Here is my weekly report:  August finished up with a grand total of 382 steps, bringing the year to date count over 2200 steps in all.  Kind of cool!  This week’s total is 78 steps.

Highlights:

1.  We started a new read aloud book with the children.

2.  This week our family finished reading the Book of Mormon together.  Each time we finish it, we plan a family party.

3.  I spent a lot of time on the phone and was able to resolve a school situation for one of my students.  Relief!

4.  I stayed up WAY TOO LATE on Wednesday night in order to completely reorganize a portion of our food storage room.   It’s been on my list of things to do for months and I’m grateful I found a block of time to do it in.

5.  Ran into an old friend at a museum.  It was so great to unexpectedly spend some time with her.

6.  While at the same museum, I saw another friend from college who I haven’t seen in about 13 years.  It was really great to chat for a minute and learn about her family.  I marveled silently to myself at my good fortune in having associated with so many great people over the years.  I’ve been richly blessed.

7.  On Saturday my husband’s best friend from childhood came for lunch.  They live in southern California and drove to town for the BYU football game.   He brought his daughter and his brother with him.  It was really great to have them spend a bit of time with us, and we hope they come again soon (we’ve been begging them for years).  We’re honored that they put us on their short list of stops to make during the trip, and we’re glad that BYU won, too, making their trip a complete success.  I had the camera sitting out for a picture and just forgot to take one!

8.  We got the house clean and jobs done earlier than usual on Saturday.  Hooray!

9.  I think I’ve regained my love for cooking.  I’ve found some new recipes to try and am enjoying time spent in the kitchen once more.  It feels good.  (I mean, if I have to cook for 10 people several times a day, I might as well like it, right?)

10.  Tonight we enjoyed a few hours with my husband’s brother and his family.  My nephew was being ordained a Deacon and we were thrilled to attend.  We enjoyed visiting with them (and their new goats) and letting the cousins play together, something we should do much more often.

I think that wraps up my summary.  I’m grateful for Labor Day tomorrow and the chance it gives to get a few more things done before diving into what promises to be a particularly crazy week.   I’m hoping for an extra hour of sleep to cure the burning in my eyes and the headache I can’t seem to shake.  This is such a busy time, but it’s so much fun.  I love having the opportunity to live the life that is mine.  I’m so far from where I need to be, but grateful for the chance to learn and stretch.

I hope you’re loving your life, too.  Have an awesome week.

Hopeful Homemaker

This week’s report:  101 steps.  Sheesh, for a number that high you’d think I’d have a clean house and happy kids!  (Nice try.)  Even so, it was a great week.

Highlights:

1.  I am working so hard (like everyone else) on healthy routines right now.  Yet in spite of all my efforts, my children are inclined to sleep in random places and at random times, and stay awake at night.  This little one has an excuse.  She’s teething.

2.  My oldest started 8th grade this week.  So far, so good.

3.  On Tuesday morning at 6:15 a.m. we went outside as a family and watched the moon set.  Gorgeous.  The air was cool and fresh, the moon so large and luminous.  A moment to remember.

4.  My husband and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.  I love him so much.  He is my everything.

5.  I’m really focusing on shopping wisely, particularly at the grocery store.  I know that inflation and the cost of food is hitting all of us (and with all the worldwide problems with crops it’s going to get worse in the next few months).  Feeding a family of 10 is expensive!  This week my husband and I found a few great deals and came home with 320 pounds of food for only $160.00, an average of 50 cents per pound!  Some of it was food storage, but we also got some good stuff like shrimp, roast beef, cheese, etc.  I was so excited.

6.  We got two children through some kind of flu bug, and are hoping that no one else comes down with it.

7.  Our soccer seasons officially started, and in general we’re off to a good start.

8.  My four year old had quite a week.  Trust me, you don’t want more information than that.  My husband and I have both spent a lot of one on one time with him and we’re really hoping that it helps.

9.  This morning before we left for Church I was feeling particularly weary.  While the children got in the van, I knelt down and prayed.  I told Heavenly Father that I wasn’t feeling great and asked him to please help the children be calm today.  About half way through the meeting as we were experiencing all the usual issues plus some, I realized I’d said the wrong prayer.  I should have prayed for strength, because the calm never came.  I repented and we survived.  Later this afternoon as I was reading through some of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poetry I came across this illustration by Jessie Wilcox Smith and thought “I know what that feels like!”  (except I’m afraid I don’t look nearly as patient).

