tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67394910080688431222011-07-31T02:32:44.974-05:00I want to try to document and share some of the lighter and brighter sides of my life.Tiffanynoreply@blogger.comBlogger901100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-5457094670803419512009-07-14T20:29:00.004-05:002009-07-14T20:43:14.776-05:00

We've been enjoying the break from school/work. We've been sleeping in and having lots of "free" time. It's fabulous. I'm so blessed to be home with my boys during the summer. Here is a sample of the summertime activities we've been engaged in.Just a little meditation by Nathan at the SplashPad.Eva, Caleb and Christy stopped by for a night. Watching our cousin, Caleb (a different Caleb!).

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-17632401409081537032009-06-25T15:13:00.000-05:002009-06-25T15:13:01.613-05:00

On Sunday, my Primary* class had Sharing Time. We re-enacted the conversion of Alma the Younger (found in Mosiah 27 in the Book of Mormon.)Here is our narrator and the prophet, Alma:Here is Alma teaching his son, Alma the Younger. Alma the Younger is rolling his eyes and calling his dad lame.Alma the Younger and the son of Mosiah are partying and causing other to leave the Church and apparently

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-48653287668040622602009-06-24T15:00:00.000-05:002009-06-24T15:00:08.915-05:00

After two postponements due to rain, my boys finally got their Super Kids Day on the last day of school.I had a supervision shift in the morning for 30 minutes. I was a wanderer to troubleshoot any problems. It took me forever to find Nathan and his partner, Jackson. They were, of course, not playing any games but getting snow cones and cookies. :-)OK, I love this game. I "encouraged" them

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-67286301960083902692009-06-23T14:49:00.001-05:002009-06-23T14:49:01.519-05:00

The next to last day of school was the Kindergarten Luau at Truman.Here is Nathan on the big water slide.Oh, yeah! That was fun.Gotta do some face painting.Here he is in the middle of some classmates looking fierce.Slip and slides down the hill!! So fast, so fun.We need some refreshment!Off to 1st Grade! (How on earth can my baby be that old?)

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-10801784501732424212009-06-22T14:31:00.000-05:002009-06-22T14:31:00.643-05:00

In May, we became the proud owners of two guinea pigs. Matthew's teacher had too many pets at home and needed to find a new home for the guinea pigs. We were the lucky first ones to claim them. They are really wonderful pets. The boys can take them out and play with them. They can pet them. They learn some responsibility by feeding them and cleaning out the litter. Then, you can put them

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-568512249416795932009-06-21T13:59:00.003-05:002009-06-21T14:30:38.319-05:00

Happy Father's Day! My father was Bobby Cephas Howell Avance. He was born in Slatterville, UT on March 3, 1933 (3-3-33 cool, huh?) His father, Oscar Omer Howell died just a few months later on June 30, 1933. His mother, Virginia Ebby Matheson was only 15 years old at the time and had two children! She married Robert Harris Avance, Jr on October 3, 1938 and moved the children to his home in

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-25242735768590419902009-06-16T11:46:00.002-05:002009-06-16T11:55:22.153-05:00

OK, we will not mention the 4 month hiatus. I just ran out of steam the last few months of the school year.The first week of Summer Break Nathan attended Safety Town. Sooner Mall and the Norman Police Department team up to bring this fabulous FREE program to 5 and 6 year olds every year. All of my boys have participated the two years they were eligible. This will be our last time!Nathan is

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-21438429189460226412009-03-08T20:22:00.003-05:002009-03-08T20:29:20.823-05:00

Thursday was Thing 1 and Thing 2 Day. Shari, my fabulous sidekick, and I made these cute shirts to wear.Matthew dressed up like his friend, Daxon. Nathan opted out.Friday was Cat in the Hat Day. We all wore hats. I was worn out by Friday, so I didn't get a picture of the boys in their hats. A fellow teacher *made* me wear her costume. It really wasn't so bad. The tail received TONS of

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-22293445511747646632009-03-04T21:35:00.002-06:002009-03-04T21:41:27.504-06:00

Wacky Wednesday! This has been my favorite by FAR. The kids were so creative and it was fun to see what people came up with.I wore my clothes inside out. My shirt was backwards, too. My rear end is too big to wear my pants backwards! I had a bandanna around my leg and random pins all over my clothes. Do you like the Santa in the middle of my belly?Nathan came up with his own style. Love it

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-85457362665825140732009-03-03T19:54:00.003-06:002009-03-03T19:56:56.115-06:00

Today we celebrated Fox in Socks and The Foot Book by wearing crazy socks and shoes.My hip hurt by the end of the day because my shoes were different heights!

