Christmas Already?!

I still cannot believe that Christmas is only 25 days away! I thought I would make a list of the pros and the cons of the holidays for me:

Cons:

-I have no idea what to get for my twelve year old, and he's not helping me!
-My three other kids list' are way too long!
-I found nothing (repeat nothing!) at the day after Thanksgiving sales!
-I hate Walmart or any other store from here until January 2nd!
-My 10 foot Christmas tree looks really bare.
-I still have family members who I have no idea what to get for them.
-Any weight that I may have recently lost, has been or will be gained back.
-Those Salvation Army bell ringers.
-Neighbor gifts (any ideas?!)
-Christmas cards
-I'm sure there are more, but enough of the cons...

Pros:

-Family get-togethers
-The excitement in my kids (that's what Christmas is all about!)
-The fun traditions we get to do (decorate the tree, decorate gingerbread house, drive to see Christmas lights...)
-Helping others
-Some Christmas music (Home Alone album, Rosie Christmas album-bought when I still liked her, Elvis Christmas)
-Baking
-Looking forward to a new year
-Celebrating the Birth of our Savior

The Big Game

It is the time of year that most people look forward to, and I tend to dread. Anyone living in the state of Utah, is either red or blue. You know, U of U or BYU. I grew up being a BYU fan, in part to my parents. I never attended BYU, but my little sister went there, so I still have some loyal ties linking me to this school. Over the years, my two brothers became U of U fans. I think they liked the reputation of the school (U of U, party school, BYU, religious school). Enough said. When Kris and I were first married, he had just graduated from Ricks College and was looking to get his bachelors. He applied to both BYU and the U, and was accepted to both. We both really wanted him to go to the Y, but one Saturday, we took a drive down to Provo to check out the housing. It was hard to find any good places, along with jobs. I already had a good job, and I was going to be the breadwinner for a while, so we decided to go to the U so I wouldn't have to change jobs or commute further. This decision changed the game for me. I now have a die-hard Ute fan for a husband, and I am now a so-so BYU fan. It is much easier for me to not get so involved in it. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge football fan, I love this sport. I just wish I could watch the BYU-Utah game and totally cheer my team on. A couple of years ago, my mom and dad invited us to come watch the game with them and my two brothers. Half of us were Utes, the other half, Cougars. (You know it's bad when my kids started picking sides; usually they try to make us both happy and tend to go for the team of the parent they are trying to please. I have lost Zach to the dark, I mean red side, and Hayley likes to side with her mom, thatta girl! And then there's Justin and Tyler who are the swing voters!) The game got to be so competitive with my brothers that it was no fun. One brother has never been a good loser (lots of board games being thrown in the air when we were younger!). By the end of the fourth quarter, I was so mad at how rude he was being, I left to the kitchen, and missed the winning touchdown of BYU to beat the Utes. It's no fun when you can't enjoy a good win or a good game. I try to remain neutral all season and go for both teams, but when this one game of the year happens, it's time to go blue! Kris is pretty good about not being too in my face about it, thank goodness.

My kids elementary school does a really fun tradition every year during the week before the game. They have one day where they pick their team colors and wear their color. Today they had a team pep rally at lunch for the big game, and they also have a canned goods fund raiser where the kids bring cans and put them in the bin marked BYU or Utah. At the end of the week, they announce the winner with the most amount. This year, I am sad to say the winner was Utah! I hope this isn't a precursor to the game tomorrow. Until tomorrow, go COUGARS!!!

My Job: Mom

This week was one of those weeks where I sometimes wished I didn't have to be so responsible. You know the kind where you have to take care of needy problems at home...

This week happened to be Parent/Teacher Conference week, so therefore, Davis School District lets the elementary students have early day all week long! Talk about a mother's nightmare! I had big plans of getting the kids their flu shots after school, didn't happen. Zach had 2+ friends over on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. That was enough for two weeks, so it will be awhile before he can have some friends over again. There's just something about 12 year old boys playing hide and go seek, cops and robbers, etc. inside your house! I think I enjoy these games much better with the little guys! Don't get me wrong, they are great boys and always include all my other kids, I just don't like other kids hiding in all my over-stuffed, needs-to-be-organized closets!

