Dear President Obama: how your back to school speach inspired my daughter.

Here is one of the best photo's I have of my daughter.  It catches her true attitude as a daring, determined person.  Recently her school played President Obama's back to school speech.  After listening to the speech her teacher had her write a letter to my husband and I about how she felt about the presidents speech.  I was very impressed by what she wrote.  Here is her letter:

Dear Mom and Dad,
     Today we listened to President Obama's back to school speech.  I liked when he said that life goes on after high school.  I find that true. I want to go to a good college so that I can be a veterinarian.  I was really interested in hearing that we can make a difference now.  I want to figure out how to save an animal with out having to put it down.  Finally, he really made me think when he said that our country used to have the most college graduates, now we are at #16.  That makes me determined to get good grades and get a scholarship so I can go to a good college and make a difference.

Love,
Your Daughter.
I'm glad that the presidents speech has made a positive impact on my daughter.  I know that once she puts her mind to something she will work hard towards that goal.  Right now she is working hard to try to do chin ups so she can get money from her dad.  She is also trying to teach herself Japanese because she wants to go to Japan some day.  She works hard at school and gets pretty much straight "A's".  I hope that the economy turns around so that when she is ready to go to college there are scholarships for her to have.  I hope that the economy turns around so that when she is ready to go to college my husband and I will be employed so that we can afford to help her go to college.  And that there will be jobs for her and those her age after college.  I hope that President Obama and future presidents will be able to strengthen our country so that these children who have been inspired by their words will have the ability to go to school and make a difference.    I know my daughter will work hard, I can only hope those in charge of our country will actually do their part. 
I'm told that by the end of the week there will be snow on the mountains.  I hope to see it.  My family is very excited about Utah snow!

The Mommy Wars: Why we need to give each other a break!

Over the last few weeks while I have surfed the Internet I've discovered some news articles by the Huff Post about motherhood.  I've found them quiet interesting.  One mother who I take from the article is a working mom who takes a week off and finds out what life is like as a stay at home mom.  Which she calls a SAHM(.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-puhn/an-experiment-in-being-a-_b_965352.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl9%7Csec1_lnk3%7C97386 ) How do you pronounce that.  After a week she is glad to be back to work and praises the women who stay at home calling it a truly difficult job.  Then there is the Under Cover Working mom article.  So is she a UCWM?  She is a mom who works from home, so everyone thinks she's a SAHM but she isn't.  She gives good advice on how to get a little more respect when out with the kids.  Basically dress like you are a corporate manager and you won't wait as long as if you dress like you are about to go to yoga class.  Does the SAHM really want to buy a suit though to get waited on faster at the doctors office?  Is it worth it?  The last article was about the SAHM who has a hard time making MOM friends.  I can say that is hard.  If you are a SAHM it's hard to make friends and have time to visit among all the crazy schedules you have to balance for your children.  And as your children age you find that you lose contact with some friends, and have to work hard to keep contact with the friends you have.  As your kids become teens and don't need you at their "Hang out date".  My kids have told me they are so not play dates anymore!  You have to forge your own new friendships.  Plus sometimes that mom that you are friends with has a child that your child is no longer a good friend with.  That can make it awkward.   
As I read the articles I thought where do I fall in to this now?  I'm at home during the day, and work nights but only part time.  I still feel I'm a full time mom, but I'm working too.  I guess I'm lucky as I now have an idea of what it is like from both views.  I know it is hard to be a SAHM.  Not only is it hard it can be very isolating.  And people have such varying opinions on the subject.  I left many social gatherings with my husband absolutely annoyed at the working men and women who told me I should be working.  I also felt pangs of embarrassment when someone would ask what I do for work and I said, I'm a homemaker.  The peoples eyes would glaze over and they would seem to not know what else to say to me.  But for all of it I wouldn't have changed those at home years for all the money and success the world had to offer.  I loved staying home with my children.  I taught them to read,count, and other academic things.  But I also gave them a sense of security in a world that seems ever more insecure.  Now that I'm a working mom.  I find the balance hard some days.  But I enjoy working.  I enjoy visiting with people where I work.  I enjoy getting a paycheck, and just having time where I do my own thing.  I have an identity outside of my children.  I enjoy that.  Plus the kids are gone more than at home so it keeps me from being lonely.  I do have to say though, lets as mothers give each other a break.  If you are a working mom then that is your choice and I'm happy for you.  It's hard to be a working mom.  You miss your children, and you still have house work to do.  Unless you are lucky enough to have a cleaning service.  You are still a mom though and being a mom is tough.  If your a stay at home mom.  Enjoy every moment with your children.  And don't worry about what others think.  You chose this for your children and someday they will be thankful for that.  It's tough to stay at home with your children all day.  It's harder than any job out there.  Hopefully someday the rest of the world will see that.  Anyways whether your a working mom or a SAHM.  Feel happy in the choice you have made and be kind to others who have made a different choice.  We all have to do what is right for ourselves.

LDS Confrence Center Salt Lake City : My First Big Mormon Adventure!

