I have been meaning to provide a linkie to this post for awhile now. Oh, how I can relate to aspiring to minimum maintenance mode, especially right now. I definitely aspire to get more done around here, and to do certain things with higher quality control, but my dedication to those aspirations varies every day. I keep making plans to organize my whole house before the baby comes. Then my ankles start swelling and a new part of me starts hurting (or I have a bad night of sleep), so I plop down on the couch to watch SYTYCD and congratulate myself on making chicken nuggets with tator tots for dinner.
Maybe tomorrow.....
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Show us whatcha got!
Announcing the......
Jeppson Family Reunion
Talent Show
to be held on
Saturday, July 19th
at 6:30 pm
in Charlotte, NC
Each family attending is asked to contribute at least one act. If you want to do more, great! You can even combine with other family members to do additional acts (like James and Roy could have a duel with light sabers!)
Be silly, be creative, or be simply amazing.
It doesn't need to be anything elaborate (especially with so little notice). It can be your child doing somersaults or reciting the pledge of allegiance. It can be a goofy skit (we know all of you Jeppsons can do that!) or you could blow us away with an incredible opera piece (yeah, not sure who would do that, but, you know....)
All we care about is having fun and laughing with/at each other! Start preparing now!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Triple Grumpiness
1. A crying Gabe is brought into our room at 5:30 am and never goes back to sleep. Chad had found him downstairs, wandering around. This after Colin woke up at 3:30 because of wetting his bed and I changed him and his bedding (Christie and James, I will let you decide who gets that bed in a couple of weeks ;o).
2. Chad has to take the van to the bus-stop because it was full of stuff he loaded up to take to the dump (leaving no room for the kids if I wanted to use it). As he walks out the door I realize that the pool pass is on that set of keys. We haven't been to the pool in over a week. Yesterday we couldn't because he forgot to take the van with all the junk in it.
3. I run out the door indecently dressed but he pulls away without seeing me. When I call him, he says he will take the boys swimming when he gets home from work. Then he remembers that he can't because he signed us up to feed the Elders today. Ugh. I guess it is a good thing I was planning on going to the grocery store today anyway.
Numbers 2 and 3 wouldn't normally make me grumpy but Number 1 makes all the difference.
2. Chad has to take the van to the bus-stop because it was full of stuff he loaded up to take to the dump (leaving no room for the kids if I wanted to use it). As he walks out the door I realize that the pool pass is on that set of keys. We haven't been to the pool in over a week. Yesterday we couldn't because he forgot to take the van with all the junk in it.
3. I run out the door indecently dressed but he pulls away without seeing me. When I call him, he says he will take the boys swimming when he gets home from work. Then he remembers that he can't because he signed us up to feed the Elders today. Ugh. I guess it is a good thing I was planning on going to the grocery store today anyway.
Numbers 2 and 3 wouldn't normally make me grumpy but Number 1 makes all the difference.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Homegrown Food
Zucchini bread (with cream cheese on top), made from zucchini straight from the garden.
A "lemon boy" tomato, added to a yummy summer salad.
You know you are in South Carolina when....
THIS is your ward 4th of July party!
South Carolina is really into fireworks, and though we live in North Carolina, our ward is in right over the border. The men in the ward pool together their money every year and pull off a fabulous fireworks show behind the church. We were in Spokane last summer for it, so this was our first time and we were very impressed! It was at least a half hour long!
Bobby and family came along. There was a potluck and lots of games and activities for kids and parents beforehand. I think it was the perfect way to spend the 4th.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Early 4th of July Celebration
Another generation of little boys learns the joy of at-home pyrotechnics.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Invasion of the Bodysnatchers?
We all love maternity parking, right? We were pretty excited to find a spot in the completely packed business center where our timeshare presentation was held.
But isn't this sign a little baffling? An alien on a maternity parking sign? I would understand if there was some kind of theme going on with all the signs in the lot, but there wasn't another alien picture to be found.
Even funnier was when we were leaving to go take a tour of the timeshare facility. It was at a different location than our presentation and we were going to follow "Stubby" there. When we told him we were parked in the maternity spot, he didn't know there was one, and we pointed towards the exit where it was located. He said he better take us out a different exit because that was where the designated smoking area was and he would get in trouble for taking us out that way.
