Is it true that you can really wake up on the wrong side of the bed?? I believe that is what has happened to me this morning. I just woke up as a grump. I really don’t even know why. I didn’t stay up too late and I only got up once with the baby. My body just feels drained and I have so many things to do. I have a YW’s meeting this morning and I have to run to the PO. Then the bug guy is coming and I HAVE to mop up my sticky dining room floor or he is going to think we are pigs. I promise, we just mopped it a few days ago. That is the way it always goes. We mop the floor and then one of the boys spills something on it. Oh well, that’s the life of a maid, I mean a mom. I hope I can snap out of this mood. I want to be a positive happy mother to my children.

On another note. I got a REALLY good deal on some Cricut cartridges at Walmart yesterday. They were almost half off the normal price. Now I have TOO many cartridges!! But….. I will use all of them. They are a great investment. I use them more than my stamps. YIKES! I can’t believe I said that. I have a gazillion stamps that I haven’t been using since I got my new machine. Will life ever be the same again?? Anyway, I am loving my Cricut because I am getting things done!

Tonight I took the three oldest kids to go see the movie Tarabithia. I have never read the book so I was surprised at how it turned out. It is a really good movie but it is sooooooooooooooooo sad!! If you are going to see it remember to bring a box of tissues. I haven’t been this sad about a movie in a long time. I keep thinking about it. My 4 year old even cried during the movie and he’s a boy!

I feel that we are all connected in one way or another to someone suffering from this horrible disease. I hope you all will take the time to read the following……

THE STAMP Please read the following story and follow the instructions at the end! Thank You . Like most elementary schools, it was typical to have a parade of students in and out of the health clinic throughout the day. We dispensed ice for bumps and bruises, Band-Aids for cuts, and liberal doses of sympathy and hugs. As principal, my office was right next door to the clinic, so I often dropped in to lend a hand and help out with the hugs. I knew that for some kids, mine might be the only one they got all day.One morning I was putting a Band-Aid on a little girl’s scraped knee. Her blond hair was matted, and I noticed that she was shivering in her thin little sleeveless blouse. I found her a warm sweatshirt and helped her pull it on. “Thanks for taking care of me,” she whispered as she climbed into my lap and snuggled up against me. It wasn’t long after that when I ran across an unfamiliar lump under my arm. Cancer, an aggressively spreading kind, had already invaded thirteen of my lymph nodes. I pondered whether or not to tell the students about my diagnosis. The word breast seemed so hard to say out loud to them, and the word cancer seemed so frightening.When it became evident that the children were going to find out one way or another, either the straight scoop from me or possibly a garbled version from someone else, I decided to tell them myself. It wasn’t easy to get the words out, but the empathy and concern I saw in their faces as I explained it to them told me I had made the right decision. When I gave them a chance to ask questions, they mostly wanted to know how they could help. I told them that what I would like best would be their letters, pictures and prayers. I stood by the gym door as the children solemnly filed out. My little blond friend darted out of line and threw herself into my arms. Then she stepped back to look up into my face. “Don’t be afraid, Dr. Perry,” she said earnestly, “I know you’ll be back because now it’s our turn to take care of you.” No one could have ever done a better job. The kids sent me off to my first chemotherapy session with a hilarious book of nausea remedies that they had written. A video of every class in the school singing get-well songs accompanied me to the next chemotherapy appointment. By the third visit, the nurses were waiting at the door to find out what I would bring next. It was a delicate music box that played “I Will Always Love You.” Even when I went into isolation at the hospital for a bone marrow transplant, the letters and pictures kept coming until they covered every wall of my room. Then the kids traced their hands onto colored paper, cut them out and glued them together to make a freestanding rainbow of helping hands. “I feel like I’ve stepped into Disneyland every time I walk into this room,” my doctor laughed. That was even before the six-foot apple blossom tree arrived adorned with messages written on paper apples from the students and teachers. What healing comfort I found in being surrounded by these tokens of their caring. At long last I was well enough to return to work. As I headed up the road to the school, I was suddenly overcome by doubts. What if the kids have forgotten all about me? I wondered, What if they don’t want a skinny bald principal? What if. I caught sight of the school marquee as I rounded the bend. “Welcome Back, Dr. Perry,” it read. As I drew closer, everywhere I looked were pink ribbons – ribbons in the windows, tied on the doorknobs, even up in the trees. The children and staff wore pink ribbons, too. My blond buddy was first in line to greet me. “You’re back, Dr. Perry, you’re back!” she called. “See, I told you we’d take care of you!” As I hugged her tight, in the back of my mind I faintly heard my music box playing . . . “I will always love you.”We need those of you who are great at forwarding on information with your e-mail network. Please read and pass this on. It would be wonderful if 2007 were the year a cure for breast cancer was found!!!! This is one email you should be glad to pass on. The notion that we could raise $35 million by buying a book of stamps is powerful! As you may be aware, the US Postal Service recently released its new “Fund the Cure” stamp to help fund breast cancer research. The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. It is important that we take a stand against this disease that affects so many of our Mothers, Sisters and Friends. Instead of the normal 37 cents for a stamp, this one costs 40 cents The additional 3 cents will go to breast cancer research A “normal” book costs $7.40. This one is only $8.00. It takes a few minutes in line at the Post Office and means so much. If all stamps are sold, it will raise an additional $35,000,000 for this vital research. Just as important as the money is our support. What a statement it would make if the stamp outsold the lottery this week. What a statement it would make that we care. I urge you to do two things TODAY: 1. Go out and purchase some of these stamps. 2. E-mail your friends to do the same. Many of us know women and their families whose lives are turned upside-down by breast cancer. It takes so little to do so much in this drive. We can all afford the $0.60. Please help & pass it on.

