Happy belated Mother's day to me!

My mother's day gift! I have been wanting a bike forever, so this year I got it. I debated for a long time between a mountain bike and a cruiser. When I was young my brothers had cruisers and I would try to ride them. I just love the look of them. The beach look! Dan will hate that I am saying this, but I also love that I am sitting allow the handle bars. Coming from a professional bike racing family, I think Dan was a little disappointed I made the choice I did and went for the cruiser. I just didn't see myself actually "mountain biking." So, here it is! Isn't it cute? I wanted something that I could ride around town with my kids. Spencer and I have already gone on a couple bike rides. It is a blast! I haven't been on a bike in about 12 years, but guess what...you never forget how to ride a bike! Amazing! Thank you Denise for the bike trailer. My friend Denise had a bike trailer that her kids outgrew, so she gave it to us. Now, I can take Chelsea along too. Today Spencer rode his bike to school and we are meeting him after school with our "bikes." I love living in the neighborhood we do. We love the fun greenbelts (little paths through neighborhoods) everywhere.

Memorial Day!

Today is Memorial day! It was also the most beautiful day ever! The forecast said it was going to be cloudy. We were sooo glad they were wrong. We have been having very strange weather (like the rest the the country) with lots of dark skies and sudden rain/hail storms, so we were sort of hesitant to follow through with our Memorial Day plans. Dan's dad invited us to go sailing with him for the day. He moved his boat from Ventura to Morena DelRay and were were excited to see the "new" waters of Morena DelRay. The kids had been looking forward to it all week, so we were glad the weather was so good. So, with a quick, very yummy breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Merrill, we were off to the ocean. The kids have become quite the sailors. Unfortunately, Melanie has her mother's stomach and still gets a little queasy, but she still had fun. We were having fun laughing at her. She kept falling asleep sitting up. It was pretty funny. After a full day of sailing, we were all pooped and slept the rest of the afternoon. What a fun day! Thanks Grandpa Clinger. We missed you Grandma.Click here to see more photos of our sailing trip (then click "start slideshow" to see the slideshow.)

My Mother's Day gift from Chelsea!

One of Chelsea's teachers at church (nursery) did a photo shoot of her to give me for mother's day. They did each child in the class. Note: there are 20 kids in her class. They did an amazing job! These are my favorite from the shoot.
Click here to see more photos (then click "start slideshow" to see the slideshow.)

What is a Sugar Glider?

For Spencer's 2nd grade final project he picked the Australian Sugar Glider. What is a Sugar Glider? You can learn and see them in action here and here . They are not YET legal in California, so Spencer is already to move to Connecticut with Uncle Ben where they are legal. Of-course this project became a family project and we learned so much. I too would love to have one as a pet. For FHE Monday night Dan and Spencer created a realistic model of the critter. Spencer and Dad are so proud! They worked very hard! Spencer wrote a short report and also a very cute poem. All will be displayed at open house later this week.The Final Product!

What! Homemade Hummingbird food?

OK, am I the only one who has always purchased hummingbird food? Am I the only one who has never THOUGHT of making my own? DAAAHHH!! That stuff isn't cheap! How come no one has ever shared this with me until now? My mother-in-law, Sue just informed me that she always makes her own. You can easily make your own Hummingbird food using sugar cane sugar and water. Who ever thought? Obviously not me! And did you know that there's no need to add red food coloring to the Humming bird food? Some people do this to attacks the hummingbirds. Your red feeder will be enough to attract them. There is a controversy about whether food coloring might be harmful to the Humming birds. Which makes since because RED dye is harmful to us. So avoiding it altogether is the best choice. And that is what Sue does. Her's is homemade and clear and the birds love it!

The Hummingbird food recipe consists of 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. This 1 to 4 ratio will closely match that found in actual flower nectar.

Start by stirring the sugar into the water while bringing the mixture to a boil over low heat. Boiling the solution is important as it helps remove chlorine from the water and kills mold and yeast spores that might be in the sugar.

Boil the mixture for two minutes and let cool. Do not boil any longer than 2 minutes or you will boil away too much of the water and change the ratio of sugar to water. I have read that higher sugar concentration resulting from boiling too long, will be more attractive to insects.

Once the Hummingbird food is cool you can add it to your feeder and store any excess nectar in the refrigerator (for 7 - 8 days) for use at a later date.

Nothing is more fun, saves money and is better for your hummingbirds! Wow, I learned something new! Amazing! Thanks Sue for the lesson. Got anymore?

TO KILL OR NOT TO KILL

Attention: Don’t read this post if you are a STRONG
animal rights activist!

So, I walked outside yesterday morning and our flowerbed looked like this:All the new flowers I just planted last week were now buried or removed. I was so mad! We have so many critters around here which one did this? I was hoping it would have been this or this. At least MAYBE they would just do it ONE time and then leave. NOOO! It was this and he HAD to leave NOW! Dan was headed out the door to work and I asked him what we should do. If the gopher makes it to the grass, which was just a sidewalk away, we were going to have bigger problems. Dan began explaining to me what “I” needed to do. “Just put the hose down the hole, get a shovel and bop it over the head,” he said. Oh yah, easier said than done! I can’t even pick up a mousetrap with a caught mouse on it. How was I going to KILL one of “god’s creatures?” Spencer felt the same way and was begging Dan not to kill it. As we were talking about it, out of one of the holes, popped a head. Spencer was so excited and we all thought it was so cute! Spencer had to be to school in a few, so we went back into the house to finish breakfast. I heard the hose on, and let’s just say, when we went outside to check on it, Dan had the shovel and was headed for the trash can. What a good husband! I felt sad for the poor critter, but was quickly reminded of the damage it did and could do to our yard. I know there are probably more humane ways to take care of gophers and I apologize to anyone that is offended by this, but I know my parents wouldn’t be too happy if they came home to a holy yard. Spencer was very very upset! Melanie told me to get it out of the trash can and call the “gopher doctor”. Sorry kids! Don’t worry mom and dad, Dan saved the day again. Let’s just hope our gopher doesn’t have a friend.

