Life as it is

I wish I was better at writing here, writing in my journal, writing all my great story ideas, etc.

Life is hectic!! I start school again Monday! I'm very excited. I'm going to be getting a certificate in Medical Administrative Support at the College of Western Idaho. It's a year long program. I can do that, you know? I can do a year. I can see an end to that! My degree is on hold indefinitely. When the kids are much older, I will pursue a BA or BS in something again.

My books for this semester were $600. I'm certain I've never had to pay so much for books before.

My wonderful babysitter and sister in law, Christine, moved with her family to Kuna. Sad day. I decided I would rather not drive to Kuna every day for childcare. So I looked around and decided the kids will be going to Salvation Army for childcare during school. They have a great after- and before-school program. They will provide transportation to and from school, provide breakfast, an after school snack, help with homework, and good activities, all for only $200 a month for both my kids. I was paying more than that to Chris and Christine! So I will be saving money on childcare, which is great, since I'll be in school and everything.

However, I absolutely can't afford the Salvation Army in the Summer. The rates are something like $37 a day per kid. Too much for me. WAY too much. So I hired a temporary sitter, the daughter of a friend of mine from work. She watched the kids for three weeks and my kids already miss her.

Now that I've updated myself, here's some pictures of our Summer. They're not the best quality because all of these pics are from my iPhone. For your viewing pleasure:

Grandma got Anna and Emmy matching outfits. CUTE! Anna got a haircut earlier this Summer (by Yours Truly)

Here's something we do frequently each Summer; visit the fountain by the police station.Anna got her ears pierced.The kids spent two 2-week periods at their dad's this Summer. It was excruciating for me. Actually, it was supposed to be 2 weeks both times, but the 2nd round, I got the kids back a week early. Woot! But they came home with these:

Anna's dog bite on her thighMatthias' dog bit on his footIf you think that looks bad, you're right. Matthias' was infected. I got them back Sunday night and found out the bites happened Wednesday. The kids' dad has a little tiny miniature dachshund that evidently was on a rampage that day. I took the kids to the ER and sure enough, Matthias' bite was infected. Got him some antibiotics and a topical ointment and the swelling and redness slowly dissipated. We won't talk about how upset I was that the bites were neither reported to me by their father nor treated by their father. What matters is that the kids are okay now, and don't seem too traumatized; they still like Atticus just fine.

Speaking of Atticus Finch. hehe.


Here the kids are at the pediatrician's for their ER follow up appointment. They were pretending. :)
In July, I decided to buy a swimming pool for the kids. That was a really bad idea because by July, all the good pools are sold out. This was the best I could find. Too small for my kids, and they only played in it a few times. Sad
I got a haircut! I love it
Anna was watching TV with her friends one day. SO CUTEObserve the trailer trash "curtains." My curtain rod broke and my blinds fell down because I couldn't screw the reinforcements into the area above the window. I'm too weak. So the blinds bent and fell and, well, we had to have SOMETHING covering the huge living room window, so we used a blanket. Just last week, a guy from my bishopric came over and put up my blinds. Yay!

We went to Settler's ParkMatthias is the brown kid on the far right. The random little dudes to his left are genuinely Hispanic, and not as dark as my white boy!

We washed the car
Haha, last week we headed to the fountain again and Anna discovered she has some room at the bottom of her swimsuit, and discovered she could make it filled with air, and decided that nothing was more hilarious. I don't blame her.
This last photo, I snapped today. Matthias fell asleep on my bed for a nap, and he fell asleep on my hand. So tender!It's been a great Summer and I'm so sad to say goodbye. We all three start school on Monday, and we're all three pretty excited about it.

Happiness to you and yours!

racism

I am ever surprised when I see racism. It seems to me that racism should be ancient, neanderthal, DEAD. Racism is juvenile at best, but then most racism I see is from fully grown men and women. In my city, we are blessed to mingle with very many people of Hispanic descent.

