Tip Junkie

Do you ever read the Tip Junkie? It is a great blog with LOTS of great tried and true tips and ideas. Well, I've got one but I think I just may be laughed off the internet if I were to submit such a silly tip to such a prestigious site. So, I'll share it here. Prestigious we are NOT!

Plus, I think the brain child behind this tip is quite imaginative, ingenious, hysterical, and not to mention good looking. So, without further ado, the great idea.

Do you have a big inflatable toy that needs blowing up? Maybe a swimming pool, beach ball, blow up boxing gloves (which are so fun, by the way, and I want some) or a new family member named Buzz, as is our case? You say you don't have enough hot air for such toys?

Well, my husband has found a solution! Ladies and gentlemen, check this out....

AIR IN A CAN!!!

And Big ole Buzz only consumed just over a can of air.

I know. Pure genius. He's created a revolution. That's why I married him.

Picture a Christmas in Cold Rexburg

Sung to the tune of Picture a Christmas:

Picture a Christmas in cold Rexburg.


Picture a fun filled night before.


And can you hear the children dear
as in their beds they snore?


Picture a little Baby Meggers.
Think of her face so sweet and dear.
We do love her.
Remember her.
Since she's in no pictures this year.


Picture the kind and playful daddy.


Picture a crazy mommy too.


And can you see so blessedly
all their wishes did come true?


Picture a little Baby Meggers.
Think of her face so sweet and dear.
We do love her
Remember her.
Since she's in no pictures this year.


Picture a girl who got her camera.


Picture a boy who got his gun.


And can you hear the laughter near
of children having fun?


Picture a little Baby Meggers.
Think of her face so sweet and dear.
We do love her
Remember her.
Since she's in no pictures this year.


Picture a destroyed house in Rexburg.
Picture a ton of gifts, the cause.
And she may be mean, she wants it clean,
watch out it's Mrs. Claus.

Picture a little Baby Meggers.
Think of her face so sweet and dear.
We do love her
Remember her.
Since she's in no pictures this year.

Picture a Christmas in cold Rexburg.

Picture a happy family true.
And can you hear so lovingly
they all say I love you?!?!?

Jensen Family Week in Review Dec. 16-24

The Kids:

"Look Momma! I'm Baby Jesus' Mom, Mary!"
And All ready to go to gymnastics. Now, that is style. She must get that from her mother!!!

Isn't she the cutest????

Remember how last week Sirri had been wanting to go and visit our friend in the ward? Well, Sunday I finally listened to her and we went for the visit. It was so wonderful. Sister Siepert was so thankful for our visit and I could tell it meant a lot to her husband that we were thinking of his wife. He really watches out for her. Sirri gave her the gingerbread house she had made and Sister Siepert loved it. We went on the right day too because the Siepert's dog had just had puppies a few hours earlier and Sirri was able to pet them. I do think though, that I needed the visit more than Sister Siepert did. It was a good lesson to me. I need to listen to my children more and act quickly when they are wanting to serve. It was not a very good example to Sirri of charity when she had to remind her mom for a full week to follow through. I'm so thankful that Sirri has a kind and giving heart and I hope that I can be better at helping her cultivate that. And I think Sirri has a new life long friend. When she saw Sister Siepert at church this Sunday she had to go see her and give her a hug. It was special.


Connor's hair is getting long. Kendon likes it long in the winter, but only cause he doesn't have to fight Connor to do it everyday. Connor wakes up from his naps with some pretty great bed head. This particular day, we decided to "go with it" and fixed it up into a real nice little mohawk. Connor really liked it. I think he is handsome no matter what his hair looks like. (And I do like his hair long too. In fact, I hope that when he is a teenager he'll want to grow it out into the shaggy look. At least then he could do it by himself. I hope.)

