Those D#$% Marshmallows!!!

Those D#$% Marshmallows!....ok please excuse my self indulgent gripe session. As a mom I keep a mental list of things I never buy at the grocery store no matter how much the kids beg or how good a deal it might be.

Freezies, especially the small ones.... If I buy a box of 350 there will be exactly 349 wrappers left through out the house, yard and lawn. Oh how I love the blizzard of plastic the next time some one (usually me) mows the lawn.

Band Aids...A box of a hundred lasts less than 24 hours....every minuscule abrasion and bug bite must be covered in nanoseconds.Plus, Band aids become the best substitute for tape in craft projects. And come on if a Kramer kid truly requires a band aid its time to go to the ER anyway.

Suckers....Its not just the wrapper (my kids are still mystified by the use of a garbage can) but the sticky stick that then has to be surgically removed from the carpet or couch cushions. This last week, I have added another item to the list....

Mini Marshmallows....its totally my fault, on Canada day Superstore had 1 kg bags of mini marshmallows for 99 cents...99 cents! I bought six...I couldn't help myself. Since then I have cursed them. These marshmallows are magic, appearing all over the house all by themselves. (my kids wouldn't sneak them, would they?! ) I've completely had it this morning....one of my brilliant offspring left marshmallows all over the deck. Marshmallows, hot sun & hot deck ! Nothing like stepping in gooey marshmallows first thing in the morning. I have know discovered another use for the paint scraper.....oh the joys of motherhood .

Kissing a Jelly Fish & the Man-kini

Our teenagers along with their friends tried to plan a day at the beach, minus adults. When us parents caught wind, we gleefully sabotaged their plan :). Thankfully none of them drive yet so... we turned it into "Family Fun" Day at the beach.
Parents happy...Teenagers not so happy, oh well. We spent all day at the beach....10 hours to be exact and had a great time :) How can you tell we're Mormon? Two 15 passenger Vans & a Suburban....... might be a clue

Sunset

Moonrise

Hanging out

Roasting Wienies

Alex came home with a rash on one side of her face and I had no idea what caused it....until I saw this picture...no more kissin' Jellyfish ok Alex!

Madison & another Jellyfish...the clear ones aren't supposed to sting you...but why take the chance?





Warning....this photo is intended for sun burnt audiences only....

Ron Hodacsek...Our Elders Quorum President....sporting the "MAN-KINI"

"Educational" Video Games !?

Dallyn...Gamer extraordinaire

I can't stand video games...But you wouldn't think it... We own a playstation, a wii, those dance mats, rock band minus the drums (nobody has owned up to breaking them yet), singstar and countless other computer/video games. I have spent less than an hour total in my life gaming...I feel it was a wasted hour. My girls could take them or leave them...the boys in the house are a totally different story. Yes boys... Grant & Dallyn, Grant turns into a ten year old when the wii remote is in his hand. Dallyn is actually pretty good or so I am told...Grant is so proud of his little protegee (eye-roll).So far I have put up with this father-son bonding. Dallyn, has restrictions, he is only allowed use any form of gaming one hour a day if his chores are done...But a conversation with my persuasive, smart- Alec 10 year old (the shorter one) yesterday is making me re think.

Dallyn (wanting more time on the computer): Mom you know "Metal of Honour"(war game) is educational...

Me: Oh really, Dallyn

Dallyn: Yup mom it is.... It teaches you were all the vital organs are...

Me: Oh brother

Dallyn: It is, I know where the heart, spleen, kidneys, liver, brain are...

Me: Guess what Dallyn, no more 'metal of honour'

I guess he'll be ahead of the game in biology next year...until then we'll stay away from the "educational" video games... Yes once again I am out of the running for parent of the year status :)

Happy Pioneer Day...y'all !

Grandma Beena meeting Holly for the first time...April 1994, Logan, Utah
Christmas in Logan, Utah 1945 Grandpa Wendell, Grandma Beena, Uncle Pete, Les (my Dad) seated, Aunt Bev, Uncle Bob (seated), Uncle Bill, Great-Grandma Ash (seated), Uncle John.


