Going on Hiatus

Hey everyone,

I've got a huge boutique this weekend and have a lot to do to get ready for it. I'll be on hiatus until Monday morning. Try not to get into too much trouble without me, okay?

There Is No Justice!!

I am in shock. Sabrina Bryan was eliminated from "Dancing with the Stars" tonight, and it's absolutely unfair. I had her pegged as the winner from her first dance and she's never done anything to shake that opinion. When she was put in the bottom two, I thought for sure it had to be the other couple leaving, but when they announced her, my stomach just dropped. It was absolutely unfair.

Sabrina has been the most consistent out of all the competitors. She has speed, power, charisma -- everything she should have. I do not know what America was thinking, but the girl was robbed.

Plus I happen to think she and Mark were so cute together and if they aren't a couple, they ought to be!

This is just as bad as last year, when Mario Lopez didn't win. I'm still licking my wounds over that one.

Get a grip, America! Vote for the best dancers, would ya?

Now I'm pulling for Helio all the way. I think Mel B is the best girl now, with Jennie showing more improvement all the time. But Sabrina should have won. No question about it.

Reconstruction -- and SOS!

I was just over at Autumn Ables and saw her pretty template, and decided to give the Pyzam site a try. I found this one and -- LOVE IT!! -- but for some reason most of my sidebar content was deleted. That made me unhappy -- I really loved my sidebar. I've spent a long time building it up, getting my quotes, my widgets -- can someone hum a funeral dirge for me?

In the meantime, I wonder if you all would help me out in the following ways.

1. Would you please post a comment here so I can follow you back and get your link and put you in my sidebar? I know a lot of my regular readers don't post a comment every time, and I don't want to miss anyone, and searching through all my old comments just makes me want to cry. So, please -- will you comment here and help me out?

2. If any of you liked the quotes in my sidebar and wrote them down, would you please put those in the comment trail too?

3. Also, please tell me what were your favorite features of my sidebar? I'll try to remember everything I had on there, but it's going to take me a little while to reconstruct.

I'm going to be saving all of this information as a regular blog from now on so it will show up in my archives. In the meantime, we'll figure it out somehow.

Thanks!

Question from Keeley

Keeley asked:

Tristi, I'd be really interested to see a daily/weekly menu of yours..I so wish I could lose 18lb too. =D

How often do you work out, and for how long?

How long have you been eating healthier? Ie, how long has it taken you to lose your 18lb?

Have your family also been eating the same foods, and have there been any revolts?

Keeley, you can find a daily update on everything I'm doing on my other blog, Tristi's Challenges. I'm keeping a workout log, a food log, and reporting on my progress. Everything you want to know and a whole lot you don't!

To answer some of your more specific questions, I lost four pounds last year moving into my house and the other fourteen since the end of August this year. I work out four times a week for about 45 minutes at a time.

My family has been eating much the same as I do -- but they've always been big into fruits and vegetables so it hasn't been too hard.

Thanks for asking!

What's Tristi Up To?

For those of you who are curious but haven't had the time to check out Tristi's Challenges, here are my updated tickers:






This brings my weight loss to 18 pounds so far. Not bad at all!

I've stalled out on the editing challenge, though! That's all right -- I decided I was overtaxing myself and needed a break. Anyone else notice I seem to do that with regularity?

It's Game Time!

I'm playing a little game with myself.

See, this last paycheck was smaller than usual and we ran out of grocery money.

Now, before you start sending me Paypals, let me just say that I do have money socked away. We're not destitute. I can run to the store at any time. But I decided not to.

In different wards, they've done emergency preparedness drills by asking people not to go to the store and see how long they can live on what's already in their cupboard and fridge. I decided to give that a try myself and see how many meals I can create from the odds and ends I have left over from other shopping trips. I've been doing this for about three days now and I've been pretty amazed at what I've come up with. I've got bread in the oven right now and I've got a pot of vegetarian chili in the fridge, ready for me to heat up for Sunday dinner. Also on the menu are things like pizza, blueberry yogurt (using the frozen berries I've had for a while and mixing them with plain yogurt) pancakes, pasta in sauce, baked potatoes, and green bean casserole. I think I can carry on until Wednesday, which is when we get paid again.