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-61886842299155673252009-03-02T20:30:00.003-06:002009-03-02T20:35:49.574-06:00

Today marks Dr. Seuss' 105th birthday. At my school we are celebrating Read Across America all week. Today was Hop on Pop day. We wore ties like pop. I had asked the kids to talk to their parents about their favorite book. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of kids that had done this BEFORE school today and could tell me what is their parents' favorite book!Here we are ready for school:

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-25917032821019015552009-03-02T07:02:00.000-06:002009-03-02T07:02:00.379-06:00

I read. A LOT. Almost all children's books. Or teen books. I love to read, especially when I'm stressed out which happens to be a lot. I post little blurbs about many of the books I read on a blog on my site I have for my school library. If I really didn't like the book or I can't see it appealing to my students, I don't post about it. I want them to see me as a credible source of

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-90013535265068284392009-03-01T06:50:00.004-06:002009-03-01T07:00:15.687-06:00

On Saturdays and other home days, we generally have a pow-wow in the morning to discuss what we are doing for the day. Yesterday, as we were gathering up I told Ben he looked "cute". Of course, I get the eye roll and "Whatever, Mom." Months ago my friend, Victoria, had told me when she were younger she would have thought Ben was cute. So, I added this to help validate my statement. He was,

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-2146375655437698682009-02-18T10:14:00.000-06:002009-02-18T10:14:00.359-06:00

OK, I love to do this kind of thing. I found a Kid's Height Predictor on WebMD. This calculator takes into account the parents' heights, the child's current age, height and weight. In the past, most calculators I've found have only used the parent's height OR the child's height at a certain age.According to the results,Ben will be 6'0"Matthew will be 6'6" &Nathan will be 6'1".We shall see. . .

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-47691665069582076172009-02-17T10:14:00.000-06:002009-02-17T10:14:00.712-06:00

My friend, Christy, is the the CRAFT QUEEN. One day she sent me a link to my next craft project at Sublime Stitchery. I think she was joking, but I liked it so much I ordered it right away. I made a shirt with one of the patterns.Here is the finished product:Here it is a up close.I need photography lessons. I take so many pictures and I just get tired and go with a crappy one. I stitched

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-81095369180912303462009-02-16T10:14:00.000-06:002009-02-16T10:14:00.199-06:00

For many years now, we have made Groundhog cupcakes. I'm pretty sure I've taken pictures every year, so one of these days I'll dig through the photo albums and find out how long we've had this tradition. I remember Ben found the original idea in a magazine probably 8 years ago.Here are the 2009 results:This year I pretty much let the boys do *most* of the production.Here they are making the

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-34098371322983045522009-02-15T17:21:00.005-06:002009-02-15T17:39:54.785-06:00

Every Valentine's Day we have fabulous pink heart shaped pancakes. Here is the first one in the skillet.Yes, I will eat this fabulous pink heart shaped pancake and about 2,000 more after that.Nathan was actually happy. I just couldn't get a decent picture and gave up.Ben with some serious bed head.We have this calendar from Kraft. The featured recipe this month is an Easy Brownie Torte. My

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-24200897370561379412009-02-05T16:10:00.000-06:002009-02-05T16:10:00.455-06:00

Matthew was cooking dinner for us.Matthew-I like to cook.me-Good. You will be able to eat your whole life.Matthew-It will be good for when I'm on my mission.me-and the rest of your life, too.Matthew-Yeah, don't girls like it when boys cook for them?

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-72965974487501671142009-02-04T15:47:00.000-06:002009-02-04T15:47:00.341-06:00

What My Life Is Really Like--Part 1For more years than I can remember, I have done a "Big Shop" once a month. I know I started this before Matthew was born because I remember doing it when I was pregnant with him. I do most of my shopping at Wal-mart. I have a menu that hangs on the refrigerator with about 28 dinner meals. This list has slowly evolved overtime. It includes WeightWatcher

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-11195198177081654242009-02-03T16:02:00.000-06:002009-02-03T16:02:00.801-06:00

Oh, how my boys love to make blanket forts. Oh, how they make me crazy. They love to make them in the living room. They ask just about every Sunday. I let them maybe once per month to make one in the living room. They sometimes make them in their rooms, but they don't like that nearly as much.Here is their fort from Sunday. They actually drew up floor plans for this fort. They have a main room,

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-49325184537215743842009-02-01T15:33:00.002-06:002009-02-01T15:47:05.321-06:00

Yesterday, Matthew, Nathan and I attended a Self Reliance Fair at our Church. (Ben was still at a Boy Scout campout.) We had a great time. I thought it was very well done.Here is Matthew at the top of the inflatable.Nathan--on his way down.Mmmmm, popcorn with butter.Cotton candy that both boys ate WAY too much of.Matthew at an Emergency Preparedness booth. Lots of great info.Here I am in all

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-28644748316056005912009-01-29T16:33:00.002-06:002009-01-29T16:46:10.788-06:00

A couple of days ago I finished the book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is about her journey in one year. She had just gone through a nasty divorce. She had been suffering from depression. She decided for different reasons to spend 4 months in Italy learning the language and eating, 4 months in India at an ashram learning truly meditate and 4 months in Indonesia learning from a

