Table for Eight

I just read a novel where the central character, Ginny, creates a book of newspaper clippings from "Dear Abby" advice columns in an effort to help her understand/define normal human behavior.   She's worried she isn't normal, and these columns give her some sense of other peoples' normal (or abnormal). Ironically, the one thing Ginny learns throughout this process is this: there's no such thing as normal. That's kind of deep. Don't you think? I've spent a lot of time thinking about this myself--because one thing I tend to do as a parent/adult is COMPARE myself, our parenting, and our kids' to others in an effort to determine whether we are NORMAL. As if "being normal" is some indicator or validation that I'm "good." Ha! How ridonkulous is that--looking for validation of your "goodness" in others' behavior? Seriously! Life is what it is--and that means there is no normal. It's u...

Happy Birthday Kindra!  I hope it's a great day! *** PS: What did you think about Survivor last night? Here are a few of my random thoughts: 1. Kim is playing a near-perfect game. Not only is Kim a strong physical player, but she's an incredible social player. The way she managed Kat after NOT picking her (Kat) for the reward challenge ... that was amazin. I mean, Kim managed to make Kat feel sorry for her/Kim! One question I keep asking myself is, where do Sabrina and Alicia fit in here?--because they both seem like strong women--women who may/could challenge Kim's domination (socially) in game (yet they aren't doing that). I guess time will tell. (PS: I love that there are so many strong women playing this game. It's one tough game. ) 2. Troyzan played his heart out. I think when you have a Day 1 alliance dominate post-merge, there's NOTHING you outsiders can do but pray and play for individual immunity. Simply put: Tro...

Sunday night I spoke at a church meeting for college students in Provo.  And on my way into the church building, I noticed a flyer for one of their upcoming socials. In big NACHO-COLORED font it read: "Wa wa wa wa wa wah ... NACHO FOUNTAIN !" And that my friends, was all it took:  I could barely focus my thoughts from that point on. What in the what? Could there be anything BETTER than a social with a nacho fountain? I think not. The End. *** PS:  Survivor tonight! We're down to 8 players remaining in the game.  Who do you think is heading home next?  Me?  I'm trying to imagine how I'd vote if I were playing and not emotionally attached to anyone. And if that were the case, I'd vote out Troy. He's too big a threat to keep in the game much longer.

I'm in the middle of a grading-frenzy! (BYU grades are "due" tomorrow at noon.) Be be back soon. Hope you are out having fun, enjoying SPRING! *** (c), CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. PS: Survivor tomorrow night. Woo hoo!

LuLu and Jr.--three years ago. Three years ago today, LuLu and Jr. joined our family. They were 5 and 9 at the time--and staying in temporary care ( The Christmas Box House ) for children waiting to be matched with a foster family. We were a family of 6 (Dave, me and our 4 kiddos) who'd recently certified as a foster family. At the time, Jay was 14, Bam was 12, Papaya was 9, and ZuZu was 5. PS: Dave and I were over 35. Ha! Looking back now, I realize none of us knew what we were doing that day when this all began. We didn't know how long we'd be together. We didn't know how well we'd get along. And we honestly didn't know if "we could do it." (Well, do it well. Yanno?) For Jr. and LuLu, it was SO much to ask:  -- separate from loved ones (and grieve) -- join a new family, a new community -- change schools -- accept new siblings -- and adjust to a life where your long-term decisions are not in your own hands (they're in t...

BYU, Provo Utah. (Where I teach.) It's Finals Week at BYU--woo hoo! That means two things: graduation AND lots of grading. Be back to blogging soon. *** PS: Survivor tonight. What are you thinking--who's our next jury member going to be? I'm thinking Leif.

Today I wanted to share an excerpt from one of my favorite books: "Life Is A Verb," by Patti Digh (PattiDigh.com): "The book Art and Fear  brings us the story of a pottery teacher who tells half his class that they'll be graded solely on the quantity of the work they produce. He'll even use a scale to weigh their output and determine their grade. Fifty pounds of pots would rate an A, for example. The other half [of the class] would be graded on quality and need only produce one pot--a perfect one--to get an A. "The works of highest quality," the authors reported "were all produced by the group being graded of quantity . . . while they were busily churning out piles of work--and learning from their mistakes--the quality group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay." I just LOVE that excerpt. For one: I love metaphors! And a po...

My first Bento Box, 2010. So, I spent a little too much time on that Healthy Kids recipe site this holiday . . . and here's what I ended up doing for the kids' lunch today: a bento box. See--it's a panda! (complete with soy-sauce-flavored nose and seaweed ears/eyes/etc. The ham is cut and supposed to look like a flower. My lunchmeat wasn't cooperating, but it kinda worked.) (PS: This idea is totally copied, but I'm still dying that I was able to do it.) **** PS: Here's the backstory to this repost: This post originally appeared on my blog in 2010 (Sept.).  I decided to repost it today in honor of another Dawn Meehan (maiden name Dalamas).  The other Dawn Meehan and I have a pretty interesting overlap: --She and I both have 6 kids.  --We are both the same age.  --And we both blog. However, she's a published author ... and I am not.  So, when CBS announced the Survivor South Pacific cast, many ...

