Word of the Week: Objurgate

objurgate  /vt. /  to express strong disapproval of, to criticize severely.  to reproach or denounce vehemently;  upbraid harshly.  berate.  chide.  scold.  reprove.  admonish sharply.  dress down.

objurgate  /vt./  1.  Most of the objurgating that goes in in my house goes on in my own head.  But these last two weeks I have gone running almost every day, not only exorcizing my exercise demons, but also,  surprisingly, clearing my head of my usual self-chastisement about anything and everything.  Perhaps CIM is appeased by endorphins.

objurgate  /vt./  2.  I am right in the middle of trying to quickly plan a ward youth conference.  Our stake youth conference was cancelled recently, but I could hardly bear to watch the date come and go without doing something with my young women.  I believe in the power of youth conference.  The young men's president and I came up with an idea that we thought would be fabulous, "Le Tour de Vida Eterna" (more details in a couple of weeks) but many others have objurgated almost every aspect of our plans.  Despite these objections we are pressing forward and now I'm only nervous that their criticisms will be validated in the end.  I've had a hard time figuring out which part is the "opposition in all things" and which part is the real and valuable, good counsel.  (Guess I was wrong about definition number 1 after all.  Apparently I can still find plenty to beat myself up about.)

objurgate  /vt./  3.  David and I took Greg and Becca (David's brother and his wife) and Beckie (David's sister) to dinner at Olive & Ivy on Friday night.  Our excuse was to show them the Scottsdale night-life, but my real motivation in going to this particular restaurant was the bruschetta.  Of course.  There is simply nothing to objurgate about this divine appetizer.  I am always tempted to go in there and order about five of these in lieu of my entree.  It's embarrassing how much I love this stuff.

objurgate  /vt./  4.  I rarely have necessity to really objurgate my children, but tonight as we were about to kneel for family prayers, Olivia made the offhand comment that Savannah probably would not do well on her tests in the morning because she wasn't going to bed early enough.  (Savannah's testing week begins tomorrow.  Why can't the school just do it all at once and get it over with?  We are seriously cracking under the pressure here.)  Savannah broke into sobs, completely devastated, and absolutely sure of her inevitable failure on the morrow.  I sternly objurgated Olivia, reminded her of her own anxiety only one week ago, and told her how disappointed I was in her complete lack of empathy.  Grrr.

I looked up from making dinner on Thursday night to find my girls outside in their towels.  Rather than objurgate them for their immodesty I simply pulled out my camera...they said it was an "emergency"...they had forgotten to bring the bunny back in after playing outside with her, and just remembered in the shower.  For heavens sake.

objurgate  /vt./  5.  Thankfully my girls are usually best friends, kind and accommodating and sweet.  They play really well together and usually their only requirement is that it be something "creative."  Their latest idea is "stop-motion" movies with their American Girl dolls.  Admittedly, I did a bit of objurgating when I found out they were using my camera, but was quickly won over when they showed me their creations.  Here is their first movie...entitled "BFF"...yeah Mom, that's "Best Friends Forever."  (In case you can't quite follow it, the story line goes:  two BFF's are walking their pets, then go to school, exchange BFF notes, which makes them so happy they do the splits and a back-flip.  Oh, I love these girls.)

objurgate  /vt./  6.  Though I usually do nothing but querulously objurgate when I talk about the monthly Cub Scout pack meeting, this week's (with all of its usual problems) was such a thrill for me as a mother.  Caleb received both his Webelos badge and his Arrow of Light.  With David's help, Caleb has made great personal progress in his scouting program.  I can hardly believe he's almost a full-fledged boy scout, and wonder how I made it through 34 pack meetings already.  In this case I am relieved and glad that all good things must come to an end.