Here is the photo of me in the LDS Conference Center for the  General Relief Society Meeting that took place on Saturday, September 24, 2011.  This was my first big LDS adventure out here in Utah!  All I can say is "WOW".  It was such a great experience for me.  I could have stayed all night long.  I can't wait to take my family there for a tour.  It is such a beautiful building.  I've linked you to a site that gives all the details about the conference center.    It was so amazing to see it packed with women.  I think other than the wonderful talks the best part was standing up and singing with all these other people.  It was just really wonderful for me to do that.

Here is a photo from the outside at night.  This is what I saw as I left.(well except for on the ground not in the air!)  My photo did not come out as good as this one that I found on the Internet!  There are gardens at the top of the building so I'm told.  I want to go and see them.  But isn't it just beautiful?!  I have read that this is the largest theater-style auditorium ever built.  When we got to the Conference Center their were masses of women standing in line to get in.  I was amazed at the amount of people there.  I'm not sure if it was filled to capacity, but it seats 21,200 people.  That's just amazing!

Here is a nice photo of the inside that I found. I had a seat way up in the top of the terrace section.  I was supposed to be in the balcony, but I walked in with a member of my ward who was handicapped so we got closer and better seating.  The speakers were so far away that they looked like little dolls.  I was told I missed the most exciting part, (as I went to get water for my friend.)  I missed the Prophet walking in.  I was told the whole place becomes totally quiet.  All the talks were wonderful.  But to make my experience just the top for me was that my favorite speaker gave a talk.  President Uchtdorf was the last speaker.  I just love to listen to his talks.  And his talk had a reference to flowers!  Could my night have been any better?  I don't think so.
After conference I rode with my friends to burger restaurant.  It was nice to have a night out with the women of my ward.  I hope at some point to get to go to General conference at the conference center.  That would just be a great LDS Utah experience for me!

You've Got Surveys: Can you really make money with online surveys?

Ah life in Utah, where it never seems to rain.  Here is a photo of one of my friends roses.  I could just stay at her house and photograph roses forever. 
So for the past month I have been unemployed and at home playing on my computer for a lot of my time.  So you know how you get those emails..."Sign up with us and do surveys on line and make money".  Well having nothing better to do and thinking I'd be able to share my opinion and make a little extra money I signed up for a few.  I can say this it's a good thing I got my night job now! Can you make money doing online surveys?  Probably, but from what I have found you are not going to make very much, and most of the so called surveys are just companies trying to get you to sign up for their product.  One site which I'm going to cancel out of e-mails me daily with a supposed survey to take.  You click to take the survey and they want you to actually sign up for a different companies product.  What is funny is they will pay you $1.50 to sign up for a product that will end up costing you $10.00 to $20.00.  Or they ask you to sign up for a chance to try out a new laptop for free, but when you get to the end of the survey to be able to proceed you have to sign up for two other products that cost you money.  So in the end at least with this survey company you would end up parting with more of your money than you would actually make.  I always end up closing out of the surveys early, I'm not that stupid!  There is one other company that sends you e-mails.  I think I've figured out you get paid two cents for each e-mail you open.  Again it's all a way to try to get you to purchase some other companies product. Through this web-site you can also watch video's which pay you three cents, or take other surveys.  They also want you to play on-line video games which you somehow would get paid for.  The attempt there I think is to get you to think you are a really good video game player and then make you want to play and bet money.  Not into that.  So I've watched some of the video's and I've been opening the e-mails.  Hey that's not to hard.  And I've made so far about $6.00.  Now I'm not too sure I'll ever see that $6.00 but I'm definitely not going to go to far with my survey taking money am I!  Seriously I thought I'd be asked some grand questions about products I used and that I might get some little reward.  I have to say it really just isn't what I thought.

Here is a photo from behind my daughters school.  You can't see it but the mountain is starting to get red blotches all over it.  Fall is coming.  I'm not sure how many trees on the mountain change color and how many are evergreens.  It will be interesting to see the first snow on the mountains.  Vermont won in that category as my mom has said their is snow on the mountains. She thinks that means it will be a hard winter.  My children are very excited to have snow.  To go for walks in the snow.  I guess it is good that they have something to look forward to.  I hope that the road crews are good out here as I work nights and I don't look forward to driving home in snow storms. 

Well I hope you had a good week.  I kept very busy.  Tomorrow I get to go to the Womens' General Relief Society meeting.  I actually get to go where it will be occurring.  I'm very excited about this.  To be in the same room as the Prophet of the Church.  How greatly blessed I feel. I hope I can get a few photo's to share. Oh if you know of a good survey site or if you have made real money on surveys let me know.  As I'm quiet convinced it's all a big scam!

Have a great weekend:)

I survived my first Night shift in Utah!