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-40638646404230528362009-01-28T10:47:00.002-06:002009-01-28T10:56:57.827-06:00

It was time in our house for some new charts. My old Family Home Evening chart was about five years old and was made for five people. I've been meaning to make a new one for a long time. I finally got it together last week. Our categories are "Conducting"--this person conducts, selects the songs and calls on people to give prayers; "Lesson"--self-explanatory; "Scripture Story"--this is a new

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-37067305153095067582009-01-19T19:56:00.002-06:002009-01-19T20:06:50.242-06:00

For some reason this is the first year that I have clued in on the fact that the way to celebrate this holiday is to provide service. I really, really like this. So, today I watched two of my nieces and one nephew this morning. Then, I watched three of Tracy's kids this afternoon. This morning I had all six kids make Valentine's cards for the Maguire Foundation. This group provides holiday

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-85812594797375598722009-01-18T20:04:00.003-06:002009-01-18T20:11:04.576-06:00

All around town the new Oklahoma license plate is appearing on cars. I just don't like it. For some reason the guy looks like a Viking to me. A Viking? Of all the wonderful images of Native Americans that could have been chosen, why this one???

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-89162627852865041972009-01-13T19:15:00.002-06:002009-01-13T19:27:25.849-06:00

Nathan's teacher is out on bed rest. She is expecting her first baby at the end of the month. Half of last week and this week he has an interim long-term sub. Next week the official long-term sub will be there until his teacher returns. His current sub is a lovely lady that has done other long-term subs at our school. She is great with kindergarteners, but technology is not her forte.Today,

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-65541939674866504922009-01-12T16:18:00.003-06:002009-01-12T16:37:54.344-06:00

I'm back in the schedule of our daily routine. Get up, work, come home, work, take kids to activities, work, go to bed, Repeat. It's not all bad. In fact, I like my job (for the most part), I like my kids (for the most part), I have everything I need and some of my wants, I have family close by, I have fabulous friends, I have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's just the day-in, day-out is

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-21917568478626067782009-01-06T20:33:00.002-06:002009-01-06T20:40:16.992-06:00

I was catching up on some blog reading and read this post by Daring Young Mom. I was smiling and chuckling a bit. One commenter included a link to this article. I nearly busted my gut reading about this 5 and 6 year old in Germany that ran off to get married. All three boys came running to discover what was so funny because I was laughing so hard. After we read and laughed and joked about

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-6321640238049663992008-12-30T22:40:00.000-06:002008-12-30T22:40:00.168-06:00

The old school party on the last day of school before Winter Break. The week very little gets accomplished at school. Trying to teach anything becomes about 25 more difficult than during a regular week of school. With this in mind I even tried to design lessons that would be even more engaging than more normal fabulousness, but it still was a monumental struggle. Too much enthusiasm. I guess

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-64123694418180421392008-12-30T10:59:00.003-06:002008-12-30T11:10:44.646-06:00

This was my first experience at a middle school party. This is the first time I was "invited." It was nice. It wasn't much different than an elementary party just WAY less parents and taller partiers.They played Dirty Santa. You were suppose to bring really lame gifts. Miss C had "won" a used gross toilet seat at Dirty Santa in college. This was the stories they had been told.Ben ended up

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-54265339350645802752008-12-30T10:14:00.002-06:002008-12-30T10:38:47.502-06:00

I had a lovely Christmas holiday. I've just been too lazy to post. Facebook has won my attention lately. Darn that Tracy for forcing me to joining. I have a few posts to make, but they won't necessarily be in order.On December 26th, I attended the fabulous Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular at the Ford Center in OKC. Here are the Rockettes as toy soldiers:This cannon went off and

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-54448589887882818452008-12-21T19:27:00.002-06:002008-12-21T19:37:09.163-06:00

On Friday night, I ask Ben to call his Scoutmaster (Mike) and confirm the details for their CPR class on Saturday. Mike returned his call. WHEN HE IS ON THE PHONE WITH MIKE, Ben tells me it starts at 8 AM. If Mike is going to give him a ride, he'll be by at 5:45 AM. I said I would take him myself because I didn't want to try to get Ben up at that hour. He is NOT a morning person.So, Saturday

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-86669415549452905652008-12-20T20:12:00.004-06:002008-12-20T20:39:53.855-06:00

OK, I was cruel, but I couldn't trick Nova. All the pictures in the quiz were Ben. They do look so much alike.The past 8 days of school all four of us have gone on the same day exactly ONCE. Most days it was just one person home, but one day it was Ben and I. (Their dad stayed with them on days that the boys were sick.) We've had a nasty stomach bug that eventually put as all out of commission.

