House Bills

Lately I have been busy with house bills.

No. Not paying them. Commenting on them.

This is something that is brand new for me. I have always tuned out when they talk on the radio about House Bill this or House Bill that. For some reason I have been getting all fired-up lately about House Bills. Maybe it is my age or because I am drinking too much Diet Coke. Whatever the reason, in the last month I have written our representatives regarding three different House Bills. An unprecedented thing for me. To add to this I actually went up to the state Capital to express my opinion on HB 161 today.

Not knowing what to expect I was disappointed when I realized that they only ask for 3 people from the public and only allow 2 minutes for you to speak. Not much of an opportunity to really get representation from the public if you ask me, and not enough time to get very many points across especially if it is a big bill.

So I made arrangements to go up because this bill meant a lot to me. It has to do with the rights of parents and children. There are some great things in there but I think it could be better. Having been in court a few times as a foster parent I see the loop holes that lawyers use. This bill has a couple of big ones.

I missed Sheriff's birthday breakfast this morning in order to make it to the session. I sat through 5 other bills waiting for my possible turn. At 9:50 it was announced that they were adjourning. I thought it was for a break because after all, it was only 9:50 in the morning!

Nope. They adjourned for the day.

What?

They reconvene on Thursday. You mean I have to dress up again on Thursday ... make-up and all?

That's disappointing.

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that the representatives had other meetings to go to. I should hope so. Otherwise, I want to have a job where you only work for an hour and 50 minutes and then leave.

Danger! Thin Ice.

I took this photo this last week and it made me think... there are always those who follow the rules, those who skirt the edge and those who just plain ignore the warning sign and break the rules.

I am one who actually ASKS what the rules are. I don't wait to find out. Give me the parameters of each situation so I know what is expected of me. And yet, I am a Taurus so be careful not to tell me what to do. I want the rules but I don't like being told that I HAVE to do it. I'll choose it on my own thanks very much. :)

So which one are you? The rule follower, skirter or breaker?

HB 237 Utah State Legislature: Unfair to Foster Parents and Foster Children

A new bill is coming before Utah's legislature that will impact the rights of foster parents and foster children; HB 237. This bill gives relatives preference to come in AFTER termination of biological parents' rights to take the child for adoption even if the child has lived in a foster home for months or years.

I believe this bill to be wrong for more than one reason. Foster parents have very few rights to begin with and this bill takes steps to further diminish the rights of foster parents. It is another example of the state refusing to acknowledge and accept the fact that foster children bond with foster families and become in a very real sense a real family member just as much as a foster parent's biological children. When a child is removed from their biological parents DCFS searches out viable family members to take the child. This is known as kinship placement and is considered the most ideal placement for a foster child. If no kinship placement is found or accepted by a family member then an alternate foster family is found. This is why I am against this bill. Biological families have the opportunity at the time of the removal of the child to come forward and take responsibility of the child. It takes many months, sometimes years before parental rights are terminated. Family members have ample time to assert rights. To wait until after termination to remove the child when the child has spent many months and even years in a foster home with a family who have loved, cared for and bonded with them only causes further trauma to the child.

This is the other reason I disagree with HB 237. It is the most important reason. It is not in the best interest of the child to remove them AGAIN from a home in which they have lived for an extended period of time bonding to a family. It is time that we returned to laws that protect the rights of children and do what is best for them.

If you agree with me please write a letter to your legislative representative.

I have.

Thank You

I owe a few thank yous for my evening last night.

First, thank you Sheriff for babysitting your three younger brothers. No easy task. I KNOW. I am their mother after all and I know what it is like trying to get them ready for bed each and every night. So no, I don't have magical powers to get Smiley into bed ... he just listens to me a TINY bit better than his older brother. (a tiny bit) Kudos to you for your patience as he sat on the bottom step and cried when it was time to go to bed. (Thanks for not dragging him up the stairs.)

Second, thank you to my awesome sister April, and her husband Drew, for coming with us. It is always fun hanging out with them and makes the evening even MORE enjoyable (even if you don't get my jokes).

My third thank you goes to Brian Regan himself for making us laugh until our stomachs hurt. From his rendition of a Christmas tree and the "meaning" of the lights, to getting older and the "no jokes" sign at the airport, he kept us laughing all through the act.