And sure enough, when we got to the car, there were three employees taking their cigarette break in the "designated smoking area" which just happens to be right next to the maternity parking! Get a whiff of this, you little bodysnatcher you!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Jeppson Family Reunion - Secret Pixies
C'mon slackers who haven't answered!!!!!
So, family members, remember how we did Secret Pixies sometimes when were growing up? For the in-laws, I will fill you in - every once in awhile during FHE, we would each draw another person's name. We then became their Secret Pixie for a week. We were supposed to do nice things for them or give them little (very little) gifts. The point was that we were supposed to think about them and be considerate towards them. We were supposed to find ways to make them happy, while keeping it a secret.
I was thinking that it might be fun to do Secret Pixies during the family reunion. What do you think? We could do it a number of ways. We could do it by family. We could do it for each individual person, adult or child. Or we could just have the cousins participate. I think it would be a nice way to get the cousins excited about the other cousins they don't know very well. We could make the assignments beforehand so that we could all come prepared (or even start beforehand by mail), and the pixie acts could take place the actual three days of the reunion. It would definitely be all about thoughtfulness and not material goods.
If we did it by family, it would probably be simplest and those without kids could still participate. Even if some of the family members weren't old enough to know what was going on, the other family members would.
If we did it with individuals or cousins, it would make it more personal and each child would probably be more excited about paying attention to and getting to know the person they are assigned to. However, it makes it more complicated and more work - especially since we will probably do most of the work ourselves as the parents. I think it might be hard for Levi and Audra to explain to their non-English-speaking kids too, whereas if it were their whole family doing it together it might be easier.
Then again, maybe I am getting carried away and none of you want to do it period! :o) Don't be afraid to say so - I am all for keeping things simple and this would definitely add one more thing onto our t0-do list.
Are you cheap enough to hang?
As Chad brought up in the comments section under the Colin post, we were in Myrtle Beach courtesy of a timeshare company. We had to pay $30 and about $19 total in taxes for a two night stay in a Holiday Inn Express. Rates right now (high summer!) are about $75-$85 a night for this hotel (which was cheap for the area), so that alone is a pretty good deal. We also got a $50 dining certificate for Carrabas. Yum-O. We didn't get to choose the hotel - they gave us the voucher when we showed up, and I have to say that it was old, the beds were uncomfortable (at least for me), and the pool was pitiful. However, it was just a few blocks away from a uncrowded beach with tons of free parking, so we didn't really hang out at the hotel. Plus it had a continental breakfast, which we took full advantage of, and free wireless internet. In exchange for all of this, we donated 2 1/2 hrs (they always say it is going to be 90 minutes, but it never is) of our time to listening to a guy who asked us to call him "Stubby" (we didn't) trying to sell us a timeshare.
This timeshare business started about 18 months ago. We were driving to Myrtle Beach and saw a lot of billboards advertising a Myrtle Beach Visitor's Center ahead with free drinks, popcorn, and a kid's play area. We decided we could use a little stretch, so we pulled over. Oh, how naive we were. This center's sole purpose was to sign people up to listen to timeshare presentations. Being the cheapskates that we are, we were totally okay with that and signed up with the promise of three free tickets to see Medieval Times. We went to the presentation, got our tickets, and went to the show (which Colin loved!), where we were approached by a different company to listen to a timeshare presentation the next day. This time we would be rewarded with $100 in cash. Not bad at all. We went, got our money, and treated ourselves to a seafood buffet. By the way, that "visitor's center" is just one of many that you see on the way to Myrtle Beach, and within the city. It has to be the timeshare capital of the world.
Last year, Chad's grandparents were not going to be using their timeshare, so they offered it to us. It is in Canada, so we paid a $136 exchange fee and instead used a different timeshare in Orlando, FL for a week. It had two bedrooms, a living area, a full kitchen and a washer and dryer so we figured that with all that room we could take Bobby's family along. We had a great time playing with in the pirate kid's pool with slides, and the onsite miniature golf. It was quite a vacation.
As soon as we got there, Bobby and Chad found some little kiosks down the main drive saying that they sold discounted tickets - which, of course, we knew meant they signed you up for timeshare presentations. They each signed up for two. We got two free tickets to Disneyworld, and two free tickets to SeaWorld.
