Scrabbling

Damon and I found ourselves with nothing to do on Wednesday night and nothing on TV to watch so we broke out our Scrabble game and got thinking. He didn't like the way I spelled wager so out came the huge dictionary that my mom gave us a couple of years ago. She was tired of us calling her at 11pm asking her if what we thought were words were indeed actual words. That was during our Boggle phase. Wager was actually spelled correctly. Damon didn't like me using "poo". I was behind by about 20 points and I had just found a place to spell the word "apex" for 57 points which would have won me the game and I was salivating waiting while Damon stared at the board for 10 minutes. Then the meany stole the "e" I was going to use and got 18 points with "hoe", which solidified his lead. He was so happy to win. I let him enjoy the victory because I beat him in everything else. This morning I found him reading the dictionary over breakfast so as to be more prepared for the next time.

Happenings

Well, this is more ranting than raving, but whatever works. I am still pretty happy about the BYU win that occurred on Saturday. 44-0. That's pretty impressive. We spent Sunday afternoon with my parents and my sister and her family. While there she gave me my own set of Prop 8 signs for my front yard. She has already had 6 stolen and her sprinkler head broken. I am worried about what people might think of us having a sign in our front yard or do and I am quite worried about my piano student's parents, but I just had to tell myself that this issue is more important than stepping on people's toes. So if you want a sign in your yard I have extras.

Lily and I had a nice day today. We went to the gym, read books, played and made banana bread. With her in preschool and going to the kid's club at the gym we have not been spending as much time with each other as we used to and I think that is a good thing. We also don't get on each other's nerves. She mixed this whole batch of banana bread all by herself. It was pretty tasty too. Way to go Lily.

Go Cougs!!

What a Saturday. It started nice and early. Damon decided to take Lily and Noah up to St. George to visit his parents. Adam had a soccer game and we were in charge of snacks so we had to stay. So a very quiet Saturday indeed. As soon as we got home from the soccer game we turned on the BYU vs. UCLA football game. What a wonderful game it was. Not only did we win we absolutely ran over the Bruins. 59-0!! What a great day! I always get a little sentimental for BYU when I see the Wasatch Mountains and the "Y". Oh the good old days. Yea Cougars!!

Stephenie Meyer has announced the prmiere of Twilight. It is November 17th in LA. Yippie. Then if you don't know this, she has put all of what she has written on Midnight Sun on her web page do to someone stealing the manuscript and putting it on the web. I read it and it is better than Twilight. Go enjoy.

2nd Week of School

Just like everyone else's blog my entries are few and far between. I haven't had much to write about and if I did it would all be negative and grumpy. The stress level in the Afualo house has been at max lately and I believe most of it is due to me. What with court appearances, dealing with insurance companies and insurance company's lawyers who could manage a good mood. To top off everything my body is going through the ringer because I finally took the plunge to get in shape and I got a trainer. It is nightmarish. It is all for the greater good though right?

So here is our week in review. Piano lessons started for the boys. Neither of them are happy about it, but I don't care. I hired one of my old piano students to teach them. Adam had his first soccer game last Saturday. The Purple Flaming Dragons are 1-0 right now. That, as always, was hilarious. This week I taught Lily's preschool class. They learned about "Going back to School." I am glad that is over. Now I don't have to teach again until the last week of October. Lily had her first gymnastics class. Well, she was supposed to, but the lady in charge did not tell me that they cancelled her class and moved everyone to the 1pm class. So she missed her class, but they did a little private lesson for her. She was great. Pictures will follow with that later. Noah and Damon had scouts. Yippie. Then to top it off today was field trip day again and I let the kids choose. Out to lunch at McDonald's (yummy for mom) or going bowling. They chose McD's. It was chaotic, but fun. We ran into some friends there who have kids the same age so they all played.

I think we are finally settling into a nice school routine. Hopefully it will last. I really am hoping for a mellow fire season this year. If anyone has any advice for crock pot dinners let me know. That's all I seem to have time for. Dinner gets made around 2pm Monday-Wednesday. Sad I know. I think the real problem is is that there aren't any good shows on yet so there really is nothing to watch to escape reality and unwind. Can't wait til the last week of September. On the happy side of things at least BYU is 2-0 in football. On a humble note, this being the 7th anniversary on 9/11 I feel compelled to at least acknowledge all those who were affected by that day and be grateful for those who gave their lives to help others. We should never forget that day.

