It's happy bunny?

Bad Bunny notes to live by--

The world does not revolve around me.
It's the whole dumb universe that revolves around me.

There's no "I" in team.
But there's a "me."

Love makes the world go 'round.
But I'm pretty sure money has something to do with it too.

Work hard and the world is your oyster.
Yup, you get a big, snotty oyster scented world.

You can help anyone turn a frown upside down!
Just pull off their head and flip it over.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Unless, of course, they did unto you first, and now you have to totally open a can of "unto" on them.

Laughter is the best medicine.
So if you meet somebody with broken ribs, make sure to tickle them.

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Unless it's about somebody who can't hear you.

When life gives you lemons....use them to squirt lemon juice into the eyes of your enemies.

I was sad because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.
And I said, "Hey, footless dude guess you won't mind if I take your shoes."

Anybody who says you only have yourself to blame...
...is just not very good at blaming other people.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.
But you can have your cake and eat someone else's cake, too, and that's kind of better, anyway.

We're not cheating ( said at a basketball game)
You're really that bad.

A good loser is still a loser.

Wow, you dance dumb.

You stink so bad ( said to a basketball player)
We should wash the ball.

Thankful Thursday

I can't believe this week has flown by and I'm back to counting my blessings!

1. I am thankful for my Mom. We went on a field trip yesterday with our school and it was great just to be with her and go to lunch and shop. She is an amazing, uplifting woman. So talented, wise, giving and wonderful to my boys. I don't know why I was lucky enough to hit the mother jack pot-- but I did. She is speaking at the American Mothers Conference on Saturday, up in Brigham City, and I get to be her special musical number. I'm really looking forward to this.

2. I am thankful to get up and go to the gym with Si. It's great to move and to have it all done before 7 am.

3. I am thankful for the Wii-- it's fun and all ages can play together. In my house this is a requirement-- 2 forty somethings, 2 twenty somethings, 2 teenagers and a 7 year old....see what I mean? We love Mario Cart!

4. I am thankful for one more week of Millie shows. I love going to " play" every other night. Time just floats by and I am feeling good. Too bad my hobby requires an audience, but I'm thankful an audience shows up every night.

5. I am thankful for laughter, humor and fun. I try to keep a smile on my face and joy in my heart as I move throughout my day finding little things to laugh about and people to laugh with.

6. I am thankful for vine ripe tomatoes, in winter even... amazing!

7. I am thankful

Book Reviews

I've been reading a lot lately..... .
mostly Junie B Jones and Rainbow Magic books, but these definitely count as books.
Inbetween all of this fine reading, I just finished a little book by Chris Stewart called, "Redefining Joy In the Last Days." My mom hooked me up with it. It talks about the scripture, "Men are that they might have joy..." so why are we whining so much? We live in a world of abundance and yet if our cell phone doesn't have a signal...it's a bad minute which turns into a bad day. It's all about choosing and learning to be happy. "Learning to measure our lives by a realistic yard stick is critical to finding peace. "
It's a very good, thought provoking read. It makes me happier for my challenges.
There are some great quotes throughout. This one is by Elder Richard G. Scott:
"The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, are intended to be temporary scenes played out on the stage of life of continuing peace and happiness. Sadness, heartache, and disappointments are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life."

I'm in the middle of reading another book called, "A Whole New Mind; Why right-brainers will rule the future" by Daniel Pink.
I picked it up at Barnes and Noble, while shopping for reading books for Laila.
I had read a little blurb about it in an Oprah magazine a few months ago, and just stumbled upon it on Saturday.
It's intriguing. I liked the title right off, because it validates my right-braininess, and I need validation.
The ideas it sets forth are so interesting. It talks about how Left-brain dominance is over and now we need to accept both the analytical and the creative/emotional parts of our selves to be able to survive and thrive in the future. Drawing on research, Mr. Pink sets forth the need for designers, inventors, teachers, social workers, storytellers, care givers and creative people that can do things that computers and outsourcing can't. I just keep thinking about it and can't wait to read it all over again. It's given me new insight when it comes to advice on career choices for my boys and my Lindsey. I feel better about Addison's college choices now as well.
It's given me a new way to look at my work, my talent and my future.
Maybe this is exactly what I needed right now.

It's interesting how things/books just fall into our lives.
Answer to prayer?