Racism, as defined by miriam-webster.com: : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Now, I never hear anyone say "that person is inferior because of his or her race." But that message is loud in the undertones of what I do hear. Stereotyping remarks like "they all just come here and use my hard earned tax money for free food," or "If I went to their country to live, I would have the decency to learn their language." Or "Mexican men are terrible husbands. They have to have hot wives who will do everything for them,"- such statements drip with a racist core. They are condescending, and separating- separating the speaker, the white, superior, natural-born American, from the subject- the inferior, system-conning Hispanic person, especially Mexican.

There is a difference between unintentional racism and intentional racism. I even think there's such thing as cultural racism. Seems like everyone around you is doing it, it's a learned opinion, so it's easy to just "go with it." I really believe that if some of us could hear the way we sound, and realized that we're hurting other people, we would change our words immediately. But many of us wouldn't. But regardless of intention, our words are powerful.

I hear around me so many negative comments about "illegals." I'm not saying I think immigration laws should be eliminated; I'm not saying that AT ALL. I'm saying that the things I hear about these "illegals" are so cruel, so loveless, so hateful, speaking about them as if they are criminals and that's all they are. But I don't think I know anyone here who knows for sure of a Hispanic individual who is living here illegally. So why assume it? I'm going to finish this post addressed to those white folks of you who say and believe things like "All Hispanics are lazy scum, and probably illegal, and should leave my country."

Who do you think you are? This is America, the greatest country on this beautiful planet! Who says it's YOURS? Who says it's for white people? Your ancestors immigrated here, too, you know, and thank goodness they were probably treated a lot better than you treat our Southern brothers and sisters. Maybe even your ancestors migrated illegally. You speak as if there is no room here. You act like you get to choose who lives where. Well there's plenty of room here, and you don't get to choose or decide who's "legal" or not. These are humans, like you and me, intelligent human beings who seek love and acceptance. Just like you and me. Rather than labeling them as "illegal" without knowing, or as "lazy" without knowing, why not see them as human beings who happened to have been born, or happened to have had ancestors born, outside the USA's boundaries? Instead of "illegal," why not "human?" Why don't we open our arms rather than judging immediately? You know, the famous poem in the Statue of Liberty does not say "bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses unless they're Hispanic," or "unless they don't know English," or "unless they're not white."

Racism, prejudice, bigotry, sexism-- these should have all gone to their graves with the Dark Ages. They are attitudes belonging to close-minded, ignorant humans. It still surprises me that we haven't evolved beyond such cave-man traits. Let us love. Let us treat people as if they were people. Let us let racism die.

Camping 2011 pictures

Every year, my family goes on a way-too-long camping trip. I hate camping. I love being home. It's safer. Warmer at night, cooler in the day, I have everything I need here without having to fill my car to capacity. I don't have to dig through a bag to find clothes and I can change with plenty of standing room. I can shower daily. Don't have to worry about the ice in my freezer melting and ruining all my food. I don't have to drench myself in bug spray or sun screen. It's just better at home. But, my family disagrees. And, every year, they go camping for about a week. I never go the whole time because I can't handle it. Camping is way too expensive- another thing. But this time I committed to 2 nights. Longer than usual.

I'll skip the stressful experiences and skip right to the pictures. I could not get these pics in the order I wanted.

Shortly after arriving, Anna helped set up our tent.
Atticus came too! He LOVED it. And he was very well behaved for the most part.
The tent was up! I was in it, lying on a cot my Dad brought and let me use. Very comfy! Here's Anna, Emmy, and Daddio looking in.
On the way to camp, Atticus and Anna cuddling. Don't judge; we were at a stoplight. Maybe.
Melanie and Matthias looking into the tent. See- this was supposed to be under the other tent photo. I uploaded them together. Why, Blogger? WHY?
Matthias on the cot! I LOVED that thing. Waaaay better than sleeping on the ground. Warmer too.
Emmy and Kaien playing with the camping neighbor Preston, at the camping neighbor's camp spot.
We were getting ready to go to the pool that was fed by a natural hot springs. All the kids in the back of the Suburban that Chris now drives. I grew up riding in this Suburban! It's the one we moved to Idaho in! I even used to drive it! Kaien is holding the puppy. Funny.