I probably will make a run on Monday for some milk and apples. But I'm pretty excited to see if I can pull this off. I'll let you know how I do!

Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats

I heard this song for the first time a couple of months ago, and I can't help it -- I really like it. Enjoy.

Now, I don't know what they're talking about before she starts to sing -- I don't have a sound chip right now. But I hope you like the song.

I'm a Mommy (and I'm Dang Proud of It)

I was just visiting Baby Steps and read her meme of forty reasons to have children. It was wonderful -- she did a great job.

Then I visited the link that set off all these motherhood memes. This really is something else.

If ever there was a time when the family has been under attack, it's this day and age, and the woman mentioned in this article is an avid proponent for destroying the family. She paints children as the most awful thing you could ever do, she degrades the sanctity of motherhood, and she says that she regrets ever having children. To make matters even worse, she gave copies of her book to her children (ages 10 and 13).

Hello?

You know, I'm not terribly fond of changing poopy diapers. I'm not crazy about breaking up fights, of cleaning up messes that they were big enough to make but not big enough to clean up, or wiping noses. But absolutely do not get me wrong: my children are the best thing in my life. I never knew what it meant to be fully, completely happy until I had children. My favorite moments of the day are when we're all together, often sitting on the same couch, snuggling or holding hands.

I'm sorry this woman doesn't feel the same way. I'm sorry she feels as though she's wasted her life. But it bugs me to no end that she's trying to convince other women to feel the way she does. She doesn't understand that she's in the minority, that a great many women love being mothers. It's her own personal decision and I respect her right to be miserable, but she will never convince me that living by myself would be preferrable to a life with my kids. Every minute of every day is a rollercoaster ride of joy and frustration, and the joy always comes out on top. I wouldn't miss it for anything.

Hurricane Benjamin

My house may never be clean again.

I've mentioned my darling little snuggly-bear baby before, right? My darling little poopsy-woopsoms lovey ducky? Well, that beautiful baby is testing me to the absolute limits right now.

I adore this child with every fiber of my being, as I do all my children. He's got these twinkly brown eyes that look up at you full of mirth, and you just have to scoop him up and hug him. He's perfect in every way.

Except one.

He's a hurricane.

He spends all of his time going from one end of the house to the other, destroying everything in his path. I know my other children have done similar things, but this one seems to have gotten a double-dose. While I'm cleaning up one of his messes in the kitchen, he's in the bathroom, and then we trade places. All attempts to distract him are met with wild laughter as he streams past me, toilet paper clutched in his darling little fists, an ominous gurgle coming from the toilet. The day he outgrew his playpen was one of the saddest days of my life.

This last month alone, I've had basalmic vinegar poured on the carpet, honey dribbled all over the table (and the chairs), brown sugar ground into the carpet (there will be new carpet eventually) markers of all colors on all the walls, and four more ruined library books. That's right -- more library books. I just know we're going to amass more than $400 in damages there this year alone. We're already in the early $300's.

Right now, a half bag of animal crackers lies in the hallway, crushed into the carpet. More said crackers are all over the side table. His toothbrush is on the floor in front of the TV. He wouldn't go to sleep until two and a half hours after his bedtime, all of which was spent with me putting him back down. Putting him back down. Putting him back down.

I can't unload the dishwasher because he's climbing into it. I can't load it because he pulls out the dirty dishes as soon as I put them in. (Now, if I could get him to take out the clean dishes, we'd be all set!) Every attempt at housework is scoffed at, with twinkling eyes.

Yes, I'm frustrated. I'm also totally smitten with this child and plan to spend as much time as possible kissing and squeezing him. And then scrubbing, and vacuuming, and wiping . . .

