Saturday, August 16, 2008

Aren't these cute???

I thought I'd post what I've been working on lately in Primary. I got this idea from mormonshare. We have a primary activity on service coming up and this is our handout. They are wristbands to hand out with the day and time on them. Cute huh?
Before you are thoroughly amazed at my translation skills, I have to admit I use a translating site to turn everything to Spanish for me. I have been picking up a little more though.

Do me a favor. The next time you are at church or out in public and hear someone who is bilingual, give them a pat on the back. Don't just let the thought enter you mind that oh, it's easy for them to pick up the language because they live here. NO, it doesn't just seep into their brains while they sleep at night {as I had previously thought and hoped}. No it takes tons of blood, sweat and studying. It is hard. I will always appreciate anyone who has or is going through this smoothing of a rough stone process. ALWAYS.
Another thing I can thank Costa Rica for. Boy they just keep adding up!!!

Friday, August 15, 2008

It's That Time of Year



I LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL!!! I know it's old, I remember my mom laughing every time it came on, and me, not getting the joke! Yesterday we saw our first back to school commercials. What a wonderful time of year it really is. I love the smell of a brand new box of crayola crayons! New school supplies, new classrooms, new friends and new wake up times. I have to say the J.C. Penny, Mervyns and Khols advertisements made me homesick for life in the states. Sniff, sniff.

Instead we will be HOMESCHOOLING. Yep, that's what I wrote, homeschooling.

The private school the boys attended, well, let's just say, it was costly and not worth the price. They wouldn't be able to make it in the states if they attended there one more year. I'm quite overwhelmed to think about teaching the three oldest, especially my sweet Paige. I love her, but if she doesn't want to do something, other than me tying her arms and legs to mine and making her do it, she won't do it. {Which by the way, works!} I remember one day quite a few years ago, talking loudly to her {screaming actually, but I won't mention that here!} "You are 4 and I am 30! You will not win!!!" as we were in a head to head, I'm more stubborn than you stand off. So as far as the idea of a sweet mother lovingly teaching her youngsters at home, Paige has me shaking in my flip-flops.

The program we are using is the one everyone here uses. Calvert. Then we will look into putting the three oldest into a local private school part time. {at about $80 a month per munchkin, you can't beat it!} So as you get your little ones prepared for their newest adventure in life, pray for me. :)

Do you have a back to school tip or tradition that you can share with the rest of us? Since I only have 5 readers, if you could all 5 comment, that would be great. :) Think how much more efficient we could be with 5 more tips to get our wee ones out the door. Oh, and MaryAnn. Good luck with seminary this year. {hee! hee!}

Here's mine

The night before we make the lunches including the sandwiches. I don't put any condiments or lettuce on it if it's a meat sandwich. If it's PB&J I put a thin layer of peanut butter on both pieces of bread. That way it keeps the jelly from making the bread soggy. I pop the sandwiches in the freezer the night before. In the morning all we do is pop the sandwiches into the lunches and they are off. Extra bonus: the cold sandwiches keep the rest of the lunch cool.

Happy back to school!!!!

I had to post a picture.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Look What I Made...



This is a button I made to live on my sidebar. When you click on it, it takes you to www.mormon.org. Isn't that cool? If you want it to live on your sidebar too, email me and I'll send it to you.
photomom5@gmail.com
Or you can cilck on it, then right click on the larger image to save to your computer.

Here are the directions to add a button to your blogger blog.

1. click on "layout"
2. click on tab "page elements"
3. click on "add a gadget"
4. scroll down to picture and click
5. I don't add anything to tittle or caption because the picture says it all.
6. under link make sure it reads, http://www.mormon.org
7. now select Image, "choose file"
8. now find it on your computer and select.
9. click the orange save button
10. don't forget to drag the picture button in the order you want it to appear on your sidebar.
11. go to your blog and test it out, pretty cool!!!

Part II on our Trip to San Jose...