July 24th is a Utah State holiday...not that I usually pay attention to State Holidays...But Saturday is Pioneer Day in Utah. A day to honour the sacrifices the early Saints made to escape religious persecution. I come from pioneer stock on both sides. But when I think of pioneers I think of my Great Grandmother Ellen Matilda Ash. Ellen at the age of 2,with her infant sister and parents, crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Enoch Train (passenger ship), took a steam train from Boston to Iowa City, from there they came to the Salt Lake Valley in the first Handcart Company (Edmond Ellsworth Company 1856)...They endured thunderstorms, cold,hunger and broken down carts...But arrived in Salt Lake September 16, 1856...


I never knew my Great Grandma Ash (she lived to be 99) but I knew her daughter...My Grandma Beena. Grandma Beena was spunky, quick-witted, drove a '63 Buick Wildcat 'til she was 95(quit when the walk to the car became to difficult),walked faster, with a cane, than I could without, dressed impeccably,saw three centuries, loved the colour red, never forgot a birthday or anniversary, and gave me the best advice I have ever received. "Raise your kids so other people can stand them!"

She could sure tell a story and usually had you in stitches by the end...hanging her wash inside on Sunday, hiding the coffee pot from the home teachers, sneaking Jack Daniel in to her nursing home, hoping she didn't die in the bathroom like her neighbour, hitching the horses to their first car because the crank start wouldn't work.

Even though she was well acquainted with heartache and trials...she would often say "the cure to any worry is work..."


Grandma Beena was the only 103 year old that you could say died unexpectedly...she was with it to the end.I think because I knew Beena I know some of what my great grandmother was like. I am honoured to have a pioneer legacy...I enjoy much because of the sacrifices they made. So I say, whether I am in Utah or not,...Happy Pioneer Day.

My Superman needs a Helmet

Where Grant's head went through the dry wall...Grant was going to repair it but then remembered he couldn't drive to Home Depot ;)

Okay so I now know Grant needs adult supervision and a helmet when I leave for any length of time. I knew Grant would have fun with Alex & Dallyn while the girls and I were gone...movie, dinner in Nanaimo...Pizza for three nights....root beer by the case. What I didn't realize is that Alex and Dallyn would get a first hand lesson in first aid. Grant, our favorite super hero,running out the door for work, tripped on the stairs and landed head first into the drywall at the bottom of the landing. Grant was knocked sense less but able to tell Dallyn to phone our Elder's Quorum President.

"Hi Brother Hodaseck, This is Dallyn., can you come take my dad to the hospital" Dallyn was apparently cool as a cucumber. When Ron got here...he called 911 and Grant's boss Sandra...EMT's back boarded Grant and then called a second crew to help get my Superman out of the house. Sandra came over, before they left, to make sure the kids were taken care of (she knew I was at camp) and said "you know you could of just called in sick like the rest of them :)...She is the best. Grant spent the next six hours being worked over at the ER. Wip lash and a concussion but no broken bones...We are counting our blessings. Ron stayed with Grant the entire six hours and even help him when the nurse wouldn't let Grant go to the potty by himself. (Above and beyond the call of duty, but thanks Ron)

Grant wouldn't let any one call me to come home.... I think his super hero status was a little tarnished. Grant is sore but will be fine. I'll give him a few days before I expect him to brush up on his drywall repair skills. No more flying, Superman.

Girl's Camp Rocked!

If you ever have the opportunity to go to Girls Camp as a leader or tent mom, Do it! Do it! Do it! Normally my idea of camping is a Motel 6 with a bunch of trees around it but when Michelle, our YW president and one of my favourite people, asked "Do you want to go to Girl's Camp?" I jumped at the opportunity. The fact that it was at Taylor Arm Provincial Park on Sprout Lake, (the best swimming anywhere) and an opportunity to spend time with my girls and dear friends made the sacrifice of flush toilets and a warm bed easy.

Camp Highlights...