Countdown to Halloween -- 8 Days!

Whitney Awards Announces Cash Prizes!

Everyone, check out this press release that just came out:

PROVO, UT—OCTOBER 23, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHITNEY AWARDS COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES LARGE CASH AWARDS

The Whitney Awards Committee announced today that they will be offering seven large cash awards to be presented at the upcoming Whitney Awards banquet in March 2008. These cash prizes are due to the generosity of the Whitney Awards' marquis sponsor, ExclusivelyLDS.com.

Founded earlier this year, the Whitney Awards program is a non-profit organization dedicated to rewarding excellence among LDS authors. With the new sponsorship of ExclusivelyLDS.com, winning authors will receive up to $1000 along with their trophy.

The Whitneys offer a total of seven awards. The five genre awards (Best Romance/Women's Fiction, Best Mystery/Suspense, Best YA/Children's, Best Speculative Fiction, Best Historical) will each be accompanied by a $500 cash prize. The two overall winners, Best Novel by a New Author and Best Novel of the Year, will each receive $1000.

"We're very excited about the sponsorship with ExclusivelyLDS.com," Robison Wells, president of the Whitney Awards Committee, explains. "There is enormous talent among LDS authors, and every year seems to produce better and better novels. This is an exciting time to be part of the LDS fiction industry. Our hope is that these
awards will raise awareness about the high quality fiction available from LDS authors, and to draw in new readers."

Over a hundred years ago, Latter-Day Saint Apostle Orson F. Whitney declared "We shall yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own. . . . In God's name and by His help we will build up a literature whose tops will touch the heaven, though its foundation may now be low on the earth."

Anyone can nominate a novel published during the previous calendar year in any of seven categories, and a final academy of industry professionals will vote on the final ballot. Nominations are being taken for books published in 2007 by LDS authors at the Whitney Awards website.

Isn't that great?

So if you've read any stellar LDS fiction this year, head on over to the Whitney site and nominate the book. We're rewarding quality fiction and increasing awareness of all the good that exists in literature. Let's get these authors the recognition they deserve!

And in case you're wondering, I don't have an eligible book this year. :)

Singin' in the Rain, Marchin' in the Snow

Last Saturday, Candace and I went down to Elsinore for a boutique. My mom was meeting my sister at Orem High for a marching band competition, which had been called two weeks ago on account of rain. As Candace and I drove home, we encountered a snow/hail storm. I commented to Candace, "I bet the competition got cancelled again." That was sad because my mom had been looking forward to it.

I got home to find out that not only was the band competition not cancelled, but the kids were out there in the snow and hail, performing. Yep, and the drum majorettes in their little skirts and sleeveless shirts, and the baton twirlers -- snow and hail falling all over them.

Now, call me silly, but if we're going to cancel a competition because of rain, doesn't it make sense that you would also cancel it because of, oh, I don't know -- a blizzard?

I just don't get it. Here you've got your marching band out in the cold. Their fingers are frozen and they can't even hold their instruments properly because their joints are stiff. How are you going to truly compare talent against talent when they're all so cold, they aren't performing to the best of their ability? Having a competition under those circumstances renders any outcome moot. The first band to perform would have the advantage because they'd be the warmest.

I'm told my niece didn't get sick. I'm glad about that, but I think every kid in the band should have called in sick the next day as a protest. There was absolutely no reason to make them perform in that weather. Not one at all.

Phonics As Mentioned By Tristi

I stirred up enough chatter with my last serious post I decided to follow it up with a longer description of the phonics program I use. I do want to make the following disclaimers, however.

1. I hold public school teachers in the greatest esteem. They work hard, prepare well, are dedicated, and I’ve never met a teacher I didn’t like.

2. I understand fully that homeschooling is not for everyone. Some children do much better in a public or private school setting and, while I have chosen homeschool for myself and gladly assist others who have made the same decision, I’m not on a crusade to make everyone be just like me. It’s not for everyone and I get that.