“To the world you may just be one person but to one person you may be the world.”

This morning for Valentine’s Day I made my children a PINK breakfast. They had strawberry milk, strawberry frosted mini wheats, strawberry yogurt, and I also got them, but they didn’t get a chance to eat it, strawberry cream cheese & bagels. Both the girls wore pink to school. I really love Valentine’s Day but mainly because of the color PINK! My one big time of the year that it is okay to make everything my favorite color.

It’s going to be a very busy “pink” day today. We have a Valentine Brunch this morning at 9:30 with a few friends. I’m going to both my girls parties at school and I am bringing all the Fry boxes I made for them. Then tonight I have Young Womens where we will be eating some goodies (I am going to bring pink cupcakes for the girls) and practicing a skit for New Beginnings.

Today was such a crazy day at church. The boys were really rowdy during sacrament meeting and the baby needed to be held. At one point Thomas started screaming at the top of his lungs because Andrew was kicking him! I looked up at Bryan sitting on the stand and mouthed the words “I need help”. I guess the Relief Society president must have sensed my pain because she came over and took the baby from me so I could take Thomas out. After Sacrament was over she brought Brayden over to me and told me that she thought he went to the bathroom. Little did I know that he had a FULL BLOWN blowout on the RS President!! I’m so glad that I brought extra clothing for him but did she have any extra. LOL! Anyway, I gave the young women their little Fry boxes and they loved them. I am so glad I get to serve them. I feel like I am friends with each and every one of them but I also feel like I am their parent. I love them so much and I want the best for them. I am so blessed to be able to have the opportunities that I have.

Last night my friend (hi Shawna) came over for a bit and we had pizza, chatted, and I showed her my Cricut. We had a great night and it was just so fun to hang out with a girlfriend. Now, if my kids would have been under control and calm the entire night would have been a success. Well, I guess that’s just the way it goes for the next 18 years. No peace and quiet until they are off to college, right??

I’d better get off to bed. A friend of mine is coming over in the morning to play with the Cricut ( I think she might even be bringing hers over, too!) and our kids are going to play. Did I say play?? I meant tear up the house!! But at least they can have some fun!