We have family four-packs of tickets for FOUR lucky families to giveawy!  Any of you who are in the general area of Zion or are willing to come to Salt Lake, September 22-26 to see the show at Energy Solutions Arena, you know what to do! Just comment below on what you like best about the circus before September 7th and we will randomly select 4 lucky winners.

In addition to the ticket giveaway, they are also awarding more than $150,00 in medals and grants to children ages six to 14 who have created social good and enriched their local community through their own inventive and pioneering actions.  To learn more about these awards or nominate a child, visit www.thebarnumaward.com.

My favorate part of the circus was always the pretty ladies in sparkly clothes riding the elephants.  O.K. now, your turn.

Let me first say that since coming back from Haiti, I have an extreme love of airconditioning. I mean, I didn’t always have such a devotion, in fact, I found it kind of annoying to be cold, in that sort of metallically cold way, all summer long. What I really need is just for fall to COME ON ALREADY, but that’s another post entirely.

But, as I blogged previously, the very hardest thing for me in Haiti was, ironically, the nights. I know, I know, you’d THINK it would be the emotional drain of seeing families and children in desperate need all the time, or walking through rubble all day, or trying to get blood from a stone.

(Ok, we never did that. But trying to get a Diet Coke in Haiti sort of feels like the same thing.)

But it was trying to sleep in the extreme heat (nights don’t cool down in Haiti much) and the noise and the dust and the haze of smoke from burning trash that made me desperate, desperate for relief, for a cool breeze, for some bit of quiet. I probably averaged less than 4 hours of (fitful at best) sleep a night for 2 weeks, which probably explains why, when I got back, I slept for an entire day, ignoring my children entirely, and felt like I had been run over by a freight train. Even a month out, I think I am still feeling the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation and dehydration, as on Saturday, I took a solid 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. (Well, either that, or I have malaria. Or I’m just lazy. See A above.)

So when I was sitting wasting time, and it felt a little hot, I thought, “Crap”. And sure enough, although the thermostat is set to cool to 70 degrees, the temperature in the house read 85. And while the vents in the house are blowing, the air is lukewarm at best. Again, I thought, ‘Crap’, only this time, it was “oh CRAP!”

You’d think that spending 2 weeks without A/C in a third world country would make me a stoic hero of awesomeness, where I can handle anything. And it’s true I can handle a lot (as could most of the people in my group. Seriously, it was a hard core hardy crew.) But if there is one thing I learned about myself in Haiti, it’s that I DON’T DO WELL WHEN IT’S HOT AT NIGHT.

Call me a wuss. Call me a weakling. Call me a spoiled American princess, I don’t care. Just please call me an a/c repair man, because the thought of sleeping through one more night that averages 90 degrees makes me want to weep.

Everybody has their weird thing, right? For DH, it’s having certain books out of place (I’m not making that up.) For the Wiz, it’s cilantro. For Tracy, it’s peanut butter. For one volunteer in Haiti, it was mops. (I’m not making that up, either.) For me, it’s having a quiet place to sleep (no white noise crap or insanity inducing music for me, no sir, and it’s a sign of how bad things were in Haiti that I used my IPOD every night to fall asleep) and having it be a certain temperature.

What can I say, most of us are just a bunch of freaks.

What’s YOUR weird thing?

Sugar free candy is an abomination. As is fat free cheese or fat free ranch.

Chuck E. Cheese is not a fun place to be.

Buying DS games for a birthday present for a 7 year old is just fine, until he puts them in and realizes that his DS is actually broken, and simply charging won’t fix it, even though he insists that’s all it needs. Nintendo will fix it free of charge, but it’ll take 2-3 weeks. Happy birthday! Here’s a case to look at! Enjoy!

I recently learned of the existence of Flight of the Conchords. They are very funny. “Jenny” is very funny, but watch the video - not just the 2 of them singing it, even though that’s fine. It’s just that the video is funnier.

Most of this post is courtesy of my facebook updates, because I have trouble coming up with original thoughts twice in a row. My apologies if this is redundant.

In conclusion: Puppies!  Everybody loves puppies!

This isn’t going to be a ‘review’ really, I mean, if you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to read this book no matter what anyone says, and if you’re not, you won’t.  The end. I just want to talk about it. Some points:

1. This one is incredibly violent.  No surprise there, really, seeing as how they were ALL violent, and you know going into it that it’s war, and nothing is really going to be cozy and sweet for Katniss and crowd for a while.  But wow.  Some of those images are going to stay with me for a while.  But white roses are still my favorite flower, creepy President Snow notwithstanding.

2. The ending.  What I wanted to know was:  Was any of this worth anything?  Was life better for those 2 kids running around that she swore she’d never have?  This book (and series) is very “man’s inhumanity to man” - Katniss is sure that living in a world where mostrosities like this happen doesn’t benefit anybody.  But was there any point to all the gratuitous death?  Did things in Panem improve after the rebellion?  I think they did, Katniss did agree to bring children into the world, after all. There are no more Hunger Games - they are relegated to the history books.  Still, it’s not quite a shiny, happy world, and Katniss and Peeta still have demons to wrestle with for the rest of their lives. I also think that Collins intentionally left that a little vague.  I don’t think she wanted to wrap it up with “But it was all worth it!” “Look how great war is - it’s a necessary evil!” because that wasn’t her story.  Her story was about this child and what the world/war did to her. 