3. I also wish to make clear that I’m not trying to devalue anyone’s experiences. By sharing my experiences, which are different from yours, I’m simply explaining why I do things the way I do. I recognize that many people have derived great benefit from the current reading programs. I also recognize that many are not, but don't know that other methods exist. I believe that we determine, based on our free agency, what is best for us and for our own families and if you have found that the exact opposite of what I’m about to say is true for you, I respect that.


Now, that said . . . (this is where Tristi gets opinionated)


I have issues with the concept of sight words because I don’t believe they exist. When a child is taught all four vowel sounds, they can then sound out the words that are presented to them. I don’t consider sight words to actually be reading – it’s memorization and guessing, not actually reading. Reading, to me, is sounding out of words.

I also have a problem with “context clues” and “picture clues.” To me, this is telling the child to make a guess, rather than acting on knowledge. What happens when they encounter that word out of context? What if it’s on a sign, a spelling test, or is used in an unusual way? It will be unfamiliar to them. However, if they know how to sound it out, they’ll never need to wonder what it is.

I was taught using the phonics system I’m about to explain. I also taught my three older children and will teach my youngest when he’s a little older. Additionally, I taught my niece using this system, and have tutored a bunch of kids. Every one of these children has excelled using this program and I have never seen it not work.

Now, for the explanation:

The lady who wrote this program is named Betty Teela. She is a good friend of the family and has done extensive tutoring for decades, working with children of all ages and from all educational backgrounds.

Here’s how it works:

You begin with a set of flashcards that has the consonant sounds (just the first sound of c) and the short vowel sounds. A as in am, E as in end, I as in it, O as in on, U as in up, and Y as in Lynn. The child learns these sounds.

Then the child begins to sound out words, starting at the left and skating over to the right. They start slowly, then go back, reading it a little quicker and a little quicker until they feel comfortable with reading that word. As they become more proficient, they’re soon reading new words with little hesitation.

The program has a reading book made entirely of those words that are written with the short vowel sounds only. Once the child has read through that book with ease, you move on to the next set of flashcards. These cards contain the consonant teams, like sh and ch. There is also a reading booklet to go along with these cards, with stories comprised entirely of the first vowel sounds and these consonant teams and of course, regular consonants.

Then you move on to the third set, which contain the long vowel sounds. These are A as in bake, E as in he, I as in time, O as in hope, U as in cute, and Y as in type. The child learns these and then reads a booklet utilizing all the sounds learned so far.

Next is the fourth set, which is vowel teams. You learn about ea, oa, ai, etc. Same with the reading book.

And now here is the part I know you’ve all been waiting for – the third and fourth sounds of the vowels. The third sounds are A as in all, E as in vein, I as in media, O as in to, U as in truth, and Y as in baby. Now, for instance, the word “all” is on the sight word list. But when the child is taught that the A can and does make that sound, and on a fairly regular basis (think – want, wall, father, etc.) it leaves the realm of the sight word and becomes one that they can read rather than memorize. They learn to do this with a booklet that goes along with these sounds.

The fourth set of vowel sounds are A is in above, E as in the, I as in onion, O as in son, U as in put, and Y as in yes. These words are sometimes taught as exceptions, but in this program, they aren’t exceptions that have to be memorized – they’re part of the rule and can become natural.

This all sounds like a whole lot to learn, and I admit that it is. However, when it’s broken down like this, it’s not overwhelming. My daughter finished the course and was reading at a 2nd grade level when she was six. Pretty much the same for my first son. My second son zoomed through it in six months and now, at the age of six, is reading on a third grade level and is even participating in family scripture study, reading out of Isaiah.

What about comprehension, you ask? Does sounding out words take away from the comprehension? Nope. They get very skilled at sounding things out and soon it comes naturally to them. They understand what they are reading.