10.  I registered my teenager for lacrosse.  Why do I have butterflies in my stomach over this one?

I could go on and on, but I’m falling asleep as I type.  I’ve been wondering this for years, but I’ll wonder it again:  Will there ever come a day in my life when I won’t measure how I feel in terms of degree of exhaustion?  I can handle this week’s exhaustion.  It’s a happy kind.

Have a great week!

Jennifer

It’s that time again.  Back-to-school is, in some respects, more a fresh start than the New Year.  The adjustments are in full swing around here.  One of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood is the feeling I felt at the beginning of a new year:  I knew I could do it, that I was capable, that I loved school, that I would pay whatever price was necessary to succeed, but my stomach was still tied in knots because I worried about being good enough, and about how high the price would be.  I didn’t have the words to describe it, but that was how I felt the night before school started every single year.  Now I feel the same feelings, but they’re multiplied times five.

Of all the new school supplies purchased each year, my favorite thing was a blank notebook or ream of paper and a writing utensil.  Having those two things in hand promised that anything was possible.  The sense of expectation, of potential, was real to me.  Because I was so serious about it, I always experienced an emotional pause of sorts before I could actually use them.  I didn’t want to tarnish them with anything less than the best I could envision, and I could envision a lot.   I knew the words on that top page would be gently engraved several layers down.  A deep breath, and the first word was written.  The paper was no longer new; now it was mine.  I was committed and there was no looking back.

This week’s report:  75 steps.  It was a busy, tiring week, but a great week as well.
Highlights:

1.  On Tuesday morning our four elementary school aged children started their new school year.  I think we’re off to a great start.

2.  Along those lines, it has been particularly fun to watch my 6th grader take hold of a middle school environment complete with locker, passing periods and 3 million disclosure documents.  She loves it.  It’s also been funny to watch my 8th grade son’s response to her daily efforts to further organize and decorate her locker.  I’m telling you, boys are boys and girls are girls.  So funny.

3.  Usually I feel sad when my kids start school.  This year I felt a happy feeling in my heart, like everything will be ok.  Tuesday was also my first day in two years without a kindergartener.  I got SO MUCH DONE on that first day of school.  I had the kitchen clean, scrubbed my kitchen chairs, prepped dinner, made zucchini bread for an after school snack, enjoyed reading time with my 3 little ones and even got them all down for naps at the same time.  I think that a whole new world might be waiting for me.  Another factor in that feeling is that this year I have a one year old baby instead of a one week old baby.  Believe me when I say I have a very long list of things to work on this year.

4.  Wednesday night I had the honor of meeting my sister-in-law, Kate, who was in town for BYU Education Week, and two of her good friends, for dinner.  It was a very pleasant evening and I enjoyed myself tremendously.  They were so kind to include me in their circle of friends for an evening.  I walked away feeling so grateful for Kate (who is an amazing lady), grateful she has such awesome friends, and grateful for the chance to spend a few hours with them.  It was a bright spot in the week which I’ll not soon forget.

5. To kick off the school year, we had 2 children playing in a soccer tournament this week.  We spent a combined total of 23 hours driving to and from or watching soccer games this week.

6.  On Friday night I took 7 of the children with me for two of the tournament games (my oldest went camping).  Usually I will do anything to avoid taking my whole bunch to crowded places, but this turned out to be a great experience.  We found a great parking space, set up headquarters in a shady area and I enjoyed the most pleasant summer evening I can remember.  The children played, the two year old talked my ear off, and the baby had a great time running away from me.  I sat and watched my son and daughter play soccer and counted heads every 60 seconds while I marveled at the beauty of the setting sun filtering through leaves on the trees and the gentle breeze as it blew in the evening temperatures.  The soccer complex was full of sounds:  children playing, whistles blowing, parents cheering.  I took a deep breath and savored it all.  It was an almost perfect night.  Only two things could have made it better:  having my husband there with me, and my camera in hand.

7.  Wednesday night my son lost his bag at the tournament.  It contained his soccer uniform, school clothes, school shoes and belt.  It took a few days, but on Saturday someone turned it in to the Lost & Found.  Answered prayer.

