Beach or Bust!

Countdown to total Beach Bliss: 

2 days, 2 hours, 32 min, and 46 seconds. 

But whose counting?? 

I heard that Harmony! She just said "big whoop." 

Right? Or was that JR?

Movies, Disney, and Midgets and Midgets in Disney Movies

Here are 4 posts that I started that never really got finished. I looked at them and they all connected in a strange way, so you get them all in one post! Happy Day. Only 4 days until the beach.... it's just calling to me.
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Movies:

Assigned seats at the movies is a foreign concept in the US, and I'd imagine people would be up in arms if the theaters there tried to put it in place. Why can't I just get my ticket, walk into the theater, and choose my seat? It's against my given rights in a democratic society to have the ticket booth person choose my seat for me. Even if I can choose my seat when I purchase the ticket, how am I supposed to know if Row G or Row H is better without actually being in the theater? That's socialism for ya.
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Disney:

We play this game whenever we need the kiddos to be patient. The Disney Guessing Game. Long car rides that are too short for our DVD player, waiting in line somewhere, or just at the dinner table waiting for food at a restaurant. It works and I know a lot of characters now! Here's an recent example with Haley at the Doctor's office.

Me-Starts with a "D."
H- Dakota?
Me- Who's that?
H- An Indian in Pocahontas
Me- Oh! Nope not Dakota
H- hmmm. Duchess?
Me- Who's that?
H- You know. The cat in Aristocats.
Me- Oh yea. Nope not Duchess.
H- Wow. The last two guesses you didn't know who they were.
Me- Nope. Now guess.
H- Give me a hint.
Me- She goes "quack"
H- Daisy!
Me- good job! Okay, your turn.

H- It's starts with an F
Me- Friar Tuck?
H- Who's that?
Me- The priest in Robin Hood. The big guy who wears brown and bumps the Sheriff out of the church with his belly.
H- Oh yea. Not him.
Me- Freckles?
H- Who's that?
Me- One of the puppies on 101 Dalmations
H- Oh. Really? Wow mom. We are tricky.
Me- Flora? Fauna? I need a hint.
H- It's a hummingbird.
Me- Flit in Pocahontas!
H- Yup.

We are getting good and Maleia can now play for real (instead of someone helping her) since she knows the letters and their sounds now. She usually starts with Pocahontas, her favorite character, so we guess her first one pretty quickly.
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Midgets:

Yes. There are midgets in Hungary. The funny thing is I think they should all still speak English, but they don't. The one I ran into yesterday was really nice and opened the door for me. Dylan pointed and said, "Baby!" just before I could say "Kosonem Szapen." I hope he doesn't understand English.

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Midgets in Disney Movies:

My favorite movie right now is Enchanted and it totally cracks me up! I sing two of the songs almost all the time and it has gotten so bad that when either song comes up on the ipod, my kids groan. :) "Aw mom. Not again!" And the part where she runs into a frustrated midget and yells, "Grumpy!" Just kills me.

The 2 songs:
That's How You Know
Happy Working Song

You Never Know!!

10 minutes after our Family Home Evening, I find Maleia in her room talking to her piggies all lined up on her dresser. "Okay guys. A house of order and a house of faith needs water. That means we have to go under water and breathe. Alright everybody? Ready to try? 1-2-3... Blow bubbles under water!!! Good job everyone! So what do we need to have when we go under water? That's right. Faith and Order."

The scripture that we read was D&C 88:119. "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."

And the lesson was on emergency preparedness and we refilled our empty water jugs from the move. . . I know I know. 6 months later. But it got done. Phew! Finally. Let the drought begin! Um, and it's raining as we speak. :) I take to heart those funny Nationwide commercials with the slogan, "Life comes at you fast!" It makes me want to go out and bottle peaches. So Maleia was listening and from this I have learned that we should tie the scripture in with the lesson a little better. sigh. That cute girl.

Top o the mornin!

Maleia has been speaking Irish since I taught my preschool kiddos a few things they say in Ireland. She has been calling all her Barbie's "Lassies" and Dylan a "Laddie." And saying "Top o the mornin!" to everyone she sees. Whether it is morning or not. And instead of saying yes, she says, "aye."

So this is what she said to me:
Me: Did you wash your hands?
Maleia: Aye, Lassie!

We of course had a great Preschool Green Party and my favorite quote was from a little boy today (talking about yesterday's party.)
Steven: I ate so much green stuff that I pooped green!
Carlitos: (the only other boy) laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh!!!
Girls: eeeeeeeewwwwwww! Gross!
It must be a guy thing.

We also wen't to a St. Patrick's party on Saturday, so that was fun having authentic Irish stew, shepherd's pie and Irish desserts since a native Irish man made them. It was great fun! I was trying to convince my friend to dye her pool green, but she thought better of it. Darn. :)

FURY !!!