I have a question to pose about that. If the child is going along and they forget one of the sight words and guess at it, guessing the wrong one, doesn’t that mess up their comprehension a little bit? I think it might.

So there you have it – the phonics program I swear by. I hope I answered any questions you had, and if I didn’t, go ahead and ask ‘em.

As a final note: I have seen the difference between the way my children read and the way their friends read. I have worked with children who are so frustrated with trying to remember all the sight words that they have just about given up on reading. This has been a superior method of learning for my children, and I’ve never seen it fail. But again, this does not mean that I’m picking on anyone. There are children who are doing well in the current systems.

I Gotta Be Me!

It is never my intention to cause offense, and yet I seem to do it fairly regularly. Sometimes I feel really bad about it and apologize at least twice as profusely as the occasion required. Other times, I feel bad that feelings were hurt, and yet I know I did the right thing and can only regret the emotional impact and not the act that brought it about. Such was the case today.

Candace Salima and I went down to a small town in Central Utah this afternoon to speak about literacy. While there, we were asked if we felt that the decline in literacy in the country is related to the way it is taught in schools. I firmly believe that it is linked, and shared the things I have experienced and learned on the subject, including the fact that schools today are not teaching reading the way they were twenty, ten, and even five years ago.

The biggest difference of opinion I have with traditional reading methods is that many people are only taught two sounds for each vowel, when there are in actuality four. When you are taught all four vowel sounds, this eliminates the need for sight words, as all words can now be sounded out. Candace shared some experiences of her own with nieces and nephews who began strugging in school as of three years ago, when the schools really began to shift to a different method of teaching.

There were a couple of retired school teachers in the audience this afternoon who had different experiences with their students and so did not agree with what I said. Although Candace and I both stressed that things have changed a lot in the last few years, after these ladies retired, I'm sorry to say that some feathers were ruffled. It's always very unfortunate when that happens.

We all approach life from different perspectives. These fine women had served their community as public school teachers and felt a measure of pride in the job they had done. I don't discount their contributions and their dedication to their jobs, not one bit. I, however, have tutored children who were unable to read using the method taught them in school and were frustrated with the whole process. When I taught them using phonics, and with all four vowel sounds, lights went off in their heads and they were finally able to comprehend what had eluded them for so long.

The fact of the matter is that current methods of teaching a child to read are not as effective as the methods that were used years ago. If they were, why is our illiteracy rate as high as it is?

I'm sorry I caused offense to the wonderful ladies we spoke to today. Again, it's never my intention. But I gotta be me, and it's my honest, sincere and educated opinion that the public schools are not teaching reading the way it needs to be taught. I speak about the need for proper phonics at every opportunity and will continue to do so. Reading is a powerful gift and it needs to be delivered properly in order to do the most good to the recipient.

My Little Alarm Clock

As I'm sure you've guessed by noting the hour at which some of these blogs are posted, I stay up late at night. This is when most of my writing gets done, both on books and for Families.com. I also like to update my food and weight loss journals on my other blog, and catch up on things that didn't get done during the day (like, everything.) It's often 2:00 before I'm in bed, and then my brain is thinking about everything I need to get done the next day. Lately, it's been around 3:00 am before I've been getting to sleep.

My two-year-old has been sleeping on the bottom tier of a bunkbed for about a month now, I guess. It was time -- his crib kept falling apart and there was no point in buying a new crib just to take it down a month later. He loves his bed, and his brother loves sleeping on top -- but there's a problem. No side rails.

At some point between 6:30 and 7:30 every morning, I'm awakened to a little face staring intently into mine. The conversation goes something like this:

Him: "Morning, Mama! Up! Up!"

Me: "Benjamin, it's still dark outside. Let's go back to sleep."

Him: "No asleep, Mama. Time a get up!" He takes my hands. "Holding hands. Jump up!"

Me: "But I'm sleeping."

Him: "Come on, Mama! Come a me!"