 

Word of the Week: Assiduously

assiduously  /adv. /  constant in application or attention, completely.  comprehensively, from A to Z, from top to bottom.  fully.  in and out.  thoroughly, through and through.  backwards and forwards.  whole hog.

assiduously  /adv./  1.  My efforts to assiduously document and record my life, my thoughts and my feelings on this blog, have definitely been stymied this week by the demands of my ACTUAL life.  I noticed that I posted 22 times in March (not counting my blessing log) and only twice so far in April.  The truth is that from now until mid-June my life is not my own and my lists are longer than my days.

assiduously  /adv./  2.  I really tried this year to assiduously use the orange crop from the "mini-orchard" in our yard.  Despite my efforts to eat and drink and give away my citrusy goodness...my trees were still full.  Yesterday the "professional" orange pickers cleaned us out and left my trees nothing but green.  It leaves me with that same feeling as when I take the Christmas decorations down...a bit forlorn and a bit relieved all at the same time.

assiduously  /adv./  3.  This past week was testing week for my kids.  Caleb and Olivia both had AIMS tests all week and this created quite a bit of anxiety especially for Olivia.  Caleb was a bit worried until the  first day when he figured out that the tests were going to be very easy.  Olivia, however, assiduously maintained her nervousness throughout the week and even when David congratulated her on "it being over" she said, "Well, now I'm nervous about my scores."  I was in charge of making sure we all ate hot, healthy breakfasts with plenty of protein and "brain foods," which I assiduously performed, surprising even myself. 

assiduously  /adv./  4.  David gave me a "night away" for my birthday and so my sister, Emily, came and played all-around-wonder-aunt to my kids on Friday night.  On Saturday morning she took the kids down to the church building for our ward's "Pancake Games," which eventually dissolved into a pancake food fight, but also involved all kinds of pancake competition, including hanging from the "pancake gallows."  Ethan (who doesn't like to lose at anything) assiduously hung on for dear life, but in the end was bested by a three-year-old little girl.  Much to his consternation.  This disappointment has not prevented him from proudly wearing his pancake medal (think an actual schellacked pancake) around his neck full-time since then.

assiduously  /adv./  5.  Since Easter, my girls have devoted themselves assiduously to all things "craft."  This week they took up knitting on round looms.  Olivia is making a hat for a woman in our ward who has cancer and Savannah took the small loom and made a hat for her American Girl doll.  She was nothing but absolutely delighted with the result.  The girls informed me that they are going to knit all summer long, to which Caleb remarked, "That's just what people need.  Hats and scarves for summer."  Olivia superciliously replied that they were "stocking up for winter." 

assiduously  /adv./  6.  After being "at the breaking point" for some time, David and I assiduously applied ourselves to R&R this past weekend.  We spent a night and day at the Sanctuary resort in Paradise Valley (aptly named, by the way).  The resort was spectacular and the get-away was wonderful, even if it was only 28 hours long, not that I was counting.  This is my idea of the perfect birthday present.  Alone time with my one-and-only.  Just what I needed.

I know David will want me to post these pictures of our incredible room(s).  This is for you babe.

Word of the Week: Noodge

noodge  /vt. /  to keep urging, asking in an annoying way.  nag.  to annoy persistently, pester.  agitate.  beleaguer.  disturb.  harass.  plague.  bother.  henpeck.  bedevil.

noodge  /vt./  1.  My to-do's noodged me all week, dogging me night and day with thoughts of "Oh, I need to remember...", until I finally relented and actually wrote them down.  This proved to be a fantastic idea (making me significantly more efficient) until Friday afternoon when I misplaced my list.  An unfortunate turn of events, and yet, I muddled through with only a few moments of complete stupor.

noodge  /vt./  2.  Ethan complained all week that his ears hurt when he swallowed.  After days of noodging me to "go see Dr. James" I called the pediatrician and we showed up just before lunch on Thursday morning.  We waited to see him for about an hour and when we finally did, Ethan got a clean bill of health.  No ear infection.  No strep throat.  Somehow this didn't make me happy.  Dr. James suggested that Ethan stop swallowing (since that's the only time his ears hurt) to which Ethan replied, "When I don't swallow my tummy hurts."  Ethan, of course, giggled through the entire exam and Dr. James noted that he must be feeling "really bad" to be this cheerful, and I grudgingly played the part of the insane mother.  By the by, Ethan's ears are still noodging him when he swallows.  Grrr.

noodge  /vt./  3.  This week was the Pine Wood Derby.  My personal idea of the 7th circle of hell.  I noodged David all week to help Caleb with his car.  The weigh-in was Thursday night anytime from 7 til 9, (you had to have your car ready and weighed in by then to compete on Saturday).  My boys showed up with their car at ten minutes to 9.  Sounds about right.  Caleb won 4 out of 6 of his races, a decent showing for a boy whose dad does not own a saw of any kind.

