And again with the apologies ...

Yes, it's been DAYS since I blogged.

Epic suck = me.

Here's the part where I make excuses:

• My mom came up and, truth be told, I have a very good time hanging with her ... so I tend to neglect you, my dears. You do know that I really do love you, right?
  But this is my MAMA. And I love to hang with her so!
• My mom helped me instigate the consequence of "the naughty chair" where little children who are not obedient or pleasant (especially those that are not EITHER) get to have a time-out (one minute per year of life) until they realize the errors of their disrespectful ways and give me a kiss and an apology and go on to do what is required of them
  
  This should be instigated in Congress. STAT.
  
  
• I've been trying to get caught up on the dozens of books that I've checked out. I know that it's not a personal FAILURE to return a book without having had read it.
  It still feels that way a bit. ... But I'm getting better.
• Mom and I have been cooking a little and working on teaching the kids to read and do maths (YES, I use the term "maths." Because I AM a pompous American. :P)
  
• Michael and I took the kiddos to OMSI yesterday to the new Science of Fear exhibit. We had fun. Even though Michael laughed at me because I psyched myself out in the "fear of animals" booth. ... HEY, I find spiders and scorpions rather unsettling.
  However, I wasn't phased much by the fear of loud noises or the fear of falling booths. All in all, quite fun. You should go!
• I skipped choir because I was a slacker and was trying to un-freeze myself (after a bowl of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce *le sigh*) by taking a nice, hot bath ... while my darling offspring took a lovely nap.
• I'm going to need to close this up so that we can have Family Home Evening ... and then read the kids a couple chapters of "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." (When they take a GOOD nap ... and we have time, I am not against rewarding them with more C.S. Lewis. ... It's a bit of a reward for ME, too. Free time AND more Christian allegory? Sign me up! In triplicate!)
• Bucket's enjoying her dance class. Maybe this week, I'll be able to take pictures of Bruise and Bucket participating in it WITHOUT holding my hands (and, thus, making it impossible to take any pictures).

I also am working more on my Personal Progress ... I haven't done even half of it. But I did tell the Mia Maids that I'm working on it. And K.A. gave me a fist bump ... which made me feel like Gus on Psych (HILARIOUS show!). And, hey, C gave me a shoulder-rub, which was AWESOME (I think that I carry most of my stress in my shoulders ... and they KILL me! UGH!! I should really do more Yoga or something.)

I still need to design about 11 birthday cards for Young Women's (we have quite a few November and December birthdays) and finish the November calendar (it's designed ... LOVE Ms Publisher. LOVELOVELOVE it.), I just need information from the leaders. ^_^

And I need to finish DO my Visiting Teaching (I've been such a slacker! ... Well, sorta. I've designed a CUTE little card to give to all our VT sisters with a quote from the October VT message on the front and my companion's and my phone number on the back. And I have a GREAT idea for what to make for a treat. I just need to DO it and get stuff scheduled and all. And I'm ticked at myself that I've let it get to be the TENTH and I haven't DONE IT YET. ... Yeah, I'm a bit of an overachiever. I like to have it done RIGHT AWAY, so that I can't slack off. And so that I don't get down on myself for not doing it sooner. ... I have issues.)

(And, no, I'm not always the greatest visiting teacher. I sure wish I was. When I was in the U-wards and I had my friend, Cami, as a companion, we were ON FIRE. It was awesome possum. I've had some great companions since Cami ... but it's not quite the same. And since the kids were born, it's a little more diffi--CHALLENGING.)

And I am still struggling with daily personal prayer and scripture study. It's not like I don't KNOW that it's important. It IS. I just really suck at it. STILL. I mean, I should be TONS better at doing all this. But I'm working on it a lot more right now. Which is better. But I'm definitely not great, by ANY definition. Just room to improve, right?

So, yeah .... that really covers a lot of what all I've been up to .... when I've been neglecting you all. Well, all that and Facebook. ^_^

So, yeah ... if you miss me tons, just look me up on Facebook. I'm usually there. All too often. :P