So we are old pros at the presentations. As soon as you get there you are assigned to a sales rep, or in one case, a group of people with one rep. Your kids can either stay with you or go to a play area. Colin has never wanted to leave us (don't blame him!) so we have always had both kids there. Sometimes they have crayons or something, but I usually don't worry about keeping them too busy because it puts the pressure on the rep to finish quickly. The rep then asks if you want to get some drinks and snacks. One time they had breakfast. You sit down with them and they tell you all the reasons why you are vacationing irresponsibly if you don't have a timeshare. They explain how their particular timeshare works - some are based on points, and others are a set week in the year. Then you tour the facility. They are generally very nice - two or three bedrooms, big tubs, pools and activities on-site. When you get back from the tour, the pressure starts. They always say they just want a "yes" or "no" but when you give them a "no," it definitely isn't the end. They will ask you why and debate with you, and then say you are done but actually send in one final person. Women representatives tend to take the "no" much easier than the men. Chad and I have found that we don't argue with them about whether it is a good deal or not because they will just try to explain more and more about why it is a good deal, and act like we just don't get it. We say something about how it isn't a priority in our lives (we used to use our student loans as the reason why), which they still argue with, but not as much. When you finally get through the closer, who is sometimes a little annoyed with you, they shuffle you out with your free stuff pretty quickly.
To these people, vacations are your life. If you don't own a timeshare, you are "renting" your vacation instead of "owning" it, and they actually act like you are irresponsible. The numbers they throw out are ridiculous (you CAN'T stay in a hotel for under $100 a night? YEAH RIGHT! The inflation rate of the vacation industry is 10%? SURE!), but the more you argue with them, the longer the whole thing takes, because there is no way they will admit that vacationing any other way is sensible. At the first one we ever went to, I told the sales lady that I really liked camping, and she actually said, "Well, you can't camp anywhere in the world and you CAN use our timeshare anywhere!" HUH? This same lady told us that she was working there to pay for the timeshare she had with them. Working to pay for one week a year?!?!?! Does that make sense?
Just so you know, they always tell you when you sign up that you are under no obligation to buy or even to be interested in buying, so I don't feel too bad going time and again.
You do have to make a certain amount of money to attend (usually ranging from $30,000 to $ 60,000), and you have to attend with your spouse.
And in case you can't tell, no matter how much money we make, we will never own a timeshare. We think they are are big rip-off. Just think about how much money they are spending just to get someone to listen to a presentation - how much money they can throw down the drain - and they are STILL making money off the few that do sign up. That will tell that you are the one getting the raw end of the deal if you sign up. For further clarification, read Chad's comments.
This timeshare business started about 18 months ago. We were driving to Myrtle Beach and saw a lot of billboards advertising a Myrtle Beach Visitor's Center ahead with free drinks, popcorn, and a kid's play area. We decided we could use a little stretch, so we pulled over. Oh, how naive we were. This center's sole purpose was to sign people up to listen to timeshare presentations. Being the cheapskates that we are, we were totally okay with that and signed up with the promise of three free tickets to see Medieval Times. We went to the presentation, got our tickets, and went to the show (which Colin loved!), where we were approached by a different company to listen to a timeshare presentation the next day. This time we would be rewarded with $100 in cash. Not bad at all. We went, got our money, and treated ourselves to a seafood buffet. By the way, that "visitor's center" is just one of many that you see on the way to Myrtle Beach, and within the city. It has to be the timeshare capital of the world.
Last year, Chad's grandparents were not going to be using their timeshare, so they offered it to us. It is in Canada, so we paid a $136 exchange fee and instead used a different timeshare in Orlando, FL for a week. It had two bedrooms, a living area, a full kitchen and a washer and dryer so we figured that with all that room we could take Bobby's family along. We had a great time playing with in the pirate kid's pool with slides, and the onsite miniature golf. It was quite a vacation.
As soon as we got there, Bobby and Chad found some little kiosks down the main drive saying that they sold discounted tickets - which, of course, we knew meant they signed you up for timeshare presentations. They each signed up for two. We got two free tickets to Disneyworld, and two free tickets to SeaWorld.
