A Missionary Now :)

Bailey painted this over a year ago in her Grade 10 Visual Arts Class (Bailey is one of four LDS students at her High School)....

A cubism using the Del Parson, 1988 rendition of the First Vision. We think she did an awesome job.....It now hangs proudly in my dining room.

Fast forward to last week.....

Our missionaries knocked on our door and said they just had the coolest thing happen....Super excited they shared the following....

They were tracting (knocking on doors) in our neighbourhood and meet a teenager...She listened to their short message and accepted the DVD The Restoration...

The girl looked at the DVD and said "I've seen that picture before, a girl at my school painted it!?" She then agreed to meet with the missionaries again.

Yup we think that's pretty cool, too and are glad the missionaries shared it with us.

Dental Disconnect

I have many friends in the dental profession and this is no way a reflection any of them. But I really do hate the dentist. I think its a phobia. And I have desperately tried not to pass on my feelings to my children. Fail. Last week's dental emergency with Madison made me realize I am not the only one with a {slight} phobia. Sorry Maddie.

Living in Canada we have the luxury of very few out of pocket medical expenses....one thing that is not covered is dental.

Now, I'm no accountant but let me tell you, Dentists are EXPENSIVE!

We do have extended benefits through Superman's work that are pretty good {I thought}....So I wasn't worried when I took Maddie in for her second dental exam in a week....

After about an hour, I am summoned to the exam room to consult with the dentist, Maddie is still in the chair....One look at the chart and I realize this might take a while......Our dentist is very good at explaining what needs to be done and doesn't in the least make me feel incompetent or like a dumb parent, something I am grateful for....But then she mentions that ideally Maddie will need dental implants to replace the two molars that need to extracted by the dental surgeon....

My jaw hitting the floor must have been obvious by her next statement....

Why will this dental work be a stretch [financially] for your family?

My response "How much we talkn'"

The fillings she needs a couple thousand plus...(with insurance we should be ok?)

But the dental surgeon may or may not be covered and the implants are $5000 A TOOTH and will not be covered by insurance....

Good thing I had the door frame to hold me up....Say What??? Wow!

Alrighty then.....There isn't a family I know, that a $10-20 thousand dental bill wouldn't be a stretch for....just saying....

The next morning I get a call from the dental surgeon's office....They have booked Maddie for February. "We will need {nearly $1000} on the day of surgery" OUCH was all I could say...."We do take Visa and MC" like that's supposed to make me feel better....

I hang up not knowing weather to laugh or cry.....My only thought,  If you have to ask "Will this be a stretch for you ??" You suffer from dental disconnect.


I have done a little magic math {at the bank of parents} and research and think I have things covered....we will attack this in stages, dealing with the important things first, dental implants can and will wait, with insurance and spreading this out over the next 6 or so months, it shouldn't be too painful, here's hoping......I think I now have (self-diagnosed) dental financial phobia on top of my Dentophobia (its real I looked it up :)

Cry If You Want To :)

What a difference a week makes....In weather, in laundry :), in perspective.  Our plate is still rather full and nothing has magically disappeared...But things are lookin' up and I am rather relieved about that....

A friend, who knew we were having a rough time last week asked if I had heard Holly Cole (jazz singer) before? Nope, I hadn't. My friend said "well there's this song she sings"....... Its says exactly what I would  tell you...."It's okay to cry, I won't tell not to"


Cry (if you want to)
by: Holly Cole

Cry if you want
I wont tell you not to
I won’t try to cheer you up
Ill just be here if you want me

It’s no use in keeping a stiff upper lip
You can weep you can sleep you can loosen your grip
You can frown you can drown and go down with the ship
You cry if you want to
Don’t ever apologize venting your pain
Its something to me you don’t need to explain
I don’t need to know why
I don’t think it’s insane
You can cry if you want to

The windows are closed
The neighbors aren’t home
If it’s better with me than to do it alone
I'll draw all the curtains and unplug the phone
You can cry if you want

You can stare at the ceiling and tear at your hair
Swallow your feelings and stagger and swear
You could show things and throw things and I wouldn’t care
You can cry if you want to

I won’t make fun of you
I won’t tell any one
I won’t analyze what you do or you should have done
I won’t advise you to go and have fun
You can cry if you want to

Well it’s empty and ugly and terribly sad
I can’t feel what you feel but I no it feel bad
I know that its real and it makes you so mad
You could cry

Cry if you want to I won’t tell you not to
I won’t try and cheer you up
Ill just be here if you want me; to be
Near you
{My New Favourite Song}

I can be guilty has anyone, when someone comes to me with a worry, I automatically think "how can I fix it".....