Holly Bobo--Whitney Duncan's cousin. Missing since April 13, 2011. Life can be so incredibly beautiful. And yet so incredibly painful. Like, punch-you-in-the-gut painful . And today I am reminded of that pain as I pray for my soul-sister of a friend, Whitney Duncan and her family. Some of you Survivor fans may already know this, but today marks one year since Whitney's cousin, Holly Bobo, was abducted from her home in Tennessee. (You can read more here: Holly Bobo ) The story is truly too much to take. Holly is a college student. She's bright, beautiful, and kind. She's lives at home. She's got a wonderful family and friends. She lives in a safe/supportive community. And yet that all changed last year when someone or something took Holly away. It's something I just can't comprehend.  There are no words. It's just not right. It's not the way life is supposed to be. And yet, we're asked to face these impossible strug...

Bam and LuLu, 2010. Happy Birthday Bam! We love you so much. Hope it's a great day! XOXOXOXOX

ZuZu, Papaya, and Bam. A long time ago. (PS: Yes, I use knicknames. But these are there actual knicknames. Not pseudonyms for the blog.) Our oldest daughter turns 15 tomorrow. Fifteen! As in, one year away from driving. One year away from dating. Two years away from college. Two years away from being a legal adult. How. Can. This. Be. Possible?   I'm pretty sure I'm barely 25 myself. What the heck? All joking aside, I really am in shock over just how quickly this whole childhood phase goes by when you aren't the child! Thank goodness for blogs and digital cameras (and scrapbooks), because I LOVE looking back and remembering and appreciating the last 16-ish years of her life. Man. Life can be so beautiful and so amazing. Happy Almost Birthday, Bam. We love you . And we're grateful to be your parents. You are beautiful and kind, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for you! **** PS: Survi...

Here are a few of  My Favorite Things this month: 1. The Library. Granted, I am the only person I know who can find a way to PAY for a FREE service (ahem, fines), but I still love the library! (And yesterday our kids earned free In-n-Out Burgers by being part of our library's current reading program--love that!) My current books on loan. (And yes, I'm like a teenager when I see a book with a swearword in the title. Of course I'm going to check THAT out!) 2. At-Home Manicures. Bam got these as a bday present from a girlfriend. (They're scented, too. Hello!) 3. Our 14 Year-Old's (Bam) Creativity. (This is my next polish plan.) Love this. 4. My Lunch Dates (at the Deli on 9th in SLC, Utah). We had pastrami on rye and my husband said he was going to write the deli a thank you note--he loved it THAT much! 5. Energy Bites (from TheRHouse.com). It's basically an unbaked cookie. LOV...

I love this post from Pinterest. Why? Because sometimes the "voice in my head" is anything BUT encouraging. Take just this morning, for example. Before I'd even picked myself up out of bed, I'd inventoried 100+ excuses for why this day was going to kick my butt. (For reals.) Here's just a tiny sampling of my self-talk. And yes, I'm fully aware of how wonky it is to share my internal dialog, AKA "The Voice In My Head." (Don't judge, just love please. Ha!): The Voice In My Head: This Morning's Edition --Work. It's almost finals week/end of the year. There are so many emails to return and papers to grade. There's more work than there is time. ("I really could have been a better teacher this semester..." etc. "I bet other teachers are all caught up.") --Health/Fitness. I WAS doing great for about 3 weeks, eating very little sugar and/or junk, BUT then the Easter weeken...

ZuZu and LuLu--EARLY Easter morning, 2012. Happy Easter! With love, from our family to yours!

Our youngest daughter with Sparkles the chick(en). (My friend Janae raises baby chicks each Spring. Sparkles is part of the newest flock.) No matter what your faith, religion, spirituality, etc., Spring serves as an incredible reminder: Life goes on. Even after the darkest, coldest, bleakest "hour," life begins anew. It's not always easy to believe-- especially when you're in the midst of that dark hour --but our spiritual life can literally be reborn with each breath we take. I hope you have a beautiful holiday weekend. PS: How are you planning to celebrate? Our family celebrates Easter, but we are learning more and more about the Jewish Passover this year, so we are taking the kids to a deli in Salt Lake City where we can try some of the traditional foods served at a Seder Dinner. (Since Survivor, I'm all about the food experience. Ha!) After the deli field trip, we plan to dye Easter Eggs, go to church, and hopefully have a visit from E.B....

(c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. First of all, Happy Birthday to my mom ! I love you and hope you have a great day! XOXOXOX Now, onto Survivor One World! Well, last night confirmed it: t he women are in control of the game. And when I say women, I mean KIM. Wow--Kim is owning this game. It's incredible, really. (When you think about it, you've got 10 people left in the game and one person seems to be controlling it all. That's impressive. ) What did you think of last night's episode? Here are a few of my thoughts: --Day 1 alliances mean SO MUCH! I think our season (South Pacific) and this season (One World) are proving that Day 1 alliances mean a TON in this game. (Well, if you can convince your alliance to stay the course--which isn't easy. Ahem, Cochran!)  In our season, the 3 controlling alliance members on Upolu--Sophie, Albert, and Coach--were able to make it to F3. And, it looks to me like Sabrina, Kim, and Chelsea are going to make it F3...