Standing for Something

Written by Chantal and Brian:

There are many great things about living in San Diego. This is such an important time for California. We are exited to be apart of it and to Vote. We have been very involved with the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. I have spent hours calling people to survey and later to perhaps persuade them. I have done some training and recruiting of volunteers for the Yes campaign.
Over all it has been a good experience. Most people have been polite, even if they do not agree with me. Close friends who do not agree with our decision to support proposition 8 have been polite and we have avoided heated discussions. With all my involvement I would like to think that it will pass. I would like to think that the people of California would not want the institution of marriage to be diluted and changed into a simple social contract between adults. I would hope that the people of California will understand that marriage is and always has been in every culture an institution to protect children.
I think Satan has strong, outraged and educated people working to do what he has fraudulently persuaded them is just and fair. He would have us think it is unfair to adults to not have something they think they want. Satan uses imagery of wholesome goodness, love, family, and unity, and then he blends in tiniest bit of poo. Satan will use all the good he can as packaging to camouflage his covert agenda of sexual perversion. He knows what is valued and will use that to persuade us and cloud the issue.
There may be adults in traditional marriages who are not sure how this proposition will affect them. The truth is… it wont, but it will affect children… All children in California’s public schools will be required to learn about same sex marriage (per California’s Education Code § 51890). To me proposition 8 does not take away anybody's rights. In California, same sex couples have all the rights of marriage under a civil union. I believe all Californians should have the right to marry, but four judges in San Francisco should not be able to change the definition of marriage at their whim.

Recovering...More Journaling

Monday was tough. (see previous post) I still can not find my keys or phone. The week did get better. Jr. had some good days, at school, the rest of the week. I was probably putting too much pressure on him and myself. Tuesday and the rest of the week I tried extra hard to have a good morning that way when he left home he was feeling happy and loved. I laid out his clothes and socks and shoes. that way he will get dressed first thing in the morning. I also make is lunch at night so I am not rushed in the morning. All those things seem to be helping. He is a good kid, he is so loving and makes everybody happy. I sure love him and am happy to be his mom!
Friday I had a nice day. I took Katie and Susan to the ward enrichment "Friday Field Trips" The ladies met at the beach this time. I don't usually hang out with these women, not because I don't want to I am just busy with the 3 kids, kindergarten, preschool, homemaking, etc.. It was a nice change to hang out with the young mothers and watch the kids play. They are all great ladies.
Later on friday the ward Book group had a field trip to hear Greg Mortenson author of 3 Cups Of Tea speak. I have not read the book, (busy remember) but I wet to the Book group when they reviewed the book and enjoyed hearing about it.
I am trying to become more aware and involved with the world around me. My life is very full and rich, I'm very satisfied and happy, but I don't spend much time considering things that don't relate directly to me. In the world there is so much suffering and I don't think of it too much. So that is one reason I enjoyed the Book club talk about the book 3 Cups of Tea. Also the women who meet I want to get to know better, I want to be more like them, I enjoy being with them. So the field trip was fun, spending time with the few ladies and listening to the speaker. I wish I had read the book, I think I would have appreciate the speaker more and I could share more with you about the great things the author is doing.
So to top off the recovering I went to the General Relief Society Meeting. It was so nice! Elder Uchtdorf was so right on to things I needed to hear and I felt so uplifted listening to him. He talked about the women in his life, his wife, undervaluing yourself, loneliness, God's love, experiencing happiness, finding joy in service and in creating things. My favorite quote is,

"He is a God of creation, and a God of compassion. Creating and
being compassionate are 2 activities that we as his spirit children can
and should emulate.

The desire to create is one of
the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents education background or abilities we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create you done need money position or
influence in order to create something of substance beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty… You are spirit Daughters of the most creative being in the universe…Seek and experience
the eternal happiness creating things.

Here is a video link to his talk !
and great intro to the sewing class I was asked to teach.

BTW Katie cut her hair. I am so sad. I saw a little ringlet on
the floor and it was like seeing a lost limb. I have not finished the
job she started yet, I am pretty sure I will cry when I have to.

