NO PERMIT REQUIRED

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the j...

C doing his thing

Does this count? the dog -- a view in my backyard -- Yarrow

Does anybody know if this is Columbine? Does it spread? Is it morning glory"esque"? If so, I won't have to beat C with a hundred stripes.

This is Columbine -- or what's left of it after Son 1 (hereinafter referred to as C) pulled most of it out. He was weeding. He's 16. He could have asked. Duh!

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we spent an hour or more using it every day? What if we used it to receive messages from the "text"? What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it? What if we gave it to kids as gifts? What if we used it as we traveled? What if we used it in case of an emergency? Oh, and a few more things - Unlike our cell phones, on Plan fits all. Unlimited usage. No roaming charges. You always have reception. No weak signals AND we don't ever have to worry about our Book of Mormon being disconnected, because our Savior already paid the bill. - Author Unknown

1. Shoveling the driveway. Not snowblowing -- I like to shovel. My neighbors don't really believe me. 2. Mowing the lawn. 3. Being with my husband. Doing anything. 4. My family's warped sense of humor. 5. My dad for doing my grocery shopping for me. 6. Rain. 7. Listening to my scriptures on my ipod. 8. Having all my kids' friends at our house. 9. Nestle's Quick. I give the kids Ovaltine. Yuck 10. My mom for doing my scrapbooking for me.

1. Dental floss that is too thick to thread between my teeth to floss under my retainer. 2. Blowing grass after mowing the lawn. I hate the grass that builds up along the edges. I sweep it. 3. Driving over newly fallen snow in my driveway. The tire tracks then become ice. 4. Washing towels. Every towel in the house. Every week. 5. Folding socks. I would rather buy new socks than fold the washed ones. 6. Grocery shopping. 7. Incorrect spelling. 8. Poor grammar. 9. Carpet. 10. Finding multiple dishrags all used in the same day in various locations in the kitchen.

I am going to practice creativity.

I am trying to get my kids to understand the value of time. Specifically how much time slips by without us realizing it. Things like watching television, playing Girl2Girl or Addicting Games, WOW, texting, "Stumbling" about on the internet or "Next Blog"ging take away hours from our days and next to nothing is accomplished. I should know, I do some of these things. I don't mean to take away from the enjoyment of these things or even to suggest that I/my kids shouldn't do them. However, I am always saying, "Watch where your time goes." What I would like them to see is that minutes slip into hours -- hours slide into days -- days steal into months -- and months fly all too quickly into years. Time is the only thing that is truly ours. How do we use it?

June 18 D1: yo im in a hotel in spain somewhere. haha yea theres a massive line for the internet so im hurrying. but everythings awesome ill try to commmunicate more but its hard. love you ....peace Mom: I am hoping you get this. Thanks for the email. I had spent the last couple of hours arguing with myself about whether or not to try and track you down. I had decided to give you until tonight. Thanks for not making me find you. I love that you don’t need us. I love that you are having fun. I love that I know you love us. Be good. Love me Dad: further signs of life are welcome. We'd essentially decided that you are just too damn independent. A reflection of a good upbringing, I suppose. But we're glad to hear from you. And even more glad that there wasn't a ransom demand accompanying the signs of life. Go to a bullfight. It'll be Rambo-esque. But with real blood. Sometimes, with any luck, it'll be the bullfighter's blood. [Bullfighting is like NAS...

I am not sure how it happened. I am not sure dad and I even gave her a firm "yes" answer. But I do know that I have a daughter in Spain for 21 days. She's gone with a group from school. Eight kids. Six girls and 2 boys. Mr. and Mrs. B. as chaperones. No cell phone service. She'll have access to a phone card and they will use them about once a week. I am really grateful she gets this opportunity.