(Here is one of his wins...his car is in the far lane...)

noodge  /vt./  4.   Friday night David and Olivia had date night.  Olivia's Achievement Days class had a daddy-daughter bowling and pizza night and, as you can imagine, she was in 7th heaven.  The event started at 5:30, but Olivia was so worried they would miss even one single moment of fun, she started her campaign early, calling David every five minutes starting at 4:30 and noodging him home. 

noodge  /vt./  5.  David's colorectal screening event went about like you'd expect.  Apparently it takes more noodging than a postcard (he sent 1200 out to the community) to get people to come in and get their colons screened.  David said, "It's a free service.  You'd think people would want a free test."  Um.  No.  People don't want their colons screened even for free.  Surprising.  Seriously though, despite a few technical problems, he was happy to say that the were able to give out 150 tests and maybe most importantly, David decided it was time to get his own examined.  I was happy to hear that my last 6 months of not-so-gentle noodging is finally going to pay off.

noodge  /vt./  6.  My list was long this week and so this spilled over a bit into David's life as well.  The yard was especially atrocious by Friday afternoon and we had about 40 people coming for dinner on Saturday afternoon, with no time or way to do anything about it.  I felt like I had noodged David all week about so many other things that I calmly accepted the state of my yard "as is" and prepared to just serve such good food that no one would care about the state of my weeds.  And then.  A friend in my ward quietly and secretly mowed my lawn and pulled my weeds while David and I were sleeping early Saturday morning.  When I discovered her, she simply shrugged and explained that no matter how much she noodged, I would never let her help me, so she just decided to do something without asking.  An angel with a lawn mower.

noodge  /vt./  7.  No matter how I try to resist it, the milestones in my darlings' lives noodge me to realize that time is passing and my babies are not actually babies anymore.  Savannah had her baptism preview tonight.  When they handed me the invitation I thought, "I don't have an eight-year-old."  And had to turn it over to see Savannah's name on it before I connected the dots.  This is a "noodging" I would prefer to avoid all-together.  Another accountable child.  It's a bit hard to swallow past the lump in my throat.

My tender feelings about Savannah reminded me of a poem I love.  Says it perfectly...

Sentimental Moment or Why Did the Baguette Cross the Road?

by Robert Hershon

Don't fill up on bread
I say absent-mindedly
The servings here are huge

My son, whose hair may be
receding a bit, says
Did you really just
say that to me?

What he doesn't know
is that when we're walking
together, when we get
to the curb
I sometimes start to reach
for his hand

Word of the Week: Nonplus

nonplus /vt. /  to put at a loss as to what to think, say, or do.  bewilder.  to render utterly perplexed.  puzzle completely.  baffle.  astound.  dismay.  daze.  boggle.  flummox.  

nonplus  /vt./  1.  I almost didn't go on Spring Break.  The to-do list almost won.  Given the perfect time we enjoyed and the joyful decompression that occurred, I am completely nonplussed as to how this can be.  How can I let any "list" win over this kind of joy...and yet it seems to more than I would like.   I am nonplussed at this obvious character flaw.

nonplus  /vt./  2.  We drove to Santa Barbara on Wednesday,  arriving in LA about 1 or 2 in the afternoon...well out of the "rush hour traffic" window and yet, I was nonplussed to find myself in the midst of this:

nonplus  /vt./  3.  Last night I watched Masterpiece Theatre's version of Emma.  And was nonplussed to find that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I had planned to.  I think I just really and truly dislike Emma herself and am nonplussed at how and why Mr. Knightley falls in love with her.  And then this morning I found this: "Prior to starting the novel, Austen wrote, 'I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like.'"  Job well done.

nonplus  /vt./  4.  The weather is starting to heat up already here and that means the scorpions are starting to reappear, nevertheless I was still nonplussed to see this one scurrying across my kitchen floor yesterday morning...it had been so long since we had seen one I was beginning to think we had them all eradicated.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  (Kel, in case you were wondering, this is one for the "con" column.)