*Holly and Bailey and the rest of the fourth year girls canoed across the lake and spent the night and canoed back completing their "hike" requirements. None of them fell out or had to be rescued...quite the accomplishment.

*Swimming in the Lake...better than any spa treatment

*Eggs, Cheese, Hash browns...so happy together :)

*Campfire Sing-A-Long...Michelle you are a Rock star

*Maggie: Tent Mom and Woods-Woman-Extraordinaire-now I can use declination or azimuth correctly in a sentence.

*Testimony meeting

*President Van Horne and the word LEGIT

*Arising at 5 am is no more painful than 7 am as long as there is a lake and a sunrise involved.

Camp is always a blast. It is an honour to witness the strength of our YW. Their capacity to love and include all is limitless. As evident when a girl who had come to camp for the first time shared that she has been picked on since the second grade, but at camp felt loved and accepted. At camp this young girl, with many odds stacked against her, was able to be herself. Bright, amazing and full of potential. Faith, another YW, with a sweet countenance was able to attend with the help of Sister H. In Faith's presence you could not help but feel pure love and joy. An instant reminder that there are indeed "Angles Among Us". I came home with my bucket full. With a renewed desire to share my love with others....I guess girls camp isn't just for the girls.

Vacation...Who Needs One.

Kye Bay at Sunset- June 2010

Paradise Meadows- Strathcona Park- Top of Mount Washington -Summer 2009

Monday morning Grant and I were asked to help transport members of the Cardston (Alberta) Girls Choir, who had been performing at a music festival in Powell River...from the Powell River Ferry Terminal to the Comox Airport (we are usually the first ones called, one of the blessings of owning our fifteen passenger van, "the loser cruiser").... less than a ten minute drive. In an effort to avoid the awkward silence, We struck up a conversation with one of the chaperones.After a couple of minutes of the usual get to know you questions and several comments about how beautiful it is here she asked us....

So if you live here...where do you go on vacation?

We thought for a second..."well we've taken trips back to Alberta a couple of times...but a vacation... you don't really need to leave the Island for that."

That question has reminded me again our truly blessed we are to live here. Grant and I take vacations all the time...for an evening, a day or a weekend ...never more than a few hours from home.

Don't Ever Lock Me in the Laundry Room

If you ever want to torture me...lock me in the laundry room! I'd rather scrub toilets than do laundry and please, if laundry is a requirement to make it to Heaven, count me out now. I don't have a chance in HECK! It doesn't matter how hard I try the "mountain" never disappears. The only thing that differs is it degree of climbing difficulty. I naively thought that all my problems where solved six years ago when we bought the largest washer and dryer Sears could legally sell us. The washer was worth more than our mini van (our lawn mower was worth more than that van ;)) It was the largest single purchase we had ever made... But until they make a washer that goes around the house, picks up all the clothes, sorts, washes, dries, folds, returns them to the proper place and can teach my teenagers the mystical science behind the closing of their dresser drawers ...It doesn't matter how expensive or big the machine is, my mountain will still exist.

Yesterday and today I have had to face my biggest nemesis. I have gotten the "mountain" down to a large mole-hill. Yeah Me! My motivation?.... My three oldest girls and I head to YW camp in the morning...and apparently clean clothes are a camp requirement now ;)

A Fireside With Fire

Fireside at Goose Spit Park -Goose Spit is a narrow strip of land that helps form Comox Harbour with a sandy beach on one side and a sheltered lagoon on the other. One of the only places in town that allows campfires on the beach.

Our Sister Missionaries

Beach side view

Lagoon side- It was a beautiful sunset

I have been a member of the LDS Church my whole life. In fact I'm 7th generation LDS, so you could say it runs deep. But there is one thing I have never quite understood, why we call firesides, "fire"sides (Firesides provide opportunities for Church members and friends to gather and be instructed and edified. They are usually more relaxed than regular church meetings and focus on a single topic of general interest). I have never seen fire involved in a fireside ever. Well that is until last night. Our ward meet on the beach at Goose Spit Park, around a blazing camp fire...finally a real "fire"side. 27 degrees C in the shade at 7:30 pm plus, a raging fire made for a very toasty evening, but it was really cool. The setting was beautiful and so peaceful. We had a great time together and the fire made for perfect marshmallow roasting to conclude the night.

