I started back to work last week, and as an accomodation to Julie (so that she can work at the school also, and I can deliver her to the bus stop in time for her to make her afternoon classes), I changed my schedule. Now I arrive when the kids do, and my first assignment of the day is to monitor the lunchroom.
Except it's breakfast being served.
And for some inexplicable reason, I have found the entire process very sad. I've been trying to figure it out.
I have fond memories of school lunchrooms past, when we were served split pea soup--which looked awful and I never dared taste! I remember the delicious aroma of rolls baking during the morning hours, wafting through the halls, as I suffered through math and science. I remember thick slices of bread, spread with peanut butter. I remember mashed potatoes smothered in some kind of gravy that I thought was quite tasty. We had real trays in those days, with real forks and spoons, which we emptied in a garbage can and placed on a conveyor belt to be sprayed and disinfected, readied for the next day. There wasn't a yogurt option, or a PB & J option, and you didn't get to pick out your sides in neat little containers with lids. All the food looked homemade. It looked like something that might have come out of anybody's mom's kitchen. Not McDonalds or Subway. We did have chocolate milk, though. The one thing that remains the same.
But I've gotten sidetracked with my memories, because this blog isn't about the lunchroom being used for lunch. It's about it being used for breakfast. And for some crazy reason, it strikes me as sad, that all those kids who are lined up with their styrofoam trays filled with cocoa puffs and pop tarts were dropped off at the school hungry.
It's not logical, I know. There's nothing superior about the cocoa puffs Andrew gulps down at our house. (If I were serving oatmeal, that might be an issue, but let's be honest!) Even our conversation, which consists mostly of me saying, "Don't talk; you're going to be late!" isn't anything to write home about.
And I do understand why the parents opt for school breakfast. For many--maybe most in my school, it's because it's free. I understand that better than I wish I did. For others, maybe it's an issue of time. Mom and Dad have to be at work early; the kids can eat at school. And sometimes I'm sure some of the kids are at home begging--they just plain like it better than the home rations. They like it; it's cheap; why not?
But whatever the reason, there's something inside of me that feels a little sad. Like we're giving something up. Feeding our children seems like our most basic parental responsibility. Lunchtime makes sense--afterall, they're all ready there. But breakfast--for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, it just feels right to send my son out the door with a kiss, a prayer, and a full tummy.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Camping at Hovenweep National Monument
We spent the last several days camping at Hovenweep National Monument! We especially enjoyed:*stargazing--we even saw several shooting stars; the night sky was amazing!
*foil dinners, cooked to perfection
*the quiet--we very nearly had the place to ourselves
*time together to relax and enjoy the beautiful red-rock country and the ruins which took us back to another time
*a cold drink anytime we could get one!
*laughing about Bobcat and Mater . . .
We didn't enjoy as much:
*the punishing heat--pushing 100 degrees every day
*being dirty 24/7
*the added restrictions and unexpected fees: at Mesa Verde the $15 entrance fee only gets you on the road, but not actually into the ruins--we skipped most of it; at Four Corners it costs $3/person to drive the quarter mile so you can stand on the spot! We sent Andrew in with a camera!
Four corners
Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
P.S.
If you're still looking for a chance to see Andrew as a villian, another performance has just been added to the schedule! Saturday night they will have two performances: one at 7:30 and the second at 8:30 p.m.
Another note: while the lines are long, one person can buy as many tickets as they want. (However, seat saving isn't allowed.) So that means that one person can arrive at 6:p.m. to get the best seats in the house, and others follow at 7, when ticket sales begin, to choose the seats.
Another note: while the lines are long, one person can buy as many tickets as they want. (However, seat saving isn't allowed.) So that means that one person can arrive at 6:p.m. to get the best seats in the house, and others follow at 7, when ticket sales begin, to choose the seats.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Update
On 101 Dalmations Kids! Opening night was tonight. They played to a full house (with a line of disappointed people who didn't get seats). We went 45 minutes early and were just about the last ones to get tickets!
The show was lots of fun. It lasted almost exactly 30 minutes. Ticket price update: The student/senior price is $5, the family pass is good for 2 parents and up to 4 children, living in the same house, and kids under 3 are free.
Hope I see you in the theatre!
The show was lots of fun. It lasted almost exactly 30 minutes. Ticket price update: The student/senior price is $5, the family pass is good for 2 parents and up to 4 children, living in the same house, and kids under 3 are free.
Hope I see you in the theatre!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Thirty-One Years
Thirty-one years ago, August 2, 1978, I walked into the Salt Lake Temple at 8 a.m. and emerged an hour later as a married woman! It seems fitting that we will spend our anniversary this year surrounded by many of those I love most in the world, as our newest grandson is blessed. In honor of 31 years, here are 31 random facts about my sweetheart.