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-25850078434004024312008-12-16T13:17:00.000-06:002008-12-16T13:17:00.216-06:00

Are you game? As I was scanning pictures, it was a bit spooky how much Ben and Nathan looked alike as babies and toddlers. My boys failed the quiz! Thankfully, they are ALL labeled, so I can tell them apart.Here is a little something to give everyone a fair start:This is Nathan now: This is Ben now:Leave your answers in the comments:#1#2#3#4#5

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-57762328867399099432008-12-15T19:50:00.003-06:002008-12-15T20:08:15.761-06:00

This is what I looked like approximately nine years ago. . .Matthew was born weighing in at 9 lb 15 oz! I was induced 5 days early. I can't imagine what he would have weighed if he would have come when he wanted to.I've been scanning pics for my sister to put in a digital frame for my mother. Somehow, I didn't scan one of Matthew as a newborn and I'm not gonna haul the scanner back out. Here

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-43443852348918850612008-12-03T09:19:00.000-06:002008-12-03T09:19:00.791-06:00

The girls: April, Octavia, Me, Julie and NovaMy family. Doesn't Nathan look nice?Kim, April, Dallin and HannahCaleb and Julie (Adam had to work.)Shayla, Nova and JayDwain's family we never got all together since Caroline was sick. I don't know we didn't capture Mom and Verland. Oggie is her own woman.

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-71837607170183058742008-12-02T20:55:00.003-06:002008-12-02T21:04:40.199-06:00

Matthew made a wonderful Thanksgiving card for me. Here is the P.S.:"You may NOT blog, talk on the phone, talk whatsoever about it, show it to another person, email, or any other means of communication about it without my permission."(YES, I did get his permission to blog about the P.S. part)The card was really sweet, but I busted out laughing at the end. Hmmmm, I guess he knows me a little

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-46493669410935205012008-12-02T09:06:00.000-06:002008-12-02T09:06:00.090-06:00

We live in a relatively new neighborhood which means baby trees. Well, April and Kim's yard was full of leaves. The cousins decided to rake a huge pile to jump in. Uncle Dwain had them raking them way down in the bottom part of the yard to help mulch areas with no grass. Well, everyone was gung-ho for a short while. Matthew spent nearly all afternoon raking. Ben told him, "I'm management and

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-26916660066235913352008-12-01T08:54:00.001-06:002008-12-01T08:54:00.228-06:00

The weather was so nice on Thanksgiving day. We had time for loads of outdoor play.Hannah looking a bit taller.Nathan is pushing Clarissa. He and Tal took turns and no one even told them to!Caleb playing ball.Dallin is now king of the castle.Caleb enjoying some run time.Matthew and Dallin jumping on the VERY dirty trampoline. It didn't bother them a bit. Those are crushed up leaves. It

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-74951095796087905702008-11-30T08:44:00.001-06:002008-11-30T08:44:00.283-06:00

Welcome to my home. Let me cast a spell on you. This is Dallin.Big sister, Hannah, had a different approach to welcoming.Dallin was snapping pictures of everyone and everything. Julie had him take a picture of her taking a picture of him, so I got a picture of both of them doing that.Here is Julie, currently wearing a size 0. Way to go!The token teenage cousin. He's a good sport and plays

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-87854085377995928462008-11-29T09:30:00.007-06:002008-11-29T09:42:18.322-06:00

We always put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.Then, the memory card was full. The end. I'll post after pictures later.

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-56823032080358016042008-11-29T08:20:00.003-06:002008-11-29T08:44:50.066-06:00

On Wednesday afternoon, we headed to Tulsa. We stayed with this little cutie!Hi, I'm Shayla.Hmmm, they look cuter on a toddler. Sorry, Ben. My boys loved playing with Shayla!Shayla with her daddy.Shayla helping Velvet wear the ears.We drove all the way to Tulsa so you could do this! Come on Matthew and Nathan.Thanksgiving morning! Pull out the camera and she knew what to do. When you would

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-17132258368210788102008-11-22T16:49:00.003-06:002008-11-22T17:01:44.331-06:00

Today, Matthew and I assembled a birdhouse for a Cub Scout requirement. Thankfully, this one was a lot cheaper than the previous one I blogged about. We had cut the wood out a couple of weeks ago when I borrowed a saw from my colleague.Hammer, hammer. . . He only hit my fingers twice in the process.I'm not sure what we were doing. Nathan was our photographer.The assembled birdhouse. It still

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-1933145369696732822008-11-22T16:35:00.003-06:002008-11-22T16:47:37.063-06:00

A couple of weeks ago a teacher came into the library and smacked a book in my hands. She told me this is the best book she'd ever read. Of course, it was understood I would borrow it and read it. I was warned to have a least two hours when I started it. The book is Tell No One by Harlan Coben. Just looking at the book, I would have never picked it up. However, when someone tells me they

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-91319714303940532662008-11-21T08:43:00.000-06:002008-11-21T08:43:00.950-06:00

A blogger mentioned this website: Global Rich List. You put in your annual salary and it tells you where in the global percent of wealth you fall. I'm in the top 4.76% of richest people. I'm a single mom and a public school librarian. You can find my salary schedule online. I'm a second year teacher with a Master's degree. I work two more contract days than classroom teachers. Do the math