TROUBLE. That is what Meg has been into this week. Markers. The tree. (Twice.) Trying to give up her naps. (I think NOT!) She is just so busy. At least she is so darn cute. She has that going for her!!! She has learned a few new tricks this week that make her mom happy. Her biggest accomplishment being that she can blow her nose on cue. It is so nice and I am such a proud mommy. I'll show anyone who is willing to watch! She also has learned to growl. It is really funny and of course...CUTE! This week Meg also seemed to have found her tongue. It is constantly hanging out of her mouth wagging like a dog or blowing spit. We are quite concerned that she might bite it off due to the fact that it is never in its proper place. I actually bit my tongue off when I was two. That wasn't a very nice thing to do to my mother who isn't a real fan of blood. Maybe Meg is going to be giving me my pay backs. Please don't baby. I don't really like blood either. (Plus I get the giggles when I'm panicked and a hysterically laughing mother in the ER doesn't look real great. People don't think it's very nice.)

P.S. Meg took her first step on Christmas. She was very pleased with herself!!! We'll keep you posted on her progress!

Santa:

Connor finally decided that Santa is not all that bad and sat on his lap. He actually sat on his lap twice this week. He continually said, "I'm not scared of Santa anymore. I'm brave." Yes, Connor, you are brave. Either that or just wanted presents!!! Connor is sure that Santa is going to be bringing him a gun.

Sirri realized late this week, that even though she sat on Santa's lap, she never did tell him that she wanted a camera for Christmas. She worked herself up to quite a tizzy. I was finally able to reassure that mom knows Santa Claus and I'd get him the message.

Connor had already found that his mom knows Santa. He was being so naughty one day and I absolutely could not get through to him. SO, I'm not proud of it, BUT, I used the Santa card. I told Connor that if he couldn't make good choices I would have to call Santa. Just a threat didn't work. I picked up the phone and "called" Santa. Connor was sobbing and I felt TERRIBLE. It's one thing to say that Santa is watching but to actually CALL him. That is low and calls for a little extra repenting!!!

The Snow:
We've had lots of snow this week. I'm thrilled!!! I love to have a white Christmas. The kids loved watching the snow plow!!!

The Treats:
Thanks for the idea Denae! My kids had a great time making these yummy treats and they are sooooo good. And it's a good thing since I had to go to Walmart, Albertsons, Broulims, K-Mart and finally to the Dollar Store before I could find square pretzels. Who knew pretzels were such a holiday favorite?!?!

P.S.
I'm very glad to replace the vampire book post and ensuing controversy!! (Why did THAT have to be my last post before crazy Christmas?!?!) Apparently, my readers love to exaggerate and tell a good story (but I knew that and that's why I LOVE them) because I've been informed by a few reliable sources that there IS NO vampire lovin' in any of the books! So, I guess if I feel like it I can keep on reading. (Or like I said, you can all read them and just keep telling me what happens.) We'll see.

P.S.S.
I had my pictures all formatted how I wanted them and then they changed when I published them. Grrrr. Anyone have any secrets to share?

I Finished...

And I finished FAST. So, there is your first indicator of what I thought. I really did enjoy the story. I always thought I would. I wasn't afraid to read a story about vampires. The story line was interesting. It did pull me in and kept me hanging on. I found myself waking at odd hours in the night wanting to get up and finish the book.

I was however tentative to read a book that was so trendy. Like I said in my earlier post, I tend to find that trendy books are typically not very well written. Just before reading Twilight I finished a book that, to me, was incredibly well written. Markus Zusak, the author has a real gift for the written word. So, to then pick up and read Twilight and compare the writing was unfair. But I did and Stephanie Meyer just can not compare. I did not find her style of writing to be my most favorite. She was extremely repetitive. If I heard this conversation one more time...

Edward: I'm so dangerous. You really should stay away from me.
Bella: But I'm not afraid of you.
Edward: But you should be.
Bella: But I'm not!

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Sorry Stephanie. (Like she reads my blog!!!) But, you don't see me published either do you? So, there you go!