Our First Field Trip

Last year I started this tradition to help ease my conscience about working from home in the afternoons. The kids get out early every Thursday and so we called it field trip day. I pick them up and we take turns picking what we want to do. The activities range from playing at the park to going to Disneyland. This first field trip we went to La Jolla Shores to commune with Moana (the sea goddess) and enjoy the beach. Well, the weather didn't think it needed to cooperate with our ideas. It wasn't cold, but it diffenitely wasn't 100% sunny. We still had a great time. Noah found a clam. He was sad that I made him return it to the ocean when we were leaving. Lily was run over by a boogie boarder about her size. Adam had a great time. We had lunch and just play in the water. The kids played in the sand too while I did some Soduku puzzles.

On a more frustrating note Lily still refuses to sleep through the night. It is getting way annoying. She disturbed me from not one, but to very interesting dreams. I hate that. They never come back either. I am still hoping it is a phase she will grow out of. Last night we got a call from the doctor with some test results for Adam. Last week when we were there for our yearly check up I had him tested for allergies. I knew he was allergic to peanuts and had a very mild allergy to eggs whites. The list came back and was way confusing. No eggs or peanuts, but rice, oats, peas, june grass, burmuda grass, celery, carrots, mold, mildew and here is the kicker, apples. No here is the funny thing. Up until 3 months ago Adam ate apples every day for lunch. He loves them. Then we noticed that he started getting hives around his mouth when he ate them. how after 5 years do you all of a sudden get an allergy? He has always loved carrots, he eats peas all the time and how on earth can a polynesian be allergic to rice. I am just baffled. Now I am thinking I need to get the other kids tested to make sure I am not poisoning them. It really stinks. Here is hoping that he has grown out of the peanut allergy. That would make the apples worth it.

First Day of School

Yea! A new school year is upon us. No matter how prepared I thought I was for the first day the last 10 minutes before we left still felt like a mad dash. The boys met their new teachers. Noah was only a few seconds late, not a good sign for the teacher. I am sure she already thinks that I am an incompetent mother. Who can't get their kid to school on time the first day? Then to top things off at the end of the day the boys were supposed to walk home by themselves and meet me on the way. Well, for some odd reason we never met. So I was wandering around school and they were in the courtyard at our house wondering where their mother was. Well I finally went home at around 4pm. I was late for my piano lesson and very hot, but relieved that my children had not been abducted the first day I let them walk home by themselves. Needless to say I am picking them up from their classroom tomorrow. It was a very stressful first day for mom.

What to do...

I have found myself at home with no husband and no kids without even planning it. What is a girl to do. Well, I should clean the bathrooms, practice the violin or get ready for the mayhem that ensues the first day of school, but I don't feel like doing that. I also trained today with a personal trainer so I am a bit sore. So since I was so wonderfully tagged I will answer that. Oh, this morning I woke up and couldn't for the life of me remember what day it was. We had a Labor Day breakfast at the Park with our church and it was nice to visit with everyone. The kids had a great time playing. I should have brought my camera. Oh well. So here it is

The Five

10 Years Ago...
1 I had just gotten married
2. Had just started my senior year at BYU
3. Was all nice and tan and in shape from being a life guard for the summer
4. Had a lot more energy
5. Learned how to drive a stick (remember that Dames!)

5 things on my to do list today
1. It is a holiday so there is nothing. Tomorrow there will be
2. Get kids to school
3. Teach piano
4. Laundry
5. Get ready for court

5 Snacks that I enjoy
1. Ice Cream-Chocolate, Cookies and Creme, Cookie dough, Double Fudge Brownie
2. Fruit any kind except mangoes or papaya
3. Chips-I am so addicted to Pringles
4. Granola
5. Yogurt

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire
1. Get Damon a better car
2. Finish fixing up this house including the backyard with a pool
3. Live abroad just because I could
4. Take my family on a really amazing trip that they would never forget, maybe around the world
5. Save the rest after a bit of a shopping spree (Paris here I come)

5 Places I have lived
1. Phoenix, AZ
2. Provo, UT
3. Portland, OR
4. San Diego, CA
That's it.

5 Jobs I have enjoyed
1. Lifeguard-City of Phoenix
2. piano teacher
3. mom-wife
4. Duke Photography Studio
5. Gift wrap BYU bookstore

Enjoy