8.  The children and I got our cars and half the garage cleaned up yesterday.  We’re ready to go!

9.  I got my teen-aged son outfitted and ready to start school this week.  I hope he has a great experience.  He is an awesome young man.

In all, life is good.  Tonight we are a very tired family as we continue the transition to school routines.  Hopefully this week will be a great one!

Jennifer

Some weeks are easier to end than others.  I wanted this week to last longer.  Because my children attend a school outside our local school district, we sometimes end up on a slightly different schedule, which is exactly what’s about to hit us.  We start school on Tuesday, so this week marked the end of our summer.  If it weren’t for the  big ugly ball of stress I already feel in my stomach, I’d say I’m in denial.  I hate sending my children back to school.  I miss them, and I miss the freedom of summer.  I hate to see it end.

This week’s report:  89 steps.
Highlights:

1.  On my baby’s first birthday I gave myself a break from housework and spent as much time as possible playing with her.   We made some special memories together.

2.  I got a lot of what I call secretarial work done this week:  scheduling piano lessons for the new school year, figuring out our new gymnastics schedule, doctor appointments, etc.  Not fun, but necessary.

3.  I went to a new dentist this week when a piece of my tooth chipped off.  My last experience at a dentist’s office wasn’t a good one.  I’d try to describe how much courage it took for me to go back, but you probably wouldn’t believe me.  So I summoned the courage to go, and only cried twice.   What’s more, I actually liked this dentist.  He even called me about 8 hours later to make sure that I was feeling well!

4.  You could say that this was Playmobil week in our home.  In a final celebration of  abandoning yourself to imagination, I let the kids play in their bedrooms, the hallway, even the basement (usually they’re restricted to the toy room).  Believe me when I say they were all over the place.

5.  I had the opportunity to attend a great presentation by LDS Family Services on Strengthening Marriages.  It was motivating, informational, and made me so very grateful for my happy, healthy marriage.

6.  As a result of some insights I had while attending the above meeting, I had one of the best conversations I’ve had in a long time with my 13 year old son.  He is a remarkable young man in many ways.  I learn a great deal from him.

7.  I enjoyed watching my oldest daughter this week.  She is suddenly maturing so quickly, shouldering responsibilities, making plans, and leading out in new ways.  Her two year old sister worships her, and it’s been fun this week to watch her bond more with her baby sister as well.

8.  I burned dinner.  I haven’t done that in many years.  I was so frustrated with myself that I felt tempted to cry, but resisted.

9.  I had several things I needed to begin researching this week.  I’m so thankful for the wealth of information available online!

10.  Tonight my husband and I attended an open house for our good friends who are moving away.  I am happy for them, but so sad for me.  I’m not ready to say good-bye.

With that, I’m off to get some sleep before facing the coming week.  It’s going to be a grueling one.
I hope yours is relaxing!

Jennifer

This week’s report:  81 steps.

Highlights:

1.  It was a lot of fun to celebrate our daughter’s birthday at the beginning of the week.

2.  We went to the school to look at teacher assignments and class lists for the coming school year.

3.  We had several hail storms this week.   We made a memory watching them together.  The children made more memories playing with the hail after the storm stopped, and after they had melted to less than half their original size.

4.  I got to spend some time with a dear friend who will be moving soon.  It was fun to share a warm bowl of soup with her, and to watch the rain and hail together.

5.  Since the purchase of our Space Shuttle we have been a 4 car household.  This week we sold my husband’s Toyota Camry.  It was a bittersweet thing to watch it drive away, but a blessing to sell it.  I’m so thankful for all my husband sacrifices for our family.

6.  On Friday my sister and I drove to Colorado to spend some time with my parents and our other sister.  I also took my baby with me, who was fabulous on the drive.

7.  While in Colorado, we hit garage sales and a flea market.  We also did a number of other things together.  My mom and sisters are just awesome.  It was inspiring to be around them, and inspiring to watch my dad pack my sister’s truck to hold all the things we were hauling home.  (more to come on our adventures)

8.  After a very short trip, we drove home today.

9.  It was great to come home.  I missed faces like this.

Have a great week!

