Maybe my expectations were a little off the chart when I made my mental checklist of how my kids would turn out. Surely I'm not the only one that fantasized of perfect little tots running around.
You know which ones I'm talking about, right? The kids with hair that is always perfectly done up, that never have snot running from their nose into their mouth, are always polite, faces never have leftover lunch smeared from cheek to cheek (or on shoulder sleeves because they use it as a napkin), clothes match perfectly and have no stains or holes, talking back is never an issue, get along splendidly with each other, never tattle, and do what they're asked to do promptly without any eyerolling, sighing or other sign of their annoyance at you.
Do you know these kids? I'm sure you know someone with kids Just. Like. These ones.
For some unknown, strange reason, many people think those kids belong to ME (minus the hair always being done... that's a toughie at our house)! ME!! I can't tell you how often Anthony and I are told what a 'perfect little family' we have. We are constantly being told how wonderfully polite our kids are. People are always impressed with the attitude they have toward us as their parents. They hope their kids turn out like ours. And they seem to think that Anthony and I have it all together. We're just a perfect little couple with perfect kids to boot. Let me just tell you
WE ARE ALL GREAT ACTORS!
Seriously, we should be in Hollywood.
If you think we are the image of perfection, I'm very sorry for misleading you.
Please understand that I love my family with all my heart. I wouldn't change a thing about any one of them (ok, maybe a few minor things ;)) but we are a far cry from what most people think of us. We've got issues!
Sounds silly but it is truer than you can imagine.
Just be happy with what you've got, booger noses and all. And remember that even the 'perfect family' has got it's own issues.
Take for example the throwdown between K and A yesterday. Goodness! You wanna see the claws come out? They each ended up in time out for over an hour! There was screaming, name calling, slapping, you name it. Over what? A wanted the pencil that K was using and had asked for it but was too impatient to wait. So, she grabbed it out of K's hand and .... well, the rest is history.
Little C is becoming an even bigger stinker than he previously has been. With his 3rd birthday coming up tomorrow, I guess he figures he might as well start acting three. I don't know about you but I would take a two-year-old over a three-year-old ANY DAY!
And today I really WANTED a time out. I wish there were such a thing for us moms. If there were, I'd probably abuse it. I would want to sit there more often than a mommy should be allowed. Sometimes, when I yell at the kids over something silly (just because I'm stressed out), I should sit in time out. Yes, it happens. I yell a lot more often than is necessary. Working on that, though. Does that count?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Snapple Facts and more oddities
Here it is, my second installment of Snapple facts. If you missed the first one, go here.
And if you missed ... *************** (**timer went off**)
Sorry, minor delay as I had to run and play little game of Push & Pull with my washer, true story.
As I was saying... if you missed the first installment, you can read it here.
That's right! I received another box of 'stuff' not too long ago. I didn't take a picture this time but I probably will (look for it later tonight) but I will tell you the contents:
I just have to laugh. That's all I can do.
Anyway, here are your Snapple facts of the day:
And if you missed ... *************** (**timer went off**)
Sorry, minor delay as I had to run and play little game of Push & Pull with my washer, true story.
As I was saying... if you missed the first installment, you can read it here.
That's right! I received another box of 'stuff' not too long ago. I didn't take a picture this time but I probably will (look for it later tonight) but I will tell you the contents:
- 6 hockey stick pens (could come in handy, and they actually work... BONUS :))
- 4 Snapple lids (of which you will see the content momentarily)
- 8 shower caps from hotels (does anyone really use those? I never have.)
- 10 paper coasters (9 of them are from the Tropicana, 1 from Iggy's Sports Grill)
- outdated magazines (Utah Family and Wasatch Woman-- that way I can know what events happened that I've already missed out on)
- 1 hair pin that was found in a parking lot
- 2 decks of cards (we love games and cards so those come in handy)
- 3 giant T-shirts for the girls to wear as night-gowns.
- Well that was fun... a Chinese Yo-yo. The kids are having fun with that!
- And finally, a bunch of papers with last names on them, "so the kids can learn how to read names from all over the world."
I just have to laugh. That's all I can do.
Anyway, here are your Snapple facts of the day:
- Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the continental United States, and Zabriskien Point, the lowest point in the United States, are less than eighty miles apart.
- A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.
- Jousting is the official sport of Maryland. (Does every state have an official sport?)
- At five feet, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Letting the cat out of the bag...
Alright, I just can't stand to keep it a secret any longer. Not that it's really a huge deal, especially to all of you, but I can pretend. I'm good at that.
So, I told you we bought something that I was scared to do and then I told you I had a final excuse for not posting much lately. Something besides the fact that we have had next to no sleep at all for over a week since the kids have been sick.
