Out of Time...Rally the Troops!

I just found out from an "insider" that the board has pretty much made up their mind on certain important budget decisions. We need community support tomorrow night at the school board meeting. Last month there were 1200 citizens at the meeting to tell the board to do/cut anything but DON'T raise our taxes.
We need to tell them tomorrow to make other cuts, but please do raise taxes before increasing class size, before cutting certain school professionals and programs.
What do you think is important in your child's education? Do you think they need 5 or 6 more kids in their class? Do you think they should have unsupervised playgrounds? Do you think highschool kids don't need school counselors even though that is who helps with college prep and admissions? Do you think when teachers in Jordan School District have bigger classes, less support staff, less supervising staff, fewer resources, lower morale, and just plain poor crappy working conditions they will keep teaching in Jordan School District?
Well, I want the good teachers to stay. I want good people to continue to move to the westside. I want business growth on the westside. None of this will happen if our school district becomes what it might without tax increases. Do you want to live in a district and send your kids to school in a place that within a few years will earn the reputation for having the worst teachers, biggest classes, no extracurricular activities, and just plain POOR educational opportunities for kids.
I DON'T!
So, let's make a difference tomorrow night at the school board meeting. Just tell them what you think. They change what they do based on citizen input. Let's not let the 1200 uninformed become the people who made the difference. I think we can all give up a little something for the kiddos.
We pay more for a night out than we do for a year of educating our own kids.
Call everyone you know and let's see how many people we can get to speak up tomorrow night at the Jordan School District Board of Education Meeting.
Held at:
Auxiliary Services Building (Board Room)
7905 South Redwood Road
7:00 pm
this is the old DI building near the corner of 78th and Redwood across from Gold's Gym.
Call me if you have any questions (801) 792-1478

MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

HELP ME, HELP ME!!! (do I sound desperate, well then read on)
If you live in, or know someone who lives in Jordan School District please follow my blog for the latest correct information on what is happening in our district. I will be giving daily updates on what we as citizen can do to help take control of our children's educational futures.
Background information:
Two years ago the Utah State Legislature approved the eastside cities of Jordan District to withdraw from the district. This created the new Canyons District and the new Jordan District. The legislature imposed on the westside students an enormous burden of lost revenue. This coming year we will see the biggest impact to date to the new Jordan District.

WE ARE BROKE!!! Thanks a lot Senator Waddoups (my personal fav) oh, and for you proud South Jordaners a big fat super T-H-A-N-K-S to Senator Buttars (what a gem for our state). I might have to go off now that I mentioned him. Where oh where to begin.... I better save it for another day, I want to keep this post G-rated.

So, all you passionate (or not) citizens of Jordan District join with me won't you? (pound your fist and chant)
RAISE MY TAXES!
RAISE MY TAXES!
RAISE MY TAXES!
Wait I didn't hear you with me. Maybe you need more info before you join in my chant.
We need approximately 40 million dollars to keep the schools running at less than they are right now.
There are many proposed ideas on what to do. Cut teacher salaries by 3%, cut school psychologist, counselors, nurses, music programs, on and on and on. Oh and did I mention increase class size by up to 5 students per class.
These are just a few of the millions of dollars in programs and professionals proposed to cut.
What then, you ask, is a gal (or guy) to do?
Well, one option that will minimally impact everyone is.....(drum roll please)
RAISE MY TAXES!
RAISE MY TAXES!
RAISE MY TAXES!
The largest tax increase proposed by the Board of Education (they're the one's who will decide what to do about our poverty-stricken district) will cost approximately $60 per $100,000 of house value. So if your house is worth $200,000 (according to another love of mine the county tax valuation committee) you would pay an extra $120 per YEAR.
SAY WHAT?!?!? you ask. That's it. That's all.
YEP, 10 bucks a month more to edu-ma-freakin-cate your kiddos. What a DaRn bargain.
So, join with me...
Dear Jordan Board of Education,
Because we love you so, please do our kiddos a favor (and my coronary arteries) and let me skip one trip to McDonalds per month and therefore maintain a quality education for my oh so intelligent, genius, talented, children.
There you go! Part 1 of the save our district post.
Please send a link to this blog to anyone you know who lives in Jordan School District and lets see if moms and bloggers around here can make a difference.
Check back tomorrow for more. (oh and maybe even some more about our Senate gems Waddoups & Buttars----was that a punk band in the late 80's?)
PS the board meets tomorrow,they may have already decided on the budget.

Sorry mom....

This is the conversation I had with Luke this morning.
"Sorry mom, but we can't give you a piece of the world for your birthday."
"Oh really?" (I am totally clueless what this kid is talking about)
"Yeah, but how about a crab instead?"
"Okay that would be great too."
After the conversation was over I had to think what on earth he was talking about. Then, it dawned on me. Every year on my birthday or Christmas the boys ask me what I want and I always tell them, "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men." Well, they have been asking me what I want again this year, and I have been giving my usual response. It now occurs to me that my sweet little 4 year old is trying to figure out how to buy a piece of the earth for me. What a cutie pie. As for the crab I have no idea!