As you know from earlier we headed to San Jose, the capital city here, a few weeks ago. It had been quite awhile since we had done anything "vacation like" and the natives were getting restless. We basically tagged along with Rusti. San Jose is where we do any major shopping. They have Payless Shoes there, however you won't find anything for under $20 there. {O.K. so I just realized I let you in on my secret, I"M CHEAP!}
San Jose also sports a "PriceSmart", it's like a wanna be Costco. {Oh, how I've missed you Costco} Someone please buy a case of sweet grapes for me. If I dared to purchase them here I'd pay about $13 for a pound. And they have the audacity to carry seeds.

My daughter enjoys the finer things in life. The first thing she did was try and order room service. {Yeah, right!}

This is Aiden sporting the view from our hallway. It was beautiful, especially at night as we were fighting to get 5 kids to actually fall asleep.

Oh the luxury!!!! Here is where I spent many moments. Nah, I wish, but I did get in a 2 hour bath the first night. Yummy!!!
I thought this was cute of Wes and Landon.
Here is what I love about Costa Rica, parent traps like this train that rode around the mall, only cost $3.50 for all three of us. I was ready to pay $3 each like I would have in the states.
This is what our feet attire consists of now, flip flops. Wes accidentally called them thongs, like when we were kids. That started an interesting conversation. :)
We still don't have a car, and my little blue freedom doesn't live with me anymore, so we have to take a Taxi/Bus. It's a taxi that seats 15 people I believe. I won't tell you the cost of having us transported to San Jose and back, it will ruin my "cheap" status. But it is nice to be able to stretch out. Doesn't Aiden look like he appreciates it?
Here I am, only because I know if I don't post pictures of me every once in a while you will think that I'm a phantom, not real or pregnant. So here I am, early in the am, snuggled into the most comfortable bed I've slept in in years. I couldn't resist the fluffy robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door. {By the way I have a funny story about pregnancy I'm going to tell you soon.}
Here are my oldest 2 tickle torturing my youngest. And I do believe tickling is a form of torture!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

A Normal Trip to the Store...




One thing I do everyday is go to the grocery store. In the states I would attempt this feat once a week. I could maneuver 2 carts through Costco; one filled with kids and the other with my soon to be purchased goods. Bystanders would comment on my talents. Most comments would sound something like, "Boy, you sure have your hands full." {I could also get out of there under $200, another amazing feat!} Here the refrigerators are small (most available appliances are smaller actually). The good thing here is that food doesn't get lost in the deep end of the fridge. The negative, I have to shop often. So come along with me as I restock my fridge.

Okay...the wife just dosed off (hee hee) so I will see what I can do to finish this post. So....these are our front gates. The muchacho sitting down opens and closes the gate by hand. He has to sit in that chair for an entire shift. The guard shack or "casitas" has no A/C and I don't think I have ever seen a fan in there. The guard service is excellent and no one gets past these guys without a specific house number and typically verbal or written permission from an owner or tenant. About 150 meters straight out the gate and down the road is the main drag, not to mention Kentucky Fried Chicken where we can find the treasured Mug root beer:)


Look closely and you can see it. Right there....see it. We call it "peace of mind" and much better than the gaping hole that used to be there. We were worried the kids might fall in and are very pleased that the city took care of it so quickly.
Shawna: I wanted to mention here that underneath this previous gaping hole was rushing water headed to the ocean. I was always worried the kids would mess around and fall in. Every time I walk over these now I let out a sigh of relief.


Ahhhh! My honey waiting on din din and bubbaloo looking at the kitty hiding in the wood stack out of view. This small restaurant/soda (A "soda" is a small spot to pick up some grub.) is called Pollo's Leña (Leña = firewood) and is located in the town of Orotina (on the road from San Jose) and is the best place to pick up some rotisserie chicken. At $9 bucks a chicken it better be good! Look closely....yes....that's a pig being roasted and was brought in by the locals for a party. We stuck with chicken:)
Shawna: This is from our trip to San Jose.