And he goes toddling out. I know full well that if I don't follow him, there will be catastrophe. Yesterday morning it was a bag of brown sugar all over the floor, including the carpet. Other mornings it has included pen scribbles all over my flat-screened monitor, which I still haven't cleaned off because I don't want to hurt the screen. (Any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated.) But it's really hard to stay awake when you've only been asleep for three or four hours, so I generally fall back asleep on the couch, the melodious, soothing of Dora the Explorer or the Wonder Pets lulling me to sleep.

There are worse ways to be awakened, that's for sure. He's as cute and sweet as they get. But my husband has tonight off, so he'll be here at 6:30 in the morning and he has promised to hold the fort down and let me sleep. He's under orders not to wake me up until ten. I'm almost giddy, I'm so excited.

League of Utah Writers Winners Announced!

The League of Utah Writers is the organization for authors in Utah. With members all over the state, it's a well-established, well-respected institution. Once a year they hold a contest for various different types of writing, from poetry to articles, full-length novels to short stories, fiction and nonfiction.

This year I entered an unpublished manuscript in the book length fiction category, and a copy of "Strength to Endure" in the published category.

They didn't have enough entries to hold the contest in the book length fiction division, but I found out just this morning that I won a certificate for "Strength to Endure!"

That is pretty stinkin' cool, if you ask me. I can now refer to myself as an "award-winning author." Yes, indeed, I like the sound of that . . .

I Can Only Imagine

This song so closely mirrors my own feelings. Every time they play it on the radio, I have to flip it off if I'm trying to drive, because my eyes fill up with tears. Enjoy.

Say What?

While I'm riding the bike at the gym, I like to watch the televisions they have set up. It makes the time go by a lot faster. Because of the noise level in the gym, they keep the volume down and turn on the closed captioning. It does make life interesting, reading TV instead of watching it.

What cracks me up, though, is the way that the words in the caption don't always match up with what's going on in the show. A while back, I was watching a press conference with Rocky Anderson (Salt Lake City's mayor) and he called someone a cook. I didn't find out until later that he had actually said "crook."

Yesterday I was watching the jewelry channel. The hostess was showing some earrings, and the next thing I know, the caption is saying something about a pelican. I'm not sure how a pelican got into the conversation -- maybe pelicans like to wear jewelry?

Then they moved on to a sapphire ring, and the caption said something about an illiterate sapphire. Okay, I didn't realize that gemstones had a choice as to whether or not they read -- I figured it was an all-around no. But apparently this sapphire was illiterate, which gives rise to the question -- how much does a literate sapphire cost?

All this serves to keep me mightily entertained while I pedal. I have fun trying to figure out what the host really said to trigger the odd response from the captioning machine.

What is also does is make me feel really sorry for the hearing impaired. They are already missing out on so much, and now we're feeding them nonsense sentences under the guise of doing them a service. I think they deserve better than that!

Christmas Shopping the Tristi Way

I raised enough eyebrows with my comment that my Christmas shopping is almost done -- I figured I'd better 'splain how I do that!

I absolutely love going to the store the day after Christmas. Now, I know it's crazy out there and there are horror stories by the kazillions of shoppers pulling out Uzis to fight over the last half-price microwave. But I've never had an experience like that.

For the most part, Wal-Mart is a pretty considerate place at 7:00 am on December 26th. It's crowded, but people manuever their carts and let you through. Everything Christmas-related is 50% off, and if you wait about three days, the discount goes to 75%. You would not believe the beautiful things I've found there, but I can't tell you, on the off-chance that my parents or in-laws decide to wander by. Let's just say, it's good stuff and I'm excited.

I also got a bunch of new Christmas tree decorations. I like to give my tree a different look every year, and this is how I do it, by getting the decorations when they're 75% off. I can redo my whole tree for $10, no lie. And then every fourth year or so, I mix up the decorations from the three previous years. I even got my artificial Christmas tree for $10, if you can believe that, and every year that I use it, it gets cheaper. I got it five years ago, so this year, it will only have cost me $2 a year. It doesn't get any cheaper than that.