So we are old pros at the presentations. As soon as you get there you are assigned to a sales rep, or in one case, a group of people with one rep. Your kids can either stay with you or go to a play area. Colin has never wanted to leave us (don't blame him!) so we have always had both kids there. Sometimes they have crayons or something, but I usually don't worry about keeping them too busy because it puts the pressure on the rep to finish quickly. The rep then asks if you want to get some drinks and snacks. One time they had breakfast. You sit down with them and they tell you all the reasons why you are vacationing irresponsibly if you don't have a timeshare. They explain how their particular timeshare works - some are based on points, and others are a set week in the year. Then you tour the facility. They are generally very nice - two or three bedrooms, big tubs, pools and activities on-site. When you get back from the tour, the pressure starts. They always say they just want a "yes" or "no" but when you give them a "no," it definitely isn't the end. They will ask you why and debate with you, and then say you are done but actually send in one final person. Women representatives tend to take the "no" much easier than the men. Chad and I have found that we don't argue with them about whether it is a good deal or not because they will just try to explain more and more about why it is a good deal, and act like we just don't get it. We say something about how it isn't a priority in our lives (we used to use our student loans as the reason why), which they still argue with, but not as much. When you finally get through the closer, who is sometimes a little annoyed with you, they shuffle you out with your free stuff pretty quickly.
To these people, vacations are your life. If you don't own a timeshare, you are "renting" your vacation instead of "owning" it, and they actually act like you are irresponsible. The numbers they throw out are ridiculous (you CAN'T stay in a hotel for under $100 a night? YEAH RIGHT! The inflation rate of the vacation industry is 10%? SURE!), but the more you argue with them, the longer the whole thing takes, because there is no way they will admit that vacationing any other way is sensible. At the first one we ever went to, I told the sales lady that I really liked camping, and she actually said, "Well, you can't camp anywhere in the world and you CAN use our timeshare anywhere!" HUH? This same lady told us that she was working there to pay for the timeshare she had with them. Working to pay for one week a year?!?!?! Does that make sense?
Just so you know, they always tell you when you sign up that you are under no obligation to buy or even to be interested in buying, so I don't feel too bad going time and again.
You do have to make a certain amount of money to attend (usually ranging from $30,000 to $ 60,000), and you have to attend with your spouse.
And in case you can't tell, no matter how much money we make, we will never own a timeshare. We think they are are big rip-off. Just think about how much money they are spending just to get someone to listen to a presentation - how much money they can throw down the drain - and they are STILL making money off the few that do sign up. That will tell that you are the one getting the raw end of the deal if you sign up. For further clarification, read Chad's comments.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Gabe and the beach
By far Gabe's favorite thing to do at the beach was just run!
He built up his courage to walk into the little waves with Daddy....
and sometimes they were a little overwhelming.....
.....but mostly he loved them.
He even sat on the boogie board in the shallow water and cruised a little.
Good night-time excuse?
Last night Chad and I were in our room catching up on last week's The Next Food Network Star, when Colin came stumbling in from his bedroom, where he was supposed to be going to sleep.
"I can't go to sleep because I just keep missing Myrtle Beach!"
And why shouldn't he? He had the time of his life. The kid, who a year ago wouldn't let the waves lap at his feet, has turned into a 5 year old boogie-boarding nut. We all had a wonderful time at the beach, but he definitely had the best time.
*Let me just note that Chad was by his side the entire time and we never let him go out too far. But I was so shocked by his sudden onset of bravery. Even when he ate it and went under a couple of times he never got frazzled.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Gone baby gone
We are off to Myrtle Beach this weekend! This is our one last little hurrah for the summer. I have a couple of things to do before we go in an hour and at the top of the list is skimming through last night's episode of So You Think You Can Dance to catch the highlights and see who got kicked off. I went to bed extra early last night because I woke up at 4:30 yesterday morning, so I didn't watch it then, and I really can't last the whole weekend without knowing who got the boot. I can't believe I have not blogged about it yet this season because it is a Major Event in my life each week. So let me just take this opportunity to say:
THIS SEASON ROCKS!
Not that the other season's haven't rocked too, but I am so glad that it just keeps getting better and better.
THIS SEASON ROCKS!
Not that the other season's haven't rocked too, but I am so glad that it just keeps getting better and better.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Steal my heart
Sabina and the kids came over the other day just to hang out, and Liam bestowed many a baby-licious smile on me and his mother. Quite charming for someone who has known this world for only a month! Can you tell how much he loves his mama?
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