Another rude awakening!

Sunday, the day of rest?
I had another highly rude awakening just yesterday, luckily RD got to experience this one too! We were nestled all snug in our bed, taking a much needed Sunday afternoon nap when all of the sudden yells of ID rang through the house. RD heard the blaring of the smoke detector first and then registered the words "FIRE, FIRE" as ID ran into our room(I wish I could simulate how loud he was yelling). RD was out of bed first making a dash for the door only to run into a badly misplaced hamper, in turn crashing to the floor in quite a heap. I jumped out of bed just as he hit the floor with a huge thud (the floor shaking much like our recent quakes)! I ran out of my room, quite dazed, completely expecting to see smoke. ID and AD had made it out the front door by this time, who knows where JD was. RD was with me as we ran down the stairs. The smoke detector still blaring with no hint of smoke anywhere. We frantically ran all over the basement to look for what was setting off the alarm, but found absolutely nothing! RD finally disconnected the alarm and the kids had come back inside (I still cannot remember where JD had been through all of this).
Luckily this was a false alarm and everyone is fine. RD has the worst from it; a fairly skinned up knee and quite a few sore muscles and joints. I just wish I could have seen the scene from an outsider's view. It had to be quite hilarious to see us running about not quite awake, looking for something that wasn't there!

This is a test, this is only a test-or maybe not!

I'm sure most have heard of the earthquake that shook the Midwest this morning! It was about 4:30am, I had actually gone to bed at 10:00 last night so I could get a good night sleep! But that was not to be so. I woke up to the bed shaking, the windows rattling, and it looked like the entire house was shaking! I was instantly alert and I interpreted it to be a tornado. I'm sure there was a loud noise also. I jumped out of bed and ran to the boys room to wake them up. I shook JD first in the top bunk and then proceeded to pull ID out from the bottom, which he then fell to the floor. I frantically told him to go downstairs. Then I shook JD some more. Then I thought of AD in my bed. By this time I noticed nothing else was happening, so my heart rate dropped slightly. I think ID had actually gone to the kitchen. I hurried to my room and scooped up AD. Then I met up with ID in the kitchen (JD still sound asleep). ID was asking why we had to go downstairs and I was a bit confused. I realized nothing else was happening so I let ID go back to bed and laid AD back in my bed. But don't think I was able to go to sleep so fast! I began wondering if I had dreamed it all up. I turned on my kitchen radio to the TV stations. No one was saying anything about it, so I almost gave up. Then a breaking news came on and announced a 5.4 quake about 127 miles east of us in Illinois or Indiana (it has been knocked down to a 5.2). Then I turned the TV on and the news was just coming on about it. People had been calling the stations non-stop to find out what was going on. At least I wasn't the only confused one, but I do wonder if anyone else mistook it for a tornado!
This was definitely a small glimpse of one of my biggest fears; that something catastrophic would happen in the middle of the night while Frank is at work with me alone with the kids. Luckily everyone and everything is fine. Nothing even fell off the walls! Frank rode it out at work. He thinks it was neat. This only reminded me of the importance of having our food storage and especially our 72 hour kits. I hate being reminded this way! But I am committing myself to do better with it and at least get our kits done!

My Life Movie Sountrack

I got this from my awesome sister-in law KRM! I don't know if mine came out as good as hers!
So, here’s how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the "next" button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool!

Opening credits: Take On Me by a-ha (80's song, if you heard it you'd know it)
Waking Up: Young Love by The Judds
First Day At School: It's all wrong, but it's all right-Dolly Parton
Falling In Love: That's my Job-Conway Twitty
Fight Song: I'll Be- Edwin McCain
Breaking Up: I will always Love You- Dolly Parton
Prom: Maybe we should sleep it tonight- Tim McGraw
Life’s OK: Danger Zone- Kenny Loggins
Mental Breakdown: True Colors- Phil Collins
Driving: Turn Me On- Micheal Bluble
Flashback: What it Takes- Aerosmith
Getting Back Together: Cuts Like A Knife- Brian Adams
Wedding:Lay Your Hands on Me- Bon Jovi (RD would like this one)
Birth of Child: Endless Love- Lionel Richie/ Diana Ross
Final Battle: Bad Medicine- Bon Jovi
Death Scene: Once Upon A Lifetime- Alabama
Funeral Song:Every Breath You Take- Police
End Credits: Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison

I Tag: Anyone that has a few minutes !

Getting the most positive report on your child!

I have discovered a sure way to get a positive report on your child from their school. Sure you kid does fine they say what a good student he is, if he has trouble in a subject it is usually not such a pleasant report. I have experienced both of these situations. But they cannot compare to my last parent/teacher conference for ID. He has struggled all year in reading due to his learning disability, and is basically on the kindergarten level, though he is in first grade. After observing the class that ID has been in for reading,I approached his teachers and the principal about concerns I have with the reading program offered to him. It is a program way over his head and does not address his LD or teach him in a manner he can learn. It also does not allow time for the teachers to address his problems any other way. One week after meeting with them we had our conference. I have never heard such good things about any of my children or how much they have learned in a year! They were so excited to tell us about how he can read! He is apparently doing many things in reading, like comprehending, that many of his classmates can't do so well. I truly cannot put into words all their gooey sentiments and compliments. They were so excited that it has taken him all year to be able to finally put a three letter word together! (Ninety percent of the words he can read, I have personally taught him!) With all this in mind the thing that will help him best is to repeat 1st grade next year! So if you want the best possible report on your child all you have to do is complain, or point out the problems with the school and their curriculum! I promise you it will work like a charm! (I just wish that had actually been my purpose for addressing these issues with them.)
I must apologize for writing such a blah post! This has been the only thing on my mind lately so I had to get it off my chest! This is also a big reason that I have not posted anything for a while. I have decided not to stress about it or think too much about it any more. I am counting down the days till school is over!

