Laugh Lines
When we were in Idaho, we got the chance to go visit my Grandma M - my Mom's mom. There are some pretty amazing things to see at Grandma's house. She has all kinds of flowers in her garden - including these orange lilies that attract butterflies and this huge snowball bush.
There are also some really great displays outside of old farm tools and equipment.
Then, there's the box. This box has been around forever and it is FULL of sports equipment! Grandma always loved a good game of softball or badminton and she always had the stuff right outside the front door for anyone who wanted to get out and play.
Then we have some displays in the house that I love. Like this one over the fireplace in the back room. That's my Grandpa's old shotgun and then each of the items on the mantle have a story or meaning.Also in the back room are these crazy creatures. I have no idea what they are, but when I was a kid, they scared me to bits!And then we have the owls. Grandma has collected over 200 owls! We counted them one time, but we got lost and couldn't remember which ones had been counted already. Here is a collage of SOME of the owls....And then, of course, we have Grandma.
I don't know if I've ever really appreciated the woman my Grandma is till now. She always seemed so strong and tough, that at times, it felt intimidating. But as I watch her with my own kids, I can see that I spent too much time being unsure of myself around her. She is open, friendly and kind. And the thing I noticed the most this trip? Laugh lines. She is constantly cracking a joke or telling a silly story. And even when a serious discussion is being had, she usually ends it with a smile on her face.
I thought about this last night as I was smearing anti-wrinkle cream on the creases in my forehead and around my eyes. I took a good long look at those folds that are starting to appear and realized something about myself: those aren't laugh lines. They are from furrowed brows and scowling eyes.
Once again I realize that my priorities are perhaps a tad askew from what they should be. Yes, there are some serious things going on in the world, but that doesn't have to stop me from finding joy in it.
And so, I have a new goal. Laugh lines. I know I can't reverse the aging process (well, without someone sticking needles in me or pushing and pulling my face with a knife in hand), but I can choose to be more joyful. And hopefully, in the end, I will have amazing memories and beautiful laugh lines, just like my Grandma.

Travel-Log
I'M HOME!! First off, I need to apologize to all the Utahan's that I didn't stop to see along the way. This was such a rushed trip... I promise that the next time we head through, I won't fly by without stopping! And now, without further ado, here is my trip in shorthand! (I'll do longer posts about some of the things later in the week... I know you can't wait!)

Thursday: Drove to Saint George
Friday: Drove to Idaho Falls
Saturday: Went garage sale shopping with my Mom, Sister and Niece... went home, made cinnamon rolls, went to the picnic with my kids, visited with high school friends, my family came and took my kids to the zoo, I went out for ice cream. All in all, a great day.
Sunday: Church with parents, lots of visiting old friends, all the family comes over for dinner that night. My Brothers stay till midnight visiting - another great day.
Monday: After some slight miscommunication, the kids and I meet up with friends for a hike, then we head to a ski resort for a picnic and the kids climb the hills, we stop for ice cream on the way to the lake and then spend the rest of the afternoon swimming. That night we visit Grandma and have a great visit with her. Great day #3.
Tuesday: Send Red and Baby Girl out the door with Pop Pop (my Dad) for a morning of 4-wheeling (Little Bug HATES the 4-wheeler) and one of my Brothers comes over to play with Bug, I go out to lunch with girlfriends, then dash home and get everyone ready for swimming at Heise Hot Springs. Lots of swimming, splashing and water sliding occur. That night my cousin and his fiance come over and we get to visit. Another fantastic day.
Wednesday: Loaded up and went to the in-law's for the day. I helped paint in the living room and the kids played and played and played outside with cousins. Went to dinner at my Sister-In-Law's house and we played and visited some more. Fantastic day #5.
Thursday: Load up the car. Load up the crying kids. Load up crying self. Start to drive. Stop an hour into the drive for potty break. Stop an hour later to get horribly expensive gas and food for lunch. Stop a few hours later for another potty break. Little Bug gets car sick. Stop at the scene of an accident to help a woman who rolled her car. Decide to switch phone companies when I get the message "We're sorry, you can not reach this number at this time" after I dialed 911 to get help. Faith in humanity was restored as I watch car after car stop to help (yes, I left the kids in the car while I helped... I had no idea what we might see down there... and yes, the woman was okay - she got up and got out of her car and walked around...). Cried just a bit as my children told me they prayed for this stranger. Arrived in Saint George. Threw everyone into swim suits and went and swam while watching the stars come out. Not the greatest day, but we survived.
Friday - Today: Got up. Threw food at kids. Threw kids in car. Drove like mad to get home. Made it safe and sound!
Like I said, I'll have more detailed info on different aspects of the trip as the week goes on. I'm going to read a few blogs, but there are 300+ posts right now. So, I may have to hit "mark all as read" and start from that point.... sorry! Hope you're all doing well and having a wonderful weekend!