My final thanks must of course go to the son who will be folding all of the laundry today (he will remain unnamed). :) Said son had a tough time following the rules while we were gone last night and earned some extra jobs. Lucky for me I won't have to fold the laundry .... he will.

I love you mom.

My son has conditioned himself to stand on the bus. I am seriously considering finding a hypnotist - the kind that hypnotizes kids to sit on buses. Is there one out there somewhere?

Anywhere?

Tonight as he finished his dinner he said to me, "I love you mom. But I need to show you that I love you so on Monday I will stand on the bus." He slapped his hand over his mouth when he realized his mistake.

If I was any less stubborn I would throw my hands up in the air and give up. Instead I shake my head and dig my heels in deeper.

Me vs. Electronics

Do you ever feel like it is you versus the world? Well I'm not saying that the world is out to get me. That would be paranoid. But definitely anything run by electricity is. If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'. Remember the hairdryer incident in the Philippines? Burned my thumb? Plugging in the extension cord in the kitchen? Burned my thumb and blew the breaker? Anytime I call into the bank, insurance company, customer service center of any kind - their computer is down. Computers that I touch break, malfunction go haywire. The only exception to this has been my macbook and it too is starting to do weird things.

My most recent computer experience happened last week with a class I have been trying to register for at a local community college. I have been number 1 on the waitlist for a month. The way it works is that you have to check daily in the email the college assigns you through their website to see if they have sent you an email saying there is an opening for you. They only hold it for 24 hours and then offer it to the next person on the waitlist. You are then kicked off of the list if you don't register in that 24 hour time.

So I checked everyday for the month that I was number 1 on the list. Then came a day when I couldn't get onto their site. I kept getting a message telling me that there were too many people trying to access the site and to try back. I tried multiple times that day with no luck. I thought, "no problem, what are the chances that after a month today would be the day I would get the email offering me the class?" What was I thinking? Of COURSE that would be the day!!!!

I logged in the next day because naturally I had NO PROBLEM logging in - and I had been kicked off the waitlist. My spot had been offered to the next person on the list. I called the school to find out what had happened and when I explained what the message on the computer said the administrator told me that this never happens. It must have been a problem with MY computer. Their system NEVER gets overloaded, it simply slows down. What???

So I am either cursed or computers/electrical gadgets really have a consciousness and have it in for me. You decide.

Defeated and Triumphant in a matter of minutes.

Another year come and gone for The Festival of Trees. A yearly tradition for my sister and I. One that we truly love to share. People spend hours and hours working on trees, quilts, centerpieces and wreaths to donate for others to bid on at the festival. All of the proceeds go to Primary Children's Medical Center for charity care. I have a friend whose son was in need of such funds when he was first born and spent the first six months of his life needing surgeries and extensive hospitalization. They had no money to pay for all of the hospital bills and relied on the charitable funds that fundraisers such as the Festival of Trees provide.

Last year I was disappointed that I didn't bid on a certain bikini-clad porcelain frog for my sister. I had missed a golden opportunity. I was NOT going to let that happen again this year. Down the first aisle of centerpieces I found just the thing...

or maybe...

or this one...

perhaps this...

I couldn't get her this one because it was already taken.

No. Definitely the pigs. But how was I going to get away from her long enough to write down a bid so she wouldn't know? Time ticked down and still I couldn't get away.

And then opportunity struck!

While April chatted I gave some excuse about checking a bid on a picture I had seen and slipped away to make a bid.

Sadly, however I lost later to a pig-lover who purchased them for a whopping $121.00!

Unbelievable!

I'm still nursing my wounds today. Next year I will win for sure!

Thankfully I did NOT lose my gingerbread house bid (sigh).

Heat Miser vs. Snow Miser will be coming home with us on Saturday.

Yeah! (if I can only keep the kids away from it until Christmas Eve)

Anyways...we love going to the festival because we see such diversity in the entries that people submit. Everyone has different tastes. For example, we found a tree decorated entirely with frogs...

I really like the show White Collar and was surprised to actually find a "White Collar" tree.

There was an "Up" tree and even an "Up" gingerbread house.

My boys would have loved the Legomaniac tree. It included a lego table and a ton of lego sets as well as 8 passes to Legoland in California. That tree started at $4500.00 - just a little out of my pricerange. (gulp)

One of the trees that scared me from afar (because I saw a human leg sticking out) but then had me laughing out loud when I got up close, was this tree...