Add to that, Tyler woke up with a croupy cough on Sunday that he has had all week. (Love this time of year!) But, I found some solutions that have kept him sleeping all week long in his own bed. Feel free to try if you are desperate like I was! Nowadays with the FDA coming out saying young kids should not use cold medicine, it leaves you with little alternatives. On Monday night, I decided to try a few things and they worked! First, I rubbed a generous amount of Vick's Vapor Rub on his feet, then put socks on for him to sleep in. Then, rubbed some on his chest. This was more of a giggle fest for Tyler, because he is my most ticklish child! Then, I plugged in a Sudafed plug-in that comes with refillable pads that smell like Vick's. The smell is awful, but so are colds! Then I plugged in a vaporizer in his room for the night, and I have repeated this whole process every night. He still coughs during the day, but we don't hear him at night, which is most important!

My next dilemma of the week was when Zach came home from school on Wednesday with his new white AeroPostale shirt covered in mud! First, I don't know why I ever buy my kids anything white, but the clothing industry seems to like to make clothes in this color. I have tried everything, still haven't dried it yet, but I decided to research on google this morning, and found a solution I hope works. I'll let you know if it does, but I also discovered this website that is perfect for my job as mom, since there are no manuals. If you have any questions on cleaning, this website seemed to cover everything. So for those of you out there with the tedious job of being a mom (where there is no pay, always overtime, but most important, lots of joy and satisfaction), here's some help with some of those more annoying jobs...

www.cleaning.lifetips.com

Holiday Help

I love this time of year, particularly Thanksgiving. There's something about the crisp fall in the air, with the hint of winter to come. Getting together with loved ones to have some good food. The feel of Christmas before it gets hectic. The excitement of the beginning of the holidays, with lots of time spent with family. This year, Kris and I decided to try and host Thanksgiving. Sometimes I wonder what we have gotten ourselves into. After all, I think I have only cooked three turkeys in my lifetime. They have gotten better with each turkey. I am of the mind set that if you have a good recipe, anything's possible, even Thanksgiving dinner. That's where I need your help. If anyone has any good recipes, tips or ideas for hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I would appreciate the help. I have a couple of good recipes, that are staples for our Thanksgiving dinner...

Turkey Marinade

*Thaw turkey in fridge for 2-3 days.

*Marinate for 24 hours.

1/3 c. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. oil

1 Tbsp. sage

1 Tbsp. rosemary
2 bay leaves (crushed)
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil

Mix seasonings together with oil. Rub marinade over turkey once turkey is thawed and cleaned. Place turkey in Reynold's oven bag and put in fridge for 12 hours. Turn to other side for 12 more hours. After marinating for 24 hours, slice 1 cube butter into thin pats and spread all over turkey. Bake in bag (follow directions on bag). Put in 2 Tbsp. flour inside bag before baking. Bake according to Reynold's wrap directions.

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 c. cooked mashed sweet potatoes (or 2 cans of sweet potatoes)

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter or margarine

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. milk

Mix first ingredients with electric beater until well blended. Pour into baking dish.

Topping:

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. butter

1 c. chopped pecans

Mix topping ingredients together until creamy. Sprinkle over casserole and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Milestone

Grandpa Larson celebrated a big milestone this last weekend. On November 1st, he turned 80 years old. We all headed to Grand Junction, Colorado for the weekend to help him celebrate. His wife, Virginia, had planned a party for him that had been in the works for several months. It was originally supposed to be a surprise party, but somewhere along the way, he found out. Virginia put Kris in charge of a slide show, which he was able to put together using pictures from all the families. Put to music, it turned out pretty good. They reserved the LDS church for the party on Saturday night, and family members, ward members, and friends turned up for his party. Most family traveled from Utah, and some from Las Vegas. The kids all had fun hanging out with cousins and helping Grandpa celebrate. Tyler kept reminding Grandpa that he was 80 years old, and kept asking me how old he was before that! He was pretty proud of Grandpa, as we all are! Happy Birthday Grandpa!