolate but I wouldn’t suggest it. Times are tough and we are looking for ways to cut back on our expenses and shop for deals on the necessities. The first item in my stimulus package - love that new term by the way and have been using it whenever appropriate, is to get free books from the library instead of buying them. The second part, the save on necessities part, is to then cancel your cable TV and movies by mail subscription. You will save big bucks in just one year. Enough to buy chocolate for 30 cents a bar at the Nestle (Stouffers to us locals) outlet store here in Springville. You will be helping our local economy by keeping a large local employer in business and our local doctors in business treating us for the chocolate consumption side effects. Economic crisis solved for Springville by reading and eating chocolate!

As you can see by the title, this week’s book is a light read appropriate for escaping the economic bad news we read every day. Carolyn Hart is an author who only wants us all to be happy. She writes mysteries so unbelievable with characters so implausible that we are surprised we like them so much. In “April Fool Dead” – which I chose shamelessly for the title this month, Hart sticks to her whodunit formula. It is part of the Death on Demand Mystery series featuring Annie and Max Darling who live on an island in South Carolina. Islands of course being the perfect setting for mysteries since the author can control the movements of the characters.

Annie decides to bring a special guest mystery author to talk at her bookstore on the island. She offers a free book to whoever can solve the riddles on a flyer she has distributed all over the island. However, someone else uses the promotion to promote their own agenda and it is causing lots of problems for the Darlings and their neighbors. Things really heat up when they discover that they are searching for a murderer, not just a prankster.

This book is like a chocolate bar. You know what’s in it from the wrapper, but you just can’t resist it. It won’t do you any good – but you don’t care. Sometimes you just need to have a little fun while saving the economy by reading a library book and eating Nestlé’s
chocolate.

Alyssa's Onesies Appear Here

I went to Chrissy McKinney Craven's baby shower for the soon to be arriving Kate. Of course I had to have some handmadejig onesies by Alyssa and she came thru with flying colors and made and shipped in 2 days all the way from Chicago with love. There were 4 - 2 long sleeve and 2 short since this is an April Utah baby. It was great to see Orem neighbors Kitty and Lisa with their daughters and daughter-in-laws too. We reminisced about that great neighborhood and sitting on the front steps watching our children play. Chrissy's mother-in-law made a beautiful blessing dress for baby Kate. One funny highlight from the shower was a friend showing up in the same shirt as Chrissy!

Book Look Review "A Girl Named Zippy"

“A Girl Named Zippy”

There is something oddly comforting reading about peculiar, dysfunctional families. I find it makes me feel a whole lot better about my own attempts at parenting. Well, at least I didn’t do that! Haven Kimmel, nicknamed Zippy, introduces us to her family and neighbors described with the affectionate bewilderment of young girl. Her childhood memoir is set in the small town of Moorland Indiana during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Nicknamed Zippy by her father for her resemblance to a frantic circus monkey, this little girl was anything but typical. She did not speak until age three, and then her first words were: “I’ll make a deal with you.” (Her father was trying to convince her that it was time to give up carrying around the pink plastic bottle.) There may be a little exaggeration in this autobiography but it makes the story much more entertaining.

Her family consisted of a gambling, drinking, loveable father, a sit-on-the-couch mother, a seldom appearing big brother and an exasperated teen-age sister. Eccentric neighbors and peculiar young friends complete the cast of comical characters appearing in Zippy’s childhood play. In one scene, the next door neighbor complains about the Haven’s dogs barking. One night Zippy’s father rounds up a yard full of hunting dogs from his gambling buddies and proceeds to parade a caged raccoon through the canine crowd for several hours. This caused such a terrible howling and baying that the neighbor complaints ended. In another scene she describes one of her religious experiences when she absolutely saw a vision of Jesus outside in the treetops during an Ouija board activity.

Kimmel’s childhood was filled with loving neglect. She made frequent visits to the emergency room for the stitches and sprains that resulted from her imaginative escapades. She was rarely supervised and seldom instructed or cautioned. Her sunny description of a bedroom floor littered with dirty clothes and even a long-dead mummified pet rat in a cage should be horrifying to the reader. Somehow, since Zippy doesn’t care we just read on impressed with her optimism and resilience.

If you need a little parenting self-esteem boost choose a book like “A Girl Named Zippy”. At least you didn’t gamble away your child’s one and only savings bond. You for sure didn’t allow your daughter to go without washing her hair for weeks at a time. But hopefully you loved your children completely and they knew it as certainly as Zippy did.

Aristocats starring Dawson and Haydon

Tyfani directed and produced "Aristocats" for the Lehi Children's Theater. With a group of bouncy little 4-7 year olds she pulled off a great performance. Dawson was very cool as Thomas O'Malley and Haydon entertained us as a dog named Private Cool. The dog name had to be added to keep Haydon on board. Sunday, 3 days before performances, I asked him if he was excited about being in the play. "I'm not going to," he sighed. Tyfani gave me an exasperated look over the top of his head. He ended up doing just fine except for the nightly run over to his mom directing from the audience to ask her take his ears off because they were itchy. Dawson sang and danced like a pro and they are both eager to do another community theater play as soon as mommy is all rested up!

Book Look Review "The Book of a Thousand Days"

“The Book of a Thousand Days”

Shannon Hale has written another wonderful fable for young adults and all of us who still enjoy reading fairy tales. I discovered a great place to read young adult reviews. It is aptly named cleanteenreads.com which makes it easy to remember and find. Alison Craig, a Springville resident with lots of reading and teaching experience recently developed this site to help us with our book choices. I recommend you visit and sign up if you are a teenager or the parent of one. Alison reviews the current popular books and some classics. I will let you read her review of “The Book of a Thousand Days” to give you a taste of what you’ll find on her site.
“Sixteen-year-old Lady Saren is so terrified of the man her father wants her to marry that she’d rather be walled up in a tower for seven years than marry him. When Khan Tegus, the man she loves, comes to the tower, she makes her maid, Dashti, speak to him for her.
But pretending to be gentry, a hanging offense, is only one of Dashti’s worries: there’s something wrong with Lady Saren that even Dashti’s songs can’t heal, and with the rats and Lady Saren’s insatiable appetite, their food won’t last for seven years.
When Dashti hears men outside plotting to break into the tower, she knows she must find a way to save her lady from them.
With her energy, loyalty and courage, Dashti is a heroine every girl should be proud to emulate.
The story has lively, exciting moments, with quieter parts in between, beginning as the two girls are walled up in the tower, slowing down as the back story's filled in. It speeds up as visitors come to the tower, quiets down after they leave. Things really heat up near the end when Dashti comes up with a plan to vanquish Lord Khasar and she’s finally revealed as Lady Saren's maid.”
Alison then describes in detail on her book rating chart offensive language, sexual references, drugs and alcohol, violence and other cautions for young readers. Readers can access each month’s reviews for free, or subscriptions start at just $12 a year for other services and to access reviews from past months. It’s like having your own local movie reviewer but of course a book reviewer is even better!

I Don't Usually Post Decorations - That's Alyssa

I love this BH&G spring centerpiece.I am doing it a bit smaller in a pasta bowl that has a nice wide rim.The flowers have to be cut to 3in. and set in water, then eggs in another bowl above water. Cheap Flowers from the grocery store. Pictures later. I am also trying to force some spring branches but since right now they are just 2ft. tall sticks in a glass vase I don't think you need a picture. I know this is Alyssa's forte - but hey, where do you think she started? I will admit she is a shooting star now and I am more of a stagnant pond. But every once in a while I take a break from vacuuming my closet and do something creative!