I must admit it took me by surprise to realize this is Report #30.  Thirty is a lot of weeks!  My step count this week:  94.  It feels good to type that.  July’s total was 354.  Highlights:

1.  I finished my Chirp Chirp quilt.  Pictures to come in another post.

2.  The gym was closed this week, offering a full week without morning gymnastics.  We loved the time off!

3. It hit me this week that we have a house full of girls, and that they love beauty as much as I do.  They spent the entire week playing together with their American Girl dolls, designing clothes, doing hair, planning meals, going on outings, and turning the toy room into their own little house.  I ignored as much mess as possible and my husband and I kept the boys at bay so it could last as long as possible.  I am grateful that they have each other, that they can submerge themselves in a world of imagination and practice their own version of homemaking and mothering.  It’s just so wholesome, and I felt better about the future as I observed them.  I walked around the corner and had to smile at this sight.  Like mother like daughters?

4.  I paid someone an unexpected visit this week to thank her for something she does all the time.  To her, it’s probably nothing, but to me it meant a lot.  It was a visit I intended to make for weeks, and I’m so glad I finally did it.  I loved the look of surprise and happiness on her face.  It feels good to be thoughtful.  It feels good to show gratitude.

5.  I took my two year old outside in the dark to look at the moon.  She loves the moon and is usually the first one to spot it.  It was large, low in the sky, yellow in color, and was framed by the silhouettes of trees all around.  It was precious to whisper together in the dark, drinking in the beauty of the moment.  She said, “It’s pretty.  It’s mine!”

6.  I did a better job of  remaining calm inside when I was interacting with one of my children who has been a challenge lately.

7.  I did a better job of prepping dinner earlier in the day, which meant both better meals and happier evenings.  I’m slowly working my way through all of the recipes I haven’t made in a while, to see what everyone still likes.  It will take a while, but it’s fun to do.

8.  Have you ever had a moment when you understood something about yourself that needed changing, and perceived exactly what you needed to do, yet when the situation arose in the middle of life you watched yourself react the same old way all over again, in spite of yourself?  I did that this week.  Sometimes I feel frustrated by the distance between understanding and full implementation,  but all I can do is set more early warning signals and do better next time.

9.  I shed some tears this week for the ache of watching my baby develop at lightning speed.  In spite of all my efforts to hold her and play with her, I still feel like the baby in her is slipping through my fingers.  All of you moms who have lived through this and come out on the other side, I marvel at your hearts.  I don’t know if mine is going to make it.

10.  I’m trying to learn a lesson from my grandpa.  For as long as I can remember, he’s taken time to appreciate the sunset.  He always knows when it will take place, and allows a pause in his evening to watch it.  I want to be like that.  I want to savor the sunset each day.

I leave you with a glimpse of tonight’s sky…

Have a great week!

Jennifer

This week’s report:  80 steps.  It was a hard week but a good week.
Highlights:

1.  This week offered some unexpected opportunities to visit with good friends.  On Wednesday night I got together with three other old friends (from back when our oldest children were babies) and we had a great time talking.  It was good to fit it in before one of them moves to New Mexico.  (We’ll miss you, Janelle! And Andrea, we really missed having you there!)

2.  My oldest son spent the week at Scout Camp.  While he was gone I  tore his room apart, organized and cleaned things, did his laundry, and hung a few pictures on the wall.  It was nice to welcome him home to a clean, comfortable room.  Actually it was just nice to welcome him home.  We really missed him.  He came home bigger, stronger, tan, hair sun-bleached, more confident, happy.  And yes, he came home taller than me.  We measured today.

3.  I spent much of the week caring for a daughter with a fever.  On the worst day, she spiked a fever of 106 degrees.  Yes, you read that right.  Scary.  We’ve had some high fevers around here, but none that high.  Gratefully, we rushed her to the bath and were able to lower it fairly quickly.  She had a tough week but seems to be doing well.

4.  My oldest son loves cookie dough.  Yesterday I made a batch of cookie dough minus the eggs (yogurt instead).  I rolled it into balls and froze them.  As he put one in his mouth, he said, “THIS is why I came home.”  Spoken like a true teenager.   It’s been funny to watch him raid the freezer.  He’s nearly finished them off.

