Summer!

Our school year ended last week, which begins two weeks of me attempting to work from home with all of my children here. Yikes!

In an attempt to keep the kids from just vegging out in front of the TV and snacking the whole time, I put together a schedule to keep them busy. We'll see how it goes... but so far we're off to an ok start. It is currently outside time and all children are indeed outside playing. They decided to wash the car so they are happily occupied spraying each other with the hose and maybe incidentally hitting the car with the occasional spritz of water.

Yeah, there's still more screen time than recommended, but at least it's better than all day, every day!

Quick Funnies from Rylen

Rylen is a morbid little kid sometimes.

We were watching Mickey's Clubhouse and he couldn't see
Donald Duck anywhere. I asked: "Where do you think he is?" and he responded, very matter-of-factly: "Maybe he's dead." He wasn't bothered by the idea at all, just suggesting it as a possibility.

And a few days ago, Preston and Brekken stayed home while I ran a quick errand. I jokingly (kind-of) instructed them not to kill each other or burn down the house while I was gone. Then Rylen and I stopped on the way home and picked up mini-Frosties for a treat. As we got close to home, Rylen suddenly asked if I thought Preston and Brekken were ok. I assured him that the boys would be fine when we got there, and he was quiet for a minute. Then asked: "If boys dead, I can have they Frosties?" Ah, the love of brothers!

Handy Manny Sees You When You're Sleeping

So Handy Manny ended up staying the night at Abuelito's one night. Here's the first issue...

Seriously, he even SLEEPS in that hat? Is he bald and trying to hide it? Or maybe it's his version of a security blanket?

Also... notice that he has carefully tucked his tools into bed with him, complete with their own pillow and blanket. You know, just like any 8-year-old girl would do with her toys.

But then the topper was later in the night, when Manny and the tools heard snoring and decided to go take a peek at a sleeping Abuelito.
 

Imagine the distress to wake up suddenly to find your slightly mental grandson watching you sleep; tools in hand.

Because even though in this picture the tools are there peeking in the doorway on their own, based on the theory that Manny is the one doing the voices and actions for the tools, what you would really see is this:

Nothing frightening about waking up to see a man staring at you while holding a hammer, right? Or maybe a pipe wrench. Or a saw.

Maybe Abuelito should lock the bedroom door next time Manny stays over.

The Wet Brush

hi. this is haley. i'm guest blogging for my mom today. i'm going to tell you about my the wet brush.  it's called the wet brush because it doesn't damage wet hair. you just have to get your hair damp, put conditioner in it, and brush the tangles out. it brushes the tangles out so easily. i love this brush, and i don't know why it's not called the miracle brush. it truly has been a miracle for me and my mom. i highly recommend this brush for all girls with long, thick hair.
favorite product,

here are some reasons i think you should get it.

http://www.ts2products.com/wetbrush-store/wetbrush_ps.html

 

1.it is perfect for long, thick hair
2.it is so easy to use
3.it is a miracle

you can get this great brush at great clips. buy it now! by the way great clips and the wet brush DID NOT pay me to write this blog post.

Elliot is a Coloradan

Back to Handy Manny... since it's on right now and I'm procrastinating my actual work. ;)

I'm pretty sure that Kelly's brother Elliot a total stoner. I've seen quite a few episodes featuring Elliot lately, and it seems likely that he enjoys an occasional (frequent) joint.

Every episode featuring Elliot shows him as forgetful, slow reaction to situations, hungry (munchies?), and having conversations that make little sense. He also just has that kind of classic stoner look... the shaggy hair, baseball cap (worn backwards, of course), sloppy t-shirt and board shorts. (We're all too familiar with this look in Colorado, what with the pot enthusiasts being thick on the ground around here!)

According to WebMD:

"Effects of pot include:

• Distorted sense of time (he asked Manny for a repair, and a few minutes later asked if it was done yet... before Manny even had a chance to start)
• Paranoia (haven't seen that one... but maybe I missed that episode)
• Magical or "random" thinking (he "organizes" things at Kelly's store according to some system that makes sense only to Elliot)
• Short-term memory loss (whenever anyone asks him to do something, he seems to forget that he was going to take care of that... and conversations with him include him spacing out and forgetting or not understanding what others are talking about)
• Anxiety and depression (he gets scared of situations, seemingly at random, so Manny has to get him out of it)

 I'm telling you, Elliot is enjoying Colorado's new marijuana laws. ;)

  

Minnie and Figaro

At Haley's suggestion, I am expanding the kids' tv feature to include other cartoons in the real world. :)

Have you ever noticed that things are not exactly to-scale in the world of Mickey Mouse? Check out Minnie Mouse with her pet kitty Figaro.

Anything strike you a little wrong, there? Bizarre enough that a mouse would have a cat for a pet, but what kind of mutant cat is this to be smaller than a mouse?

No, when we apply the real-world filter to this one, it looks more like this...

Oh dear. I hope Figaro isn't feeling hungry!

Lifting My Sprirt

A friend included me on a little chain letter recently. I usually kind of ignore those, but this time I chimed in because the topic was to share an inspiring quote, poem, or message. And I have two favorite bits that I use to lift myself up when I am having a rough time and I thought I could share them. 

The first is a reminder on the true nature of prayer:

"Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." (from the Bible dictionary - https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/prayer?lang=eng&letter=p)

When I feel like my prayers are going unanswered, I re-read this passage as a reminder that the answer to prayer is not always immediate!

And the second is a reminder of God's love:

"But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." (from the Book of Mormon - https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/1.15?lang=eng#14)

I love the imagery of being held, loved, and protected in the arms of the Lord. It helps me feel that I can overcome whatever difficulties have come my way.

What are your favorite bits of inspiration and comfort?