"Lost Generation"

I actually read one of the mass forwarded emails as opposed to just deleting them. (Sorry, the truth is out.)  Kudos to the video's writer. Let me know what you think.

Bucket List

This is a "tag" blog. The following is a list of things you're "supposed" to do before you die and you indicate which ones you've done. Purple are the things I have done. Orange - I'm OK if I never do those things. Black means someday I would like to do those things. This post made me realize I really need to visit Europe!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (if anyone answers no on this, they are lying)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31.  Hit a home run (if "whiffle" ball counts)

32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie "Little Green Walking Hood" anyone?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Ridden a horse
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Ocean
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

I tag whoever is interested in sharing this info with us.

Random Thoughts

I've had a serious case of writer's block lately. Not that there haven't probably been events that are "blogworthy" - I just can't seem to put the fingers to the keyboard so to speak. Hence I am going to write some of the random thoughts I have had lately and hope that the creative juices flow soon. (For your sake as well as mine.)

Food:

• Fruit cocktail is one of the greatest things ever. I don't even like to eat it, but Ethan loves it. (I buy the naturally sweet kind.) It is so easy to pop open a can and give it to him for a tide over while dinner is cooking. Plus I feel like I am sort of teaching him to be a healthy eater. Its a win-win situation.
• Lebkuchen. Ahhh. It is a wonderful thing. It makes me happy.
• Why is it that when I am trying to lose weight all I can think of is food? (And not the healthy stuff either. See above.)

Weather:

• 65 inches of snow in 6 weeks is too much snow. For anyone. Sane. Or insane.
• Pouring rain after 65 inches of snow in 6 weeks is just wrong.
• Just keep repeating to yourself that the summers here make it all worth it. (Picture is a view of Sandpoint in the summertime.)

Kids:

• Why in the world is "poop"(and all its derivatives) such a funny word for kids? Our kids are obsessed with it. One night Rick had them say poop and then haha at least 50 times thinking they would "get over it." No such luck.
• Why are my kids never ready to go to bed on the nights when I am sooo ready for their bedtime?
  
• Why is it the house can be clean for most of the day with Emily and Ethan home but when Lindsey and Jacob come home from school it looks like a tornado whipped through the house in 5 minutes flat?

Miscellany:

• I just really like the word miscellany and there are so few chances to use it in everyday language.

The Phone Call

Today I received a call from Jacob's primary teacher. She started off the conversation by saying "I just want to let you know about something that happened on Sunday. First of all let me begin by saying how much I love Jacob." Immediately my mind began racing. "What did Jacob do? What is an adequate consequence? He definitely needs to tell his teacher he is sorry." What she went on to tell me humbled me.  "I gave the kids in the classroom a metal star to glue on their picture. Jacob was just sitting there flipping it over in his hand and I thought 'Oh boy, what is he going to do?' Then Jacob very quietly whispered in awe to another kid in the class 'Can you believe Sis Reese loves us so much that she made these for us.' And my heart just melted." My heart also melted when she told me that story.  This primary teacher also mentioned a time when the kids were in class coloring and Jacob started quietly singing "Tell me the stories of Jesus." Pretty soon the whole class was singing the song and coloring.

I've always known that Jacob was sensitive to how others feel. Although lately I have been wondering if he has forgotten about that part of himself. Apparently, he has not. Thank you for reminding me to think about others' feelings more. Thank you for reminding me of who you are.

What's the point of a shark with no bite?

It finally dawned on me that I have children old enough to vacuum the stairs BY THEMSELVES. So to facilitate this I went to Walmart and bought a little mini-shark vacuum. It was wonderful, small, lightweight, easy to use and best of all - the kids loved vacuuming with it - for about 15 minutes. Then it broke. That's right, the belt broke on the vacuum. No problem, I thought I will just replace it. How hard can that be. Apparently very hard - there weren't any instructions on how to replace the belt or buy a new one or anything like that to assist me. So I thought what the heck, I'll call customer service and see what they can do. 

Me: Could you tell me what size of belt and need and how to replace it?

Customer Service rep (Obviously outsourced): "I'm sorry that that happened. Would you like me to send you a replacement belt?"