3. Was it really necessary to kill Prim?  I feel like I did when Fred died in Harry Potter.  Really?  But that was a main thing Gale had going for him (protecting her), and that was a brilliant move to clear up the love triangle.  Associate Gale with Prim’s death.  No way Katniss is going for him now.  

4. I was glad Peeta and Katniss ended up together.  I was rooting for him the whole series.  But bravo to Collins for making us wonder who it would be the whole time, and bravo for actually picking one and sticking with it.  I was cringing inside that it would be unresolved by the end of the book, making the fans duke it out a la  ”Team Gale! Of course she ended up with him!”  “No way!  Didn’t you read it?  It was clearly worded that Peeta is the one!” 

5. How creepy was Snow?  And the Finnick thing? Ack. It does make you wonder what would have happened to Katniss and Peeta had they been “normal” victors, and then…images I don’t need!  Thank you!

What do you think?  Did you read it?  Want to talk?

Okay, maybe not that last part, but the breathing thing, well, definitely doing that.

This summer has been, to say the least, intense. Intense in a good way: Segullah writing retreat, a trip to see family in Seattle, a trip to see family in Utah, a trip to see family in Idaho (are you seeing a theme? Yes, my family is intense) and, of course, two weeks in Haiti, of which I’ve already talked too much about. I landed in my bed at 12:30am last night after traveling for almost 15 hours straight, and I didn’t actually exit the bed today until close to 11:00am.

Bottom line: I’m beat.

And I don’t know where to begin. Do I clean my house, do I go through my bills, do I go through weeks of email, do I tend to my grossly neglected and overgrown garden, do I do the laundry, do I clean out the fridge that I didn’t have time to clean out because there was just a fraction of a second between the time that I got home from Haiti and the time I left for Utah and I was too busy rebuilding electrolytes to throw out moldy leftovers?

Or, should I just waste time on facebook and blog about how overwhelmed I am?

Maybe I should whine a little, too. I’m really good at that, in case you were wondering. Whine whine, moan and whine. I’m also really good at whining at a tone that is super high pitched and annoying. I can’t cry on command very well, though, which is too bad, because nothing makes a whine more authentic than some big fat waterworks.

Other bottom line: I need some help easing back into normal life.

Any suggestions?

Whine whine, moan and whine….

My daughter’s room alone took the whole day.  I’m convinced she is destined for an intervention on a future episode of Hoarders.  I lugged 2 garbage bags FULL of TRASH out of her room. I have NO idea where she gets this tendency to stick used band aids into the backs of her drawers.  I found empty water bottles, scrap paper, cut Barbie hair (oh, that bugs me!) – and lots and lots Barbie clothes stuffed in corners.  When she came home she was ecstatic!  In no time, it will look like it did before, and I will have to devote another marathon day to de trash her room.  C’est la vie.

I find my cleaning episodes are made far more manageable by the selection of music – anything from Shostakovich to Led Zeppelin.  Yesterday was an NPR day – something about the monotony of daily news and Diane Rehm was what I need to persevere.  It’s amazing what I learned about bedbugs– I guess they are infesting the country – offices, movie theatres, college dorm rooms.   Makes my battle with lice last fall look like a carnival.  I learned that if I am ever infested, if I heat my house to 140 degrees – that should take care of it.  Nice to know. 

Today, I tackled my boys’ room.  It was not nearly as bad as my daughter’s.  Race cars, Bakugans and dinosaurs only needed sorting into their requisite baskets.  No used band aids shoved under their mattresses in their room.  But it did require U2’s Vertigo to get me thru.

The first day of school also marked my first day as PTA president.  Actually, I’ve been working for over a month – state conventions, PTA training, student registration, new student orientation, teacher supply checks, newsletter, website updates, Facebook account, Twitter – this really is a full time job.  Yesterday, I put on my best happy face and welcomed students to school.  I felt like a politician seeking re-election.  Except, they were happy to see me too!

I have a confession – for all the times I wanted to quit – for all the anxiety I have felt leading up to this job – it has completely evaporated.  Once I made the decision to preserve, I’ve felt like Queen Esther, like I was supposed to be in this position.  I made my husband “set me apart” about three weeks ago (OK, it was a priesthood blessing, but it felt like I was getting set apart) – and I had the calmest, most serene feeling come over me.  I can do this.  It won’t be easy, parents will get mad, teachers will want something I can’t give, but I truly feel like I can handle anything that comes my way.

Next Thursday is my first PTA meeting – I’m preparing budgets, agendas, fundraising committees – and practicing my Robert’s Rules of order – anyone want to make a motion?! Can I get a second?!

Hope you are preparing for a great school year (yes, Wiz, we know you are already back!).  When you see you PTA president, please don’t run from them – take the time to at least ask her (or him) how she is doing. 