The Craziness
We're here in Idaho! I got to meet with all my friends today and we had a wonderful time. It was so great to catch up with them and see where they are in life. I'm hoping that we will get to do something like this every year. One of my friends suggested that we all meet in Salt Lake City next year to see "Wicked". I'm going to start planning on it right now!
The drive here was long, but the kids did really well. They are really great travelers. I don't mind 99% of the drive... but I hate driving in the Salt Lake City area... sorry to any of the SLC natives out there, but I would rather drive through Vegas 100 times than through SLC. I'm from Southern California, but the craziest drivers I see are always in that part of Utah! Once we get through there though, it's not bad. My favorite part of the drive is the St. George area! So beautiful there! I wish we could stop and spend some time in Zions National Park, but that's not going to happen on this trip.
My next few days are going to be FULL! Tomorrow we are going to church with my parents, then a barbecue with the whole family that afternoon/evening. Monday we are going to play with some friends from college and I'm hoping to go to dinner with girlfriends. Tuesday is a hike and more cooking outdoors with family. Wednesday we're going to my In-Law's home to have fun out there with them! Thursday we'll pack up, play a little in the morning and head home. It's a quick trip, but we're having a blast. I won't be visiting blogs till I get home... sorry. I promise to drop in as soon as we get back!

Run, Don't Walk
Barnes and Noble is having an AWESOME online sale right now! I saw some items that were 80% off... I just got six hardcover books for $36. They were normally anywhere from $13-20... so, at regular price, it would have cost me $78-120! Instead, they were about $6 a piece. There's over 20,000 books that are 50% off or more... I also got a few DVDs to replace some old videos that we have. Some of the Pixar movies are 40% off and then if you buy two DVDs, you get the third one free. And the best part? If you spend $25, then shipping is free. So, if you were looking for some great summer reading, head on over. I'm sure you'll find something fun!

Inhale, Exhale....
I'm trying to get laundry done so that we will have clean clothes to wear on our trip. I figure that if we go in our dirty clothes, no one will want us to be around. So, clean clothes it is! Anyway, this morning I asked the kids to gather up all their dirty clothes and bring them to the washing machine. Baby Girl just ignored me and Red said, "What clothes?"
Me: "Your dirty clothes."
Red: "Why?"
Me: "Because I don't usually wash the clean ones..."
Red: "Wash what clean ones?"
Me: "Your clean clothes. I don't wash clean clothes. Bring me the dirty clothes from your room!"
Red: "Why?"
Me (getting a tad exasperated): "So that I can wash them!"
Red: "Which clothes do you want?"
And then, I snapped...
"GO GET YOUR CLOTHES NOW!"
And he scurried off, brought me his hamper and said...
"Did you mean these clothes?"
Sigh... It's gonna be a LONG DAY!

Randomly Random
And now it's time for another random post. (a.k.a. - I can't think of anything to blog about)

