Bowling

On Martin Luther King Day we decided to celebrate by taking the kids bowling.  We considered ice skating, but then I though, "who are we kidding?"  Bowling was much more likely to actually be fun.  It was!  We'd played 2 games.  The balls rolled slowly.  James and I had higher scores than normal thanks to the bumpers in the gutters (though we don't know what normal is since we don't remember the last time we went bowling).  We ate greasy french fries and gooey cheese bread.  It was a fun afternoon!

Side story . . . . when we got there, no bumper lanes were available so we went to a regular lane.  We started to get situated when this woman said, very excitedly, "Hi Haley!"  I looked at her and tried to enthusiastically say hi back, but I was totally drawing a blank.  She said, "I knew that was you."  I said, "Remind me your name" and she told me.  I had this movie rewind moment of my whole life zooming backwards in my brain in an instant - Murray, Tooele, New Ward, Old Ward, Parent's Ward, Molly dance, James family, I was trying to recall all associations I have ever had with different groups of people until finally . . . ZAP!  I remembered.  She was a girl I went to high school with.  The guy with her (husband or friend, I don't know, but not the father of her children) I also went to high school with.  

I know a little bit about her and was able to make small conversation.  It was weird, though.  I know a little bit of her post high school story and it has been a rough one.  She looked tired.  I felt bad.  I don't think she would have ever even spoken to me in high school and I didn't know that she would have even known my name.  I was super nerdy braces girl and she was super social dancing girl.  Our short bowling conversation was pleasant enough, but I honestly was relieved when the bowling alley guy came over to tell us a bumper lane had opened up and we got to move away.  I'm a friendly enough person, I think, but I just don't particularly care to associate with many people I went to high school with.  Most days I am happy with who I am and the choices I've made in my life.  High school wasn't that fun and I just would rather not go back. 

Book review

Starting at Zero: His Own Story by Jimi Hendrix

I read this book.  It was interesting.  It was about Jimi Hendrix and actually written by Jimi Hendrix . . .  sort of.  It is a chronological compilation of writings, including letters sent home, song lyrics, journal entries, etc.  Hendrix had a pretty sketchy life growing up in Seattle.  His mom died, he dropped out of high school, joined the army, and somewhere along the line learned to play the guitar.  He was pretty well a vagabond for most of his life.  He never had any money and just went from odd music job to odd music job, including playing back up in the Little Richard band.

He eventually moved to England and lived there for a time.  He honed his skills, formed "The Experience," and basically turned himself into a legend.

The writings are pretty introspective about his style of music and why he did what he did.  He doesn't talk much about drug use, which I thought either means he didn't think that it was important to read about or perhaps all we know about him is wrong and he didn't really use much.  The other interesting thing worth noting was his desire to eventually record an album with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  The statement comprised one whole sentence in the book, but certainly stood out as a strange fact.  He died shortly after that was written and it obviously never happened.

Paper Towns by John Green

I decided to crack open another book in the John Green collection.  I liked it.

This is a story of a boy Q, who has a major crush on his next door neighbor and former childhood friend, Margo.  Q is pretty boring and stable.  Margo is pretty, popular, but a little irrational.  The story takes off when Margo kidnaps Q for a crazy night of pranks on her snobby friends and ex-boyfriend.  She ends up disappearing a leaving Q a weird trail of clues.  The highlight of the book was a crazy road trip with Q and his friends involving peeing in bottles and confederate t-shirts.  I can't really say much more than that without giving it away, but I liked it.

There is also a movie of it being made.  I'm not sure when it come out.  

The Wrong Book

Our primary presidency has challenged the kids in junior primary to bring their scriptures each week. If they bring their scriptures, they get to put a pebble in a jar.  When the jar is full, they get some kind of prize.  Knowing my Molly, I didn't want her to be disappointed, so I made sure that taking scriptures was a priority.

We found an extra Book of Mormon at our house.  She picked out the purse she wanted to put it in.  She added some pens and candy to the purse.  She was very proud to take HER scriptures to church.

During Sharing Time today, there was exactly 1 scripture announced for the kids to try and look up.  It was in . . . .  . Malachi!  This was junior primary and most of the kids who remembered to bring their scriptures had nice blue Books of Mormon just like Molly. I was sitting in my chair up front (I have a new calling as co-music leader in primary) and here comes Molly.  Her face looked like she just found out that she didn't get invited to her best friend's best birthday part ever.  Pure disappointment.

"Mom, you gave me the wrong book.  My teacher says I don't have that one in here."

She was just about in tears.  Her head looked at the floor.  I tried to tell her that there was more than one book and I just thought she would need that one.  It didn't help.  I was in trouble.  The world had ended.

This girl . . .  I don't know what to do with her some days.  There is never a dull moment and I can NEVER predict how things will turn out with her.

Oh well.

She then stood by me for most of the time I led the singing.  When it was time to go to class, she started sobbing and I have no idea why.  After a stern talking to and telling her that she was going to miss the treasure hunt and the treat her teacher had told her about, she ran from me and down the hall to her class by herself.

Toilette New Year

Happy New Year!

What's the first news of the new year????

Jack . . . does his business in the toilet!  Yes!

I decided he could do it and it was worth another attempt.  We began the Monday after Christmas.  I read a book from a friend in my ward about the 3-day method.  It was pretty much what I had tried with him before, but instead of a timer every 15 minutes or so, you just try to give them extra things to drink and watch them like a hawk.  Every time he started to squirm, we ran to the bathroom.  We had a few accidents over the course of the 3 days, but he seemed to be getting it!  On  day 3 he got to go play outside finally.  On day 4 we actually left the house and went to my mom's for a couple of hours and he did great there.  On day 5, we tested the waters with public toilets by first going to meet Miss Bethany for lunch at Chick-fil-A and then going to a Utes game.  He did have one accident that day, but I blame myself for letting my guard down.  At the ballgame, I felt like we went about 800 times and tried out every ladies bathroom in the Huntsman Center, but it worked and he kept doing great.

Saturday?  Check.
Sunday and church?  Check

Monday?  I was a little worried.  We were heading back to school.  This kid is a pooper and goes at least twice a day or more and has his entire life.  He was off his game during the first week of toilet training and got a little backed up.  To get him to go in the toilet took much patience, much time, a Kindle, and some Netflix.  What was he going to at school, though?  I was a little worried.  I had nothing to worry about, though.  He was accident free and on Tuesday, Miss Sarah gave him an ultimatum that he couldn't go out and play until he went #2 and he did it!

He only had one "accident" all week at school and it wasn't an accident, but rather a "missed and peed all over my pants" thing.  I think that is pretty great for his first week at school!

I'm so proud of him!  He is such a good boy!

Binggeli Christmas

I swear 100% that I wrote this post entirely, but somehow it is no longer here.  Hmmmm . . .  it is a mystery.

Anyway, the short story is that James had to work on Christmas.  And the stars aligned for 5 of the 6 Binggeli children to be in town at some point during the week of Christmas so we hosted an early festivus at our house on Monday, the 22nd.

It was great!  We had ham and potatoes and hot chocolate.  We did a short nativity program and a white elephant exchange.  The siblings exchanged gifts and the kids got to open some gifts.  Glen, Jason's roommate, turned himself into a blanket burrito and the kids attacked him.

It was a great night!