Also, I hope you are getting your house in order after months of children infestation.  At least you won’t have to heat it to 140 degrees to get it back to normal.

What music will you be listening too?

Me: “Thanks. Old Navy.”

Them: “I like your necklace.”

Me: “Thanks.  New York and Company.”

Them: “I like your shirt.”

Me: “Thanks.  Target.”

Um….WHY do I feel the compulsive need to tell people where I buy my clothing when they don’t ask?  EVERY TIME!  I think it’s a throwback to my high school days when “cute shirt” was pretty much always followed up with “Where did you get it?”  It was like, conversationally required or something.  I think it was a sort of meant to be taken as “if-I-know-where-you-got-it-than-I-can-get-one-too”, but for some people it was a sneaky way of asking ‘how-much-did-you-spend.’  And the more you spent, the cooler you were.  (i.e. ‘Nordstrom’ was a better answer than ‘Wal-Mart’) Now, it’s kind of the opposite.  The less you spend, the cooler you are.

So now I have to pre-empt the ‘how much did you spend’ non-question by shouting out ‘TARGET!’ ‘MY SISTER GAVE IT TO ME!’ ‘CONSIGNMENT STORE!’ OK, I don’t really shout.  I just speak in a normal tone of voice.

And I do LOVE consignment shopping. I have a pair of True Religion jeans that I paid $35 dollars for. If I’m wearing them, you can bet I’m telling you that, too, or at least the consignment part. I don’t walk around spouting prices, except for, um, just now.  Because even though I love how the jeans  fit and look, I do not want people thinking I can spend $200 on jeans. Obviously, I still have issues with what other people think of me.  Hmmm….I should work on that.

(I actually didn’t know True Religions were that much until after I got them home and googled.  And I’m guessing most people don’t recognize the brand and think ‘expensive jeans’ the second they look at me.  But I have to tell you where I bought them, JUST IN CASE.)

In the meantime, if you tell me “I like your shoes”, I’ll probably answer “Thanks. Payless.”  Sorry if that’s annoying. 

Do you do this too?  Does it bother you if others do it, or do you like knowing where clothes came from?   

All my kids are in school all day now.  It’s bizarre, and nice.  There are days when I feel like I have all the time in the world, and there are days when I need to clone myself a few times to get it all done.  Because while having older children means longer time away at school, it also means they’re old enough to do sports, dance, music, etc. and multiple children in multiple activities is enough to make anyone crazy. Well, ME, anyway.  Maybe you are better at it.  Mornings= calm.  Afternoons=craziness. 

My house isn’t any cleaner that it was before.  Feel free to judge me.

Homework is the devil.  Well, sometimes.  And the worst part is, you NEVER KNOW when the horns and flames will come out, or when it’s all just fine and dandy.  It’s like this horrible guessing game every day.  HOW WILL THE HOMEWORK TIME GO?  Do I have to prepare for battle or not?  It’s exhausting.  And if it’s exhausting for me, you just KNOW it’s triple exhausting for the kids. 

In Top Chef news, Kenny was ousted for restaurant wars - a time when strong chefs often get the ax for being the executive chef.  Angelo now wins the show - hands down.  Snooze. I miss last season.

I haven’t been watching Project Runway.  Say what you will.  I started watching the show “Huge” on abcfamily, and liked it, and so something had to go.  There’s only so much TV watching a girl can do, you know?

My son gets screened for CAPD again next month.  Remember last time?  I have high hopes that this time will be better.  Apparently there is just one doctor that does the screening, (maybe 2?) and I have a friend in the PHd program at that hospital who told me that, and she spoke to the doctor for me.  The Dr. then called, and said she would handle it, and voila!  Scheduled.  With the right person!! So, basically the secret for handling special needs (even relatively minor ones, like my son’s) is to know people in the right places.  Sigh.  I’m looking forward to it, though.  Hopefully I can get some more info.

And lastly, these are my new favorite snack.  They’re not chocolate covered almonds, so they’re not too sweet, but mmm.  Love the dark chocolate taste.

All of my summer was swallowed up by school- my kids said they had never seen so much homework. Frankly, neither had I. Last time I was serious about school, I was at art school. Art school homework is not writing papers on Kant and convection uplift of advancing fronts.

In the middle of finals week, I ran to Salt Lake City for a quick engagement, and miracle of miracles, was able to catch up with two of my MMW co-bloggers. It was completely random that three of us ended up in town on the same day, as none of us even live in Utah. I’m happy to report that Heather survived Haiti and looks tanned and healthy, and that The Wiz is holding her own also looked ravishing.

Back home now, I am counting the days before school starts for the kids. It seems an awful lot of kids start school in August in other places, but around here we don’t start until after Labor Day. Twenty-two days, 14 hours and 29 minutes… Then, there is a little miracle, as I don’t start my text term at the University until the 20th of September. Oooooh, divine mercy! I will have days- DAYS I SAY!- where my children will be in school, and I will not. I am going to savor those days like fine pearls.

How do you make it through the last, wilted, draggy days of summer? I’m so ready for fall, coolness, and the divine change in light that comes with the advent of the ‘bers.