Little Smokies

The little smokies were on sale but the store didn't have any.  So I went to the service desk to get a rain check.  Luckily, unluckily, the service desk is also where you buy cigarettes.  So there I was, with my for children asking for a rain check on the little smokies. 

The service desk clerk just stared at me.  When I came up with the name "Hillshire Farms" she understood and started looking it up and writing the rain check.  I jokingly said "You know, the cigarettes for kids..."

feeling special

I was talking with a friend in the homeschool group last week.  We were chatting about one of our favorite people who is always giving so much to make each child feel special.  The friend, K said that J's goal is to give the children a special feeling.  J wants the children to feel like they are special and that their lives have meaning and purpose.  I commented that I get that at church.  I'm the Primary President and I too want the children to feel special and know their lives have meaning and purpose.  They are children of God!  We're here to learn to become like Him!  Awesome!

Doughnuts!

 Last week we made doughnuts!  It was pretty fun having the kids make the shapes and hand them to me for frying.  They also got to dip them in glaze.  They pretended we had a factory and that they were my workers.  So when they were acting crazy during a lul, I fired them.  I warned them of the dangers of hot oil, and how it can melt your face.  M was upset that I told her that.  I asked her if she would prefer I not tell her why it was dangerous to rough house in a "factory".

 Then, I "hired" them again because I needed their help.  But then they goofed off during a lul again, so they got fired again.  G asked if they would get fired again, and I told  him that I wasn't hiring.

We then made up plates of doughnuts to deliver to neighbors.  It was only 7pm so it didn't feel so late as we took the plates around.  But then when M and G ran around in a median chasing a passing car, I felt self conscious with my 4 small children out in the dark.  So I scolded them and we went home.  I'm such a party-pooper!

bB is incredibly sweet.

 Saturday we went over to the park and bB got to ride in the swing for the first time.  P didn't think the barely moving motion counted as swinging so he gave bB a slight push.  Once he was in I realized that he was bigger than a lot of babies I've seen in swings.  I just never tried it because I couldn't ignore the other 3 without P there.

Next we went to a festival of Christmas Trees that had a bounce house and this fun sporty bounce thing.  The kids had a lot of fun.

G is the best big brother.  He took lP on the different sport activities and helped her get the ball in.

 

He's also doing awesome things with the scriptures and his "True to the Faith" book.  He is working through the "Faith in God" book and checking off all the items.  He could do it in a year, he's so self motivated.  Tonight he made a pedigree chart.  I gave him this tree to fill out, and a separate pedigree from me, and one for P.

He's asking me to let him plan a quarterly activity.  I love how he's helping me remember to offer these opportunities to other primary children. 

What's your excuse

Tonight we attended a recital for a man in our ward who began playing the piano 3 years ago.  His mom is a piano teacher and all his brothers play piano.  He is deaf, so he was never taught.  But he got the idea of having his mom teach him via skype.  And he bought a white baby grand piano, before he asked her for lessons!

So this man is something of an inspiration.  Here he is, taking on a huge task that most of us would never dream of trying. 

Our Ward has no pianists able to play for sacrament meeting.  All of us "hearies" shake our heads and say, "It's too bad, someone needs to move into the ward, I can't play!"

On that theme, I am learning to play and it's really exciting.  I love putting my efforts toward something that I have for years said "I wish I could..." but never put any time or effort toward.  It's really, really, good for the soul.

M keeps me inspired and eager to try.  Just like G learning to sign, I don't want to fall behind. 

good times, again!

 Life is great.  bB is growing and adorable.  He's adored by everyone.  Everyone.  That red hair and the dimples.

The "big kids" are having a lot of fun on the porch now that it's cooled down.  I love this time of year.

Warning: rant

I've been thinking a lot about the culture of rape.  Not too much, but I've read some articles recently that had me thinking about how to help men stop raping women!  Mostly I just say to P at random times, "People should just stop having sex with anyone who isn't their spouse."  To which he sagely agrees. 

In general I think that if a woman has a man's biological trace on her, and says she was raped, then that man should be accountable.

The legions of people think that they should be able to have sex with whomever, whenever.  For them, I suggest an app, "iConsent" that could be set to anyone you consent to "be" with. 

I also think there should be some re-defining of the term rape.  In the college campus scene, their should be a way for these sorts of situations to be prosecuted at a less criminal level.  Men need to be confronted with consequences for having sex with anyone.   Any woman who decides they were raped, should be able to file for damages.  Even a woman in a consensual relationship should be able to ask for damages.  Those damages could range from paying for therapy, to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Right now, the judicial system seems, I don't know really, to be all or nothing.  If a man is found guilty, his life is ruined.  So huge amounts of effort is made to call him innocent, and the woman is shamed into silence, or even guilted into never reporting the incident.

So imagine a world where men become afraid to have sex with strangers!  Yay!  What if college campuses became a place where any co-ed was able to get "free tuition" out of a guy if he was dumb enough to sleep with her.  Yes!

I think men are very motivated by money.  Certainly most rape cases that go to the courts now are about criminal brutality.  But there are so many rapes not reported.  Ladies are taught by society that a rape accusation would ruin a man's life.  Yes, that's true.  But the emphasis should be on men.  They should stop having sex with people they haven't invested in a relationship with.

The consequence for being a rapist is so high, that nobody wants to call down that consequence on a "Nice Boy" even if he's a serial rapist.  So maybe rich frat boy is still going to be a serial rapist.  But with a system for women being able to claim damages, more of his victims could report him, and maybe he'd stop.