Last week I didn't need anyone to fix it for me, or jump on the frustration band wagon with me. I just needed someone to listen with out criticism and understand without judgement. I just need that shoulder to cry until I  could remember how funny life really is.....

Our lives are truly blessed with the best kind of people....Thank you my friends. {All of you}

Mountains and Miracles

Last week was full of mountains. There were moments I was positive my whole world was falling apart. I could not see any way around, through, or over the mountains that stood in our way. Heavy laden was an understatement. I cried. A lot. I was hurting, my Superman was heartbroken. All I wanted to do was fix it. But I knew it wasn't my mountain and it never needed fixing. The climber, my Superman just needed a hand to pull him higher and hold on tight until he gained his footing again.

 All I could do was pray. Pray that that hand would some how come....

Please just give him the courage to hang on, was my constant prayer, as I held on to the only thing I still had, hope. There is always hope.

That hand did come. And many more. The out pouring of love, support and understanding, humbling.

Not just for Superman, but for me....We don't have to climb our mountains alone.

As I spoke to my dear friend about the mountains and miracles of this very trying week. She said "it's okay, I won't tell not to cry"...and we cried. I love our friends.

I end this week grateful for inspired priesthood leaders and friends. Kind words mend hearts and change lives. Because of them we will master another mountain.

How To Suck at Parenting

So its official I suck at parenting....

Madison came home from YW tonight and looked like she had a tennis ball in her cheek. She didn't look like that when she came home from school. She then mentions that her tooth has been bugging for a few days....

Grant and I have a quick discussion and I take her up to the er.....

A dental abscess.....iv antibiotics every 8 hours for the next 48 hours....dentist ASAP

I feel terrible, she never said anything....At least the resident and attending were super nice and understanding....I know I'm an idiot parent all on my own.

I guess I should find a good book, as I will now spend the weekend at the er....now I know those parenting books are around here somewhere....

Hold on to Hope (and Courage)

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Life is a tough happy-sad-joyful-overwhelming HOPEFUL journey.

Mostly good and happy days, with a few bottom of the barrel days, thrown in, just to make sure you are paying attention.

Some of us are better than others at hiding our troubles, they've perfected their Sunday faces, I guess....I haven't

Some hurts and heart ache are easily seen and understood, While others are Invisible to the eye and only felt by the knowing heart....

A heart that has walked that invisible journey too.....



A tough and rough day, I lost my Sunday Face a long time ago, (ok I never really learned that face in the first place, I also suck at poker) .No none of this has to do with the Superman's and mine marriage, we are stronger than ever, my children are well (last time I counted 4, no 5) And my Superman is dealing with life,  the only way he knows how.....bravely and humbly healing his invisible heartache, one stitch at a time....And I am my always HOPEFUL self. Tomorrow is new and better day.


I end today with four for sure things (said in my best California girl twang)

Hope is everything

Sometimes things have to fall apart, before they can come together.

My life is blessed with wonderful people

and yes... the Kramers, even the Krazy ones are loved.

Promises for 2012

I will not yell at my rug rats between the hours of 3 and 4 am.

We will only have frozen pizza one night a week.

I will limit my self to 2 cans of Dr Pepper a week, unless I'm hormonal.

I will cheerfully make dinner at least once a week.(frozen pizza does not count)

I will not roll my eyes when asked to fill out permission slips or attend parent-teacher conferences.

I will ask my teenagers permission before I blog about them (unless it is really funny or stupid)

I will actually watch a Star Trek movie without mocking it vocally.

I will allow my Superman to buy what ever toilet paper his tushie desires.

I will walk in the laundry room once a day (to avoid denial).

I will only watch Dance Moms or Toddlers & Tierras when I feel like a bad parent.