• I'm tired. And I'm completely ready to kill the neighbors dogs. Is it really possible for a human being to not hear an animal go crazy for over an hour in the middle of the night? I understand wanting to have a dog around to alert you to danger... but, if they bark, and you don't respond... then what's the point??
• Little Bug is struggling. Lots of stimming. Lots of frustration on his part and on mine. He goes back to school today and I'm hoping that will help... maybe...
• I'm going to Idaho! We had cancelled our trip, but now it's back on! It's going to be crazy though... I will go for about a week, then the day after I get home, part of Hubby's family will come to visit! So, I not only have to get ready for my trip, but I have to get my house ready for visitors after my trip! I won't be in blog land very much in the next little while.
• Your lunch ideas have inspired me. I'm excited to try a few of them out and see if I can come up with a few things on my own - thanks again!
• I went shopping on Saturday for sunglasses and ended up buying lots more than that. Two pairs of sunglasses, 3 shirts and a pair of capri's! Everything was on a really good sale, but still! Kohl's will be the end of me and my budget. AND on top of my wonderful shopping trip, I got home and Hubby had cleaned the kitchen and done several loads of laundry! When I say, "done" that's exactly what I mean. Washed. Dried. Folded. And put away. I love that man!
• I'm trying to think of activities for the kids to do indoors. It's going to be hot all summer (welcome to the desert) and I am trying to figure out ways to keep them from getting bored and pestering me all day. Any thoughts?
• Yesterday I killed 3 black widow spiders and two other brown spiders with racing stripes down their backs. Just thought you'd like to know.
• My master bedroom is a mess. I'm going to haul a dumpster in here and just throw everything away. It will be easier that way than trying to go through everything.

I think that's about it from here! This post was brought to you today by the letter "Q" and the number "11".

Lazy Lunch Bunch
One of the things that I really dislike about summer vacation is lunch time. I hate giving the kids peanut butter sandwiches, cheese quesadillas or chicken nuggets every day. I'm looking for a few ideas to shake things up... but, you need to know a few things first. I would prefer...

1. Ideas that don't require me to turn my oven on for long amounts of time. The last thing I need is to heat the inside of my house to the same temperature as it is outside (110 today). The less actual cooking or baking involved, the better (for me and my electric bill!).
2. Simplicity. I can cook, but I'm no gourmet, and let's face it: I'm fixing lunch for my three kids. They don't care how much time it takes as long as it tastes good.
3. Ingredients that can be found at a local supermarket. I don't want to hunt down some exotic spice or a cheese that comes from an Iberian goat. Wait, are there such things as Iberian goats?
4. My last request: kid friendly. If you've got a great recipe with all green ingredients, I'll have to pass. My kids won't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

So, share your thoughts and ideas so that my kids don't die of lunch time boredom over the summer!

My Take on Twilight
I know that this will annoy many of you... but oh well... here I go. I don't think Bella should get EITHER of those boys! For a fictional character, she sure annoyed me! I felt like she was always complaining and pouting. They spoke of her being an "old soul". PSHAW! She was more like a tantruming toddler to me! I understand that she's a teenager and trying to figure life out. She's heartbroken most of the time and constantly being chased by vampires that want to destroy her. I can see where she would be terrified, BUT in so many ways she seems rather spineless. And selfish. And obnoxious. And shallow. Does she care about Edward, or his looks? It's kinda hard to tell sometimes... Towards the end of the third book I started to like her more, but not enough to feel like she should get to be with Edward OR Jacob. If I had to pick one though, I'd pick Edward... because I think Jacob deserves better. I hope he finds (or imprints on) someone who is kind and will love him the way he deserves to be loved. And Edward... well, I get tired of him running hot and cold. He has more mood swings than I do in full on PMS mode!
But, I did like the story. It was interesting and entertaining. I think Amber hit the nail on the head when she said, "Those books are like a drug--totally addictive but not all that rewarding!" Amen sister, amen! And so, like a druggie, I will read book four. And I will hope that Bella grows up just a bit.
Now, I know that this is a touchy subject for some, but who do you want Bella to end up with? Edward? Or Jacob? And why?

Last Days
Today is Little Bug's last day of school and I'm sad. Not because he'll be out of school making me crazy (he starts school again on Tuesday), but because of the people he'll be leaving. The way the special ed program is set up here is different. Each school in the district is home for two grades in special ed. The school he was at the last two years has the preschool and kindergarten classes. Which means that he moves to a new school with new people next year.
His teacher this year has been so amazing. She recognizes that music is a really powerful teaching tool for kids and so, she uses it ALL THE TIME! And the progress we've seen with LB is amazing! I will always remember this year as the year we REALLY heard his voice for the first time... I can't even describe how my heart leaps each time he says something as simple as "cereal". This year has been filled with some very poignant moments and I credit his amazing teacher for that.
It's funny, I know that Red's teachers enjoy him. They all have thought that he's a great kid (and he is!) and they like him. Little Bug's teachers? They love him. You can see that they truly, genuinely love that kid. This year was no exception. Whenever Little Bug was sick, his teacher would call to check on him. When he hurt his ankle this spring? She called each day to see how he was and then arranged some activities for him to do at school to help keep him off of it. It takes a really special person to work with these kids. Each child has their own set of issues and troubles that are unique and not always easily dealt with. These teachers, aides and therapists are awesome. And we will miss them so very much.
Somehow, the gift cards that will accompany my son to school today, seem so inadequate. Hopefully this small gesture will be able to convey a small part of our gratitude!