Of course the festival would not be complete if it didn't have at least one sock monkey tree right?

The gingerbread houses that were out of my league but beautiful were...

Tangled (the last bid we saw had it at $1000.00 and that was way before the closing bid)

The Weasley's burrow:

A Madagascar Christmas:

I was tempted to buy these... (just kidding)

April was tempted to buy this...

but I talked her out of it and convinced her to get a scarf instead. She left the hat for a kid with a really big head to buy.

Needless to say, we had a fantastic time, our feet hurt, our heads hurt and my stomach hurts from laughing at all the things April said to me during the evening. She can be really naughty sometimes. Does she know about Santa's list?

Who is this man I married?

Has your husband ever come home and said or done something completely out of character and you ask yourself...who is this man that I married? What happened to the man I knew... the man I fell in love with... the manly man who drinks from the milk carton, laughs when his son gets hit by a giant ocean wave, teases me because I don't know how to work my cell phone.

Is this the same man who came home with a Snuggie?

And if that wasn't bad enough he convinced his son that it is a GOOD thing to want one...

I just don't know my family anymore. Or should I say I don't WANT to if they are wearing Snuggies.

Just too easy

Yesterday I realized that if my husband ever loses his day job he could hire on with the local CSI after watching him with one of our boys. It began in the afternoon when Wannabe came to me and said, "who drank my Powerade? It was up to here and now it is down to here."

It was obvious who had done it. The kid who always takes other people's treats. But you always have to ask every single kid. Of course he said he didn't. Then Brett said to him. Let me smell your breath. It was two hours later with not a trace of Powerade left on his breath. But my son didn't know that.

Deer in the headlights.

Confession given.

A couple of hours later I opened up a container containing cookies that I baked the day before. I handed a cookie to Brett and underneath it was this...

Nicely hidden underneath.

Rather than ask each boy who ate the cookie, Brett took the bitten cookie and held it up to each boy's teeth to see whose bite it matched.

Same boy. Of course.

Then Brett starts to say, "if you're going to steal a cookie you should at least..."

I stopped him before he could finish the sentence. I didn't want him to teach said boy how to properly steal.

Proper

When I was growing up my mom never had to worry about me doing things improperly. I was the queen of proper. I was always concerned about doing things the right way. I still am. I DO NOT want to get caught doing things the wrong way. In fact, it REALLY bothers me that certain intersections in our state are being changed so that you cannot do an immediate right turn on to them. You have to go further out and THEN turn right. If you take an immediate right turn you actually end up in on-coming traffic with people honking at you like you are an idiot. Yes. I speak from personal experience. But in my defense, you USED to be able to make an immediate right turn there. They changed it from what I knew. It is all in what you are used to.

But even I am known to cut a corner here and there.

Take the other week for example. We have family home evening every Sunday afternoon. Well, on Conference Sunday my husband was out of town so it was me. All me. For a week and a half with kids. By the time Conference Sunday came around I was ready to cut a few corners on things. I turned on conference and had all of the "stations" set up for the kids. Conference bingo with Froot Loops, missionary letter writing, Friend magazines to read, etc. So we get to the end of the day and the kids say, "what about family home evening?" I say, "I figured that Conference counted with all the activities you did." "What about our treat?" they asked. Here was my real cop-out, "you had Froot Loops with your bingo."

They didn't like that one bit. In fact, just to let me know how much they didn't like that, Giggles reminded me the following Saturday night in his prayer, "and please bless that tomorrow we will have a PROPER family home evening."

That put me in my place.

Yes, we had a proper family home evening the next day. With a proper treat.

When They Grow Up

As a parent don't you sometimes wonder what your children will be when they grow up. You even ask them that question when they are little so you can later see if their little childhood dreams and fantasies came true.

Take Smiley for example. When I ask him where he wants to go on a mission the answer is always the same... Disneyland. They don't have missionaries serving in Disneyland but I don't have the heart to tell him. After all, maybe in 2024 they will. Who knows?

As for his career Smiley wants to be a jet, but if he can't be a jet then a jet pilot.