Here is another photo of going down the mountain. I need to find out what the name of the mountain is that I keep traveling over.  I got to drive over it again today.  All the little shrubs are changing color.  It will be interesting to see what the mountains look like in the different seasons. 
Last night I had my first night shift at Kohl's.  It was also my first time alone in customer service.  And I had no clue where anything was, I had forgotten how to do things, but thankfully I had help and I my brain figured out the rest.  I was supposed to work until 11:30 but didn't get out until 12:30.  Makes the Christmas season that is looming scary.  If you get out at an hour later than you are scheduled does that mean soon I'll be getting home around 2am?  Ugh.  Guess I'll be doing a lot of napping while the kids are in school.
I have to say "I LOVE THE UTAH MOUNTAINS!"  I can't wait to go places and learn more about them.  I'm truly enjoying our move and learning about this state.  Because I've slept most of today I don't have much to share today.  I look forward to having tomorrow off and doing a little more investigating and just learning about my surroundings. Oh since I work night I got to see the "Valley"  in the wee hours of the morning and can I say it's beautiful.  It is also very lit up even so early in the morning.  The moon looked so beautiful last night too.  I like to drive home in the middle of the night as there is no traffic. Talk to you soon:)

Driving over the mountain another Utah adventure.

Some of our friends live in Highland Utah.  To get from where we live to where they live you have two driving choices.  You can drive along the highway which is flat and straight.  Or you can drive over the mountain.  I like driving over the mountain.  Despite the fact that when I'm the passenger I get a little car sick. 

When you go up over the mountain there are so many cool things to see.  I tell my husband though that I would not want to live on the mountain.  Our friend told us there are about 1000 houses up on the mountain.  They had planned to build 8000.  But then the housing bubble burst.  I just would not want to have to drive in the snowy weather up there.  I can imagine that it might be a bit colder too!

This is a view of the salt lake valley.  It's not the greatest photo as I'm in the car and my husband is speeding along.  We were running late so I didn't make him stop.  So all the photo's are from the passenger window.  I should have sat in the back where my daughter sits she had much better views.

Here we are heading down the mountain towards Highland.  It's amazing how you are just surrounded by mountains out here. One thing I'm noticing is that people take their football very seriously out here.  Everyone was wearing red on Saturday for the big football game.  And Everyone was wearing Red again on Sunday.  I take it the "U"  won the game Saturday night.  Those who were fans of  the "Y"  were hiding out and wishing they had a little more red in their closet.  Being totally unaware of the school colors I wore all blue.  Well it's my favorite color.  I hope no one thought I was a "Y" fan.  I'm not a football fan at all!

One other thing I learned.  There are parts of the mountain that look red now.  I was wondering what that was.  My husbands friend told us that it was the shrubs on the mountain changing color.  I also thought that watering your yard would cost a fortune, but I've found out that it only cost about $17.00 a month.  They collect the water that runs off the mountains and then pipe it through the neighborhoods and allow you to tap your sprinkler system in and charge you $17.00 a month unlimited use.  Or at least that's how much our friends pay.

Well off to learn more about Utah.  Hope you have enjoyed.  I start work tonight and I'm a bit nervous. I'll be glad to have my first day over with!

Dimple Dell Park, our first family adventure in Utah!

In New Jersey it took me awhile to go out and check out the parks.  As we began our  move I made the decision that I would not wait to find some great parks to check out and go for walks at.  Of course our favorite park in New Jersey was Dukes Park.  It had paved walk ways.  Well today my family took our first adventure out in the wild lands of Utah.  Or at least it felt wild to me.  We went to Dimple Dell park.  This is a very big park with lots of dirt trails.  We started up on the top of the park and descended down to the bottom where their is a dried up creek.

My husband and the kids had a great time looking for living creatures.  We saw lots of big black beetles, and dragon flies.  Thank goodness we did not see any snakes, or scorpions.  I'm not sure they really live in this area, something I need to look up.  Some of the locals that were on the trail said that it would be very rare to see a rattle snake in this area.  That made me feel much better.  He did say you might see a water snake but they  are much smaller.  I stayed on the path.  My adventurous family left often to investigate.

I'm not sure what these flowers are.  I think they might be wild sunflowers.  You see them everywhere right now.  I think they are very pretty.

Here we are on the path I thought we were going to follow.  The nice "Wood Trail" .  But no we had to go on the paths that went all over the place, through mud, and pricker bushes.  Adventure!  My husband thought it fun to walk behind me and throw little pebbles and see me jump thinking a snake was out in the grass.  My son loved looking at all the rocks hoping to find a dinosaur fossil.  My daughter liked to lead us on the winding ever changing trails.  I was glad we got back alive.  We did see alot of horses too.

If you are new to Utah or visiting and want to know about trails in the area the book to get is " Hike Trails (& walk paths) In Salt Lake Valley.  By Howard L. Nuttall.  Someone gave us this book as a gift and I'm going to use it alot!

We also have found a favorite ice cream shop.  Farr's Fresh.  You get to fill your own ice cream bowl and put your own toppings on.  You pay by how much your cup of ice cream weighs.  I tried the Pumpkin Pie Ice cream.  It was actually very good.  I think my daughter likes to make her own bowl.  I was surprised she could eat all that ice cream.  But she did.  She also likes that she can get mini marshmallows and M&M's on top.

Have a great weekend:)