Power Struggles

Today has been a bad day.
7:00am-9:00am Can't find my phone, Brian won't eat the school lunch, Katie won't let me do her hair
Susan is sleepy but won't sleep withoput her blanket that we cant find.
9:00-11:00 preschool, pretty good actually.
After noon it came undone.
11:30 look for my phone, I am supost to meet mary, but cant cable guys are coming, horay! I cant call mary, I dont have a phone.
12:00 Waiting for the cable guy, they are supost to arrive between 12:00-2:00-
12:30 CLEANING looking for my phone
1:00 straighten family room and kitchen-waiting for cable guy, exited to sit and wach TV
2:00 cleaning the family room. Katie turnes on hose and gets all wet, and get Susan wet.
3:00 Call cable guy, he is gonna be late late. Clean up Susan and make Katie change her clothes.
3:20 Susan tales off her clothes and diaper, I put her in her high chair while I find a diaper, (we are almost out) Discover the spell of poo and see she has pooed in her highcghaor. Clean her up and dress her.
3:30 pick up Brian from school, find out he has been having "power struggles" with his teacher, He is my good kid!
4:00 Clean more, talk with Brian. Katie goes out side and plays in the mud.
4:10 Clean off Katie sen her to take a bath.
4:30 Where is Katie? "Unlock the door, Katie!" She fell asleep in the tub with just a few inches of water. turn off the water, She will wake up when the water is all gone.
4:32 dicover butter on the carpet floor from Susan, (the fridge door lock is broken)
4:33 Cable guy is here! Susan is all buttery, Katie is half awake, wet, and naked just walking out of the bathroom to see who is at the door, there is still butter on the carpet and what do I dicover as I lead the cable guys to the TV, a Poo! Guess Susan pooed right here between the couch and the TV, before she pooed in her high chair! I have been cleaning, how did i miss that! Luckally i had a rag in my hands and It was not a bad poo. But still I could not hide hi reaction to the sight from the cable guys.
4:45 Katie is dressed, Butter is clean up. Kitchen is messy again. Still cant find my phone.
5:00 Cleaning more, cable guys tell me to move the TV and some boxes in the garage.
5:30 Brian Sr comes home. Now I can use a phone to call Mary!
5: 40 Sorry no cable! "You would have to switch your internet service it could tak a week to turn it back on, bla, bal, bla"
6:00 Talk to Sr about Jr.
6:30 Call mommy for advice. hear a tapping on teh front door, little Susan! what is sher doing outside, how long had she been out there! (the kids and St were in the back homefully she just wanded to the front and went straigh to the door.
6:40 we need to go to the store, I have to have a fridge lock and some diapers.
6:50 cant find my keys!
7:00 its getting late, no dinner no keys no baths.
7:30 bathe kids, head to dinner, and walmart in PJ's. (i am NOT cooking tonight) Use the spare keys
8:30 Home safetly, kids in bed, they are as tird as I am.
9:00 BLOG
10:clean!

See a bad day! Most of this I can take care of. i am not too bummed about the cable. We only wanted it for a month fro General Confrence while my family was here. I probably would have gotten so lazy and watched way too much TV., and it would have been a pain to try and cancil.
I found Susan's blankie. Katie is ok now. I knew i was stressed to i told brian I needed some extra help. I took a Mommy time-out. I did not make dinner, thats a good thing sometimes.
The thing that i am most concerned about is the Power struggles. I have talked with a few mother of kids in school, a retired teacher, and my mom. All have given me really nice advice.
My mom suprised me when I tiold her the teacher said he was having problems and she (my mom) knew exactly what was going wrong at school! When he gets into a conflict he dosen't get-over-it like other kids. He gets really hurt or mad and ignores the teacher and misse the next thing in class, recess, free time, resting time ect...
Ernie and My mom were comforting they said is was normal. Ernie said he is testing the teacher and me, the change is a lot for him, he wasnts to test the teachr and myself so see that the rules are the same at home and school. She suggested i overload him with praise, love and affection. i have doem that especially this weekedn (Katie also, oviously she has power struggles as well) So this weekedn was good at home . that is why i was supprised to hear today was bad, for him. Even though I was in a bad moode in the morning i tried be cheery for the kids. I guess this might be the answer, I had a bad morning, he picked up on my mode and had a bad day also? Wow! Writing can be so theraputic.
So that was my bad day! I guess sometimes I do write about my dirty house!
i dont have time to edit, spell check, or add photos. Too bad for you.

Susan's bob

Usually I would never cut my Baby's hair, especially a cute girl who is often mistaken for a boy, but Katie started Susan's hair cut so I had to finish it, or get it finished. Actually I had to have it done right, with so few hairs on her little head I did not want to risk any mistakes. Thanks to my great friend Kristi Jones, Susan has a super cute new hair-do! I really love the hair cut and think it fits Susan's personality. Kinda spunky, cute, and fun.
She was so good during her hair cut. We were out running around when I called Kristi, she was available right ways so we went during Susan's nap. I thought either she will be really annoyed and cranky or will fall right asleep. She was so conferable in the high chair, watching Nemo, and the soft comb in her hair she fell perfectly asleep. Her are the beautiful results:
She would not look at the camera still though, I love this little girl!

