~A Tisket, A Tasket~

Look at these awesome baskets!!!

I finally finished the handmade item for my giveaway. And here they are.

I love the fabric so much I had to make a set for me too!!

I actually love to make things for other people so I see more giveaways in the future. So, after I'm finished with costumes I'll do another one.

And here's Alisa with them. I'm so excited because she loves them.

Congratulations Alisa.

~Quotable Quote~

I do not normally watch Desperate Housewives but the other night I was flipping channels and stopped on the funniest line. And just so you know, I don't think the situation was funny, just her answer.

One of the wives was totally ordering her husband around. He said, "I have heard there are wives who actually say 'Please' when asking their husbands to do something." And she said, "Oh, honey, don't you know an urban myth when you hear one?"

I can't wait to use it someday.

~The Goal~

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend Bishop Youth Discussion. Actually I begged Shannon to let me go because there was a special guest speaker.

First of all, the Bishop discussed goals that the youth set last month and how they did on them. He gave a discussion on how you have to have a plan or you probably won't ever do it. He had us each write down a goal and then ten steps to accomplish it. (I actually thought that since Shannon would be the one going next month that Lorna and I could come up with some great goals for her--luckily for her, the Bishop wouldn't let us get away with it. And I had some great ones: Bake Becky cookies, clean Becky's house, do all Becky's errands for a week. . . well you can see where this is going.)

Then our special guest speaker came in straight from the airport. We were so blessed to have Bishop Lindeman come and talk to us. And even more perfect, since we were discussing goals, he had run his first marathon ever yesterday. He said the best way to keep a goal is to tell everyone about it. And then you have support and people enjoy checking up on you.

So, my first thought was to finish my Personal Progress. But since, I only have 1.5 weeks left before I'm finished I decided to choose a loftier goal. So this is my goal. I'm actually putting it out there. I'm telling you all (the six of you who read my blog that is) and not just copying it to my next to do list.

By June 15 (the next BYD) I am going to CLEAN MY GARAGE.

Here are the steps I wrote down:
1. Set aside a whole day.
2. Decide which systems are working and which ones aren't working.
3. Sort everything into categories.
4. Purge, purge, purge.
5. Sweep and scrub floor.
6. Remove cobwebs from walls.
7. Designate zones.
8. Decide if any new organizing tools are needed.
9. Replace items into designated zones.
10. Decide how much of it will go into garage sale with several women from my ward.
11. Take remainder to Goodwill, Cousin's (Ratchet's old clothes), SIL's (Mona Lisa's old clothes), and Jenny's (rest of Mona Lisa's clothes).

And just so you know how bad it really is, I took pictures:

~Isn't Ballet All About Discipline~

This is a topic that has been bothering me for a few weeks and I just need to get it out.

My daughter, Mona Lisa, is a dancer. At her studio they have a dress code. She is required to wear a specific color of leotard, pink tights, and pink ballet slippers. Another requirement is to wear their hair in a bun. The first day of class parents are allowed to watch. We all sat there as the teacher explained the dress code and showed them the variety of ways to pull their hair back. Because I think it's important for my daughter to show respect to her teachers, I have always enforced the dress code and she's never fought it. However, most of the girls in class don't even pull their hair back at all.

A few weeks ago a mom approached me and asked how I convinced my daughter to put her hair into a bun. I told her that I just told Mona Lisa that it was part of the dress code. The mom then said she could barely convince her daughter to wear a ponytail and that it was ridiculous to fight it. Is she kidding? Who's in charge? If my daughter refused to wear a bun or follow any other part of the dress code, I would refuse to pay for her class and I would definitely not drive her there.

This reminded me of a blog entry I read a few months ago. The author was frustrated about a situation and her husband made the comment that "it's because parents try to avoid confrontation with their kids." Then she goes on to write, "Seriously? Seriously? They are PARENTS! There is SUPPOSED to be confrontation."

I know there is a lot of emphasis placed on "choosing your battles." And maybe some people will feel that whether or not your child wears a bun to dance class is not worth the "controversy" it would cause. But, I feel that the bun signifies respect for the teacher and the rules. If you don't teach your children respect for the rules then what else are you teaching or not teaching them.

I know I'm not a perfect parent. I have definitely made my fair share of mistakes. What I have learned through these mistakes is that part of loving your child is to give them discipline and to teach them respect by having rules and guidelines. And then by enforcing them.

So, I leave you with this quote by King Edward VIII: "The thing that impresses me the most about America is the way parents obey their children."