Okay, this is definitely my wife's department. However, I think can name some of them...go ahead...time me! From top to bottom and left to right: 1st row - Leaf lettuce, garlic. 2nd row - pinto beans, cashews, peas, yucca, cherry tomatoes, ???, limes or mamon, ???, peppers. 3rd row - green cabbage, tomatoes, empty, smaller tomatoes, red cabbage. We'll see how I did after the esposa reads this.
Shawna: I wanted to mention here that lately this has been my selection of produce. The produce area keeps getting smaller and smaller. My new item on my get from the states list is vegetable SEEDS.


P-pooh and mom walking to or from the store. The walk is rather nice and this stretch of sidewalk is the most scenic.
Shawna: O.K. let me change P-pooh to Paigee Pooh. Actually even that sounds bad, how about just Paige. Here I was trying to show how some of the sidewalk is beautifully pothole free. Although most of our trek is quite dangerous. {If you consider the chances of tripping dangerous}

Uhhh...here you can see that "Mega Super" has a decent selection of canned goods. And...I might add, that the clerks have a tremendous talent for agility and balance. NEWS FLASH...the power just went off here at home so I'll have to move quickly to...never mind it just came back on.
Shawna: You should have seen me trying to photograph this one. I didn't want to seem rude with my huge camera taking pictures of my sweet grocer friends so I just took it without looking. This picture describes Costa Rica. There aren't many rules to how things get done, they just get done. {sometimes} Can you imagine seeing this in the states? Someone would sue the store for negligence. My sister-in-law was given the flag to hold out her car window {the one that street construction workers are to use to slow people down} and hand to the worker that was 1/2 a mile up the road. The guy just handed it to her and said take this up. So funny!
I've also seen a man climbing up a ladder to the 4th floor of a building, outside, with a huge heavy box on his shoulder. No one was below holding the ladder and no one was up top to help him when he got there. I had to leave I couldn't even watch.

Maybe it's better when Wes does the comments, his are so much shorter.

Mmmm...fish eggs, anchovy paste, and sardines. Someone pass the crackers please...yeah right...this is just foul. I'd rather eat boiled cow tongue!
Shawna: I can get Caviar at my grocery store but not a brand name I recognize of tuna. I have to order that from another store.


Caviar is the processed, salted roe of certain species of fish, most notably the sturgeon. It is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread; for example, with hors d'œuvres...The highest prices paid are for the Beluga, Ossetra, and Sevruga varieties. (The large-grained Beluga caviar is from the Beluga sturgeon, a fish which is unrelated to the Beluga whale, a mammal, the word beluga derives from the Russian word for white.) -Wikipedia-


There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home.

Shawna: Cute honey! This was to show how most of the sidewalk looks.


There are a number of these little flower people embedded into the sidewalk. Stare at is long enough and you might expect it to start talking:)
Shawna: There are about 10 of these embedded in part of the sidewalk along my route. I always have to smile at these. They remind me of the book, Where the Wild Things Are. Love that one.


The yellow and brown gate or "portion" is where my sister used to live a few years ago. We have video of it from our visit in 2005. Oh and of course our beautiful daughter posing for the masses:)
Shawna: I wanted to show here how everyone is behind gates. I remember reading about how important sidewalks are to "child development". Yep, sidewalks. I've lived in both type of neighborhoods and the ones with sidewalks have a different type of neighborhood feeling, especially for the kids. Can you imagine what that child development book would say about houses with bars and fortresses built around them? Thanks for coming with us. I will take a mental note never to fall asleep with a sick little one again and leave my post up and halfway done. Then my husband will literally take over my blog and change everything including all the colors, the background, the sidebar, the info about me, the font, and give him access as an author. {ah ha, didn't think I found that last one, huh honey?!?!?}


Okay, that wasn't so hard. WB