Glasses are cool...NOW!

Bailey's new specs....

We took Bailey to the ophthalmologist a week or so ago...because SHE asked us too. I guess we lose our "parents of the year" status, dang it. All of the kids had their eyes checked about two years ago and everything was fine. But, Bailey has been saying for more than a month that she was having a hard time seeing the board at school... Sure enough the kid needed glasses. (This might explain a PE injury and her train wreck on the church sidewalk that required more stitches than all the other kids have had, combined)

I think Bailey looks awesome in glasses. Bailey thought getting glasses was cool and had a hundred different options to choose from, I was soooo jealous!

I wore glasses from the time I was two until I was in my late twenties. Glasses were neither cool or stylin' in the 70's, 80's, or 90's... There were three choices....

1. Something my Grandad would wear....

2. Something my Grandma would wear....

WAIT FOR IT :)..........

3. Something "Steve Urkel" off the 90's sitcom "Family Matter's would wear....

All I can say is WOW....Junior High was rough for me....

1. Poodle Perm....how come nobody stopped me!

2. Those Glasses...I think the "Hubbel" has smaller lenses.

3. The Tacky Christmas sweater, I wore 'til June...Thanks Mom!

Good thing I was spunky, quirky, and never worried much about what other people thought :) At least for Bailey, glasses are cool...NOW!

Cousins in Courtenay

The last night our cousins were here we took off to the beach...it was too hot to do much else. Holly's friend Milena was with us and took these awesome pictures. I wish I had her kind of skills now, much less at 16. It amazes me that the kids would do anything Milena told them to do for the perfect shot. I point a camera anywhere near them and there's a collective groan accompanied by the perpetual eye-roll. Thanks Milena...I know you'll be famous someday.

Cousins in Courtenay

Karaoke Kramer

My husband has an obsession with Karaoke...there I said it! Admitting there is a problem is the first step, right Grant? Any time there is a Karaoke machine set up within a 100 yard radius Grant is drawn to it like a bug to a zapper. The fact that this happens at Church related functions and he can't really sing makes it all that much more humiliating, for me any way. I first realized that there might be an issue a couple of years ago at a Port Alberni ward dinner when Grant, Darren G, our Bishop & our Stake President were singing "Margarita-ville" as their wives where putting tables and chairs away around them. This year at the Canada day, Courtenay ward pot luck Grant continued his obsession in fine form. "Grant step away from the mic, and nobody will get hurt"... " "Grant you need to let the Sister Missionaries have a turn." Way to make the family proud!... "Karaoke" Kramer.

Parksville and the Family Tradition

Taylor

Jordyn

Dallyn- trying out the skim board for the first time

Holly, Taylor, Alex, Madison, Jordyn

Kramer Cousins

Who knew a simple day at the park three summers ago could begin a family tradition but it did.

Kramer Cousins + Parksville + Community Playground + Beach = Family Tradition

Each summer my bother & sister in law & nieces spend several days at a time share over looking Parksville Beach (lucky devils). We live about 45 minutes away, so its easy to meet up for the day. Parksville has the best playground on the Island. An acre of swings, slides and jungle gyms with a water park & sandy beach a few metres away..what more could any kid or adult ask for.

Our day is simple. Pack as many beach toys and blow up animals as can fit in the loser cruiser, load up on snacks, drive 45 minutes, let them loose (the joys of having kids old enough and willing enough to supervise the younger ones.) Us adults sit around enjoying the sunshine & conversation pretty much uninterrupted. Other than the occasionally application of sun screen and hand over of cash for french fries from the over priced snack bar, our kids barely acknowledge we exist for five hours...HEAVEN! It is a day my nieces and kids talk about all year. We end the evening by leaving the rug rats at the time share and going out for dinner to an awesome Greek place we stumbled on last year. I don't think I could plan a more perfect day if I tried. A family tradition that all started because of a simple day at the park...