Tuesday 31 March 2015

A Week in Review (March 22-28)

A Week in Review (March 22-28)

Watched: Jayhawks lose.  It was pretty sad. They just never played with the fire that it takes for a win against a team that is really gunning for you.  It will be interesting to see if KU schedules them in the next year now. 

Read: I finished up The Bees.  Have you ever read a book, got to the end, and thought WTF? That's exactly where this book led me. If it were an accurately fictionalized account of life in a hive, it might have been more enjoyable. Mostly I just kept thinking it must be about how caddy and power hungry people can be. And the over emphasis on the sexual prowess of the drones was just too much. Not a book I would recommend.  Because I couldn't handle starting up another sci-fi book, I picked up Neil Patrick Harris:  Choose Your Own Autobiography.  I haven't made it very far, but it is quite funny.

Listened: Reader's Theater. I was so happy for the kiddos. They were so proud of themselves. They worked really hard and delivered their lines with feeling this time. They are still pretty hard to hear.  If you want, you can watch Jack's performance HE
RE.

Made: Easter Egg Garland. I saw this floating around on Pinterest and thought I would give it a shot. It was an easy fun way to spruce up the banister.  It's easily a craft that you could with kids to work on a lot of math skills.

Felt: Overwhelmed. I went in on Monday thinking we would put a plan together of when I would start. Turns out they wanted to be Tuesday. I drove over to the building as instructed. Turns out they forgot to tell me to take a few things.  So I had to go back home to get them. As I was driving, I had a friend ask for help so, of course, I said yes. Jack was a big hello entertaining the little guy while I got electronically fingerprinted. My first day was crazy because people weren't really sure what to expect and my supervisor was gone all day in meetings. I feel like I am getting into a rhythm now.  The time sure does fly while I am there!

Planned: On lunch entree at the House of Tibet, but when I got there they were only serving the buffet.  I decided to visit because it was part of my New Years Resolutions to try a new food.  I really enjoyed the beef MoMo's.  If you want to read a bit more about it (and catch up on my other resolutions) you can do that HERE.

Loved: Saturday.  Jack and I woke up to head down to the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.  I can't believe that we have so many kids in our neighborhood.  Do they ever come outside?  Jack was glad because his classmate that moved away around Halloween was able to attend this one with her grandma.  After the hunt, which included a cool candy cannon.  We went down to have some more Banbury Cross Donuts and play at Liberty park.  The park was too busy, so we went exploring.  It lead to a day full of fun.  We visited Red Rocks Brewery, where they actually sell cold beer!  Nick was even able to pick up an Elafino bottle opener keychain.  Next we went to a park.  As we drove by, we got the most beautiful view of the city.  I tried to capture it on my phone, but it totally failed to capture the awe of it.  We were getting hungry so we head to The Pie.  Our brains were much bigger than our stomachs!  We ordered way to much food, but it will make good leftovers.  We ordered the Greek Pizza and it was yummy!  Finally, we went back to Liberty Park.  We were having lots of playing different games with Jack's playground ball from Grandma Teri.  We were exploring the pond area and Jack kept bouncing the ball.  Nick warned him several times that he should stop, but as 7 year olds often don't, it went in the water.  He was distraught.  I haven't seen him that upset about anything in ages.  He was running all around the pond, crying hysterically, wondering how he could get it back.  There was a lot of netting and it got caught up in it more than a time or two.  He begged me to call his grandma so that she could tell him where she got it.  He just had to replace it.  At that moment, it broke free and made it's way to shore.  It almost went down another canal, but luckily Nick was able to use a stick to get it to the shore.  I have never seen a man more happily reunited with a ball.  When it was all over, we came home and watched some basketball.  Nick likes to call it "re-runs" because basketball season is over.  It was a great day!

Here are the pics for the week:



The egg hunt




The boys building their Ninjago masks.

It looks cool, but its not even close to how awesome it really is.








Sunday 22 March 2015

A Week in Review (March 15-21)

A Week in Review (March 15-21)

Watched: A lot of basketball.  I love March Madness.  It just thrills me to no end and you usually get a ton of great games.  KU blew out their opponent, New Mexico State, on Friday.  While it wasn't very exciting, I will happily take it.  They did get poised for a match up with Wichita State, but that won't happen until Sunday, so I guess that will make next week's blog.  My bracket is doing okay even with the upsets suffered by the Big 12.  I don't think I will win any prizes, but I will be in the top quarter :)


Read: The reading has suffered since I am reading both a Sci-Fi book and basketball has been on well past my bedtime for half the week.  I am not exactly sure where The Bees is taking me, but it's weird.  It's about a bee of the lowest caste in her hive breaking into roles that the caste are supposed to perform well.  As I left off last night, she was attempting to lay her second egg, which is apparently treasonous.  Hopefully I wrap it up next week.