YES

Basket Ball is Over

I am basketballed out.
4 games in 4 days....that's a lot to ask of me.
We had the 4A state playoff games this week-- and a Jazz game on Friday night. It takes a lot out of me. I have to sit and try not to scream, and then scream any way at the dumb calls from the guy in stripes. I have to try and not embarrass my Wayne and my dad-- and the people I'm sitting around by my screaming and cheering. I have to try not to get emotionally involved so I don't end up with a stomach ache. I have to watch Truman-- the Brave Super Fan with his red painted face try to keep the student section cheering. I have to not feel bad for the Sr/Jr boys who are sitting on the bench and getting no playing time, ( I' m not talking about my Sophomore son here, he'll get his turn) and I have to hear the other team's fans screaming things. It wears me out. The noise, the emotions, the refs, the rude fans, and coaches questionable coaching......see what I mean?

It's always great when we win, after all of this, but when we lose....it's a wipe out.

Bountiful played great-- but with a few things not going in their favor, player suspensions, and player injuries -- we lost to Provo in the semi finals. It's amazing we went as far as we did in the state tourney.

I did have a run in with some Davis High students while at the state games-- They were there to watch the game after ours, and for some reason decided our row looked like a good one to cut through. The real walk ways were below and above us. They kept saying, " excuse me can I get through?" They were just vying for good seats for the next game. Well after too many of these to count, I was through, and I informed the next set of students to , "please go around-- this isn't a cut through and we are trying to watch the game." They couldn't believe me and one boy actually swore at me! This raised Wayne's dander and we almost had an old fashioned fist-to-cuffs going on.
The things I do.
But-- man-- I thought it was rude. They asked a question and I gave them the answer of - NO. They could care less about the BHS game-- but I was trying to watch it and I wasn't going to take it any more.
So there.
Be warned: If you are a high school student--I'm not afraid of you!

Later that night, I actually sat down to watch the Jazz game with Wayne, and in the first half, the JAZZ were stinking it up big time...I thought I was watching high school ball again, so I promptly fell asleep and evidently missed a rip roaring second half where the JAZZ came back from a 20 point deficit. The TV camera even cut to my cheering Mother in law with her JAZZ fan sign-- I missed it.
Basket ball season is officially over at our house.
Now we have a break until spring ball begins in April.... here we go again!

Thankful Thursday

I love taking the time to count up my blessings.....
1. I'm thankful for Wayne's computer abilities. He was able to de-virus my school lap top after Addison infected it by watching Animaniacs. This took Wayne hours, but it's all good now.
2. I'm thankful for State Basketball playoffs.... Braves are doing great. We love watching and supporting them. Monson loves playing basketball, and Truman is a super fan.
3. I'm thankful for Laughter. I laughed myself silly while watching Addsion's Musical of Musicals- the Musical show, last night. It's really sick and wrong that I get every reference, double entendre and groaner through all five mini-musicals. It was fun watching it with Angela and Landon-- we were a great, noisy audience. Musical theatre is my hobby and guilty pleasure!
4. I'm thankful that Laila is so determined to participate in turn off the tv and all screens week and read. Actually two weeks of parent torture. It's been a huge pain for me, but I admire her perseverance and dedication and hope some day this will translate into really good grades.
5. I'm thankful for friends who will run away to matinee movies with me...just because.
6. I'm thankful.

Musical Bloopers

Landon went on stage the other night in Millie, without his black wig on...for his Chinese boy part, he also tripped and fell down on stage and he went to lift a girl out of a laundry cart and didn't clear it, and hit her knees instead....he didn't have a great show... funny show, but not great.

It's amazing what can happen during a live theatrical production.. I think that's why I like theatre so much, it's fluid, ever changing, never the same show twice no matter how much you rehearse. Stuff happens.

It would be great if I had a blooper film to show for all of my on stage mishaps. I have had quite a few.
Let's reminisce.

SHOW: Snow White
Part: Wicked Queen/hag-apple seller
I was the hag, celebrating the fact that Snow White had eaten the poisoned apple. I cackled and turned to run off the stage and ran right into the house set piece ..wham!. Instead of a seriously creepy- sad part -"poor Snow White. "..... It was totally laughable. I hit the wall hard and fell back and almost had to crawl off the stage.

