Classy...real classy

People in both parties can do some stupid things, but this is a gem:

http://connect2utah.com/content/video/?cid=81252

Extreme Makeover: Craftroom Table Edition

I have been in need of a sturdy craftroom table. I didn't want to spend a lot on it, so I decided that I wanted to paint an old one. A few weeks ago, I stopped at D.I. and found the perfect table. It was the right size and it seemed sturdy. I bought it and Mike picked it up on his way home.


It sat in the garage for a few weeks because it was too cold to paint. I also had to decide on a color.

A few years ago, my friend Brittany introduced me to consignment/second-hand shopping. I have found a few cool things. One thing I found a few months ago was this fabulous organizer. It spoke to me for a number of reasons. First, I am a child of the seventies--I love avocado green. I am pretty sure my parents had avocado appliances. I suppose it wore out it's welcome with folks, but I just love it--maybe small doses is the key. Second, my grandma had something similar hanging in her kitchen. It makes me think of her.

I had a little moment with this organizer. Of course, after I brought it home, I put it in the sink to clean off all germs and dust from the previous owner. While cleaning it, I had a run-in with some old, crusty spiders from the 70's. (I have spider issues I am working though.) So, after some dry heaving and after uttering a few words that I am not proud of, I got that sucker sanitized. It became my inspiration for the table color. It is hanging in the craft room and is very useful.

It took a few minutes everyday for about a week to get it sanded, primed, painted, stained, and varnished. I loved every minute of it. There is something about taking something old and fixing it up. I purposely didn't go out and buy a new table--I love the idea of reusing something that someone else is done with.

I am now on the hunt for more old stuff to paint. I don't live near a D.I., so if we are ever near one I just have to run in and see if there is another diamond-in-the-rough that needs a facelift and a new home.

Today's Gonna Be a Good Day

Except for the fact that it is snowing--Birthday Boy isn't happy about that.

This kid is a planner (I wonder where he gets it from?) He has been talking about his birthday for months--about 6 months to be exact. I got him a calendar, because he wanted to count down the days. A few nights ago we were snuggling and he recited what would happen on the big day. He talked about his breakfast, taking treats to school, his present.

Little Man woke up, in our bed, for his birthday breakfast in bed. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, eggs and sausage, strawberries, oranges (of course) and his green cup (of course.)
We let him open his gift--the gift he has been talking about for months. It's a Green Machine. He and Dad will put it together when Dad gets home.

Christian is inappropriately interested in motorcycles. He has seen Pocket Rockets and has been asking for one for months. I got on YouTube with him to show him how dangerous they are. I showed him idoits doing crazy things on them. His eyes grew big with interest. We shut it down and had a talk about brain injuries and broken bones. He didn't seem to care about that, so I just told him that I care about his brain and his bones and that I am the mom and that he will not be getting a motorcycle. Mike helped me out and we started the brainwashing process of helping him discover that a Green Machine is really what he wanted.

He has been talking about it ever since. He was thrilled when he opened it. Yay for brainwashing!

We have a full day ahead--his Star Student poster to school, doughnuts for his class, party invites delivered, a cake to be made, and a Green Machine to assemble. Birthday Boy still has yet to decide where he wants to go for dinner.

I will be plenty distracted with a busy day. That is good because then I won't have time to think about how my baby boy is a baby no more.

Jack's Baptism Surprise

Last week Jessi and I went to Disney on Ice. While we were out on the town, Mike took the other three to IFA to see the spring chicks. Then, they went to eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Interesting choice of meals after looking at adorable little baby chickens, if you ask me.)

So, the kids have not stopped talking about them. They would love to have some, and I have given them a number of reasons we cannot have some. But, Aunt Mimi--she has mentioned wanting chickens.

After Jack's baptism Saturday, Mike and Andrew stopped by IFA and got three chicks with all the supplies for Jack (and Mimi.) Randy was not as thrilled as Jack and Mimi were about the new additions to the family.

I asked Jack what he was going to name them, also informing him that they are all girls. The first name he came up with was "Pecker." I don't know if that one stuck or not, but I sure hope it does.

Mike picked out Brahma chickens. They are supposedly good egg-producers and have good temperaments. I don't know about all of that, I just know that they are adorable.

Andrew loves them. He held one before we left. The little thing fell right asleep in his hand. Andrew explained that maybe the chick thought he was her mother.

As we left, my kids discussed how Jack's family is now like the Brady Bunch--three boys and three girls.