Listened: To Kevin Smith answer questions for about 2 hours.  I can honestly say that I didnt ever think that I would be as close to him as I was on Monday.  He has such a passion for his movies and it made me want to rush out and watch all the ones that I missed (these are the days that I miss the video store!).  I tried to take a couple of picture but they didnt turn out great.  Poor Nick had to go back into work after we got home, but it was so nice to get away and do something together.  I have been very spoiled this last week in and half.  He hasn't gotten a lot of good sleep, but I have gotten to spend a lot more time with him than I have lately.


Made: A cute little bunny banner for the mantle.  It didn't take me long at all and I smile when I see it.  I got the pattern for the bunny HERE.  I liked using the bright colored pom-poms for a more cheery look.  I also just needed four pages of scrapbook paper so it was cheap too!

Felt: Excited.  I was approached by Jack's principal to be an instructional aide for the remainder of the school year.  She wanted me to work 25 hours, but I wasn't comfortable doing that much in addition to the volunteering that I have already committed myself too.  We agreed up 16 hours so I will be working Monday through Thursday afternoons mostly as math tutor for grades 3-5.  The pay is bubcus, but I will enjoy working outside the home and I figure it will look good on the resume too.

Planned: On not doing anything for St Patrick's Day.  But Jack's class did some fun activities and so many of the kids talked about their experiences that I just had to do something.  He kept thinking he was hearing things which clearly had to be his leprechaun.  Then the Minecraft game popped up "It's Here".  Well clearly, I ran with the fact that the Xbox must be able to see the leprechaun.  It couldn't have gotten better because then it said things like "Jason! Jason! Jason!", "From Sweden", "Free Dental Work", and so on.  It wrote a pretty good story.  So, of course, that night I painted some feet on the toilet, left  a golden dollar, and gave him a permanent marker shamrock tattoo.  It was a lot of fun.

Loved: That I finally finished up Jack's birth to five books.  I have always had them on a back burner in my mind and knew that this was about the best time I would have ever to finish them up.  I feels so much better having it all done.  The turned out super cute and I love that both the books incorporate pictures of him in with the narrative that I wrote.  I don't know if he will ever appreciate it, but I can hope that his spouse or children will.

Here are the pics for the week:

Look how close we were. There was no zoom used in this picture. :)

Jack had a piece of glitter stuck under his eye from his classroom leprechauns antics 

Jason's handiwork


We tried out a local ice cream place, Leatherby's, that Jack really enjoyed. I would take Syla and Maddy's any day over it. Here is his with his bowl of Play Dough ice cream.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Photos from My Family's Visit to SLC

Here are  some pictures from the Museum of Natural Curiosity trip with Tio and Aunt Jess.  









We all visited Temple Square.



We drove up to the Great Salt Lake's Antelope Island






Tio and Aunt Jess also took a trip over to Classic Fun Skate Center






On our final day, we went tubing at Solider Hollow.  Jess caught a hilarious video, that you can see HERE.








Monday 16 March 2015

A Week in Review (March 8-14)

A Week in Review (March 8-14)

Watched: The Jayhawks lose a 17 point second half lead in the final game of the Big 12 tourney. I can't really say that I am surprised though. Ellis is hurt and the other guys are just inconsistent. I hope they prove me wrong. 


Read: I finished up The Scorch Trials. It makes eager to read the third book in the series. Sadly I am like 40th in line at library, so it could be quite sometime before I get to. It really left you with more questions than answers. Ugh!  Next, I began The Bees.  It seems to be going okay so far.  I can't really seem to tell where it is going, but that isn't surprising for me with a sci-fi book. 

Listened: To a bunch of crazy kiddos on the bus on the way to the Field Trip. We visited the Clark Planetarium. A couple of the kids mentioned loving the downtown vibe which cracked me up. We got to enjoy the exhibits before heading to a dome movie that gave a fun description of the planets. It was a bit dizzying, but fun overall. After that we headed to a more interactive exhibit that was presented on a sphere. There is a picture below, so you can see what I'm talking about.  My group was starving and so I bought a large tub of popcorn and a 3 for a $1 piece of candy for them. You would have thought I'd given them the world. They were so thankful and let me know it. I was really impressed by their great manners. The bus ride back was much quieter. Guess they were all a bit more exhausted. 

Made: Plans for Jack to go with our neighbor to a Real Salt Lake game.  He had a blast. She even sent me a couple of cute photos. Since Nick and I aren't really soccer fans this was a great opportunity for him. I love that we have a fun neighbor.