I also have a little bone to pick. I'm a little concerned that this book was originally written for a teenage audience. I'm pretty sure that if my daughter was 14, I would not want her reading this book. It is a little steamy. I got the impression that the only reason Edward and Bella didn't "do it" was because he was afraid he might kill her. Otherwise, them jumping in the sack, if you will, wouldn't have been a question. Anyone else get that impression? And the fact that he stays in her room all night watching her sleep? I guess you can't really give a 100 year old a curfew!!!! Just a little soap box moment from little ole me!!! I do have friends in my bookgroup who have daughters who read it and they said it didn't bother them because they were able to have a conversation with them about the book. I guess that helps and I might reconsider.

And one last thing and I'll STOP. Now, I just may lose a few blog readers over this one. I almost got kicked out of my book group for it (not really!) but.... I find Edward to be a bit creepy. Sorry. But I do. And it's not the whole vampire thing. I can't even put my finger on it really. Just, well, C-R-E-E-P-Y..

And just in case you are wondering.... I might be picky and particular and hard to please, BUT, I can't wait to get my hands on the next two books to see what happens! "Anyone have #2 and 3 I can borrow?!?!?" sayest the HYPOCRITE!!!!

So Here it is...The New Shirt

No. It's not a maternity shirt. But I'm beginning to feel a bit self conscious cause Kendon keeps patting my belly.

Not a great self portrait. I look like a goober and you can't see much shirt.

It's a bit more "hip" than I'm used to. So, here's my, "I'm really cool talking on the phone" shot.

And here's the "boring, but you can at least see the shirt" shot.

SO? Can I pull it off? Am I cool enough to wear a shirt like this? OR am I so uncool that I don't even realize that the shirt I think is cool, is well, not so much?

See? I told you I need help!!!

Please and Thank You!

Look what Meg has learned to do!



Isn't that super sweet? She has really picked the sign language up fast. Most of the time we don't even have to ask her to say please anymore. You just ask her if she wants something and she will say, "please." And then, being so polite, she says "thank you." She also knows, "I love you" (sort of) and "night night!"

I really wish we would have used this trick with Sirri. She could talk just fine but chose to say/whine/scream "uh! uh! uh! uh! uh! uh! uh! uh!" instead. I can seriously remember thinking, "this is what it feels like to be going insane!" After what seemed like FOREVER and right before I was about to commit myself, she quit. Thank heavens.

Anyway, hopefully we can avoid that with Meg! This week I want to teach her a few new words.

P.S. I know that it is always a bit, okay a LOT obnoxious to watch mommies feeling proud, and smothering their kids and saying "good girl" over and over again. Sorry. Hope you still enjoyed it.

Jensen Family Week in Review Dec. 10th - 15th

OK. This is really a "grandparent post." Anyone is welcome to read but it IS LONG! Now, that my blog is all printed out (keep reading for details!!!) I have this urge to write about everything for posterity!!! If you thought I was long winded before...BEWARE!!!

Well, this is pretty much how it looked at our house all week..



Kendon, Connor and Sirri were sick ALL week. Kendon started it with the flu, followed by Connor who had the crazy fever, lay on the couch and be lethargic, yet have no other symptoms disease. Then Kendon had strep throat and then Sirri ended the week with a combination of all of the above.

I knew that Kendon must really be sick when he went to the doctor. In all the years we have been married he had only been to the doctor twice before this week. Once, when he rolled his four wheeler and thought his collar bone was broken (ended up being torn ligaments instead) and then when he cut off his finger. So, he really must have been feeling CRUMMY. Plus, you should have seen the inside of his throat. I wanted to shine a flashlight in there and take a picture but it was still too dark. Our doctor was so nice and just prescribed the kiddos meds without having them come in. He assumed that if there was Strep in the house and kids with fevers a little antibiotic wouldn't hurt!