Now, throughout the rest of the year, I pick up things when I see them on sale. You never know if that item is going to be cheap or not when Great Aunt Betty's birthday comes around, so you get it now because it's the perfect item for her and it's on sale.

As far as organizing all this goes, I keep a list of the important people in my life and next to that, a list of holidays. Then as I find and purchase something that's just right for them, I mark it down on my list. This way, I know I've already purchased something for Betty's birthday, but I still need her Christmas gift.

It all goes into the deep recesses of my closet to be pulled out when needed. And how do I keep the kids from seeing their gifts? I wrap them when I bring them home. And since they're marked down on the list, I know what they are. I'd sure rather spend five minutes here and there to wrap than three hours in December.

This all sounds pretty organized and even a little compulsive. I have to say, though, that it has saved me hundreds of dollars and it's also saved me scads of time. I can sit back and enjoy the holidays because I know I only need to go find four gifts, instead of the whole ball of wax for everyone, in-laws and grandparents included. It's worth a little extra effort on my part now to keep me from feeling the holiday stress later. Plus it's fun.

Women Who Know

I love Sister Julie B. Beck, the General Relief Society President. She is a woman of strength and yet softness. She says what she means directly and without pulling any punches, and yet she also speaks with tact. As I listened to her address us at the women's conference session last week, I was deeply moved by the way she told us what is expected of us and how we should be living our lives as daughters of God. She leaves us without excuse -- we must raise the bar on our own behavior and on our own personal journey to strengthen our testimonies and become holy.

Today she spoke of the stripling warriors. I've always loved this story from the Book of Mormon and that's why I named our homeschool "The Stripling Warrior Academy." She told of the mothers who taught their sons with such fervency that the boys could say, "We do not doubt our mothers knew it." She then outlined what a woman who knows will do, how she will act, and what she will say.

I have never felt so empowered by a General Relief Society President's messages before. I sustain and support all the women who have held this calling, and each of them have shared wonderful, inspired words with us. But there is something about Sister Beck that makes me want to take up my bundle and not only keep marching, but to march with my head held high and to take others along with me.

I needed this so badly today. Last night was one of those bad mommy nights. My two-year-old dropped an entire bottle of basalmic vinegar on the living room carpet, and the other children kept running back and forth through the puddle, thereby spreading the smell and the spotting even further while I tried to get it all cleaned up. At times like that, it's easy for me to lose sight of the ultimate goal and get bogged down in "why me?" and thoughts of wanting to hire a substitute mother and get out of Dodge. But when I hear talks like these, that remind me of the vastly important calling I've been given and how I must stay the course, it gives me the courage to keep going.

On Motherhood

I love being a mother. I love holding babies as soon as they're born, admiring how perfect and beautiful they are, seeing their personalities develop, watching them learn and grow.

However, there are certain . . .shall we say, aspects, of the job that don't suit me quite so well.

Take, for instance, the event of roughly ten minutes ago. I'm sitting here reading my e-mail, see, and my two-year-old comes up to me, making a sad little meowing sound in the back of his throat (he likes to pretend to be a kitty) and holding his hand out to me. His thumb was extended and upon that thumb was the object of his concern.

A great big snot booger.

Luckily for me, that same child had just taken an entire package of napkins and scattered them all over the living room floor, so I had plenty of ammunition at hand. I grabbed a napkin, removed the offending item, and returned to my e-mail.

However, there is balance in all things.

Less than two minutes after that, the child in question came up to me, tucked his dear little hand in mine, and said, "holding hands." Then he folded his arms and demonstrated how to say a prayer, starting with, "Hebenwy Fodder." It just doesn't get any better than that.

Really Dumb Song Lyrics

I like to listen to the radio while I'm driving around, doing my errands. Okay, I'll be honest -- I like to sing to the radio while I'm driving around. I just can't help it.

