Greetings from Turkey

So... we all made it here safely. Cedar and I got here last night and the kids and eric got here this morning. Eric is passed out next to me. He doesn't sleep well on planes. It was a long trip to get here. Here are my random thoughts from the trip over here:
--Cedar does well on one plane ride..not three
--It is possible to be woken up every 5 minutes by a 5-year-old.
--Cedar has the ability to narrate an entire 5-hour flight.
--Strong tail winds make for a fast but very bumpy ride over the Atlantic.
--Parisians are neither friendly nor amused by small children.
--It is possible to pay $7 for a diet coke---if you're in Paris
--I just don't really like France. And France does not like Cedar or me.
--Cedar can be hyper in the middle of the night.

Overall, it wasn't a bad trip over Cedar did finally fall asleep in the Paris airport, I carried him (asleep) onto the plane. The airline employees thought there was something wrong with him. He slept for about 4 hours. When we got here last night I was amazed with how modern parts of Istanbul are. It is a strange mix of old and new, west and east. We went to the Grand Bazaar today which was much more modern than I had expected. No raw meat smells just lots of tobacco and Kababe. I think I will develop a nicoteine habit through secondhand smoke here. The mosques are lovely and the people here are very friendly. Eric has taken at least 300 pictures already and Cedar has already had a tantrum about a miniature mosque he wanted. So, all is normal and well. I had some great Turkish casserole for lunch (very GF, very tasty). I found diet coke for 2 lira ($1.75) that is large enough for my tastes and life is good. Cedar is having a great time with the students who are all doing well. Cedar, I have just been informed, is in the attic. I have no idea what that means and it better not have anything to do with the roof! I will write more later!

The deodorant debacle

I apologize to those of you who have already heard this story but it's just too much fun not to share. So here goes....
Saturday afternoon we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for our up-coming journey. I was a little tired and very stressed out. We picked up the few groceries we needed and headed to the health and beauty section to get some travel-size items. We found ourselves in front of the deodorant section. Cedar announces "I want my own deodorant!" This statement was followed by chorus of giggles from me and all the BYU students shopping in the same aisle. I calmly told Cedar that he was 5 1/2 and didn't need deodorant. He continued to protest that he wanted deodorant. More laughter from the students. I decided it was time to be more firm and said to Cedar "I'm not buying you deodorant. You can use Daddy's." Then, I started to walked down the aisle. Cedar was unhappy with my firmness and yelled down the aisle, "I don't want to share with Daddy. His armpits are icky!" The chorus of laughter was even louder this time. I decided at this point that a. My child is humiliating me b. He really wants deodorant. I took him to the travel size aisle and let him pick out his very own deodorant.

I've decided there is no dignity or pride in motherhood. It is my child's job to me to let go of all pride!

Reading

So, Cedar came to me tonight and said I want to write you a word, Mom. We found a pencil and lined paper and wrote the word "was" from his spelling list. He was so proud and happy about it. In the last two weeks I have had the pleasure of watching him "get" reading and writing. I've tried really hard not to push him and I'm happy to see it paying off in the glee on his face. A happy "mommy" moment.

Avoiding Illness

So my query for today is:
Is it possible to avoid getting sick when you work in the main office of an Elementary/Jr. High/High School?

I mean really is there any hope for me. Can I really wash my hands enough to prevent the germs that are everywhere around me from entering my body? And what about that hand sanitizer stuff. Does it really work? Is it just something I use to make myself feel better. What about sanitizing wipes? Will they kill the germs on my phone? Does a sick room qualify as a hazmat zone? Can I be the "girl in the bubble"? I have become paranoid:( This has happened before. Incidentally my glands are swollen and my eyes are burning. My efforts are futile..........

Cedar-isms

So, being the proud Mama that I am, I'm pretty sure everything Cedar says is either brilliant, hilarious or amazing. And, all to frequently, humiliating. So, I've decided to blog Cedar-isms from time for my own personal amusement and hopefully yours too. So, here goes:

~"I am going to DIE if I don't eat right now"(said while driving approximately 1/2 mile from home)

~"We are never going running again until your are 2400 years old" (Said on tonights run that was apparently highly unpleasant for the boy)

~"Mommy, I got you a Coke" (the boy knows how to woo me)

~"I'm dry on the bottom but not on the top" (after the shower)

~"I'm going to ask Hunter about that dinosaurs--he knows more than you about dinosaurs" (said to Eric during a long discussion of dinosaurs. Note: Last week during a discussion of the planets Cedar indicated he would ask Hunter for the answers because "Hunter pretty much knows everything about space" Hunter is a very bright classmate of Cedar's who knows far more than Cedar's parents.

~"I didn't just get scriptures I got the Bible too" (After receiving his very first set of scriptures)

~"Mommy, look what I wrote" (He hands me a piece of cardboard with the letters F-R-E-E written on it. Which he learned from that horrible freecreditreport.com ad that he sings constantly "F-R-E-E that spells free, creditreport.com baby!"

Well, now you know just how adorable Cedar really is and how much I need another child to divide some attention with:)

Countdown to Turkey

So, I'm starting to sort of freak out about Turkey. We leave in 9 days. I still speak no Turkish, I've never eaten Turkish food and I have to figure out how to pay my bills while I'm gone. I have gotten so comfortable traveling in Latin America where I speak the language, love the food and understand the culture. I guess it is time to get out of my comfort zone a little and have an adventure....with 21 students and Cedar.
OTHER RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY:
--Recycling makes me happy.
--I like Sharp Cheddar cheese much better than colby jack.
--I can't spell
--Filing financial receipts is moderately theraputic
--I have more mixing bowls than I thought (Verlane's adventures in moving)
--I feel healthy for the first time in over a week :)
--Ethanol really isn't as efficient as some might think (I think used oils might be better)
--Cedar has a vast vocabulary. He properly used "manipulation" in a sentence today. Scary.
--I don't like change
--I like my life

Blogs.....

So enough of my friends have started blogging that I thought I might give it a try. I make no promises on number of posts or updates and don't even ask about pictures yet but I'll try my best. So here goes...................
Random thoughts for today:
---Cedar is loud, very loud
---I am going to Turkey in three weeks
sub-thought---I don't know how to even say hello in Turkish
---My husband is brilliant, sometimes lazy but always brilliant.
---I am slowing morphing into a vegetarian...maybe....The cattle industry is scary, chickens live in cages and on and on
---I'm glad I voted
---I still love running--even when it is freezing
---I like this blog thing
---Will anyone read this blog thing
---My son is peeling his own apple, I should stop "blogging" is that a word?