Personally, looking at what he does he has a whole range of career opportunities available to him. He could be a tagger. You know, those who leave their unwanted artwork over things? Multiple afternoons spent removing his artwork off of his walls and bed has not deterred him from continuing this practice.

He could be an actor in a sequel of Liar Liar based on a character who always lied. Although in the movie Jim Carey's character was forced to tell the truth. I wish I could blow out some candles and wish that Smiley was forced to tell the truth forever. That would be a refreshing change.

He could be an eyelash model. Do they have those? Seriously. Everyone that meets him is struck with instant jealousy over his eyelashes.

He could be a songwriter or singer. If he is awake he is singing or humming.

He could be a famous basketball player. The shortest, best NBA player in the world. At two he was the most coordinated kid who could bounce a ball - and then he started running. But now his feet have caught up with him and he still has a great love of the game.

He could be a politician - maybe even President of the United States because hey, they also don't listen to what they are told and do whatever they feel like doing.

So much potential in one little boy. I wonder if he really will be a jet - I mean jet pilot one day?

Call Me Spike

As I was dropping kids off to Brett's office the other night, Giggles said to me, and not for the first time mind you, "when I'm an adult can I change my name?"

"Of course you can change your name when you're an adult, but why would you want to?" I asked.

"Because I hate my name. I want to change it to something like Spike."

Spike. Really?

"Spike?" I said. "That's a name people give their dogs," I tell him.

"They do?" he said disappointed.

"Yep. Remember the movie Sinbad?" I reminded him.

"Oh yeah!" his brothers pipe in, "the dog's name WAS Spike."

So I go through all of the boys' full names and explain how each first and middle name was chosen so each boy knows how special their name is. After my extensive explanation Giggles says, "so I can change my name when I grow up?"

"Yep," I say with an inward sigh.

Kids are weird

I was a normal kid. Really. I was. Well, except for eating gum off of the road, having cat food as a snack and wearing floods because I couldn't afford any other pants. See? Normal.

My kids are not normal. They think that Japanese movies are real. No kidding. Real. And the older ones who know that the movies aren't real think that the effects are realistic. It's sad really. Case in point. Last night my husband was looking for something to watch on t.v. Every so often he finds something on the guide that looks SO absurd that he HAS to turn to it. He just can't help himself. It's like looking at a carwreck. You just can't help slowing down to take a look. The show was Rebirth of Mothra made in 1996. I was sure that the date HAD to be wrong because there was no way the effects could be that bad for a movie made in 1996. Perhaps 1896.

We were flabbergasted at Mothra and the 3-headed monster he battled. It was comical. We were laughing. And then I said to Brett. You have to record this for the boys. He knew exactly what I was talking about.

I came home from running errands today and asked my boys what they thought of the Return of Mothra? Wasn't it realistic? I said sarcastically. They missed my sarcasm. "It was so realistic!" The older boys agreed. Little boys came down to continue watching it... "is this real?" Giggles asked.

Are you kidding me?

But why should I be surprised. At Niagara Falls Wannabe would not get any closer to the dinosaurs just in case they came to life. Kids are weird.

Did You Ever Wonder?

Did you ever wonder what happened to that sweet Delorean from Back to the Future? It is alive and well making bi-weekly appearances at a tiny car show held at a small burger joint. I won't even bother to tell you the name of the town because you wouldn't know it. It isn't famous for anything that I know of. If I ever get my book written and published it still won't be famous because I don't consider it my home town. I wasn't born and raised in the same town where the Delorean makes its appearances.

Of course my kids just looked at it as any other cool hotrod at the car show. They have no idea how cool this car REALLY is. It can travel through TIME man!!! It was even equipped with the flux capacitor.

I briefly considered hopping in and taking it for a joyride to the future to see how my kids would turn out. But I couldn't find the keys and really... did I want to know? Isn't it best to let the future unfold? I mean what if I go to the future and my six-year-old DOESN'T turn out to be a famous basketball player at 10-years old like he is currently planning? Or what if my seven-year-old DOESN'T learn how to build the jet that he also flies like he told me on our trip up here? What if my nine-year old ends up as a telemarketer instead of an artist or my ten-year-old decides to build homes out of wood instead of going into the steel business with his father? The horror!!!!!

Although my gift is not in predicting the future I think it is safe to say my husband will one day own a mustang. Perhaps it is safe to say that all my boys will one day own a hotrod...