My Baby is One!

Well, actually he's 14 months now, but this is one of his adorable one year old photos that I just had to share. I finally got some printed and I think he is too cute for words. And yes, those are his actual eye color, no photo editing at all on this photo. I just love this kid, he is such a busy BOY. That is what everyone says about Max, he is all boy.

A Memorable Memorial

We had a fun-filled Memorial Weekend. First, my dad invited all the boys in the fam to go on his ward's father and sons outing. My boys were so excited. Of course I spent some time Friday morning having the boys pack all the possible things they might need for the campout. In all it wasn't too much stuff, only one bag for the boys to share. Apparently my sis Alisa was a good mother too and made sure her boys were prepared, but we both got sufficiently mocked in the end for overpacking our boys. It is true that boys can just plain do without all the stuff we girls think they need. This was definitely evidenced when my brother "packed up" all his gear for the campout. He came up the stairs with a sleeping bag, a sweatshirt and a hat. 'Nuf said!

They all had a great time making memories with grandpa and the uncles and cousins, but everyone missed the out-of-state boys.

My cute camping boys. Randy snapped this pic because he had never seen anything like it before. Yes, that's Mike reading a book. That's what a good woman will do for you. The filthy little pigs. I'm pretty sure those hands never got washed, not even before eating.

The report upon returning home was that the best part was the tug-of-war and the snake they found on their hike.

While the boys were off being manly, the girls all stayed at grandma's. We went out to dinner, chatted on the patio and experienced some trauma. Max wasn't invited on the boys campout so he had to stay with the girls. This was the result.

(this was after a bath and 2 popsicles to bring down the swelling)

Max is so blessed to have his cousins that love and take care of him. I felt so bad for both Max and his loving little cousin mother when they took a horrible fall leaving the restaurant. Max ended up somehow smashing his face on something when they fell and split his lip, tore the frenulum (that little thingy inside your mouth that connects your top lip to your gums), bloodied his nose, and skinned his nose, lip and chin. There was so much blood and he was crying so hard. I guess I have been out of nursing practice too long because I had to try to keep calm. I just didn't want his little cousin mother to be more traumatized than she already was. It was so sad, but amazingly he has healed up so quickly like kids do. The fall was Friday night and this is how it looked only 24 hours later. The "Homer Simpson" look was gone quickly. I just hope Bev's little heart is feeling better now too.

And now less than a week later it's just a little scab.

On Monday we took the kids hiking in Big Cottonwood Canyon. We started out heading up to Doglake, but after crossing the creek twice and looking on to the steep rocky cliff that was ahead we decided to go down to the Lake Blanche trail instead. The kids did awesome and had a great time. On the campout they had been a little rusty on their hiking, so we got it back in their blood really quick. When we were done they didn't want to leave, they had to climb a few more rocks first. Max was a little trooper in his "maxpack".

It was a great weekend and now I can't wait for summer. Thanks for all the memories.

Look who's walking!

I can hardly stand it! My baby wants to grow up to quickly. I knew when he was 3 months old that this kid was going to walk early, but I still like to think of him as my brand new baby. He is so funny, he loves to walk everywhere now and is always in a hurry like a walk/run combo. He has been walking pushing his little car for a couple of months, so I knew any day he would just take off on his own and he has. He gave up the crawling just a few days before his 10 month birthday. I am thankful for the sake of his poor knees that he has given up crawling just in time for shorts. I started feeling guilty everytime I would dress him in shorts because his knees would get such bad rug burn. Jack and Luke love that he can walk. They try to bribe him to walk to them, its a contest to see who he will walk to. The winner is usually whomever has the best sock to give Max. That boy loves to chew himself a good sock.

I Hate Guns

As far back as I can remember I have always hated guns. I used to go shooting with a friend's family in middle school and I remember hating it then, but I haven't shot a gun since. Ever since Randy first met me he has tried to change my opinion of guns since he loves to shoot and now he has an ally in a dear family member who loves guns more than a person should (this person will remain anonymous). So, they finally got the girls out shooting, and I must say it was fun...after the initial shock. I really didn't mind shooting the little guns like the .22 revolver and .22 rifle, but the big guns still scare me. Maybe someday I could see the fun in such a hobby, but I'm not a full believer yet.

As you can see I don't look natural in any way shooting a gun.

It's kind of like that old mom saying "it's not that I don't trust you...I just don't trust the other people out there". I feel that way, I trust myself with a gun, but I don't trust anyone else to be as careful as me.

Thanks for the fun day everyone, and special thanks for not killing me or anything else. I do have a question for you out there...does anyone know if it is safe to shoot a 100 year old gun with 100 year old bullets? (oh well, I'm just glad they didn't explode)

By the way, after all the anxiety of handling and shooting guns all day, I didn't sleep a wink and had the most horrible nightmares. I think it's going to take a lot more shooting therapy to get me over this intense phobia.