Felt: Proud of my team. We finished the season 5-2, losing to the same team twice. I put together fun little tags to attach to their trophies so they weren't just getting a participation trophy. I don't think I have the skills to coach them at any higher age, but I felt it worked okay for this season.

Planned: That Jack's spring school photo would be just average. But I must say that I absolutely love it. He seems to have mastered his smile. I am so glad that I ordered the digital file too so that I can hopefully crop it so it runs in Portrait mode rather than Landscape.  It's funny when I look him that I don't really think looks like either of us.  Guess that just makes him his own perfect copy.

Loved: The stage movement at the Hale Center Theater. When we arrived, I couldn't imagine how they could transform such a small space into stage. But they did, and it was awesome to see. The play was so-so for me.  I was watching one of the extras and I was like I know her. And then I said "nah, must be  her cousin". But she grabbed me after the show as I was walking out, so I guess I was right after all.  Jack had a good Te too. He got to make a fire and roast hot dogs and Marshmallows. There was also charades and Minecraft playing. 

Here are the pics for the week:

Most of the 1st grade class enjoying their presentation at the Planetarium.  There were interactive clickers that the kids really enjoyed. 


Jack's spring photo 


A couple pictures of the Hale Center


It's hard to see in this picture, but the frame in the top picture has lowered to become a walking platform. 


Our date night selfie


Jack at the game



Sunday 8 March 2015

A Week in Review (March 1-7)

A Week in Review (March 1-7)

Watched: Jack devour a donut from Banbury Cross Donuts. It was their Strawberry Glazed one and he was a super fan. He even borrowed Mo Willems's words and called it a taste sensation.  I have decided that because donuts make me happy that I am going to try a donut tour of Salt Lake City.  Banbury Cross is the best donut according to the reviews on Yelp.  :) Jack clearly agrees. After we finished our donut we went to Liberty Park. It was an expansive green space. Jack was far more interested in passing and kicking his football than he was the playground equipment. It was awesome because even though it was 52 and sunny, there was still a small patch of snow to play in!  We all had a great time and will hope to repeat the adventure!  Although, when we were leaving I did see a sign that instructed pedestrians to carry an orange fly so they could be more visible (at a signal controlled intersection!), so I don't think I'll go walking in the area. ;) 


Read: The short story, My Own Miraculous. It was a great appetizer for the novel that followed it, Someone Else's Love Story.   As with the other Joshilyn Jackson novels, I enjoyed this easy read. Her stories are best described as Chic Lit. This one follows Shandi on her journey to accept her past and embrace her future.  Next, I began the The Scorch Trials.  It's a Sci-Fi book so those always take me a bit longer to get into. Knowing that, I am not sure why I selected The Bees for my On Deck book. 

Listened:  To the dealer tell me that it would be $875 to fix my car. As I was Googling it, I realized that this was tied to warranty work that the dealership had performed in the fall. I mentioned this to the kid who was ringing me up.  He said he thought it was something different. When I insisted that it wasn't, he spoke with the next higher customer service who did a moment of research and came out and told me that they would cover the repair!  So excited. :)
Made: Jack a headband of curly pipe cleaners for his crazy hair day. It was so much easier than the colored hairspray that we normally use.  He thought it was funny because it doubled as laser eyes too.

Felt: A gamete of emotions during the Jayhawk game vs West Virginia on Tuesday night. I am worried for this team in the post season though. You can't allow yourself to get into double digit holes on the road. They can play so sloppy. Nick contends they should be a number one seed because they won the hardest conference. I think they play to inconsistent. I hope they prove me wrong as they did on Tuesday night when I counted them out of the game.

Planned: On having to scoop my driveway because we had about 2.5" of snow fall in about 3 hours. But by the time I left to get Jack every bit of snow had melted off the concrete. :) The news even called it "the first big snow storm".  I hope they were just looking for news because that could only be described as a minor inconvenience and not a storm at all. There was barely enough snow to go sledding on. But we got a couple runs in and ended it with a snowball fight. It was perfect snow for that!

Loved: Getting Jack's report card. He improved in every area that he could and maintained the best marks if he had already gotten them.  I was able to use our scanner to be able to quickly send it to the grandma's too. You've got to love technology.

Here are the pics for the week:

Oh that's right!  This year is even sweeter as we won it outright, in an unbelievable game, when we were picked to come in 3rd by many. 


Just a wee bit messy from our English Muffin Pizzas


Yumm!  Nick (mostly) made me some red chili burritos on Thursday. They tasted even better than they looked!


Jack's crazy hair and laser eyes



The boys playing catch


The "beware of the drivers of SLC" sign