New Year

I'm not one to join the "Resolution" Bandwagon...I figure setting goals as the need arises should happen on any given day and not just the first moment of a new year. However...I have decided to make it a goal of mine to put my blog post count back into the double digits for 2011. I can use the excuse of *broken computer and *moving TWICE for the last year, but no more! All the kids are in school. I only substitute teach every other week or so. So, I should have more time; Right? That is the theory anyway:) So those sweet friends who still check- thanks for your faith in me! I am excited to rejoin the blogging world and document the crazy life at the Pena house!

I leave you with our Christmas morning traditional picture of kids lined up in the hall...

Kindergarten Holiday Program

Wesley had his Kindergarten "Holiday" Program on the last day of school before the break. It really is fun to see how much extended family shows up for a program that is maybe ten minutes long!



I refer to this as a holiday program only because while there were no Christian Christmas songs sung, there was a little bit of Jewish flare thrown in. What's the deal with that? I mean to each their own. "let them worship how, where, or what they may," but why can't we as well? Sorry just a little side note rant for the books!

Spring Cleaning?

I don't know why, but this year I couldn't wait for spring. Usually I do a major purging expedition right before school gets out. The kids have no idea the piles of stuff and clothes I get rid of every year. For some reason (and I know I'm not the only one-you know who you are) I have this overwhelming desire to clean it out. Remove all the excess in our house. No I'm not 'nesting.' And yes I am rambling, but I just found it interesting that my whole cycle is out of whack. Oh well, just thought I would share the randomness with you.

UPS

I recieve packages on a regular basis, and I must admit there is an audible moan that escapes when I see that my purchase will be shipped through UPS! I just don't understand why my packages need to sit at a local shipping site for days on end so that they arrive at my residence on the scheduled delivery day. If it is 5 miles from my house, just deliver it. You will have happier customers and shippers. Good for you for wanting to be on time, but even better if its early! If you don't want to provide "more service than was paid for," then don't place my package in my local city until you decide you're going to deliver it. It's just annoying to see it sitting there with nothing that I can do to get it!

Post!

I know I need to post! I even have stuff to post about...I just need to get through the Primary Program and things will calm down at least in that department. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Victory!

That's all it took! A moment to vent and voice my frustrations, and suddenly I understood. Totally weird I know, and I am not completely satisfied yet, but now I know what to do to change the background when I find exactly what I want!

FOCUS!!!!!!!

I can now admit it...I am an addict. Okay that came out a little harsh. I have become obsessed with changing the look of my blog. I really want to go with an Americana theme, but I am just not educated in the language of "HTML." I took French, what a waste, seriously. Most of the time I consider myself on the higher end of the intelligence meter, but place a page of computer mumbo jumbo in front of me and something happens to my brain. I inherited those fancy genes from my father that allow me to figure out how things work, without a great deal of effort. However, I think I am really out of my league.

This is what it has come down to. I am going to FOCUS and recommit to the true purpose of this blog. I will speak of my children with glowing reviews, post my pictures, and just be happy with the background that I have. It will be okay, because I will tell myself it will be. Then, one day, it will just click - I will understand and you will see the fruits of my brain working in my favor! Don't ask me when, but it will happen...

What a World? What a World?

WARNING: Contains moments of Sarcasm!

I've thought it before, but it hit me again Monday night.... What kind of world do we live in? It's scary and crazy, mixed up and falling apart. Let me back up a second.
So, Monday night we are driving back from Gilbert where we spent our wonderful Labor Day. We were about 45minutes from home, but kinda in the middle of nowhere, when we got a flat tire. (Now let me side note and say that we have been very blessed to never have a flat away from home before this.) So we pull off the road go to get the spare and our flashlight doesn't have batteries. Totally my fault, I will take all blame for that one. However, this is when I start to get a little frustrated. We just happened to pull off I-10 about 50 feet in front of a tow truck. Silly me I thought that they would pull up a little and see if we needed any help! What was I thinking? Just because that is what we do if we see someone in need of assistance. Who am I to think that that courtesy would be returned? No. We (when I say we I mean Chad) spent ten minutes just trying to get the spare out from under the SUV, because he couldn't see but for the headlights of oncoming traffic. Then used those same passing lights to place the jack! The fun part was getting the spare back on when we couldn't see the bolts! All in all it took about half an hour to change our silly tire.
I just couldn't believe that no one even slowed down let alone stopped to offer assistance. All we really wanted was a little illumination! After starting off again, I started thinking, "Would I really have wanted someone to stop?" There are so many creepy people out there. Maybe we were better off not having to worry about that part of our dilemma. Oh I don't know. How sad that I still can't decide which way we would have been better off! But, you have to know that the flashlight received new batteries as soon as we got home.
Life is such a learning experience!

What kind of Parent am I?

I love my kids school. The teachers are amazing, the curriculum is above and beyond, and there are so many lds kids at the school with them. However, the Head Principal is a pill, and they have had some serious issues with the a/c not just this year, but also the end of last school year! So, what do I do about it you ask? I talk to the Principal...then I talk to the district superintendent...then I talk to the head of facilities management.... That was last week. Then on Friday, we walk into school and the A/C is off again. So I go to the front office and excuse my kids for the day because I don't think they should have to try and concentrate in that kind of environment(it was already 86* in Wesley's classroom!) So I get home and I call the state superintendents office. And then the state head of facilities management. Now before you think I am totally crazy, Chad thought I should have skipped them all and gone straight to the governors office. He wanted to see the administrators faces when Janet Napanetano showed up. I know a little drastic, but seriously this situation is out of control. (Okay maybe I am too). I just don't understand how it can take months and months to solve this problem. And no one wants to take the intuitive and take charge. Drives me nuts! So, we arrive at school this morning, expecting the worst...and low and behold, the a/c is on and functioning! Isn't that amazing? I feel like such a pest, but it goes to show that the squeaky wheel always gets the oil! (We'll see how long it lasts)