My turn for the Memory Game

I have been leaving memories on some of others. It was lots of fun to remember fun times and it made me want to post too to see what kind of funny memories people can think of with me
Here’s how you play:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It does’t matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

Kindergarten begins..and so does growing pains.

Brian had his first day of Kindergarten. ..he loved it...I held together pretty well. When Brian Sr came home, he asked how my first day of Kindergarten was, if I had any "separation anxiety". I told him I was ok. I know Brian jr is ready. He was perfectly fine and the day was a little uneventful.
It still makes me a little sad to think of all then time he will not be spending with me; that somebody else will get to teach him, watch him grow, be with him. Sharing my kids and letting them experience new things is part of growing up. Growing pains. I do enjoy the new freedom of only 2 little ones at home all morning.
Katie is experiencing her own growing pains. She was very jealous of all the new stuff Brian got for school, she is jealous Brian gets to go to kindergarten without her. She was very whiny all through Brain's first day. She cried over everything and was very sassy. I took her to get a special doughnut with just mommy, she spilled her orange juice and cried. She painted her and Susan's face with some lipstick that does not come off for days, she poured out milk on the kitchen floor, a bag of pretzels on the couch and continues to cry. I will have to figure that one out. Ya think she need MORE time with me?! Well she gonna get it! or her parent-participation-preschool starts soon she will like that.
I have been concerned about, all day kindergarten vs. half day. When I was in kindergarten we learned the alphabet, the numbers and some simple science facts, taking turns, being quiet colors, playing nicely, and crafts. Now in Kindergarten Kids learn all that plus how to read and how to write, basic math, and social studies. I think most kids can handle a full day of Kindergarten and its great they are learning so much!
When Brian came home from his first day we called my mom to tell her about how kindergarten was, he told he he learned all his letters. She was surprised, she told me they took all year to teach her kindergartners there letters. (I am sure most kindergartners know there letters before they go to Kindergarten now)

Brian is very exited to learn at school and I will make sure he is still having lots of fun, and free time, free from; TV, computer, school, and organized games. Just some time to let him play, use his imagination, play with great toys that encourage creativity. I love to hear him playing, by himself, making noises, talking out loud to himself, it laying down playing with legos, robots, cars in his own imaginary childhood world.

I do miss him throughout the day but now when he is gone I can clean, craft, spend time with Katie and Susan, and have more me time so that when he is home I don't have to say "Honey not right now" so much. I love kindergarten with all its growing pain.

As I have been getting him ready for kindergarten we went shopping. I let him pick out, the shirt, shoes, and shorts for him to wear for the first day. On his own he told me, "Mom we need to get shoes with out laces. I can't tie them yet. I need shorts with no zippers or buttons, so I can get them off quick, and I want I a shirt with Super heroes." Now isn't he smart and ready for kindergarten!

Here is all the excitement (that I saw) of the first dayof school (it was pretty uneventful on my side of the classroom doors).

Rejuvenating Reunion with Relatives

When my sister and her family same to visit this weekend it was rejuvenating. I think the most rejuvenating part was laughing! Jenny and I stayed up so late making aprons for an upcoming Boutique. While we worked she let me teach her some sewing tricks, we had lots of fun exercising our creativity by designing aprons.

She is so funny and we understand each other so well, we are so much a like. I love her! She is so love able, and fun to be around. Many people close to Jenny know she is very special, Jenny has become a confidant to many of her friends they turn to her for advice, comfort, sympathy, love, and upliftment. That is what I get from Jenny also. My dad always say she is spunky! She is. As I have grown up and gotten less aware of popular culture I notice trends from Jenny first then in movies and on TV, she is just co cool! She is also married to a great guy! I love Shawn, he was my year in High School and we were friends and hung out in the same group, so did Jenny. He swears I had a crush in him in HS, I checked my Journal and I did not. But I love him now, he is fits so perfectly into our family, like a puzzle. He is always trying to include everybody, he takes care of the kids and love them. Brain and Him share lots of manly interests and he also has a great sense of humor!

Brian and I were so exited for the Browns to come, and we have a very rejuvenating weekend, at the Zoo, the Beach, The sea Wall in La Jolla, the Fireworks at Sea World, Phil's BBQ, Girardellis and a serious lack of sleep. Here are some pictures of the week:

I am pretty proud of these shots I took of the Browns, cute kids! and I love the ones Jenny took of us.



Jenny covered the weekend so well! Check it out: JennyLynnBrown