FHE by Spencer

Spencer told me he was giving the lesson for FHE Monday night. My friend LeeAnne gave a talk in church and this was Spencer's interpretation of her talk. I didn't even know he was listening. In her talk, she was saying how in our lives we run into obstacles and we must over come them, so that we can get back to Heavenly Father and Jesus. She explained it using the story of Tarzan. We are the “apes” and “Tarzan” (our church leaders, our testimony, and the gospel) is trying to get us to Jane (Heavenly father/Jesus), but these logs that are full of big juicy bugs (Satan and our obstacles) are slowing us down. We must listen to Tarzan and continue on. I am doing a very poor job at explaining it, but anyways...you get it right? So, this is his lesson! He did a fantastic job! It is truly amazing what these little kids pick up. THEY ARE LISTENING!!

Mother's Day

I had a fabulous Mother's Day. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful loving husband and children. Mother's day started on Friday at Melanie's school. Her Pre-K class had a luncheon for all the mom's. It was fun to spend time with Melanie and all her friends. Sunday (Mother's Day) started early! We had to get up early in order to make it to Dan's parent's ward in Tarzana (our old ward). So, NO breakfast in bed like past Mother's Day, but I was excited to attend our "old ward" and see all our old friends. Before heading out the door, the kids gave me their gifts they made for me in school. Spencer wrote me an incredible poem and Melanie made me a hand magnet for my fridge. I also got tons of hugs and kisses which is the best ever! We enjoyed a very yummy dinner with Dan's parents, grandmother and brother, Dave. I was truly treated like a Queen!

Celebrate Your Worth, Mom

According to Salary.com, moms who stay at home with their kids full time would earn approximately $117,000 per year, if they charged for all of the services they provide, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, counseling, driving, and more. Moms who work full time outside the home would earn an additional $68,000 per year for the on-top-of-everything-else work they do in the home after hours.

Another tidbit that I found interesting is this: the same study estimates that a mom's work week consists of 96 working hours. Ninety-six!

So what does that tell you, moms, about the relevance of Mother's Day? You deserve it! So don't deflect any compliments you receive this holiday, okay? Instead, say "Thank you," and let it sink in a bit. You work extremely hard to provide for all of your family's needs, that work is indeed valued, and this holiday is for you!

Why is it that Father and Son's Night is always on Mother's Day weekend? I figured it out! I used to get really mad. Dan leaves and goes camping, which I love and leaves me with the baby? Well, no more babies here! It gave me a fun night with my precious girls and a night of peace and quiet. The "boys" left last night about 5:00. Us (girls) then got all ready and headed out to dinner. We met up with some other "girls" at Island's Restaurant. We had a blast talking and laughing. I still have "young" girls, so it was still a little crazy eating out, but I can totally see in about 4 years how fun it will be. We then picked up some ice cream, headed home and enjoyed a yummy dessert together. It was the girl's bedtime and they crashed hard. They were pretty tired. Then my "night" started! I had the whole night to myself! I took a bath (thanks for the idea Carrie Lynn), read blogs, watched a movie off paperview, and even had time to read a book before I fell asleep. AND I had a full night sleep without interruptions, which I DO NOT GET. Spencer is the one that has nightmares and I am woken up at least 3 times a night. So, it was a great night. One that every mother needs. When the BOYS are away, the girls will play or in my case relax. Thanks for the relaxing night Dan. I needed that!

No! Not my Mascara!

OK mom...I know you said I did exactly this, but did you get soooo mad at me? I was so mad! She broke my brand new mascara! Why? You tell them a hundred times. I even bought them their own make-up to play with, but they still prefer mine. Dan says she looks gothic! So this is our "gothic" 2 year old that owes me a mascara!When I first caught her and I was MAD!
She knew she was in trouble.
THEN...I started laughing so hard...she started laughing too.
Now that's a good way to discipline her! Good job Lisa!

The CUTE things THEY do and say...

Chelsea (2 years)
I was outside working in the yard and told her that we were going to plant strawberries today. She went into the fridge and pulled out the 1/2 flat of strawberries that I had just bought over the weekend and brought them outside to me and said, "can I help plant them?"

I debated whether I should post this one, but if you know me at all, how could I not? After her bath, Chelsea was examining herself. She points to HER "boobies" as we call them and asked, "are these boobies mommy?" I said, "yes"...not even thinking! She got really excited and said, "we are twins!"

I loved all the advice and help everyone gave me regarding our "blue bottle". I love the idea of telling her the bottle fairy took it and the idea of putting it in a build-a-bear like we did with Melanie's blankie, but here I am thinking Chelsea is just too young to understand all those things. We were cuddling in my bed this morning and she was sucking on the bottle. I said, "Chelsea, we need to send the bottle to the "twins" because they need a bottle." She got mad! And then I thought, I really don't want her hating her cousins that she has never even met. So, then I said, "Chelsea, we need to cut up your bottle and throw it away, you are just too old for a bottle." She started to cry and said, "then it will be died and will be with Jesus and poopsie (her great grandpa)?" OK, so maybe she isn't too young. We are still thinking of an idea!