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-36161440367316354302008-11-20T20:56:00.002-06:002008-11-20T21:03:50.028-06:00

I'd had the same hand-held mixer for 14 years. It was a $10 Sunbeam that I got for a wedding present. Well, it finally bit the dust a few weeks ago. I bought a new mixer at Walmart. I didn't get the cheapest one, but the next model up. I used it tonight for the first time. The lowest setting was comparable to my highest setting on the old one. I thought, "Wow!" Then, I accidentally caught

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-11705661230624707882008-11-20T17:52:00.004-06:002008-11-20T20:34:44.196-06:00

My friend, Melessa, unofficially tagged me for two memes. They are book memes. How can I pass them up?Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 56. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences. The CLOSEST BOOK, NOT YOUR FAVORITE, OR MOST INTELLECTUAL!This was difficult. I have three books VERY close to my hands--on

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-46510480789030370932008-11-16T16:41:00.003-06:002008-11-16T17:08:41.257-06:00

OK, it's been quite a few days since I've posted. The first week of November I was simply EXHAUSTED. Between the time change and the Book Fair, I just was tired all the time. We hold our Book Fair during Parent-Teacher Conferences. Consequently, the Book Fair is very successful aka a lot of work. At the conferences, I got the update on how all the boys are doing in school. Thankfully there

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-18963952983920498742008-11-07T07:15:00.002-06:002008-11-07T07:27:28.605-06:00

My friend, Tracy, tagged me for a meme to list 6 quirky things about myself. This is my best attempt:1. I can sing the alphabet backwards.2. I remember ridiculously unimportant details, like I ate macaroni and cheese for lunch the day my sister, Nova, was born. I was four years old.3. I no longer have a gall bladder. It was removed when Nathan was 4 weeks old. I breastfed him within five

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-78407683521464842642008-11-02T18:38:00.004-06:002008-11-02T18:51:45.359-06:00

My boys went Trick-or-Treating around our neighborhood for Halloween--the old-fashioned way. They brought home copious amount of candy including some full size candy bars!Here they are before the festivities began:My kids were all originals, I'm sure! One 1st grade class that paraded through the library had 5 Clone Troopers!Ben is Yuki Sohma from Fruits Basket. Fruits Basket is a popular manga

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-55941518311657030552008-10-28T06:50:00.000-05:002008-10-28T06:50:00.828-05:00

Nathan got to pick one package to open in the morning. He picked Super Mario Galaxy. Score!Here's another birthday tradition: My Book About Me. His dad received a copy of this book when he was 6 years old. Ben and Matthew have both received a copy on their 6th birthday. Unfortunately, I'm a more tired mommy now and I'm not quite as excited about helping him fill it in!Here is the first of 3

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-66992981518869272302008-10-27T06:45:00.000-05:002008-10-27T06:45:00.515-05:00

In my family, we always had donuts for breakfast. We didn't have donuts other times so this was special treat. I've carried on the tradition! Here the boys are enjoying donuts for breakfast on Nathan's birthday which was a double bonus because then they didn't have to eat in the school cafeteria for breakfast.

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-39940615381679577792008-10-21T11:18:00.000-05:002008-10-21T11:18:02.083-05:00

In anticipation of Nathan's upcoming birthday, our friends the Haynes surprised him with a Red Velvet ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery.I even had candles to put on the top and we ate it at lunchtime BEFORE lunch. The kids kept asking us if it was OK.Matthew & Hannah like it.So do Elisabeth and Rex. (My morning paper stays on the table after I read it at breakfast until dinnertime when I

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-44923495949346271472008-10-20T10:33:00.001-05:002008-10-20T10:33:00.312-05:00

Behold, Chac the Mayan Rain God. Remember this picture. What do ya think?This is Matthew's costume for his music program this week. He will also be wearing dark makeup on his face and neck. His music teacher has also purchased the head dress. I bought the brown shirt at Goodwill. I bought the brown leggings at Walmart. I owned the brown socks. I made the skirt, the necklace and the arm

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-69116946224764381752008-10-19T15:08:00.003-05:002008-10-19T15:18:36.976-05:00

This weekend Matthew and I have been accomplishing a lot of the things he has left to do to earn his Wolf Badge in Cub Scouts. We went and picked up trash at the park, visited the Moore-Lindsay Home (historic Victorian home built shortly after the Land Run), cooked an outdoor meal, learned how to turn off the water to the house, and had a family game night (loads of fun) in addition to other

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-41103106670370413072008-10-18T06:23:00.003-05:002008-10-18T06:50:02.586-05:00

Yesterday, we went and had family pictures made. It is the first time in a long time that we went to a Portrait Studio. I bought our Christmas cards and some other pictures. The best picture was of the three boys together. I, of course, spent more money than I had intended to :-). I'll share when after I pick them up.Then, we went to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History aka the Dino

