Yes, I am insane. But I am giving NaBloPoMo another try. We will see how it goes, but my goal is to post every day in November. Wish me luck. I am going to need it! On the flip side, I just may get my drafts folder cleaned out!
Just watching this made me tired! Watch to the end...it is amazing!

"God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how WE need to love God."

Deiter F. Uchtdorf
I used to lie a lot when I was growing up.  It was so easy.  However, I'm not very good at it.  My eyebrows raise and I feel like a deer in the headlights!  Our new favorite show is "Lie to Me."  I am learning so much and my kids are finding it harder and harder to get away with lying.
Not that they were any good at it to begin with.  I can always tell when they are lying.  Many times I will let them lie over and over just to give them the chance to tell the truth.  It's so hard.  And I absolutely HATE being lied to.  It really makes me angry!
Last week The Doctor and I went to Barnes & Noble.  I love bookstores.  We were going to just look around, but I ended up with an armful of books.  Big armful! 
When we were checking out, The Doctor applied for a teacher discount card, but the discount is only books for the classroom.  So we paid and went home.  When I got home, I looked at the receipt and they had given us the teacher discount on all my books that were definitely not for his classroom. 
The books sat in their bags (yes, I needed multiple bags) on the floor for 5 days while I debated back and forth in my mind.  I even tried to put them on the shelf, but I couldn't even take them out of the bags.  Finally, I decided that I am not going to H-E-double-hockey-sticks over books! 
So yesterday I took them back to the store.  When I explained to the clerk what had happened, she smiled and said that last week was their Teacher Appreciation Week and instead of the 20% off classroom books, we got 25% off all our books.  They do this several times a year, and we had just happened to buy the books when it was going on.  She thanked me for being honest and sent me on my way.
As I walked out of the store, my heart was light and I had a spring in my step.  I came home and put the books on my shelf and I can read guilt free. 
So tell me your experiences with lying...did you resolve it?  Any regrets?  Let's dish!
Fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. 

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
Okay, so as much as I have whined about having a 16 year old that is driving, can I just how LOVELY it is!

Really!

He needed to go to his work to turn some papers in, so I gave him the keys to car (and nearly had an anxiety attack as I did so!) and let him go. After about 5 minutes, I realized that I didn't have to drive him everywhere. I sat back and relaxed and realized how nice this will be.

If I need a quick thing from the grocery store? I will just send him.

Someone needs to go to scouts? Just give him the keys.

I could really get used to this!
My kids are off track for two more weeks. Fortunately we bought a "Mom & Me" pass to a local place that has a bunch of those giant blow up things. Do you know what I am talking about? The pass is only good from 11 - 3, but it's perfect to let them get some steam out. So as I sit here listening to the screams of dozens of children...oh wait...okay that's better, as I listen to my Pandora radio on my phone with my earphones shoved into my ears as tight as they will go to block out the screams of dozens of children, I feel the need to ponder life.

I cannot fathom the fact that I have a 16 year old. I remember being 16. I felt so grown up and mature. Didn't we all? Apparently all teenagers live under the same delusion!

Yesterday for The Teenager's birthday, I took cinnamon rolls over to his play practice, and as I passed them out to 43 kids, nearly every single one of them said thank you. I know because I consciously paid attention to it. In fact, I only recall one not saying thank you. I was so impressed! I wish I could call every one of their moms and tell them. They should all be proud. I know I have worked and worked with my children to teach them manners.

Speaking of manners, we are still working on them, only it's elbows on the tables and napkins on the lap now. I haven't just started teaching them these things, but I am getting more strict about it. I mean I have a child that will be taking girls out and trying to impress them!

Speaking of taking girls out, I want to take a poll. When I was dating, my mom taught me to always ask the boy what he was going to have, so I would know my price range. Did any one else learn this? What other rules/tricks did your parents teach you? Ask your hubbies too, because I want to know what I should be teaching my boys.

Okay enough rambling. Thanks for sticking around to the end!
Why is 16 such a magical number?  Why can't they spread it out more?  Driving and dating?  Really?
Today The Teenager turned 16.  He has been waiting for this day ever since he understood why girls were cute and cars were cool.  Age 15 was nice for him because he got his learner's permit, but Mom and Dad still had to be in the car.  Well, not as of today.  I took him down to the DLD and he got his license.  He is a good driver, I am not worried about that.  I am worried about those little lapses in judgement that we all have (ahem, driving down Lancer Lane trying to catch air at the intersection of 3200 W.!).  I just hope and pray that Heavenly Father will send many angels to sit by his side and keep him from doing anything too stupid!
But it doesn't stop there!  In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we don't date until we are 16.  And so The Teenager has been anxiously awaiting this day.  And I have been dreading it.  Let's talk about lapses of judgement, well..., let's not.  I don't want to go there!  LOL
Anyway, Happy 16th Birthday to The Teenager.  And by the way, I am so NOT old enough to have a 16 year old!  I swear I am still only 19!
I don't remember who said this, but it stuck in my heart.

"In His own time and way, he gives deliverance...in stages."
I am a very organized person.  I have to be.  I don't remember things!  I like to see things written down and I like to check things off.  I love lists.  I have lists for everything.  For all my lists, I have used a paper planner for years.  Specifically a Franklin Covey planner.
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We're talking years here.  My first one was my senior year in high school.  And I still have all the pages from them.  I have no idea what I am going to do with them because I write in my journal every day, so what is the point?
And now that I have the MyTouch cell phone, it has the Google calendar in it, and I have a to do list app, and a shopping list app, and a notes app!  Plus spreadsheets!

I haven't used my paper planner since I got the phone.  I never, ever thought I would go electronic.  When people started using palm pilots, I hated them.  They just didn't have the functions that I needed.  But I have converted.  I love my phone, and I love having everything in one place.
However, it is frustrating sometimes because I can't type in it as fast as I can write something down.  So when we are at church and they are making the announcements, I am typing as fast as I can!  It's weird to bring my cell phone to church, and I am trying really hard not to update my Facebook status in the middle of Sacrament Meeting!
     
So if you see my "playing" on my phone in church, please know that I am either updating my calendar or reading my scriptures.  Because I have the scriptures on my phone too!  Whoo Hoo!