Cubscout Campout

I took the kids camping this past weekend on my own!! Since it is finals week next week Shane couldn't come because he had to study for crazy finals and work on projects all due between Monday and Wednesday.
I really do not know what I was thinking doing this, probably that I couldn't stand staying inside the house by myself with the kids all weekend, I should have just stayed home or went to my moms house but instead I chose to go to a campout with a bunch of VERY "OC" type of people, if you know what I mean.
I am telling you, by the end of Saturday on that (less than)two day camping trip I was so ready to just just slap the hell out of someone that I had to leave as soon as I woke up on Sunday morning!
Here are only a few of the things that went terribly wrong...

1. I had to go without Shane.
2. My only friend in the whole pack wasn't able to make it :(
   
3. I was one of the only moms who even camped out.
4. I started my period a few hours after I got to the camp ground.
5. My phone died on Saturday morning even after I charged it on Friday afternoon and had it on airplane mode.
6. I forgot my camera.
   
7. I couldnt go on the hikes with Nephi because I had to keep an eye on slowpoke toddler cuties. Which I didn't really mind all that much.
8. Our den leader (and cub master) has NO people (communication) skills.
9. The tiger den leader ended up taking over the leading of events, this guy is a real annoying character, ill tell you about him at the end of the list!
10. Each den had to supply their own provisions, we didn't have to last year.
    
11. Our den was the only one not eating as a group!! So I was totally on my own with the feeding of my four children. (good thing my kids are cute and good moochers!)
    
12. I slept in a tent in 40 degree weather with an 8 month old and a 2 year old, not to mention a 4 yr old who still needs pull-ups at night!
13. Nephi was continuously injuring himself.
14. Those boys were not being watched very carefully by the grownups in charge of them, yet I always saw someone yelling at Nephi.
15. Having gone on this camping trip we missed the pancake breaky at Verano and the garageless sale (which I Was looking forward to since I had missed the LAST one!!)
16. Having gone on this camping trip we missed the family expo and fair at the Irvine great park!!
17. Having gone on this camping trip we missed seeing my little sister in a St. Patricks day parade in Huntington Beach(or Hermosa, I don't remember)
18. After taking down the (still wet) tent and packing everything single handedly, missing the announcements in the morning and leaving before the awards ceremony so that we could get to church on time, I got all the kids and stuff successfully into the car and the second drove out of the parking lot I got a sick feeling in my stomach. The kind where I knew I had to go to the bathroom very soon.
19. When I got home I had to run.
20. I couldn't go to church sick. I work with the babies in the nursery!
21. I didn't have enough time to call someone to tell them I couldn't make it to nursery...
22. Shane didn't take the kids to church without me, I fell asleep as soon as I was done in the bathroom :(

Well, that merely sums up our horrible weekend.

I didn't need this, I should have stayed home. But now I appreciate being home... so that was a good thing to get out of it. I mean I REALLY appreciate being home!!!

I love Shane

Slacking Off 101

Thats the name of the class I am teaching my kids now. Ima jus' kiddeeng! (only my closest friends from high school will get that joke, and they don't even read my blog!)

Yeah I slacked off a couple of days this week. I feel like I dont have time to do anything anymore, since we started homeschooling. I need a break!

I'm just dying to go visit my sisters, and a few friends, in Portland, Oregon. We had planned to fly out there for spring break but evidently the airlines found it prudent to hike up the costs of two way tickets. So instead of paying $800 to go to Portland, I thought we could shell out $350 to just drive. BUT, Shane doesn't want to spend a "cumulative drive time of four days" during our 9 day break. I told him that it doesn't have to take four days, we can drive really fast and switch off!!
Honestly, I have been wanting so much to go on a road trip, pretty much my whole life, and every time I get close to the chance someone else decides to be selfish and then I don't get what I want. I don't ask for much, I'm very low maintenance. This is important to me and will mean a great deal.

Anyway, a few days ago I didnt feel like doing class, so we went to the park and just hung out. It felt GREAT!! And by the time we got home I felt like going over some homework with Nephi and had him finish some reading, so it wasn't a complete wasted day anyways.
Then grampa came yesterday so I let the kids play all day, then he came again today! which was awesome, but we got some schoolwork in before he showed up so that was good, then they played at Castle Park in Irvine from noon to three thirty! When we got home, Shane was there and he and his dad chatted, then Grampa had to go. The babies had nap, I made a delicious dinner of pesto chicken (from trader joes) seasoned sauteed asparagus and brown rice! then Dad had to go study for finals, yuck! I gave the kids a bath, got them in their jammies, had them brush their teeth, and read them books until they fell asleep! It was altogether a really good week! Plus Grampa has the whole week off so he is coming again tomorrow! Those kids are so spoiled, they have to be the luckiest kids in the world to have so many people to love them.