***that's "fury" like furious, not "furry" like an animal...

B's new code name is Fury. I think you need the story:

We got a new elliptical and we loved it so. Notice the past tense. We looked and looked for the right one. Rode them all. Checked them out. Compared prices. We found the perfect one. The ClimbStride ProForm elliptical that does just that. It climbs like a step climber AND transforms to stride like an elliptical. All with a 220V electric plug or with the option of battery operation.(You only need power for the screen. Everything else is mechanical. Don't worry, I was shocked too.)

Everything was going fine until last night when one of the bars BROKE IN HALF!! How does my 160 pound husband BREAK our elliptical??

So I write this on my wall on Facebook:

Monique is wondering how her hubby BROKE our elliptical?? A piece of metal BROKE in two! It's only a month old! He's only 160 lbs.

B's cousin, Jon, comes to his rescue and writes: "160 lbs. of fury, Monique. Give him some credit."

Then "Fury" says, "That's right! It's all those intangibles. They need to be accoundted for!"

Hence, Fury.

So when you see him/write to him/call him, call him by Fury. It really boosts his ego.

Good thing we have a ten year warranty! Of course it is in Hungarian...

Then there is the Q(s)OTD:

Haley: "Mommy! I closed my eyes during the prayer the holy eternal time!" (We just got back from church. Can you tell?) THEN: Tonight we were reading books and were reading about a herd of zebras and she asked "What is a herd?" After I explained, she exclaimed, "Like a herd of families?"

Dylan: Learned to say "andy!" which of course, means "candy!!"

"Hay-yee" is for Haley.

"Yuh-yuh" is for Maleia.

And he likes to do these really cool tricks of belly flop jumping from one chair to the next which gives me a heart attack. (Boys are completely different.)

Maleia: Thinks that St. Patrick's day is for green people, so we can't have the party for preschool. Bummer. We are not green. (We're having one anyway!) She also mentioned how she is scared of wicked roller-coasters (there is a rollercoaster in Utah named Wicked) and that the streets here in Hungary are like The Wicked.

pssst! Look just what happened to be in the mail: Thanks Amanda!! I LOVE IT! And I'm working on mine still... A work in progress.

(pics to come.. my card is having trouble being read...)

Fun: One! Two! Three!

Tired of the serious posts? Alright. I hear you.

When our kids talk, we should listen.

Haley's thought of the week: (5 1/2 years old)
Mom did you know that we can all fly? When we go in airplanes our bodies are going as fast as the airplane but we just don't feel it because we are inside the airplane. (Physics anyone?)


Maleia's Quote of the Week: (3 1/2 years old)
Maleia: Daddy, I can't drink my apple juice. It's too soggy.
B: Maleia, all apple juice is soggy.
Maliea: Well, it's just a lot of soggy.
B: That's a good thing.
Maleia: It is? I think you are soggy too Daddy. (giggles)
B: Thanks?
Maleia: It's a good thing. (giggles)

Dylan's words of the week: (18mon)
Bine da baow? - Can you help me find the ball?
Hey-woah daddy - Hello Daddy
That you ba - Thank you mom
Ow know - I don't know
Nigh night daddy - Goodnight Daddy
Hep us - Help us
Appa dee - Apple juice
O yo -oreo
pphhhhhhh dat ca!! - Look at that car/truck/trolly/cog,etc! It's pretty cool!

Dylan in his hideout

Then here are just some random pics of the kiddos two at a time...

Dylan and Haley
Smiling with Dylan's messy mashed potato face and Haley's just recently toothless smile. 12/08

Haley is not holding her crotch.  :) 

This is the "almost dip" in the pool picture. We arrived to Hungary the week before, you borrowed some friends' swimsuits, you each got a floatie that mom blew up for each of you, she lathered you both with sunscreen, but after all that, you thought the water was too cold and that the playground was much cooler. So you never actually got wet. Besides your pointer finger and big toe that is. Little stinkers! :) 9/08



Mommy playing, "Where Are My Kiddos?" This is where I look around the room, saying "Where are my kiddos?" Then I 'find' them right in front of me while I look shocked and exclaim with a gasp, "There they are!!."
It has been a hit since Haley was little.
I'm here 'til whenever. I do take tips.  11/08

Find out the Truth before watching the False

I remember in years past that a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, “Let our voices be heard.” Then went on and said something to the effect that if there is something that doesn’t correlate with our beliefs, then write a letter or RESPECTFULLY place your opinion. Many I see have voiced theirs.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma

Here is mine:

Dear HBO,

The show “Big Love” concerns me in many ways. After hearing that it was about “Polygamists,” it perked my interest, so I watched it. I was disgusted to find out that they are portraying themselves as Mormons, but they are NOT Mormons and they don’t live the way members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live. They should in NO WAY be affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are the real Mormons. If they were Mormon, they would not be living this way. We don’t practice Polygamy.