I hope they are doing well. I also hope that Randy is not the spiteful type--Christian has a birthday coming up and I can't help but remember that payback, well, she is a really mean lady.

first week of March pages

Things Not to Say to Your Injured Child

I got up this morning with a chest-cold. I put in a load of laundry. (I relate laundry in my life to Groundhog Day--I get it done, get on top of it and then wake up to another pile.) Then, I went to turn on the news. No luck--our dish is full of snow.

Jessi and I walked into Target yesterday and we both commented on how warm it was--we saw sunshine. When we walked out it was starting to snow. I appreciate that the snow helps us out of a drought, but oh, how I love Spring.

While I have a bit of time without my precious DirectTV I will share with you our ER story for the week.

Wednesday, Andrew and Bev went to jr. swim team. They go to our local pool three times a week. It has been great--they have both improved so much, and it is great exercise. I usually go, but Mike took them that day. They came home and told me that a kid had pooped in the pool, so when they got there they couldn't swim. They went outside and ran some laps. Upon entering the pool, Andrew's foot got scraped on a metal door. They bandaged him up and they all came home.

We had dinner and Mike went to play ball. Roundabouts 10 p.m. I was getting Andrew ready for bed when I took off the bandaid. He says I "freaked out." I didn't freak out, I just sort of gasped. It was a big cut--the first layer of skin was cut through. I knew he needed stitches. I told him so and he said he just wanted to go to bed, that the people at the pool told him to put a butterfly bandaid on it.

I asked him if he wanted Mom or Dad to take him. He wanted me, so we headed out to InstaCare. They closed at 10 so we went to the E.R.

The doctor confirmed that indeed, he needed stitches.

Andrew is very sensitive. I knew this would be quite an experience for the both of us. He was teary and nervous. We said a quick prayer.

The doctor asked if he had ever had stitches before. We told him about when Andrew was four and tripped at the top of the stairs and bit his tongue in half. Getting stitches in his tongue--now that's an experience I could have done without.

So, the hardest part of the stitches was getting the shots to numb it. He was on the cot and I was leaning over hugging him. I told him to squeeze me hard. He did. He was hugging me hard and was holding onto my bra strap. Then my bra strap broke. The kid is strong and I need a new bra.

After the shots, he was obsessing about the stitches. I was trying to comfort him. I told him that the needle is like a fish hook.

Wrong thing to say.

He replied, "A fish hook? A fish hook? I wanna get outta here."

I turned the TV on to serve as a distraction. The only thing on was George Lopez. Let's just say it was not programming suited for children. I muted it after the hooker jokes. They finally came in to do the stitches. We had waited for quite a while after the shots, so he started feeling it toward the end.

We both finally got to bed at 1:15 in the morning. I got him tucked in and turned on his music. I told him I love him and went out the door. Then he said, "Mom, thanks for letting me squeeze you--did I hurt you?" I told him that he didn't, that he was brave and that I was proud of him.

Then he said, "Can I give you some advise."

I told him he could.

He said, "Next time, don't talk about fish hooks."

Good advice.

raising rascals and raising H E double-hockey sticks

I have written this a few times and every time I stopped. I don't want to offend anyone. Just so you know, we will still be friends if we disagree. But, I believe that many citizens, taxpayers and parents do not understand what has happened with the district split and what the consequences are for our children here in Jordan.


In full disclosure, I grew up in a family that strongly believes in and values public education. My parents were both school teachers. My dad is now a middle school librarian and my mom is an elementary school principal. I used to be a school psychologist. Three of my children attend public school. I believe that every child deserves a good, quality education. I believe that it is vital for our society to have a well-educated population. I believe that what is good for my kids is good for yours.



I was talking to a friend and she expressed how hard it is to follow and understand what has happened and what is going on. I think a lot of us are in that same boat. It has taken a lot of time and research and attendance at meetings for me to have developed the opinions I have on the issue.


I have been following the situation as closely as I could since after the district split. The way the east side was allowed to split from us--allowed by the state legislature--has been disastrous for us. After looking at the numbers, I know why they wanted to dump us--we have all of the growth and less tax revenue. (However, when they were building all of the new schools, years ago, the west side helped pay for them.) So, even after being consulted by outside assessors, and after being told that the ramifications would be bad for the west side, the legislature approved the measure allowing them to create their own district. Several studies indicated that the best way to split would have been to split north and south, not east and west.