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-91707443454912733132008-10-12T21:43:00.003-05:002008-10-12T21:51:44.073-05:00

My friend, Melessa, posted her quiz results on her blog. I like to do these type things every so often. Here are my results. Fairly accurate--just like a horoscope :-). Who wouldn't want to be compared to Grace Kelly?Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...You Are a Grace!How to Get Along with Me * Be independent, not clingy* Speak in

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-84273968264310126892008-10-12T21:17:00.003-05:002008-10-12T21:27:38.181-05:00

My BABY lost his first tooth today.He was so excited. I'm so excited. Yesterday, he called to tell me it was really wiggly (he was with his dad for the weekend). When he burst through the door this afternoon, he proudly plopped it in my hand. He lost it in Primary (children's group at Church) while singing "I Am a Child of God." I guess he was given a bag to keep it in, but dropped it out.

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-44254002606554395632008-10-09T08:00:00.000-05:002008-10-09T08:00:00.678-05:00

Wednesday morning when I went in to wake up Nathan, this is what I found.Take a closer look.Now I've removed the covers.Now I've pulled him out.I don't think he was ready to greet the day yet.I provide him with a bed. I mean for him to sleep IN it, not under or close by it. But, I still find that boy all over the place. Here is a really crappy picture I took last month. He is in the living

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-87424498160452443702008-10-08T20:42:00.002-05:002008-10-08T20:47:14.636-05:00

What the heck is that? Why are you showing us this really strange picture, Tiffany? Matthew brought me this picture. He was SOOO excited. He got a coveted part in the 3rd grade music production. This picture is my guide for the costume he needs to be Chac, the Mayan Rain God. Did I mention the play is in TWO weeks?

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-23713900998556157802008-10-08T20:23:00.003-05:002008-10-08T20:27:55.964-05:00

On Monday, I went by the grocery store because we were out of milk. I came home put it in the refrigerator. When I got up on Tuesday morning, it was sitting on the counter. Apparently, my son had a midnight snack of cereal and forgot to put it back in the fridge.On Tuesday, I went by Sam's Club. Matthew & Nathan needed some more Claritin, so I picked up some milk while I was there. A

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-42616944694588618252008-10-05T06:49:00.002-05:002008-10-05T07:19:27.744-05:00

Sometimes I feel like my life is one long to-do list that never gets any shorter no matter how many things get crossed off. Sometimes I feel cranky for no good reason at all. Sometimes I feel resentful that I'm raising three wonderful boys on my own with no financial support and unreliable other support. Sometimes I get tired of hearing endless dialogues about Parking Dash or Spongebob or some

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-38982798955995706112008-09-30T20:49:00.000-05:002008-09-30T20:50:49.506-05:00

1st grader: Have I told you that you are really pretty?5th grader: (while teaching a lesson on research & showing a picture of Christopher Columbus) Is that you?

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-41128246149281106042008-09-30T12:03:00.000-05:002008-09-30T12:03:00.542-05:00

One of Nathan's pumpkins was starting to go bad. He really wanted to turn it into a pumpkin pie. I told him I'd make him a pumpkin pie from canned pumpkin. He insisted, so I told him we'd open it up and then we would see what he thought.He had a fun time pulling it all out. He decided he just wants to roast the seeds. After they set on the newspaper for a few days, I had him put them in a

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-12203360245827750442008-09-29T14:00:00.000-05:002008-09-29T14:00:01.219-05:00

Last Thursday evening, Truman had a Skateland night. The chairperson is a mom that has helped out a lot in the library. She is very nice and I like her a lot. So, when she asked if I would come to Skateland Night as a promotion to "Come Skate with the Teachers" I said yes. By Thursday night, I was regretting saying yes. However, I had agreed to go, so we went--and had a great time.I should

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-5035078477362092792008-09-28T20:18:00.003-05:002008-09-28T20:34:19.703-05:00

Things accomplished this weekend:1. Sent Ben on a Boy Scout Campout. They climbed and rappelled. He had a great time.2. Got the tires rotated and balanced on the car. I'm feeling a slight shimmy. It helped but didn't eliminate the problem. The guy did mention even though my mileage is low that the tires are 7 years old and I should look at replacing them soon. Bummer.3. Went to the

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-67270768659781271342008-09-21T18:29:00.005-05:002008-09-21T19:51:58.590-05:00

This week has been a bit crazy, especially the latter half. I spent Thursday and Friday in OKC at Encyclomedia. This is a conference for library media specialists, counselors and gifted & talented coordinators. I heard Sharon Draper speak at the open session. I haven't read any of her books, but I want to now. She was a fabulous speaker--funny and inspirational. I went to two sessions about

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-51479474791023517312008-09-16T20:54:00.003-05:002008-09-16T21:14:36.745-05:00