Come to find out, you are airing a show about what happens in a “Mormon Temple.” This is outrageous and wrong. First off, consider your source. Someone who USED to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must have some ulterior motive to telling you anything about this Church. Even if what he says is “almost right” or “good enough,” there is a reason that the temple is so sacred. It is not secret. It is sacred. And it is for those who will truly appreciate the blessings received there and are willing to obey the commandments given there and are READY to understand the true knowledge given there. Granted, they will never be able to depict the temple as it really is because many things learned there cannot be scripted.

I hope and pray that you will make the right choice and not air this show. It saddens me that you are even considering it. There really are so many people who agree with me and the good members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would ask out of kindness and firmness. Not do it for some ulterior motive. Keep what we have sacred just that. Sacred and Holy.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Monique Chapman

This is my opinion and I am not bashing anyone else’s opinion. I like and agree with many opinions and see their side, but all in all this will not thwart our growth as a Church nor will it hinder our progress in helping others know the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (13 1/2 million members in over 170 countries.) If any of you want to know what we really believe, go to www.lds.org.

And if you are interested in this drama and can take it for what it is worth: not much, then so be it. God bless us all. Phew! We need whatever we can get!

Why I Would NEVER Make a Good Arobics Instructor

1. I'm too tall. Have you ever seen a tall Arobics Instructor? Like taller than 5'10"? (Cindy is 5'9) I am too lanky and too far from the ground. Gravity has a greater pull on me. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

2. I was never a dancer. I feel as though all of my Aerobics Instructors have been dancers because of how graceful they are. They walk bowlegged and point their toes in an unnatural way. Plus they have dance hands. You know, dainty. I am not graceful let alone dainty. If monkeys are graceful, that is what I look like. A chimpanzee with long arms waving them back and forth.

3. I can talk. Boy can I talk. But I can't talk and work out at the same time. It's already tough enough right now to think and work out at the same time. "Oh she wants me to use my right foot. Which one is my right foot again? Oh yeah. Dang she is already on double time!"

4. Did you know that my instructor teaches back to back to back classes??? Insane in the membrane!

5. I can't stick to a routine. I'm used to sports where it is more spontaneous. This is too sequential for me.

6. I think the only thing going for me is that I don't sweat a whole lot, like she does. And that is SO not a reason to be an instructor. And that is why I numbered it because this is a reason why I can't be one. It's the only lame similarity that I have. --Oh maybe that and I don't need a mic to be heard. I can be loud. Surprise surprise.

Funny thing is, I daydream that I am an aerobics instructor when I workout on my own sometimes. (Yes, kind of like the cooking show thing.) I just never grew out of playing pretend.

So here is to my Hungarian instructor that I only understand 5% of the time. (At my next Hungarian class I am going to ask my teacher for the terms she uses so maybe it will be only 10% of the time next time.) She kicks my butt. And I pay her to do it??
Crazy American.

If you're Boring and you Know it... Still Post It!

Don't you hate it when ALL day you hear funny things your kids say or accomplishments that they achieved and funny ideas that just come to you for the blog and when you sit down to write, everything boring comes to mind?

So here it goes:

1. Moon sand SUCKS!
2. My car is too big for the car washes here.
3. I got an elliptical and I haven't set foot on it for a week. sigh.
4. Maleia can swim with floaties! High 5 Gabor!
5. Haley can go underwater and hold her breath the whole (baby) pool length! Gabor is my hero.
6. Mean people suck.
7. I found the BEST fruit and vegetable stand and got HUGE pea pods, passion fruit, raspberries, and asparagus! And I will go back even though they hate me for making them do an AFA. (Tax receipt.)
8. Now do you know what I mean by boring?
9. Tuesday is going to be crazy. 2 lessons for kids, and 2 meetings for me. All between the hours of 5:30 and 8.
10. I spoke Spanish again today in order to communicate. Who would have thunk?
11. I still have Christmas lights out on our balcony.
12. I have unexplained scratches on my arm.
13. I got high off the cheese after watching High School Musical for the first time. You gotta love Disney!
14. I REALLY want a Cafe Rio Salad. Really. Really. Really.
15. No, I am not pregnant.

The End.

Sorry for the bore. It was a lot funnier throughout the day. Promise! I just can't remember those things right now... No. I am NOT pregnant!! Though I wish I had something to blame it on right now.

So does anyone remember this NON-BORING trip that we took to DC?? 7 moms (two-maybe more- moms to be) and 16 kids? Do I have that right?
Hey wake up!


I am missing this Jedi and his wife right now.