SHOW:Somethings Afoot
Part: Lady Manly Prowe
This is a murder mystery spoof where, while trying to solve a murder, everyone dies.
I was a buxom, big hipped woman in a padded costume. I didn't know where my body stopped and started. There is a "seduction" scene, where I start up on the 2nd story and walk down onto the stage as I sing to the Colonel. I tripped on my dress, my hip hit the break away railing on the upper balcony . I was hooked on to that railing and began swinging out over the stage about 10 feet up. I was screaming....trying not to, but what else could I do? It was crazy. The Colonel was stunned. I was shocked. I wanted to yell, "stop the show... crazy lady is injured up here..." But I didn't. I flung myself back onto the stage....hitting the back wall, all the while trying to keep my composure and go back into my seduction phase. It was memorable.

SHOW: King and I
Part: Anna
I was dancing the famous polka scene...."Shall We Dance....ba, dum, dum, dum." I had a gigantic hoop skirt on . It was so big and bell like that I had to have straps tied around my legs to keep it from floating up. During the dance, these same straps came untied. I slipped and tripped and landed right on my bu t t, with my legs and underwear flashing the audience. The King was shocked. He looked down at me and said, "Why, Mrs. Anna..." I was mortified, but struggled to my feet and kept on going.

SHOW: Student Prince
Part: Chorus girl
This was my first College show. I was trying to make a good first impression and totally succeeded by having my skirt fall to the floor while singing a drinking song. I was just standing there in my nylons-- I quickly reacted and grabbed the skirt and ran off stage, but not quick enough.

As I get older not as many bloopers happen, or I don't dwell on them as much...I just think oh well. Between being on stage and child birth, It's really hard for me to be embarrassed.

When I was on stage on another Millie night, I started singing my New York song-- I have a spotlight on my head. ...the set piece out of the corner of my eye starts to fall down....I reach my hand out to stop it and try one handed to set it up right-- I'm kind of successful after 3 tries.... I just keep singing. Then, as I walked across the stage singing, the spotlight in my eyes, I walked right into this pouffe at the center of the stage.. bump.... I just stopped walking and kept singing, and kind of laughed to myself.
Atleast I didn't fall off the edge of the stage and into someone in the first row's lap.... that's my real fear. Now that would be embarrassing!

PMM

PROUD MOTHER MOMENT
We were watching Madagascar 2 and there is a part where there are two gangs that look like they are going to start fighting . Music underscores it and they begin snapping instead, and Laila pipes up, "Hey, it's just like WEST SIDE STORY." (I was swelling with justifiable pride!)
If you ask Laila what her favorite video is, she will tell you, "West Side Story." She goes around the house singing and snapping like a Shark or a Jett.
These are moments that make me realize what a big impact I have on her , and on all of my children.
I love Musical theatre... I have passed this love (Addison, Landon, Laila) and sometimes only like ( Truman) and sometimes toleration ( Monson) down to them. It's really the only music I listen to.... except for on the Sabbath, then it's MoTab for me--but I do sneak in the MoTab sings Musical theatre CD as often as I can.

Laila embraces this genre. She has sat through Thoroughly Modern Millie rehearsals and shows, so much, that she has the entire show memorized and can run lines with me.

She has been like this since she was born.... It's never a problem to take her to a full length musical. She will be good, entranced and entertained even if she has seen the show a bazillion times. She knows Footloose, Les Mis, Hello Dolly, How to Succeed in Business..., Joseph, Little Shop of Horrors, Once Upon a Mattress, Peter Pan, Bye Bye Birdie, Into the Woods, Annie, UrineTown and Millie.
Why not?

We were watching Wall-E...the PUT ON YOUR SUNDAY CLOTHES music begins and Laila looks at me and announces to the entire theatre.. .. "This is from HELLO DOLLY." (My buttons were popping!)

She brings kids home to play with, from school, and insists that they watch PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with her. She loves this show. She has come up from the basement numerous times totally teary and va-clempt--- she is so touched.

Last night was a Sound of Music Night. I had to hear about " Nuns and having no children and how sad that is and what if I sneaked out of the house and went to a park to sing with a boy...would you be mad? " Laila was full of observations and questions. She is trying to make sense of her musical theatre world.
I love it!
I don't know if my family will end of up on an OPRAH, in the future, for Musical Theatre Child Abuse, but if there is such a thing, I'm guilty. Lock me up and throw away the key!