Meg and I were the only ones who made it unscathed this week Which was a good thing. Someone had to wash all the puked on and pooed in (poor Sirri!!!) bed sheets. Someone had to make homemade chicken noodle soup and then eat it by herself for three days cause everyone was too sick. Someone had to be well enough to heat up the "rice babies" (rice sacks) for all the sickos! Someone had to cuddle on the couch with her sick kids and hubby. Someone had to make DQ and Sonic runs to supply a liquid/ice cream diet for the sick ones.

And as much as that last paragraph sounds like, "whoa is me!" it really was a nice week. My kids are so mellow and sweet when they are sick and it was fun to have daddy home all week. We laid around in our jammies all week and watched lots of movies. Plus, it was the perfect week to be sick because Monday morning we woke up to snow and it has snowed every day since. Not a lot, but enough to be happy to stay inside and drink hot cocoa. (Which the kids have really been into this week. It makes them seem so big to me when they say, "mom, I'm cold. Can I have some hot chocolate?" Sounds so sophisticated!)


We were able to sneak a few fun things in when the kids were feeling up to it.

Connor and Meg and I went to a Christmas party and saw Santa. Connor wanted nothing to do with the big guy (except take his treat) but Meg sat on his lap like they were long lost pals! Too bad she's the only one not getting spoiled by Santa this year. She really doesn't need much and doesn't know the difference.
The kids and I made snowflakes (it was the activity from our advent calendar, which has been fun. We've missed a day or two but still fun.) I've always made ugly square snowflakes but this year I learned to make pretty six sided ones. I think I just may have had more fun than the kids. Sirri loved singing along to the Christmas music and Connor was really happy eating the popcorn. And they were even great helpers after we were done and had created a monster mess! (I think I must have bribed them with a treat if they helped well.)


Saturday was my 29th birthday. 29 sounds so much older than 28. Isn't that weird? Now, I didn't say that I FEEL old, or that 29 IS old, it just seems older than 28. (Which, it is. Literally. I know!) I still feel like a spring chicken and sometimes have to pinch myself when I realize that I am married, have three kids, ya know, all this grown up stuff!

The BEST part of the day was when Kendon gave me my present. It happened to be the VERY FIRST part of the day and I was still in bed. This is ALWAYS where I get my presents. Kendon likes to give gifts and I think he just can't wait. And this year, was a good, no scratch that, a GREAT one!!! Kendon printed out my whole blog for me and put it in a binder. The best part was, I didn't even ask for that. He just knew I would LOVE it. And love it I do! He said that part of the deal was, he'll keep doing it as long as I keep blogging! YEAH!

For my birthday I also wanted to make gingerbread houses, so I put that in the advent calendar for the day. It was a good/messy time. I'm pretty sure the kids ate more candy than went on their houses. Oh well. That's part of the fun. Sirri wants to take her house to someone. So, today we are going to deliver it to a brother and sister in the ward who could use a little cheering up. They lost their son to suicide a year ago and the holiday has been really hard on them. Sirri has been worried about her ever since she saw her in church last week with casts on her hands. (She had carpal tunnel surgery.) Sirri has been wanting to visit her all week. Hopefully Sirri hasn't been feeling prompted and I haven't been listening. Well, today I'll listen.


For my birthday Kendon took me out to Texas road House for dinner. I had what I get EVERY time we go out to eat. Chicken strips. It was yummy. I also tried AGAIN to do a little shopping. I really need some help. A major intervention would be helpful (Oprah anyone?!?!?) Just walking into TJ Maxx made me feel extremely anxious! I did find one shirt I liked and I bought it! Aren't you so proud. I will wear it to class this week and I'll take a picture.

The bishop updated us on Aseneth today. She has finished her first round of Chemo, and is doing a little better. They have un-sedated her. Her mom is feeling lonely in SLC. I wish they were here so we could help comfort them. The doctors feel that she will be in the hospital for another 3-6 months. Keep praying.