nonplus  /vt./  5.  My washer has been on the fritz lately.  It washes just fine but then gets confused when it's time to rinse.  In its confusion, it stops and wonders what to do next.  In order to get my laundry done, I figured out a way to trick it into thinking it's washing when it's really rinsing.  This means a whole little "protocol" that has to be followed in order to do a load of laundry.  Annoying, but clearly cheaper than calling the repairman.  Then this morning, I was utterly nonplussed to discover that the washer has overcome its confusion and was cheerfully running through all the cycles with no problem whatsoever.  I am all bafflement at this happy and fortuitous turn of events.

nonplus  /vt./  6.  The only bad part about our California roadtrip was the price of a gallon of gas.  (Not to mention the price of 78 gallons of gas.)  I was nonplussed at the cost to fill my tank, but luckily this was offset by the benefits of filling "my other tank."  Nevertheless, after 1100 miles, the rest of my March budget is clearly a bit nonplussed at what's left.  Budgets rarely understand psychological needs...they are somehow always ridiculously consumed by the physical needs of food and shelter and clothing.

nonplus  /vt./  7.  Olivia has been lately begging to "do some knittin" (her words).  Somehow this little activity has never made it to the top of my to-do list and so last night after Easter dinner, my mom got out the crochet hooks and patiently taught the girls how to chain.  Though this has resulted in mostly nonplussed expressions and piles of knotted yarn, the girls are loving their new "talent" and have grand plans to knit their American Girl dolls scarves and sweaters for the coming summer.

 

nonplus  /vt./  8.  I think our bunny, Pepper, was nothing but nonplussed on Saturday afternoon when the girls dressed her for the Easter egg hunt at my parents' house.  Oh the humanity.

Actually it could have been worse.  Luckily for Pepper, they were nonplussed to discover that their little doll shoes wouldn't stay on. 

The Mysteries of God

On Saturday I bought a bottle of dry red wine to cook this delicious pot roast for Sunday dinner.

Since we do not drink any kind of alcohol at our house, Caleb was immediately concerned about my mental and spiritual welfare and proceeded to charily question my reasoning.

On Sunday, as I was removing the cork from the bottle, Savannah was also concerned.  I explained that it was alright to use it if you cook it.

She slowly nodded her head and then, remembering her questions about the sacrament, with a look of enlightenment, asked, "Did Jesus cook it?"

Word of the Week: Querulously

querulously: /adv. /  with complaint. grumblingly, huffily or irascibly. peevishly. petulantly. testily.  acting sour, whiny or thin-skinned.

querulously  /adv./  1.  I am sorry to say that I'm even typing querulously tonight.  So those of you who only like really ebullient posts better keep moving.

querulously  /adv./  2.  I honestly thought I could rise above my word this week.  You know, do a whole post about how my kids behaved querulously, how the girl at Bed, Bath and Beyond only querulously let me return some pillowcases even though I had the receipt, but how, despite all that, I was able to maintain my composure and cheerfulness.  This was, unfortunately, not the case.  I am quite huffily sitting here reviewing my week, not sure whether to growl or weep, querulously berating myself for choosing such a stupid word.

querulously  /adv./  3.  I have been sick enough to be miserable all week, but not sick enough to stay in bed.  My husband has been sick this week too.  And by the time he heads for work in the morning he will have been in bed for 31 of the last 38 hours.  When he rose for a moment this evening I querulously asked him, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"  Ah yes, life with me is just heaven on earth.  Don't worry.  As sick as he sounds, he will be at work on time and all day tomorrow.  A miraculous recovery.  (That last sentence is supposed to be read with a querulous grumble.)

querulously  /adv./  4.  After months of querulously noting that my girls' hair just "never looks good," I took them for haircuts on Friday afternoon.  They were thrilled to be at the salon and delighted with the final results as well.  I loved that their haircuts made them look like little girls again, and made me relieved to think that they are still mine for at least a few more years.