Come Again?
I'd just like to take this moment to thank my family for some pretty good laughs over the last few days! It seems like someone is always saying or doing something that just gets me chuckling... for instance...
On Sunday we decided to throw some burgers on the grill for dinner. Little Bug and Baby Girl don't really like to eat hamburgers, so we had cooked up some chicken nuggets for them. We all sat down and Baby Girl pointed to the hamburgers and asked, "Can I have one of those turkeys?" Hubby lifted the lid off the burgers (we keep them covered to so that they'll stay warm) and said, "These aren't turkeys! These are hot dogs. H-O-T D-O-G-S (said slowly and and loudly so that he was sure she would understand)." He returned the lid to the plate. I reached across the table, grabbed the lid and said, "These aren't hot dogs! These are hamburgers. H-A-M-B-U-R-G-E-R-S (said slowly and loudly so that I was sure he would understand)". We all had a good laugh about it and then Hubby turned to Red and said, "I think I just made it onto your mom's blog..."
Aye, that ya did laddie. That ya did!
And just one more thing... I finally did it. I know that I am the last person on the planet to do this, but I did it. I read Twilight. It came yesterday morning and I read all day long. I finished it last night. Yes - I read it in one day. And I'll be honest. I'm not sure what I think. I do know that Stephanie Meyer is an amazing story teller. That the book was interesting and fast paced, BUT I'm not sure if I really liked it. Does that make sense? I have ordered the other books, but I'm not dying to get my hands on them. So, basically, the verdict is still out. I'm not over the moon for this book , but I didn't hate it. Please don't throw things at me...

Gawrsh...
I don't know who it was, but I'd like to say thanks! Someone nominated me for a Bloggy Hoss award over at An Island Life! If you go to the spot marked "Nicest Personality" (aw, I'm blushin!) you'll find my name on that list! I sure would appreciate it if you'd give me a vote :) You'll have to use her contact form since there is a glitch in the poll voting. And scroll through the other categories... you might see a few blogs you recognize! Vote for them too while you're at it! And if you decide not to vote for me in the "Nicest Personality" category, may I suggest Diane from Sunshine on My Shoulders? She's a pretty darn wonderful gal! I'm sure the others are too... but if I can't win it, I would like to see her take home the honor of Bloggy Hoss Nicest Personality Award!
Some of you may remember when I was nominated last year for most talkative, but I didn't win... I did have fun making some great signs... like this one

Or this one...
Or my personal favorite... I'm sure that if I get some free time tomorrow (or maybe I'll just MAKE some free time) that I'll create a few more banners so that you can remember to vote for me! You have from now till the 12th.
It's not like there's been any BIG campaigns this year that you 're sick of ... vote for me!

Apathetic
Have we become to desensitized? Do we see scenes like this so often in movies, TV, and video games that we forget a real human life is at stake here? Watch this video.

The police car that came along? Technically it was responding to another call. They don't have record of ANYONE calling 911 to report this accident. They all just stood there and gawked as a 78 year old man lay on the pavement bleeding.
Red came in while I was watching this. I asked him what he could see happening. He said, "No one is helping... why aren't they helping?" We talked about how sometimes people are afraid and about the best ways he could help in a situation like this - running to get an adult or finding a phone to call 911. He's a pretty sensitive kid and maybe this is bad of me, but I was pleased to watch his eyes fill with tears when he asked, "Will he be okay?". He still has a sense of humanity and compassion and I am so thankful for that.
This post kind of ties in with my last post. Our homes need to be places where our kids can learn to be sympathetic, kind, merciful human beings. Apparently that's not a lesson they'll learn whilst out in the "real world". I know there are good people out there, but I went back and counted the cars that went by or were coming the other direction and turned around (10 counting the scooter) and the number of people that just stood there (about 15). Seriously? 25+ people that didn't even touch the guy or pick up a phone? Grrr...
What about you? Does this video shock you at all? Are you surprised at the crowd's reaction? I took a poll on AOL and only 64% of people were surprised that no one helped him. 21% said they weren't surprised AT ALL! And 15% said they were only somewhat surprised. 95% of those people did say they would have helped. 4% were a maybe and 1% said no. Apparently the entire 1% of the population that wouldn't help was sitting on that corner.
So, what do you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this...