The Jordan district now operates on $1,136 property revenue per student with Canyons at $2,087.

So, if we want to identify someone to blame, it would be the state legislators that voted to allow the split to happen the way it did. You may think that surely our representatives, here on the west side, would not have voted for the bill. You would surely be wrong.


When House Bill 77 passed, it passed on a vote of 39 to 31 and the names of the west side legislators who voted for the bill are: Wayne Harper-West Jordan, Hutchings-West Jordan, Mascaro-West Jordan, Merlyn Newbold-South Jordan, Peggy Wallace (no longer a legislator.) Rep. Houge of Riverton did not attend the day of the vote.


If those west side representatives would have cast "no" votes, the split would have been stopped right then.


So, one of the major issues we citizens face is that we have elected officials that let this happen. Sorry to be blunt, but we are, by and large, very apathetic, uninformed and uninvolved in local politics. I know it is hard and takes time, but we, the citizens have to be more informed and involved. Especially us moms.

The sad thing is that people aren't and these legislators keep getting re-elected. I haven't mentioned Chris Buttars. I have some serious issues with him that have nothing to do with the split, but he is against raising taxes for education. His suggestion for the solution to the budget shortfall was to do away with the 12th grade--seriously, that's his idea.

Back in August, the school board meeting was a Truth-in-Taxation hearing. 200 people made comments to the board. I think all of them were against tax increases--that was the number one message--"don't raise our taxes." It was a very heated meeting. People were angry. People blamed the school board.

The problem is that the board didn't hear from the people that are willing to accept tax increases as part of the solution. Tax increases would only be part of the solution. We would still need cuts, but it would help stop the bleeding.

So, Jordan School District has a $30 million deficit. Senator Bird (West Jordan) wrote HB292. This bill would have equalized spending per student in both districts. The bill was shot down by the Education Committee last week, not even making it to the floor for a vote.

I attended the Jordan School District Board Meeting on January 26, where I commented that just because the school board didn't hear from 200 people that support property tax increases doesn't mean those people don't exsist.

Raising taxes is tricky. I know there are people on fixed incomes. I know we are in a tough economy. I don't want to have to pay more. However, we have a responsibility to our children to provide them with the best education possible. That takes money and drastic times call for drastic measures.

I was told by a person (a person that has several children in public schools in Jordan) that they already pay enough in taxes to cover their children's education. The fact is, they don't. We value children and education here, but by and large we don't want to pay for it.

The Jordan PTA and JEA support "increasing taxes, not class sizes."

In my never to be humble opinion, I think that the district should do everything in it's power to cut extras, be responsible with what it already has and cut any waste. Once that has been done, I support a tax increase. I agree that raising the taxes should come last--after everything extra--the biggest salaries, middle-level administrators, programs and activities that are not vital to basic education and don't directly affect the classroom have been reduced or cut. Yes, the legislature, in allowing the split to happen the way it did, did us wrong. Yes, it's not fair. No, I don't like paying more in taxes. But I think, with proper oversight in spending, it has to be a part of the solution. We have to be willing to pay to educate our children.

I have had people tell me that increasing class size by just a few students won't be that big of a deal. It is a HUGE deal. I volunteer every week in my kid's classes. Class sizes are already larger than they have been in the past. Aids have already been cut. Adding another four children to a class will drastically impact the quality of the education they receive.

In asking teachers to do more with less, one of the outcomes will be that some excellent teachers will not stay. They will seek greener pastures where they actually have reasonable class sizes, appropriate pay, and support.

The school board voted to increase class sizes by 4 students per class, along with other cuts. This means 250 teachers will lose their jobs and another 250 other employees will lose their jobs. You can see the board's budget recommendations here: www.jordandistrict.org/board/summary/0910/020910.html

So, what's a mom like me (and you) to do. Well, I will be asking (when I can again--a person can only speak once in three months on the same subject to the board) to reconsider a tax increase as part of the solution. I have also contacted my state legislators and the governors office to share my concerns.

I am going to the meeting tonight to find out other ways to stay involved and impact change. I will let ya'll know what I find out.

In closing, (and I must thank those of you that read this to the end) I want to encourage you to do research. You may not agree with me, but read up on it and find out where you stand. Find out how this will impact your kids. Also, I encourage you to support your children's teachers. Morale is low. They are worried about their jobs. They are worried how they will be able to do their jobs next year.

Thanks again for reading this op-ed piece. And, are we still friends?