   

querulously  /adv./  5.  After picking more weeds on Saturday afternoon, the kids declared they were dying (from the heat) and querulously begged to go swimming.  I repeatedly told them how cold the water would be, but they declared, "We want to be cold."  In the end, I surrendered and took them over to my parents' house for  a dip.  After the first jump in, Ethan told me he almost drowned...that it was so cold he forgot how to swim.  So, I put a life jacket on him, but he didn't go in again.

  

querulously /adv./  6.  Two weeks ago I mentioned "a maelstrom" that I couldn't talk about yet.  Well, today my second counselor (in the YW presidency at church) got released to serve as our new Primary president.   For two-and-a-half years she has held me up and sustained me,  and I cannot think how I can do this job without her.  When the responsibilities have been too heavy to carry alone she has truly been the one to lend her shoulder, her hands, her time, her heart, whatever was required.  I shall so miss serving side by side with her, and querulously wonder if I have the energy and stamina to find a new counselor and "keep going."  Clearly, an attitude adjustment may be in order because somehow, I do not think "enduring to the end" was meant to be done querulously. 

The Culmination of "Read Across America Week"

Today is the last day celebrating "Read Across America Week."  To commemorate the day our elementary school lets the kids dress up as their favorite book character and they give prizes for the best likenesses.  My kids look forward to this every year.  I hate most anything to do with costumes, but somehow because it's all about books, I'm a big fan too.  Last year Savannah was Kevin Henkes' "Lily" and I hunted all over town for some red cowboy boots and sparkly green-rimmed glasses.  It's still one of my favorites, but then I have a thing for Lily anyway.  So darling.

Anyway, this year Olivia chose to be Daisy-Head Mayzie from Dr. Seuss...

 

And Savannah was Ian Falconer's Olivia...

 

How'd we do?

Word of the Week: Ebullient

ebullient  /adj. /  overflowing with enthusiasm and high spirits.  bubbling. boiling with emotion.  full of joyful, unrestrained high spirits.  energetic.  lively.  very positive or happy.

ebullient  /adj./  1.  Caleb won first place in the "Health and Medical Sciences" category in his science fair on Friday night.  Ebullient almost doesn't describe the extent of his joy.  When they called his name his surprise turned to utter joy, his face flushed, and he ran for the stage.  I think all he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears because he couldn't seem to hear or speak for quite some time.

 

ebullient  /adj./  2.  The most ebullient moment for me at the science fair came at this moment:

I was proud-to-bursting watching him explain his project to the interested crowds.  I just stood there wondering how this could be my grown child, so old, so smart, so independent, and how I got to this stage of life without knowing it. 

ebullient  /adj./  3.  Thursday night, in the midst of everything else, Savannah and two of her friends performed a gymnastics number at the school talent show.  (They choreographed it themselves.)  She has never actually taken a gymnastics class, but this was not a deterrent.  She was absolutely ebullient, and out-of-breath, after her performance, and I (chagrined at my former reluctance) told her that she could take gymnastics in the fall.  After begging for years, she was beyond ebullient at this concession. 

ebullient  /adj./  4.  Saturday was the annual Lehi Days Rodeo, held just down the hill from our neighborhood.  My kids look forward to it every year, and they were utterly ebullient to be out in the sunshine, enjoying the rodeo events, the food, the concession stand (!), the petting zoo, and the free-roaming that comes along so rarely in 21st century childhood.

   

ebulliently  /adv./  5.  One of the events of the rodeo is the "Chicken Chase," where they let the kids line up (according to age) and chase chickens.  If you catch the chicken, you get to keep it.  Ethan lined up with the other four-year-olds and ran his legs off chasing down a chick.  He made a one-handed grab and snagged this chick, and then ebulliently raised it in the air in triumph.  My kids have done the chicken chase every year but this is the first year that Ethan competed and the first year we've ever caught a chicken.  When Caleb saw him running all-out, and knowing our little warrior, he said, "I knew he'd be just like that."

ebullient  /adj./  6.  At Lehi Days last year, Olivia talked us into buying a little chick, since no one caught one in the chicken chase.  She raised it for about four months before I decided we were a no-live-chicken house and we found a farm for her.  This year she brought her own money and bought a bunny.  She could not be any more ebullient about her new charge. 

ebullient  /adj./  7.   Lest you think our entire week was one ebullient moment after another, I offer this aggravation as evidence to the contrary.  I am less than ebullient over the spike in our temperatures this week.  This was my thermostat reading on Friday afternoon.  Yeah, that's right...that's how hot it was inside my house because running the air conditioning in February seems just wrong.  I skipped right over the first stage of grief and went straight to "Anger."  Our winter is over.  Argh!!