Common Sense
Some people think I'm too strict as a parent. And maybe I am. I'm really careful about the things I allow my kids to read, listen to and watch. I try to let them make choices so that they can learn and grow, but I also know I don't want a bunch of crap in my home. I have friends that say, "Well the kids are going to hear all that craptastic stuff at school and from friends, so what's the big deal if they hear it at home too?" I disagree. I think it is a big deal. I feel like my kids should have a safe place they can escape to. They need to have somewhere to get away from all the crappiness this world throws them! And I want that place to be our home.
So, I'm strict. I'm constantly asking you people for book suggestions. I try to look up lyrics on popular songs so that I know what my kids are chanting along with. And I spend a lot of time checking out movie content on sites like Kids in Mind - which gives a rating for violence, language and sexual content.
Now, you guys have always been good for the book suggestions, but, I've always wished that there was a similar rating site for books. As I've mentioned before, Red is an avid reader. And he's read a few books that I now wish he wouldn't have. I probably would have eventually let him read them, but they weren't appropriate for his 9 year old brain.
Welp, today I stumbled across a site that reviews and rates books! Woohoo!! AND it reviews current movies, DVD's, TV shows, games, music and websites! I'm really excited to dig through and see what I can find. I don't know how accurate it is yet, but I thought I'd pass it along in case anyone else had been searching for something similar. It's called Common Sense Media and besides the ratings, there are also suggestions for things to talk about with your kids (after you've seen a movie, read a book, played a game, etc.) and articles on how to become a more media savvy parent. I'm hoping that it will give me some good ideas and suggestions on how to let my kids explore without exposing them to all the trash that's out there!
What about you? How do you decide what media is appropriate or not for your kids?

I Shouldn't...
...but I'm gonna anyway... today Red had some homework about the digestive system. It was pretty hard for him to get through. He brought the page in for me to look at. But, I was in the middle of getting my buttocks kicked by Baby Girl in Mario Party 8. So, I asked him to read the question out loud. Now, I'll be honest here. I didn't catch the first part of the question... but I did catch the part where he said"... in the large Einstein."
Pause.
Me: "What did you say?"
Red: "It's a question about the small and large Einsteins."
At this point I'm laughing my head off and of course, he doesn't see why this is so funny.
I had to retell the story to Hubby when he got home. He laughs and then I turn to Red and ask...
"Do you know who Einstein is?"
"Yes. I do now! He's that monster guy."
He then proceeds to put his arms out in front of him and moan and groan.
I'm laughing so hard at this point that I can barely say...
"Do you mean Frankenstein?"
Ah. This is why I had kids. For my own personal amusement. To his credit, I did ask him again if he knew who Einstein was. And he said...
"He was a genius."
Correct! But the process to get to that point was just what this tired momma bear needed!

Conundrum of Sorts
California is weird. I'm sure you already knew that, but I'm here to reinforce that statement. In this lovely state a child can start kindergarten when they are 4. They don't have to be 5 till December of that year. I am not sure why this seems logical to our education department, but it does. Every other state has an August or September cut off. But not here. And I'm struggling.
You see, Baby Girl's birthday is in October. So, technically, she can go to school next year. And I know that academically, she's ready. It's the social stuff that I'm worried about. I didn't put her in preschool this last year. It was expensive and I'm cheap. So, we worked on things here at the house. Which is why I'm not worried about her academic skills. But she just seems too young for school. I know there will be other kids just as young as she is, but I want her to be really ready. Also, I don't know if California will be our home forever. It might, but I doubt it. If we move to another state she would be the youngest kid in her grade and I'm not sure how that would play out.
I don't want to send her off to school so that I can have some free time or because it's what all the other mom's I know are doing. On the other hand, it would be nice to have some free time to do what I want :)
I'm also wondering if it's just me. I've always been the mom to say, "HURRAH FOR SCHOOL! Let's have year round school! Send them out the door!!" I relish my time while the kids are at school. In the morning Little Bug and Baby Girl are hanging around. In the afternoon Little Bug goes to school and Baby Girl is here with me. She is a wonderful little shopper and she is always willing to dole out the compliments "Mom - you look like a princess in that dress!". I'm wondering if I'm feeling some sadness about my baby growing up and I just don't want her to go. I don't know if I'm ready to be totally alone for a big chunk of the day.
So, tell me. What would you do? Would you send her off to school and hope that the other kids and the teacher help her with social skills? Or would you wait a year for her to be a little more mature? Or would you take a deep look at yourself and see if you're being a tad selfish?
Sigh. This growing up stuff isn't as fun as it used to be...