1. He has very nice eyebrows.
2. He was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Chicago, and attended high school in New Jersey.
3. He served a mission in Argentina, returning home 1 year to the day before we became engaged.
4. His mission president instructed him to be engaged within a year. (See #3.)
5. My first memory of him was at a testimony meeting in our BYU single's ward when he introduced himself as being from Cranbury, NJ and (referring to the young man from Orange, TX who had just spoken) said that didn't mean they were "a couple of fruits."
6. My first "date" with him was a double date. I was with his roommate and he was with a girl he picked up in one of his classes. We went ice skating, played alligator in the park, ate at Jimba's, drove to Squaw Peak to see the city lights, and slid down ice-covered amphitheatre steps on our backsides at Aspen Grove. Neither of our dates did the sliding part--and we both made a note of that.
7. The first time he asked me out, I turned him down because I already had a date. I told him I hoped he'd ask me again, to which he responded: "I will if I ever feel like it."
8. He is scrupulously honest.
9. Apparently he felt like it the next day. He invited me to a Sunday evening fireside held in the Marriott Center. President Romney was speaking. I wore a long red calico skirt and a shirt with a flower appliqued on it. I still have the skirt. It was February 5, 1978.
10. We got engaged seven weeks later, March 25, 1978. (See #3&4)
11. He is usually scrupulously honest, unless it is for a good cause.
12. Like telling me that he knew the young men in the temple visitor's center when he didn't, so that he could have an excuse to greet them and ask them to leave.
13. And like telling me that the painting of Jesus teaching in the temple as a child was his favorite painting, so that he could get me to look away while he pulled a ring out of his pocket.
14. And like telling me that he slugged a protestor at the conference center and was going to be on the evening news, because he thought it would be funny.
15. And like telling me that he was in the delivery room when his bishop's wife had a baby because he thought it would be funny. And it wasn't.
16. We were married August 2 in the Salt Lake Temple.
17. Our first home was in southwest Provo. It had two bedrooms, a tiny patio, and an oven that always heated to 500 degrees. Always.
18. We have lived in eleven houses and four states: Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado
19. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Archaeology and minors in Spanish and Museum Studies.
20. His favorite place in the world is Hovenweep National Monument.
21. His favorite thing to do is LEARN! He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
22. He especially loves books.
23. And documentaries.
24. And weird movies. (His favorite movie is "The Village.")
25. His favorite color is blue and his favorite kind of food is Chinese food. His favorite kind of car is one that runs and is paid for.
26. His favorite gift is a Barnes and Noble gift certificate. He would also like tickets to a BYU football game.
27. He sings really well, even though he doesn't think so. He also dances better than he thinks. He does accents really well too. I especially like his Indian accent. (Indian as in India.) When we were first married he used to bounce around the apartment and sing the Tigger song from Winnie the Pooh.
28. And he's been known to chase the kids around the house with a squirt bottle and "introduce them to snow."
29. Within our family, he is best known for his knowledge of random facts (Jeopardy, anyone?), his embarrassing dad moments (riding the shopping cart in the parking lot), and his unforgettable quotable quotes. (see #5 & 7)
30. But what I most admire about him is his unwavering testimony, his uncompromising integrity, his calm in a crisis, his daily sacrifices, and his tenderness for those he loves.
31. We have been blessed with seven wonderful children, five equally wonderful sons and daughters in law, and eight (soon to be ten) perfect grandchildren.
1. He has very nice eyebrows.
2. He was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Chicago, and attended high school in New Jersey.
3. He served a mission in Argentina, returning home 1 year to the day before we became engaged.
4. His mission president instructed him to be engaged within a year. (See #3.)
5. My first memory of him was at a testimony meeting in our BYU single's ward when he introduced himself as being from Cranbury, NJ and (referring to the young man from Orange, TX who had just spoken) said that didn't mean they were "a couple of fruits."
6. My first "date" with him was a double date. I was with his roommate and he was with a girl he picked up in one of his classes. We went ice skating, played alligator in the park, ate at Jimba's, drove to Squaw Peak to see the city lights, and slid down ice-covered amphitheatre steps on our backsides at Aspen Grove. Neither of our dates did the sliding part--and we both made a note of that.
7. The first time he asked me out, I turned him down because I already had a date. I told him I hoped he'd ask me again, to which he responded: "I will if I ever feel like it."
8. He is scrupulously honest.
9. Apparently he felt like it the next day. He invited me to a Sunday evening fireside held in the Marriott Center. President Romney was speaking. I wore a long red calico skirt and a shirt with a flower appliqued on it. I still have the skirt. It was February 5, 1978.
10. We got engaged seven weeks later, March 25, 1978. (See #3&4)
11. He is usually scrupulously honest, unless it is for a good cause.
12. Like telling me that he knew the young men in the temple visitor's center when he didn't, so that he could have an excuse to greet them and ask them to leave.
