General Conference Weekend

General Conference Weekend started with a... SLUMBER PARTY!!! Because it also was the beginning of Spring Break! So Friday for after school snack we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because April 2 was National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Later we ate nachos while watching the new Croods movie. 

For our slumber party, the kids fought. Eventually Nichole and Jr. went to sleep in their own beds. In the morning, we had family prayer together then Nichole went back to bed and Jr. stayed out to sleep in the living room.

A slumber party was also appropriate because Saturday, April 3, was World Party Day and International Pillow Fight Day. The boys rationalized video games because Wii Party fits in with World Party. Sigh.

It was also Handmade Day which was great because Nichole finished decorating her General Conference Journal which she used to take notes during the first two sessions (and the other sessions on Sunday).

During Conference, Sister Joy D. Jones talked about teaching and nurturing children. And guess what. April 3 is Love Our Children Day. I sure love ours.

Jet was so cute when watching us sustain our leaders. He wanted to be involved with that, too.

 

And as we've celebrated many times, April 3 is Fish Fingers and Custard Day. Yes, I made fish sticks and vanilla pudding for us to eat.

Jr. went solo watching the Priesthood session of Conference. He had to eat popcorn all by himself. Jeremy was on his way home so he listened to the session in the car but got to watch the last talk with Jr. when he got home. They both got "chuckles" then.

Sunday, April 4, was Easter. Lots of Conference talks about the Resurrection. Wonderful. 20 new temples announced including one in Burley, Idaho (personal connection) and one in Eugene, Oregon (personal connection). Wow.

Before Conference and between sessions, Jet and I went for a couple drives. Lucky went with us the first time. We drove in the canyon to see if Bridal Veil Falls was still frozen. Not so much.

 

Conference Bingo (actually called Conference Squares) was fun for the kids again this year. The Primary Presidency dropped off activity pages and smarties that the boys were able to use for their Bingo sheets (and get creative with). Jr. used M&Ms.

Since the Smarties were gone by Saturday afternoon, both Jr. Jr. and Lucky requested jelly beans to be used on Sunday (they both had the same idea at the same time- Lucky mentioned it to me while we were on our drive, Jr. Jr. mentioned it to Jeremy while we were gone). Nichole was taking her own notes so she ate M&Ms while she was at it. Jet was given a Bingo sheet and Cheerios. I would put the Cheerios on his sheet and he would take them off and eat them. I was thinking he might copy his brothers as they were putting jelly beans on their sheets but he wasn't interested in that.

 

We got to video call with my parents and a couple of my brothers for Easter and that was so nice. The younger boys enjoyed showing off (sometimes loudly which wasn't so nice). I love family so it was good to have that "face to face" time.

Get Over It, You Meatball

March 9 was National Get Over It Day. I told the kids, "Mom's not making dinner. Get over it." I did let them know they could have what I made for lunch, though. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. 

Unstuffed bell peppers from budgetbytes.com Yumm.

We all went around telling each other, "Don't be a meatball," since March 9 is also National Meatball Day. I didn't make meatballs to eat, either. Get over it.

We actually got along even with the name calling so after dinner I let the boys build a mountain out of pillows so they could "get over it." Woohoo. They had some fun. It was Lucky's idea and I'm glad it worked out.

That morning, Jr. put on The Beatles song, "Come Together," because the words are, "Come together right now over me." "Over" me? Get it? Yeah, that's creativity again for you.

Some other unrelated- but related because they have to do with celebrating but I didn't get pictures and they're not worthy of their own posts- notes:

March 10 was Pack Your Lunch Day. Jeremy did. 

March 11 was Johnny Appleseed Day. We ate apples and I just now realized that we have that cartoon about Johnny Appleseed on DVD but I wasn't paying that much attention that day so we didn't watch it but we could have since we got it since the last time we celebrated Johnny Appleseed Day and oh, well, I wasn't thinking about that so "that's the way the cookie crumbles" or the way the oatmeal nut waffles crumble since March 11 was also Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day but I also didn't make oatmeal nut waffles but I made chicken cordon bleu casserole which in my opinion is really tasty even though Jr. Jr. didn't like it and made a big deal about not being willing to even taste it even though I have so many stories about how I used to be so picky and didn't like such and such and then I finally had it one time in this circumstance and ever since then I've liked that food so tastes change which is why my kids should continue to eat the food I make because maybe one day they'll have one of those moments where they decide, oh, this food is actually good and I can't believe I used to not like it just like in Mom's stories.

P.S. Jr. Jr. informed me that instead of the phrase, "That's the way the cookie crumbles," mountain men would say, "That's the way the stick floats." I love that he learned those kinds of things during his mountain men unit in school.

Be Careful How You Celebrate

October 12th is International Moment of Frustration Scream Day.  Be careful how you celebrate this one. 

One time I was upset with my kids and I screamed into a pillow (at least I didn't scream at them).  I lost my voice because of it, which was horrible because I was supposed to sing at a funeral a day or two later.  One of my sisters was going to accompany me on the piano.  Luckily my other sister came in and saved me by singing the song with me.  What great sisters I have.  And they have such pretty voices, too.  And the one sister plays the piano well.