5.  This week we also tore apart the other boys bedroom.  We cleaned, picked up every little Playmobil piece under beds, moved the furniture around, hung a new picture and it looks like a new room.  It was fun to have the children get so excited and help out.

6.  This one is going to be long, but I promise it will make you laugh.  We survived Church.  Some days that is a bigger victory than others.   In sacrament meeting alone we experienced the following:
-baby threw pacifier twice, sending it rolling across the room
-baby, who can now walk, wants nothing more than to leave our pew and walk around in the aisle
-5 year old asks to wear Mom’s ring, then gives it to the two year old who throws it on the ground, sending it rolling under the bench two rows back.
-5 year old whines, saying “I want to go get it” at least 50 times, but Mom won’t let her go get it because it would be disruptive, so several kids keep climbing down on the floor to check on it, which is just a different version of being disruptive.
-by the end of the meeting the ring has disappeared.  We never found it.  That’s the last time the girls are playing with my jewelry in church!
-4 year old was crying for no reason other than being at church before the meeting even started
-2 year old opened the hymnal and started singing to herself.  Borderline activity, but innocent and quiet enough that I just had to remind her to whisper.  Suddenly she climbed off my lap and lay on the floor with the book, and began singing “Tomorrow” from the movie Annie in the middle of someone’s talk.  She wasn’t whispering.
Funny that I thought today would be a great day at church since the children were all rested, had eaten a big meal right before we left, and we’d arrived early.  Oh well.   (I guess we’ll wait and see if the families who sat near us are back next week or not.  Hopefully we didn’t drive them away!)

7.  The real highlight from Church was hearing our 13 year old son speak about his experiences at camp.  He had everyone laughing, but drew some parallels to gospel principles.  He did a good job.  I love that kid.

8.  Combined some recipes to make a new dessert tonight.  We all enjoyed it and had enough to share with the neighbors.  I’ll share the recipe soon.  Here’s a look at it, glistening in the evening sun as we headed next door.  YUM!

9.  Lastly, I experienced a personal disappointment this week that was very discouraging, but I think I’ve made it out on top.  Kind of like the song by Blue October, “Jump Rope”.  UP, down, UP, down… life’s like a jump rope!

It’s hard to believe that this is the last week of July.  Let’s make it count!  Good luck!

Jennifer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people’s feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like to so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

-Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child’s Garden of Verses

And so, now that darkness has settled over the landscape and quiet has (at last!) settled over the house, I sit to type my weekly report.  This week I recorded 70 steps, and a few of them were big.  I’m very pleased.

Highlights:

1.  Kids Council.  This is something I made up early in the summer, and I’m getting better at using it.  Basically, it’s like a family council but because it’s done during the day while my husband is at work and I’m at home with the children, I’ve called it a Kids Council.  I’ll share more about it soon, but we had an awesome one this week.

2.  I responded really well when my four year old son decided to throw his brother’s glass jar (given to him by his Great-Grandpa, filled with sea shells and sand from the beach) at the wall.  His only explanation was this, “I thought it would just bounce off.”  Well, it did that, but in hundreds of pieces, landing all over his bed.   Gratefully we got it all cleaned up safely and I was incredibly calm and pleasant.  (Something to ponder:  why is it that I’m perfectly calm and understanding about shards of glass all over someone’s bed, but can be trusted to get all bent out of shape over stupid little things like lost shoes or jam on the floor?  I think something’s wrong here.)

3.  I’ve been working a bit each day in the basement, organizing and going through boxes.  This week I reached my goal of  having everything sorted and moved into the storage room (except all the filing cabinets, which is another project).  When I was going through boxes from my childhood, I found one at the bottom of the stack that held the red, white and blue dinner napkins I’ve collected through the years.  It’s nice to have them back in use.

4.  We got our oldest son packed and ready to leave for a week at Scout camp.

5.  I had a learning experience that, gratefully, I had the sense to record in my journal.

6.  Spent some time reading through my childhood journal (another benefit of sorting through boxes).

7.  Had really great conversations with two of my brothers.  Love those guys!

8.  I was reminded that my oldest daughter is growing up to be a very thoughtful, sweet, creative young lady.  You know she loves you when she makes you heart shaped ice cubes for your birthday.