More than a year ago (I can't remember exactly when), I read a book called Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. This book was SOOOO good. The basic premise is that the moon has been hit by an asteroid which knocks the moon closer to the earth. This upsets the balance of everything. The tides are off, tsunamis are occuring, it eventually sets volcanoes off all over the place, etc. The

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-4804937414620853252008-09-13T21:15:00.002-05:002008-09-13T21:37:25.206-05:00

sort of, anyway. My body has gone in total rebellion mode. I keep thinking I'm on the upswing only to realize that no that is the ground I'm seeing not the sky. What is this mystery illness? I even broke down and went to the Urgent Care center on Thursday and got antibiotics. I'm starting to get really tired of this now. I just want to feel normal again. When I'm sick I always start

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-37450511794150762612008-09-06T21:15:00.002-05:002008-09-06T21:46:37.356-05:00

I had several blog posts all lined out in my mind this week. I've realized that blogging during the week isn't going to be realistic a lot of the time. Our evenings are so full and my preferred time to sit in front of the computer is when my kids are suppose to be getting ready for bed. It does not go well if I'm not actively involved and I'm trying to work on that. So, I'll have to jot down

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-35299325677821017212008-09-01T06:32:00.001-05:002008-09-01T06:32:00.926-05:00

We spent a little R & R over at my sister's house on Saturday. We don't get together often enough. My mom was there too, but I didn't end up with any pictures of her. Here are some pics of our outing.The man of the hour: Caleb. He turns 2 years old today. We bought him some Cars books because he loves "caaaaas".Caleb is lucky to have a dad that can build things. He built him a nifty new

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-55322177975615945822008-08-31T08:45:00.004-05:002008-08-31T09:08:16.887-05:00

Last night the boys and I got caught out in a thunderstorm. We happened to be in Wal-Mart in Moore when the heavens opened. It wasn't lightly raining. It was POURING. So, I left the boys with the cart by the front doors. I made a run for it down the WRONG aisle. I started cracking up as I ran over to the next aisle. I got a *little* wet. When I got up to the door, my wonderful boys were

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-57292528629408430312008-08-29T20:27:00.005-05:002008-08-29T21:30:49.313-05:00

I remember the day we found out that baby #3 was a boy. I knew from that moment that people would have a difficult time keeping my kids straight. As the second of five girls each 2 years apart in age except the youngest was 3 years apart, I grew up with most people just knowing which family we belonged to and not actually knowing the difference between us. Also, growing up in the Latter-Day

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-88270301122797875162008-08-24T20:33:00.003-05:002008-08-24T20:49:59.480-05:00

and we have our first illness of the '08-09 school year. Matthew started off the festivities in my bathroom which is partially carpeted on Friday night. Why he couldn't go to his bathroom which was closer and completely tile I don't know. He ran a very mild fever. He seems to be much better today, but still needs to lie down after eating.Nathan is such a sick little boy. He is running a

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-66696213925993858212008-08-21T18:03:00.005-05:002008-08-21T19:05:50.295-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of school. I was too strung out last night to make my fabulous post about it. Your wait was not in vain. . .Ben, Nathan & MatthewLeaving in the dark because their mom has to be there by 7:25 AMWe have a tradition of homemade cinnamon rolls on the first day of school. I've noticed that most of our traditions surround food. Not only is it all about food; it is about

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-56259750864744383392008-08-17T19:31:00.004-05:002008-08-17T19:44:27.486-05:00

OK, I didn't do that, but that is a direct quote from Ben today. I should give it some context, but it is so much better without it. We have a game called What's in Ned's Head? There are cards with items that are inside the head and you stick your hand in his ear or nostril and fill around to find the item. It is a speed race to see who can find the most objects first. We played this during

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-42997670739459954602008-08-15T21:04:00.002-05:002008-08-15T21:11:06.124-05:00

This week has been long. I forgot how demanding my job can be. Or maybe I was in denial. Our student count is over 800! I HAVE to go in tomorrow. I still have a lot to do before everyone shows up on Monday night. Tonight, however, was a good pick-me-up. We went to the SplashPad for my nephew, Tal's, birthday. My friend, Tracy, snapped these pics of the boys. She emailed them to me and

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-80922041166368134862008-08-13T11:57:00.003-05:002008-08-13T12:12:35.968-05:00

33 Things About TracyShe is the oldest of two children.She has been married 12 years.She was born in Colorado.She was a National Merit Scholar (smart, smart, smart!)She is an OU alum.She loves Jane Austen.She is a mother of five--Hannah, Elisabeth, Caleb, Rex and Sariah.She irons better than anyone else I know-she even did it for pay.She's great at growing houseplants.She is currently a nursery

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-71915134034329661132008-08-12T20:23:00.002-05:002008-08-12T20:47:01.238-05:00

Today went by quickly. It frustrates me to no end that people think it is OK to move everything around in the library and put nothing back. I welcome people into the library. Just please leave it like you found it. The worst offenders are the teachers after a Staff Meeting. They leave cups and papers. They leave chairs wherever they left them. Hey, that sounds just like my house. So, I

