Matchbox 20

So, the concert. I loved them the last time that I saw them, so I was looking forward to this with great anticipation. Let me just say that they did not disappoint. It was deeeeeelightful to say the least. And second row seats? (Thanks to Brad's concert mojo...) I never want to see a concert another way again. I have been ruined.

Now, it must be said that I have spent the last 4 years going to Ryan Shupe concerts and the like, which are perfectly fine. But don't you sometimes forget what it's like to be at a concert where you actually feel like dancing? You know, where you're dancing around and screaming like an idiot? We all need this.

So, they start out with a little countdown and start right into "How far we've come". And ladies and gentlemen, they were ON. I have to interrupt myself and say that I love the evolution of a concert where the band comes out and the first few songs are high energy, but then there is that moment, or that song, where they just settle in to their groove. Everyone is warmed up. For Matchbox 20 that song was "Back to Good". Just watching Rob Thomas up there belting it out filled my little heart with joy (and momentarily made me forget that I had a kid at home puking...)

Their encore was fantastic. I especially loved that at the end of "Bright Lights" they went right into the Beatles song, "She came in through the bathroom window" (I know, weird title, but it's the Beatles, right?) and Kyle Cook and Paul Doucette both sang a verse. Turns out, they rock as well! Plus, they did a cover of the Cracker song "Low" that I was quite fond of. And, to top it all off they ended the show with "Push". Yes.

So, a couple of other notes: People in general (and the intoxicated girl next to me specifically) have no sense of rhythm. It's unbelievable. It's not even like they are on the 1 & 3 beat instead of the 2 & 4 beat. They're just all over the place. High unintentional comedy for me.

Also, you could buy a wrist band with a USB port on it that had your concert recorded on it. Genius! (Someone is making a killing with this, BTW) Of course we bought one and have been reliving the concert ever since.

Well, that's it! That's all I've got. Rock on.

Breaking Bad...

So, life has been a little, um, hectic lately.

A week ago today I was pleasantly anticipating three things: Jackson's first birthday, Bekah's 8th birthday (both being celebrated on that Saturday--double the fun!), and the Matchbox Twenty concert. (Second row seats!)

Now, let us all remember that Brad and I attempted to have a little getaway at the end of December. A few hours before we were supposed to leave Eliza started throwing up. One hour before we were supposed to leave Daniel threw up all over me. Good times indeed. Thank goodness for grandmas and aunts who stepped in and took care of all the sickies so that we could still go. However, one hour after we left I started throwing up, which was not exactly what I had in mind for my getaway activities.....

Ok, so back to present. The night before the parties I come down with pink eye. PINK EYE! What the....?!!! Then, like wildfire threw Southern California, I proceed to give it to my three youngest children. Clearly, I did not make it to the birthdays. Yes, I was sad.

Let's move on. Because the pink eye gets contained and I still have the concert to look forward to, right? Well, here we are on Thursday, getting ready for the concert. I have decided to try (after a week of no makeup thanks to the pink eye) to look (and feel) like a real woman. I shower, I cleanse, I exfoliate, I hydrate, etc. Hey, at this point I am feeling pretty good! The hair is straight, the clothes are clean and I am going on a date!

And then Liza starts throwing up. Again and again. Is someone trying to tell me something?

So, yes, we still went to the concert. (More on that later...) But my makeup was smudged, I smelled like throw up, and I came home and slept on the floor of my daughter's bedroom.

Winter Wonderland

So, really there is supposed to be a sidewalk in picture number two! It is completely covered under three feet of snow. And the bottom picture? Those bushes that you see are the tops of the fruit trees behind my house. There's about four feet of snow back there.

Oh, and yes, it is snowing right now.

I love it!

It's a show about nothing

The backround info:
Sunday morning Daniel was up at 5. I changed Liza's diaper twice during Sacrament meeting and once again during Nursery in addition to removing her onesy which fell into the toilet when she wanted to go potty like the big kids. I was a sub in primary and shoveled 14 inches of snow off of my driveway. Oh, and did I mention that Brad is out of town?

By 5:30 Sunday night I was doing the dishes while Daniel screamed and clutched onto my leg in an attempt to push me away from the sink. Liza was standing on the step stool beside me and crying as well because she couldn't play with the bubbles in the sink. (Daniel was in the way...) I, of course, was mentally singing Marvin Gaye (Whoa, mercy, mercy me...things ain't what they used to be...no...no...) and wondering how I was going to find my happy place as the older children played/fought downstairs. (No, we never quite reached that state of Sunday reverence that I naively anticipate late on Saturday nights.)

Ok. Enough backround. So I finish the dishes and contemplate dinner. And here is where the joy of Jessica Seinfeld enters my life. I settled on the "pink pancakes" (with beet puree) from Deceptively Delicious and my kids loved them! Yes, I know it's the small things, but it turned my night around. Successful meal times have a way of doing that for me.

So here's the deal. Everyone knows that I like to cook. I love doing the grown up foods with marinades and grills and fresh herbs, etc. But let's face it-sometimes you just need to get some food on the table. And mind you, I don't deceive my kids when it comes to food. They are pretty good at eating their fruits and vegetables. However, Deceptively Delicious has a lot of great recipes that simply fortify some main dishes with more vitamins and minerals that give me a little piece of mind as I rush to put dinner on the table. I told my kids that there were beets in the pancakes and they thought that was cool.
Some of my favorites so far:
pink pancakes, p. 143
tortilla "cigars" p. 144
chicken nuggets p. 75 (very yummy)
yellow cake p.186

Try it out! It's the first cookbook I have been excited about in a while. Who knows...it could even change your day!

I hate science projects

So, it's science project time. And excuse the digression but who knew there was such a fad among girls now to do all of their science experiments on the effectiveness of various lotions, creams, etc.? It has surely become the photosynthesis experiment of its time....

Anyhoo, here it is, the night before it's due, and I am just now proof reading Mady's content for her project. And yes, I am saying the same thing to myself that I did back when it was actually my science project that I was working on. WHY DID I WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE?

Mind you, the actual experiment was done last week. The packet was even done last week. However, the putting it together didn't make it past the fact that I have SIX KIDS all talking to me at the same time with comments like, "Mommy, I poopy." and "do I have to do my chores today?" to "Why can't I have a cell phone?" and back to "Mommy, D's poopy."

The fact that I actually completed all of my secondary education and yet am doing it all over again times each of the six children has me feeling a little cross-eyed right now.

The short hair

So, here it is-the short hair. I seriously feel about ten pounds lighter! I thought I would throw in a couple of other pics for fun. (Clearly Liza wasn't feeling the love when we decided to take the family pic at Bridgette's baptism. What can you do...) Enjoy!

A day in the life

Yes, this pretty much sums it up. And currently my son is sitting on the floor of the kitchen feeding the dog his toast.