Friends, Food and Fun
We had such a great time with our friends that came to visit! When we lived in Oregon, they were two doors down from us. They now live in Utah, so the trip here isn't too bad. Baby Girl and their oldest daughter N used to be great friends. It was fun to see that they were able to jump right back in and play without any reservations.
On Thursday night I made the PF Changs chicken that usually goes in the lettuce wraps... but we served it over rice. Then we just chatted and enjoyed each other's company and let the kids swim in the pool in the back yard.
Friday we headed to the beach and had a great time. Lots of playing and running and enjoying the sunshine! We ate at Mary's that night (fantastic little hole in the wall type cafe in Oceanside) and headed home. The kids slept so well that night! I wish every day was beach day :)
Saturday was kind of a crazy day for our family. Little Bug is involved in an art class that is funded by a grant. If the students don't show up, the program looses it's money. So, we make every attempt to be there so that this program stays afloat! But Hubby wanted to go out and try to fly his airplane. So we split into two groups. One went to the class to pick up LB and then go to the park and the other went out to pick grapes and fly the airplane. When my group got back I realized that Hubby had the keys to the house. So, we did what anyone would do. We went for ice cream! When Hubby found out we were having ice cream they went and got some too... we had Dippin Dots and they had Coldstone! I was not happy... I had NO IDEA there was a Coldstone in the neighborhood!! Luckily, they brought some of it home for us to eat... so I guess I got the best of both worlds! Red had a birthday party that afternoon and my friend, C and I headed to the outlet malls.
Now, you need to understand that these are called the "Desert Hills Premium Outlets" aka - you can't afford anything here, but it's fun to look! Just to name a few of the stores... The Armani Exchange, Ann Taylor, Barneys, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Dior, Dolce & Gabanna, Gucci, Juicy Couture, Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren, and Saks Fifth Avenue off 5th. Needless to say, I didn't buy anything in any of those stores. But, I did get a few things from Bass - where everything was on sale plus another 40% off your total purchase and I got a few smaller things that were on clearance in Carters and Gap for the kids. Places I don't normally shop, but couldn't pass up dresses for $10 and t-shirts for $6.
Saturday night we just relaxed and ate and visited and let the kids swim for a bit again. It was hard to have them go on Sunday morning. It was so much fun to have them here! Anyone else want to come down and visit? Our doors are open and the beach is close...

Sox Faux Pax and Help!
I made a SERIOUS blunder in my sox blog... I had given the link for this blog as the sender of my lovely sox. I was WRONG! Ack! I'm so sorry! It should have been THIS BLOG!! Go there now and check it out!!! I'm such a dork... I put the link in for the gal I sent the socks too... nice, eh?
Our weekend with friends was awesome, I will blog about it tomorrow...
...but now I need your help! Awhile back I asked for book suggestions for my 9 year old, Red. And now, with summer fast approaching (we don't get out till June 13th) I am in need once again. He's read all of the Chronicles of Narnia, Aretmis Fowl, FableHaven, Leven Thumps, Eragon, Eldest, Hound of Rowan, Harry Potter 1-5 (he's a pretty sensitive kid... I'm not sure he's ready for 6 and 7 just yet), Peter Pan, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, the Samuel books and a few others here and there. These are just the books he's finished this year. Yeah. The kid reads like I do... well, like I do when I have the time!!
We're looking into the Redwall, Guardians of Ga'hoole, Warriors, and Charlie Bones series. Have any of your kids read these? Did they like them? Have you read them? What did you think? Are there any other series that you enjoyed?? It's going to be so hot here (think 120) and he needs something to do! Help!