When I'm just listening to the songs, I don't always notice how stupid some of the lyrics are, but when I'm singing them, I have to laugh. Check these out.

Celine Dion made the theme from "Titanic" famous. But have you ever ignored her lovely voice and just listened to the words?

Near, far, wherever you are,
You are here in my heart and my heart will go on and on.

That first line sounds like Dr. Seuss.

I also get a kick out Backstreet Boys with "As Long as You Love Me."

I don't care who you are, where you're from, or what you did
As long as you love me.

So let me get this straight. She's a murderer who has escaped from the nearby prision. But she's in love with you, so that's okay. Whatever . . .

And then of course there's "McArthur Park." For those of you who didn't do the disco era (I didn't either, really, but I like to listen to older music) here are those words:

Someone left my cake out in the rain.
I don't think that I can take it
'cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again!
Oh, no!


And then here's one that just irks me to death, called "Into The Night" by Benny Mardones.

She's just sixteen years old
Leave her alone, they said
Separated by fools
Who don't know what love is yet
But I want you to know

If I could fly, I'd pick you up
I'd take you into the night
And show you a love
Like you've never seen, ever seen.

Hello? This song is sung by an obviously mature man, and he's thinking things like this about a sixteen year old? Call the police! Seriously -- what kind of message is this sending -- that it's okay for older guys to go after teenagers? Leave her alone, indeed!

Anyway, I could go on and on. But I won't. We'll just suffice it to say that there are a lot of wacky lyrics out there. A lot.

New Blog Update

Okay, I think we've successfully shifted the BIAM participants over to the new blog. Which, in case you didn't catch it the first time around, is:

Tristi's Challenges

Today I'm kicking off a weight loss challenge, so if you're interested in coming along with me and losing some weight, go over there, check out the first weight loss blog, and leave your comment so I know you're participting. From there we'll go step by step and do it together.

I'm also hosting another Book in a Month challenge in January, and starting on October 15th, I'm hosting an Editing Challenge.

Lots to keep you on your toes! Come check it all out. I'm adding more content by the hour, so soon it will be a full-fledged blog.

Announcing a Very Important Announcement

Following is a must-read for all my regular visitors:

I have just set up a brand-new blog. It's called "Tristi's Challenges," and on that blog, I will be hosting more BIAMs, doing some editing challenges, and also challenging you to get on a weight loss program right along with me. If you want to write, edit, or lose weight, and you'd like a forum of like-minded people to hang out with while you do it, head on over to the new blog. I will still provide updates to my progress on this blog, but the other will be full of details, how-tos, and encouragement for those who want to come along with me.

Don, I blame you for this. See, Don set up a new blog just for his writing, and I got to thinking about that. I have a lot of readers who come here just because they think it's great fun to listen to me ramble, and I have a lot of readers who come for the challenges. This way they can each get what they want -- although, I'd be highly surprised if some of those readers didn't come check out both blogs.

For those of you currently participating in the BIAM -- I would like you to please post today's totals over on the new blog and we'll carry on over there. But please check in here, too -- there will still be a lot of excellent content.

Bill Clinton: America's Ambassador?

While I was at the gym today, I watched MSNBC. They were showing a report detailing the role Bill Clinton would play if Hillary were to take office. He will be an ambassador for the United States, going to countries all around the world to help spread good will and to improve the world's opinion of America. Can I just say -- that's reason right there not to vote for Hillary?

The whole Clinton/Lewinsky thing played a huge part in making America look like idiots in the eyes of the world. The president was playing around with an intern in his office while he should have, oh, I don't know, been running the country? Bill did a lot to make America look bad -- why would we send him out to try to make America look good?

Now, see, if he was planning to fly around the world and apologize to everyone for being such an idiot, that would be one thing. But he's never taken responsibility for being an idiot, so why should he start now? I think the other world leaders will be laughing up their sleeves when they see him coming.

I knew I wasn't voting for Hillary before, but this just adds fuel to my fire.