Me: Yes please.

CSR: That will be $14.95 and it should be there in 2 - 3 weeks.

Me: (Seriously!) The vacuum broke after 15 minutes of vacuuming. Can I send it back?

CSR: No I am sorry but I can send the replacement to you for no cost.

Me: That would be nice. Do you think you could expedite the shipping?

CSR: No.

Me: Could you email me or send me the instructions on how to replace the belt?

CSR: No. You must call customer service and we will give you the instructions over the phone. It is a very simple process. Is there anything else I can help you with today? 

Me: (How about a shipping time of less than 2 weeks or instructions would be nice.) No thank you.

CSR: Now with the holiday season around have you thought of buying a sharp mop....

Me: No thank you. (Are you seriously trying to sale me something after a product of yours malfunctioned after hardly any use? And you can't send me a replacement part sooner than 3 weeks and I have to call back to get the instructions on how to do the repair.) 

Elapsed time 1 week. (I guess shipping can be expedited.) The belt arrived, I called customer service, couldn't understand much of what the rep said, figured out how to replace the belt and now the kids are vacuuming the stairs on their own.

This experience caused me to realize 2 things. 1) I hate calling customer service when it is "outsourced". I can't understand them. They can't understand me. It is really buggy. And 2) Nothing puts me in a bad mood quicker than when something breaks right after I buy it.  Does anybody else feel that way?

Thanksgiving - Montana Style

We were able to go to see Rick's sister and her family for Thanksgiving. It was fun for the cousins to play and the food was great! (Thanks Wendy for your hospitality.) We had the traditional dinner on Turkey day, ate too much food, watched some football and then ate some more. Wendy was kind enough to humor me and take me to the stores the day after Thanksgiving. How scary is that? I go to Montana for my big shopping. As wonderful and fulfilling as that sounds, I don't think our Thanksgiving would have been complete without a few Montana style activities. 

1) Having our brother-in-law, Eric, pull his truck off the road on the way to Thanksgiving dinner step out of his truck, shoot a buck and clean it prior to eating dinner. The animal was on his brother-in-law's property. I thought he was joking when he brought his gun along "just in case." (Author's note: I didn't witness the actual shooting as I was in another vehicle and we didn't stop, but the shot was heard and Rick confirmed the events.)

2) Going up in the mountains with a bunch of Wendy and Eric's friends and having a bonfire. This might sound like no big deal but what we burned was a slash pile a few years in the making. It was intense flames and heat. At one point the flames were 30-40 feet high. Needless to say some kids (Jacob) freaked out when the fire first began but we were at a safe distance (which kept on increasing:)). Most shed their coats it was so warm. The kids were able to sled and we ate hotdogs, chips and banana boats in front of a beautiful fire. Although it was fun, I have new appreciation for those that fight forest fires.

Firsts

Since I last posted - eons ago - a lot of "firsts" have happened around our house.

1) Ethan took his first steps last month. Now he is a full fledged walker!

2) Ethan turned 1 year old and was the first one of our children that did not devour their piece of cake but instead gingerly licked off the frosting. :)

3) We removed the stair guard for the first time since Ethan became mobile. He can now go up and down the stairs independently!  (I just need to convince people of the importance of keeping the toilet lids shut.)

4) The first snow fell and stuck to the ground. My kids were so excited they put on all their snow gear and went and played in the snow. (I was not so excited until it melted a few hours later.)

5) I bought my first mini season ski pass. (Granted it could be my last, but Rick also bought me skis and boots. Alas...)

6) For the first time Lindsey had all satisfactory marks on her report card even in citizenship. (She's a talker. Wonder where she gets that from?) We were so excited we celebrated by getting take-out and watching a movie.

7) Rick went hunting for the first (and second and....) time. 

8) Emily went to her first "friend" birthday party. 

9) Jacob has his first loose teeth. (Now that he's gotten over the shock of what a loose tooth feels like he's pretty excited about loosing one. Today he even brought dental floss in the car to try and pull them out.)

10) For the first time in more than a month I actually posted something on my blog. Wahoo!