9.  Spent a couple of hours with my oldest son, and for once I had the sense to just listen.  Naturally, I learned a lot.  Man, I’ve got a lot of growing up to do still, especially as a mother!

10.  My birthday gift to myself was to bathe my baby, cover her with my favorite baby lotion, and smell her, tickle her, play with her, hold her all day long.  It made my day.

The coming week promises to be that only-happens-in-the-summer kind of slow but busy, fast but relaxing kind of week.  Is it just me, or is summer flying by WAY too quickly?  I hope you make the most of your week;  I intend to do the same!

Hopeful Homemaker

This week’s report:  79 steps.   Works for me.
Highlights:

1.  I’m trying hard to edit the THINGS we have in our home.  I want to take care of people, not stuff.  This week I hit an area in the basement.  I think I’m slowly succeeding, for I’m finding more time to play with my children.

2.  I made a concerted effort to hold my little ones more.  Several times I just sat down and waited to see what would happen.  Invariably I ended up with 3 little bodies climbing all over me (literally).  It was wonderful.

3.  Reading, reading, reading.  We’re all doing a lot of it.  I had the sweetest experience today with a grouchy four year old and Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are.

4.  I resisted the urge to crack down on the state of the toy room, and am glad I did.   As the week wore on I found that my children fell into a heartwarming play experience together.  With their ages spanning from baby to teenager, it is uncommon now that they all find a meeting place, but somehow that happened this week.  I wouldn’t trade it for the cleanest toy room in the world.

5.  I spent an evening watching my daughter’s soccer practice while the little ones ran in the grass.  It was one of those nights when she discovered an instant aptitude for each new drill introduced, and she enjoyed a lot of praise.  Not only was it fun to watch her shine in practice, but I also found myself being renewed by observing the evening sun as it cast rays of sunlight across the shining hair and faces of my little ones.  I hope never to forget the sight of my daughter sprinting for the sprinklers.  The beauty of it made me catch my breath and feel so grateful that I paused to soak it in.

6.  In a search for a quote I’d lost, I re-read several of Abigail Adams’ letters.  What a treasure they are!

7.  As I look back on the week, each day held a particular lesson or insight for me personally and as a mother.  I’m particularly grateful for those moments, and grateful that I paused to record them.   While some of them will take time to produce real fruit, there is already a feeling of victory in my heart, a fresh reminder of this powerful lesson I pondered early in the week.

I am excited for a new week to begin, and look forward to all the surprises it will hold.  I hope yours is great!

Jennifer

I hope you’ve been celebrating all weekend long!  We certainly have.  The 4th of July is my favorite holiday of the year, and this one did not disappoint.  Even the weather was perfect:  cool breezes and pleasant temperatures.  Life is good.

This week’s report:  57 steps.  It was a productive week.  The week also brought the end of June, which signals the half way point in this year-long goal mine.  The total count of steps recorded this year surpassed 1500 this week, a number much higher than I dared to hope for when I began this journey.  Here are the highlights.

1.   I found the courage to keep a promise to myself.  I entered my Wild Thing quilt in our city quilt show.

2.  I tried a new recipe this week, and if I tweak it a bit we’ll have a new family favorite.  It was DELICIOUS.

3.  I cleaned out my pantry.  I’m blessed to have a really awesome pantry, and I love it when it looks like this.

4.  I cleaned out my little girls’ room this week, and had them select just a few items to keep in their room.  This included clothing and I’m really hoping it helps them keep their room clean.

5.  We had our annual 4th of July breakfast on Saturday.  I kept my traditional menu and served this and this, along with fruit salad.  We invited a family over whom we haven’t seen much of in the last few years.  It was great to see them and catch up on their lives.

6.  I listened to an awesome book on CD this week.

7.  We enjoyed a pleasant neighborhood BBQ tonight.  I’d forgotten how yummy my potato salad is.  It was fun to stand together for the Pledge of Allegiance.

8.   My heart is full of gratitude and remembrance this week.  I am grateful for honorable men and women who lived long before me but who inspire me to reach higher.

Life is great.  I hope your holiday weekend continues to be enjoyable and that this is a great week for you!

Jennifer

Note:  I’m sharing my annual 4th of July trivia quiz here.  Answer correctly to win a fun flag holder!