Word of the Week: Eschew

eschew  /vt./  avoid and stay away from deliberately; to avoid or shun.  abstain.  forego.  renounce.  evade.  refrain.  duck.

eschew /vt./  1.  I eschewed most of my housework this past week in favor of finishing East of Eden.  After about 200 pages I just couldn't leave it alone.  It was an absolute masterpiece.  Brilliant.  And, I hope, life-changing.

eschew /vt./  2.  After my most delightful experience in East of Eden this week and Anna Karenina last month, I am seriously considering eschewing (for a little while) any books not considered " a classic."  There is so much outstanding and remarkable literature out there that I have never read, and I find that these classics have a perspective on the human condition that is true, universal, and timeless.   For me, they provide an impetus for change...as I see myself in Anna, in Cal, in Liza, in Cain.

eschew /vt./  3.  Ethan and I managed to eschew the inside of our four walls, in favor of the outside with three glorious trips to the park this week.  A blanket, lunch, and books.  Heaven.  At least for one more month.

eschew /vt./  4.  At David's prodding, we eschewed all our Saturday chores (yes, the weeds in my front yard continue to flourish) and headed north to find some snow.  We spent the day at Wing Mountain sledding, and building snowmen, and getting sunburned.  It was boiling hot and eventually we eschewed our winter gear and shucked our coats and hats.   Ethan was  a daredevil, and my bottom is complaining today that I am much to old for such fun, but we could not have had a better day.

 Caleb and I even attempted an igloo...harder than it looks.  (I realize I'm eschewing most of my self-respect and dignity by posting this photo.)

eschew  /vt./  5.  I have an absolute hatred of and phobia towards public restrooms.  I will do almost anything to eschew them.  This is not easily done with small children.  My phobia is so intense I have been known to send my children in alone...standing guard outside...because my terror is almost insurmountable.  However I have learned a few tricks along the way to use only in extreme emergencies.  On Saturday, while we were sledding at Wing Mountain Savannah needed to go.  There are only porta-potties on the mountain and after Savannah took at look at them, she could not bring herself to use them.  She was completely desperate.   I taught her my  tricks [much too absurd to share] and she conquered her fear.  I had no idea these were the kind of skills I would pass on to my daughters, but there you are.

eschew /vt./  6.  I swallowed my pride this week, and renounced my dislike of ballroom dancing.  (I have a no exception rule eschewing and banning any kind of dance show on our television.  This has not changed.)  But they are offering free dance lessons at the hospital (random and weird, I know) this month and David and I went and learned the waltz on Wednesday night with some of my young women.  It was surprisingly fun (even though we were still counting "1-2-3" out loud at the end of the night) and made me tempted to come back for the fox trot this week.

I just need to be six inches taller...even four would make a difference, don't you think?

Hard Knock Life

Savannah got three tickets to Annie for Christmas.   She graciously invited me and Olivia to come with her.

So last night we went to Gammage (our version of "Broadway") and had a great time together.  The musical was wonderful.  Our seats were not...way up in the balcony, but it didn't matter.  The music was so fun and my girls sang all the way home.  To tell the truth, I did too.

Afterwards the girls wanted to get autographs, so we waited by the stage door.  They were thrilled to get to meet Molly, Duffy, Tessie, Pepper, Daddy Warbucks, and of course, Annie.  These little girls were only ten...I can't imagine what that life is like touring around America, but we were delighted to enjoy their talents on our night out.  I will never get tired of evenings like this...me with my girls, dressing up, the girls carrying their lip gloss in their little clutches, enjoying the music and beauty of the cultural arts, mothering with a bit of Broadway magic.   No, "I Don't Need Anything But You."