Lesson of the day: Slacking off is great, if you do it right!

GreenPeace Attacks!

Okay, so anyone of you who has ever shopped at Trader Joes, Sprouts, Whole Foods or any other health food market knows by now, I'm sure, that those sly, tricky Greenpeace recruiters wait at every possible exit of those stores and DO NOT let you pass without shoving some papers in your face and asking for only a measly little monthly donation! Don't get me wrong, folks, I LOVE the environment, I even love what greenpeace is trying to do, their organization is one of the best, really. But what I dont love about them is that they are unmarried childless college students asking you to donate money thinking that its no big deal to spend a few bucks a month!!! They dont know where I'm coming from, I can't afford 10 dollars a month, I just CANT!!!! I can't even afford to pay 1 dollar every month!! If they were to pay me, now thats a whole different story, I'm sure we could work something out.
Okay, so as I went into the Veggie Grill, next to TJs in the university center, for a second I thought I saw Greenpeace out of the corner of my eye. I did a double-take, saw no hippies, then went on my merry way.
Upon leaving the Veggie Grill to make a quick stop into TJs, there standing before me to my utmost horror was in fact, not just one greanpeace volunteer, but THREE greanpeace volunteers!!
Now, I wouldnt have broken into such a cold sweat if I weren't the type of person to be ever so willing to support a "nonprofit" organization that exists solely to help the environment!! Ugg, my weakness! Also I'm really too nice to people. I think its the LDS in me, I should have had a Book of Mormon to give them in exchange!
Anyway, I immediately regretted wearing my ever so visible rainbow tye dye shirt, that I got from Target, because it drew her eyes immediately to me. She looked me dead in the eye and I knew I was caught. Luckily it was a female volunteer, those male ones are fierce!
She said "You look like someone who loves peace!"
Well of course I do, who do you think I am, a politician?!
"Yep!" I said awkwardly juggling my recent purchases. Boy, were my hands sweating now.
Noticing my longing glance to the Trader Joes entrance, She immediately began with asking for a small donation. So I was straight with her.
"Oh, man. I wish I could show you my bank statement and all my bills to prove to you guys that I really can't afford to spend a dime each month."
"You dont have to, I believe you!" she says. Sure, but you will still try to convince me to give some money.
So I played the sympathy card and told her I know money helps the most, and I wish I could, but we are poor college students...
Then she interrupts me saying that most of the donors are in fact poor college students.
So I continued saying that my husband is a full time grad student and I am a full time mom to FOUR kids!
That got her. I knew she would let me go after that.
After the initial shock and then compliments up the wazoo, she went in a different direction and began to ask me what part of the environment I was most concerned about. I played her game and told her I was concerned about all the waste and garbage. So we chatted a bit about that. She said that the donations really help the environmental concerns get heard in Washington, because most politicians aren't really concerned since the scientists are saying that it wont be for another forty or so years until these horrible things impact the environment.
That got ME going. If there's one thing in the whole world I cant stand, its selfish people, and politicians are a prime model of selfishness.
With the blood in my veins starting to boil, I agreed with her and stated, my voice rising with my blood pressure, "Yeah! They don't care about these problems because they aren't even going to be here when this stuff ruins the earth! WE (the college students) are the ones who are going to be here! We are the future and we need to do something about it!" (or something along those lines)
My raised voice sparked interest in the nearby supervisor and the other volunteer, who were both pretty much cheering me on as I ranted a little bit more about it (I coulda used a soap box right about then).
Then the supervisor turns to the girl, who began to look a bit sheepish after he says, "Hey, Why is she doing your job?" but then we all had a good laugh, which allowed for my escape and I bid them good luck, saying I would indeed check out the website givin to me previously...

Situation averted!

www.greenpeace.org

Feild Trip SUCCESS!!!

We went to the Centennial Heritage Museum in Santa Ana on Friday!!
Its a museum inside the Kellogg house showing how life was in the Victorian era in Orange County!
One of my favorite eras, for beauty and simplicity if nothing else.
The kids were absolutely AMAZING during the tour. it was a small tour (just our family! we were the only ones there!) They were quiet and listened for the most part, and it was fun because after the tour guide explained about each room we were able to walk around and touch most of the stuff! the kids talked to each other on the actual still working old timey telephones!! And they got to play with some toys. They played the pedal organ and the piano and used the washboard and the clothes dryer (i dont know what its called, the thing you put the clothes in and crank it and it squeezes the water out, brain fart.)
This homeschooling thing is going pretty good so far, even though I failed on Thursday and ended up not doing any schoolwork until evening.... der. Thus the beauty of schooling at our own pace.
Pics are on Shanes phone, I will upload ASAP.