13. And like telling me that the painting of Jesus teaching in the temple as a child was his favorite painting, so that he could get me to look away while he pulled a ring out of his pocket.
14. And like telling me that he slugged a protestor at the conference center and was going to be on the evening news, because he thought it would be funny.
15. And like telling me that he was in the delivery room when his bishop's wife had a baby because he thought it would be funny. And it wasn't.
16. We were married August 2 in the Salt Lake Temple.
17. Our first home was in southwest Provo. It had two bedrooms, a tiny patio, and an oven that always heated to 500 degrees. Always.
18. We have lived in eleven houses and four states: Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado
19. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Archaeology and minors in Spanish and Museum Studies.
20. His favorite place in the world is Hovenweep National Monument.
21. His favorite thing to do is LEARN! He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
22. He especially loves books.
23. And documentaries.
24. And weird movies. (His favorite movie is "The Village.")
25. His favorite color is blue and his favorite kind of food is Chinese food. His favorite kind of car is one that runs and is paid for.
26. His favorite gift is a Barnes and Noble gift certificate. He would also like tickets to a BYU football game.
27. He sings really well, even though he doesn't think so. He also dances better than he thinks. He does accents really well too. I especially like his Indian accent. (Indian as in India.) When we were first married he used to bounce around the apartment and sing the Tigger song from Winnie the Pooh.
28. And he's been known to chase the kids around the house with a squirt bottle and "introduce them to snow."
29. Within our family, he is best known for his knowledge of random facts (Jeopardy, anyone?), his embarrassing dad moments (riding the shopping cart in the parking lot), and his unforgettable quotable quotes. (see #5 & 7)
30. But what I most admire about him is his unwavering testimony, his uncompromising integrity, his calm in a crisis, his daily sacrifices, and his tenderness for those he loves.
31. We have been blessed with seven wonderful children, five equally wonderful sons and daughters in law, and eight (soon to be ten) perfect grandchildren.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Tigger!
On Stage!
Just a reminder to anyone who is looking for a fun, kid-friendly performance:
101 Dalmation Kids
will be playing
August 3, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15
beginning at 7:30 p.m.
(That's Monday, Friday and Saturday evenings!)
The theatre is located in the basement of the Springville library.
The show runs between 30-45 minutes, so even the small ones shouldn't get too restless! Cost is $6/person or $30/family (I think there's a lower rate for students and I don't know about the wee ones.)
Come and see Cruella De Ville and her evil henchmen as they try to steal all those adorable Dalmation puppies!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
An Ethical Question
How many Tootsie Rolls do you need to have in a package of 355 pieces of candy, to be able to advertise Tootsie Rolls on the outside?
The answer, apparently, is three.
For Sweet Tarts, you only need two, in case you were wondering. And Smarties gets you a whopping five.
Guess what the remaining 345 pieces of candy are? Well, a rough estimate (I didn't actually count the rest) gives you approximately 335 pieces, divided equally between bubble gum, jaw breakers, and Now and Laters, with about 10 lollipops thrown in for good measure.
The reason for this rant? Our ward party tomorrow night. Last night, after delivering flyers all over the ward, we went to WalMart in search of face paint, water balloons and prizes. The prizes are for the wee ones who will be wading through a pool of little balls searching for treasures. And bubble gum and jaw breakers aren't going to cut it. It hasn't been that long since I was a mother of preschoolers.
We were tired last night. We looked too long at the huge number of candies and the small price tag, and we fell victim. We just weren't thinking. Today I'll be headed back to WalMart--with a keener eye. I will not be deceived twice!
To add to the irony of the situation, in our search we passed a giant container full of bubble gum and I paused. My husband took one look and said, "There's no way we're giving those kids bubble gum!" Then why'd we buy so much of it, dear?
The answer, apparently, is three.
For Sweet Tarts, you only need two, in case you were wondering. And Smarties gets you a whopping five.
Guess what the remaining 345 pieces of candy are? Well, a rough estimate (I didn't actually count the rest) gives you approximately 335 pieces, divided equally between bubble gum, jaw breakers, and Now and Laters, with about 10 lollipops thrown in for good measure.
The reason for this rant? Our ward party tomorrow night. Last night, after delivering flyers all over the ward, we went to WalMart in search of face paint, water balloons and prizes. The prizes are for the wee ones who will be wading through a pool of little balls searching for treasures. And bubble gum and jaw breakers aren't going to cut it. It hasn't been that long since I was a mother of preschoolers.
We were tired last night. We looked too long at the huge number of candies and the small price tag, and we fell victim. We just weren't thinking. Today I'll be headed back to WalMart--with a keener eye. I will not be deceived twice!
To add to the irony of the situation, in our search we passed a giant container full of bubble gum and I paused. My husband took one look and said, "There's no way we're giving those kids bubble gum!" Then why'd we buy so much of it, dear?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)