There's Kaien! Anna, Matthias, Kaien, Emmy, Morgan. Happy cousins.


At the pool. It was super warm, like a perfect bath.
I just love my niece Lydia.
Lydia and Ammon sharing a stroller.

Fail, Blogger! Fail! So out of place, but cute-

Okay, here I am. I debated posting these horrible photos of myself but decided I'm not going to be one of those girls who's afraid of her physical imperfections. So here I am, in all my large, dirty, makeup-less glory. I was lighting a fire on alcohol!!! The story in a post to come. That's Casey by me.
A very rare photo of Casey's whole face!!! He avoids being in pictures at all costs! This must have been done by a very sneaky photographer.
My mom, and Christine taking a picture of Chris's fire.
Me with a piece of licorice sticking through the space where my tooth would be if I had one. Chris and Daddio surrounding me. We were playing The Great Dale Moody. So fun! Dad was the Serf.
My beautiful sister in law, Christine!
Melanie took this picture of herself so now she has to deal with it being publicized. She was the King here- I think that's why she's looking so smug.
My dad had this trailer that he hooked to one of his four-wheelers. It was used to haul firewood, supplies, and sometimes children. And there's Sadie, Chris's dog.
Mom, Mel and Lydia on the four-wheeler.
Grandpa pulling his grandkids! I think my dad looks especially young and fit here.
Mom and Casey playing The Great Dale Moody.

Lydia playing under the picnic table.

The best part of camping- the campfire! I love sitting round it, talking with family, roasting marshmallows. FUN.





The ride home. They were pooped. I was trying to get all three of them because Atticus was pretty cute too, but I was driving and this was shot through the front seats without me looking.



*Update- after researching a little, I realized there is no card game called the Great Dale Moody. I swear, that's what it sounded like my family's been calling it all along. But no. It's actually called The Great Dalmuti. I was wondering who Dale Moody was. Now I'm wondering what a Dalmuti is....

Camping 2011- The Hike

I took the majority of my photos on this lovely hike. It's still kind of an overload for one post, but you can handle it. :) And because I couldn't get Blogger to cooperate, the pictures are in no particular order. Scenery and people I love:


I have a particular inexplicable fondness for this photo-
The Log. Kaien, Emmy, Morgan, Anna and Matthias getting ready for fun pictures.

I like photos when the sun comes through the trees. So I took one.
The silly log photo. Look, all the good positions were taken by other photographers, okay!! Ammon, Kaien, Emmy (Chris's kids), Morgan (Melanie's son), Matthias and Anna.
My cute cute cute kids!!!
Blurry but still cute.
Matthias looks like a Turley here I think. Anna showing off her walking stick.
I can't get enough of these kids.
Melanie and baby Lydia peeking around! I was glad I wasn't the one who had to haul a chubby baby on a hike.
A stream! Always a child's delight. All the kids taking off their shoes; Uncle Chris helping everyone in; Grandpa in the background taking real photos.
The heads of Kaien, Morgan, and Anna. And Matthias so excited to get in the water.
I think he was the 1st one in. Maybe not. But he was the first one to fall in. He said "I'm okay!"

Uncle Chris taking video.
My dad, the (camp) resident photographer.
We did these braids the day before we left. Well, most of them anyway. I finished it the morning we left. She loved them.

My brother Chris and my cute cute nephew Ammon! He's almost 2.


I was mostly trying to get that there mountain-top-rock. It was awesome.
Matthias and Kaien on the return. They ran way ahead of everyone. Look how pretty it is!
Matthias, Kaien and Emmy. And pretty.
My princess!

More pretty.
My cute niece Emmy perched upon a log, waiting for the rest to come.
Matthias on a log, waiting for the rest to come. And beautiful trees.

I loved the color of the bark on that tree.

A sea of trees! my camera failed to bring justice to the beauty here.