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-36296734849078156862008-08-11T09:00:00.005-05:002008-08-11T19:06:38.080-05:00

This is my first (and maybe last for a long while) post of I Made It Myself. My BFF, Christy, started this blog carnival. I like to see what other people have made. I rarely get to craft these days, but I did whip up these two dish towels in the past couple of weeks.Here is the pic of the whole towel:Here is the design up close. I wish I would have made the outline on the Santa and sleigh

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-76231837639331968122008-08-10T19:15:00.003-05:002008-08-10T19:38:37.162-05:00

When my sister, Julie, was in high school she went to Vo-Tech (which I know is not the PC term for such schools anymore). She received training in Cosmetology and received her license which she still keeps current but does not use. She worked for a short while after HS doing hair. It wasn't fun. People had very unrealistic expectations about what was possible with their hair. She isn't even

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-63856787943460569472008-08-08T21:32:00.005-05:002008-08-08T21:58:17.671-05:00

When Ben was in 5th grade, his class would earn Game Days. For the entire day, they got to play games--electronic and board games. I think there was even a hula hoop contest once. Ben has been asking if they could have a Game Day most of the summer. Translation: we want to play computer and video games ALL DAY. Well, today was the greatly anticipated day.The day started with Nathan the

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-89263174706729874382008-08-07T18:18:00.002-05:002008-08-07T18:35:27.487-05:00

Let us pause for a moment of silence. . . . . . . .I must return to work next week. I knew the day would come much too quickly and it has. However, I had many, many projects on my list for the summer and I've done pretty well. Here are some of the things I've accomplished:Paint the entire inside of my house including ceilings and closets (there are two closets and one pantry that didn't get

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-19827222309633103402008-07-29T21:17:00.003-05:002008-07-29T21:29:49.283-05:00

We had the good fortune to have Christy and her family stay with us last night. My kids introduced the Wii to her kids. They'll never be the same (sorry!). Nathan and Caleb golfed--Caleb was going for distance, period. He could make that ball fly even with a putter.Matthew is a magnet for bugs. He is the first one to get bit and he gets tons of bites. Then, they swell up a LOT. Sometimes

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-27519419088585583002008-07-26T18:02:00.004-05:002008-12-09T11:12:15.140-06:00

This past week my friend, Tracy, and I went camping. Oh, we also took our 8 kids and her dog. We actually had loads of fun. Tracy already wrote a great post about our trip.The first day we spent driving to Devil's Den which is in Arkansas just north of Fort Smith. None of my children had been to Arkansas. We can't afford a more grand vacation this summer we decided to go camping in another

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-63683545404710874312008-07-20T15:53:00.004-05:002008-12-09T11:12:15.421-06:00

Yesterday morning all three boys went to a party at Pump It Up for our neighbor, Superstar Carly. Why is she a **Superstar**? Well, I'm not entirely sure. However, she is the most desired playmate on the circle. She is the only one that has no siblings. She generally isn't around to play quite as much as everyone else. I also thinks she is fun and shares readily. Plus, her mom gives out

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-38712961080696750442008-07-18T20:18:00.003-05:002008-12-09T11:12:15.790-06:00

Years ago (like 5), I got some rolls of wall border from my mom when she got remarried. I really liked it, but I never got around to doing anything with it. Then, I decided I wanted to put it up in my bathroom, but then I thought I didn't have enough. However, I recently found an additional roll that I didn't know I had. After some measuring this morning, I realized I DID have enough. So, I

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-62383487466498980262008-07-17T21:50:00.004-05:002008-12-09T11:12:15.911-06:00

Today I spent at the OKC Temple.We are having Stake Temple Days today and tomorrow. I went with 2 of my BFFs, Andrea and Tracy. I had a very pleasant time even if I almost fell asleep a few times. However, I apparently wasn't the only one which made me feel much better.I'm starting to feel summer winding down. I'm really sad, but I've accomplished so much so far that I won't feel like I'm

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-7079609526461449702008-07-12T21:39:00.003-05:002008-12-09T11:12:17.232-06:00

It is like a rite of passage--planting seeds in a cup of dirt at school. Nathan planted a pumpkin seed at Pre-K that never made it off the Y bus not to mention home. Matthew had planted sunflower seeds at school, too. It grew but was weak and snapped. With sad hearts, they really wanted to grow pumpkins and sunflowers. So, we bought seeds and planted. I bought myself tomato plants because I

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6739491008068843122.post-32879267905624873182008-07-11T23:33:00.002-05:002008-07-11T23:43:20.967-05:00

I use Gmail for my personal email. It adds people to my contact book whenever I reply to a message or send a message. I was just going through my contact list of over 200 and wondering who the heck some of these people are. I mean I don't even recognize their names. Some of them are people that I haven't seen or spoken to in years. A lot of them are people that I'm NEVER going to email--at

Tiffanynoreply@blogger.com0