To the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends and family. What you are supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you'll send. Change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to your friends & family, including the person whom sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a LOT of little things about your friends & family that you might not have known.

1. What time did you get up this morning? am I up yet?

2. Diamonds or pearls? honestly- neither

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Spiderwick Chronicles

4. Favorite TV show? Right now I am anti-TV-nothing interesting enough

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Honey Nut Cheerios

6. What kind of soap do you use? Lever 2000, Suave

7. What is your middle name? Suzann (possible baby name?)

8. What food do you dislike? Italian sausage(my father once made us eat it as a burger, I can't even stand the smell of it since!)

9. What is your favorite CD? any that I put together myself, otherwise Reba's #1s

10. What kind of car do you drive? Chevy Venture minivan (OK- stop druling!)

11. What characteristics do you despise about people? Selfish, unteachable, self righteous

12. Favorite item of clothing? any comfortable PJS

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Alask, Ireland, England now and 150 +/- years ago (Jane Austen's time)

14. What is your biggest regret? getting into debt

15. Where would you retire to? a large ranch

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? i don't have those

18. Furthest place you are sending this? alaska

19. Who do you least expect to send this back? Katherien-she sent it to me!

20. Person you expect to send it back first? Jackie- she doesn't have one on her blog yet

21. When is your birthday? Ground Hog's day and Farrah Faucet's b-day-you can figure the date
22. What is your favorite scent? fresh cut grass, camp fire, horse feed (horse manure isn't too bad either!)

23. Are you a morning or night person? who said I was a person?

24. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2, sometimes 8

25. Pets? Mo the cat, Ody the dog- (I have discovered that pets are best when they live in another state)

26. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? RD has lost 20 lbs, he also recently pointed out to me (so I could be prepared), that if he keeps loosing weight, and i keep gaining because of the pregnancy, that I will probably weigh more than him! Sometimes he should really keep his mouth shut!

27. What did you want to be when you were little? a teacher, vetrinarian, for a short time a comedian, a mom

28. How are you today? somewhat down, another Jeckyll/Hyde day

29. What is your favorite candy? snickers, dove truffle eggs (only available during Easter)

30. What is your favorite flower? for smell-Lilacs, I don't actually know what they look like

31. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? August 7, 2008 Breaking Dawn comes out

32. What church do you attend? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the same building I attended as a little girl

33. Favorite sandwich? PBJ; Hot ham &Cheese from Lion's Choice

34. What are you listening to right now? Jake keeping himself awake

35. What is the last thing you ate? homemade chicken and dumplins (as RD calls them, chicken and puffs)

36. Do you wish on stars? very rarely

37. What would you consider your perfect day? A sunny 70 degree, slightly breezy day (does anyone ever say cold, drab and rainy?), I've hiked a beautiful trail with my family, had absolutely no obligations, did not fix a single item of food, and laying in an open field watching the big puffy clouds go by.

38. How is the weather right now? cold, miserable

39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? my hubby

40. Do you like the person who sent this to you? of course

41. Favorite soft drink? Pepsi, A&W root beer

42. Favorite restaurant: Mcdonalds- NOT- Iam anti food right now too, so I couldn't say

43. Hair color? dark brown

44. Siblings? 3

45. Favorite time of the year? Spring and Fall, Summer comes in second

46. What was your favorite toy as a child? my barbies because my brother would play them with me-he had his own Ken!

47. Summer or winter? Summer

48. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

49. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate

50. Do you want your friends to email you back? nah

51. When was the last time you cried? For what reason: stressed-I'm quite hormonal right now so a few tears escape my eyes each day; sad- don't know;happy-laughing histerically during love making the other night (I will never say why!)

52. What is under your bed? batteries, candles, broken books i plan to fix one day, loads of toys, a flash light, my house shoes, kids clothes, probably some food item (I did clean it out not too long ago)

53. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Sabrina- I don't even remember meeting her for the first time, we played together at the age of 2

54. What did you do last night? played hooky from Scouts, watched a great movie "The Importance of Being Ernest", wrote on my blog, waited for RD to get home from school

55. Favorite room in your house? my living room (that's pretty pathetic!)

56. What are you afraid of? losing one of my kids, not having food storage when I need it

57. Plain, buttered, or salted Popcorn? buttered, buttered, buttered

58. How many keys on your key ring? 7-2 house, 2 car, 3 church

59. How many years at your current job? 9, almost 11 if I get to count marriage!

60. Favorite day of the week? Friday, no homework and it's not the day before Sunday

61. How many towns have you lived in? 3 (that's truely pathetic!!)

63. How many people will you be sending this to? none-it's only on my blog

64. Do you like your job? most of the time, if I were better at it I would love it!