OH! And about that... remember me saying that we've only had a total of two ear infections as of this most recent illness? Well, either I jinxed myself or the universe is playing a cruel joke. Last night the kids were finally sleeping somewhat decently (by 'kids' I mean C and B--they've had rough nights recently) until who should wander into our room at 5:00 am (after only getting to bed at 3:00 **sigh**)? K waltzes in with little H in tow rubbing her ear and furrowing her brow. K let me know that H's ear is hurting. GREAT! So I gave her some Motrin and put some Maleleuca (doTERRA) oil on a cotton ball, plugged that into her ear and sent her off to bed again. She seemed alright after that.
Luckily, B already had his one year doctor appointment scheduled for today at noon so I just snuck H into the appointment as well. Good news is B is doing much better, bad news is H has an ear infection. The doctor informed me that they do go away on their own if we just want to wait it out since it is a mild infection. He gave us a prescription anyway but I really am trying to wait it out. We'll see if it works. So far, Motrin and Maleleuca seem to be doing the trick.
But then, just tonight, A informed me that inside her ear hurts. Whatever this bug is that's floatin' around... it better leave soon. It's no longer welcome. What did we do to welcome it in the first place? Party crasher! More Motrin, more oil, off to bed.
Anyway, that's all just filler info for you so I can stall my big announcement. Does it sound huge yet? Don't be getting your hopes up too high. It's really nothing, are you ready?
We just started working out... I know, big surprise. I've already told you that. Anthony's been running, Brooke's been Turbo Jamming, blah blah blah, yada yada yada... who cares!
But this time it's more intense. We bought P90X!! Since I'm too cheap to pay full price, I got it on ksl.com.
I must tell you, it is definitely extreme! Have any of you ever done it? We're on day 11 today... Yoga X.
Can I make a confession? And before I do, I must apologize to anyone that really loves yoga and is really great at it because honestly, I had never done yoga before P90X. I always thought it was "exercise" for wimps. Balance on one foot, whoop-a-dee-doo!
I WAS SOOOOOO WRONG! There, I said it! I was due for my once-every-five-years 'wrong' anyway ;)
Yoga really is extreme and you have to be extremely strong. It takes coordination, flexibility, and core strength. I think I'm pretty coordinated but far from being flexible and my core? Not. strong. at. all!
These are a few things I've learned about in the past 10 days (I'd say 11 but we haven't worked out today yet. We do it late at night once the house is quiet.)
See what I'm doing there? I'm trying to convince myself that 80 days is a short amount of time. 80 MORE DAYS! I just might die, people! Actually, if any of this is going to kill me, I'm 99% sure it will be the Ab Ripper X workout. So, if you see my obituary and see 'cause of death' I can almost guarantee it will say "Ab Ripper X" next to it. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
It might take Anthony first. For some reason, whenever Anthony does that one, he always feels like he's going to throw up. I admit, it does make me queasy too if I'm really working it hard but last night, he literally did throw up. He couldn't finish it. Good thing it was the last work out of the night.
Last week, the Yoga X kicked our butts and we had a hard time getting through it. Hopefully we have more success tonight. Wish us luck! There's a bit of yoga throughout all the workouts and we can both already tell a difference in our flexibility. Yay!
We took 'before' pics but I will not be posting them until day 28 when we are supposed to take pics again. Even then, I'm a bit nervous to post a pic of me. We'll see.
Anyway, I know it's really not a big deal to you. We just wanted to do something to really get us into shape and figured this was a great way to go. So far it has delivered the butt-kicking they promise.
So, I told you we bought something that I was scared to do and then I told you I had a final excuse for not posting much lately. Something besides the fact that we have had next to no sleep at all for over a week since the kids have been sick.
OH! And about that... remember me saying that we've only had a total of two ear infections as of this most recent illness? Well, either I jinxed myself or the universe is playing a cruel joke. Last night the kids were finally sleeping somewhat decently (by 'kids' I mean C and B--they've had rough nights recently) until who should wander into our room at 5:00 am (after only getting to bed at 3:00 **sigh**)? K waltzes in with little H in tow rubbing her ear and furrowing her brow. K let me know that H's ear is hurting. GREAT! So I gave her some Motrin and put some Maleleuca (doTERRA) oil on a cotton ball, plugged that into her ear and sent her off to bed again. She seemed alright after that.
Luckily, B already had his one year doctor appointment scheduled for today at noon so I just snuck H into the appointment as well. Good news is B is doing much better, bad news is H has an ear infection. The doctor informed me that they do go away on their own if we just want to wait it out since it is a mild infection. He gave us a prescription anyway but I really am trying to wait it out. We'll see if it works. So far, Motrin and Maleleuca seem to be doing the trick.
But then, just tonight, A informed me that inside her ear hurts. Whatever this bug is that's floatin' around... it better leave soon. It's no longer welcome. What did we do to welcome it in the first place? Party crasher! More Motrin, more oil, off to bed.
Anyway, that's all just filler info for you so I can stall my big announcement. Does it sound huge yet? Don't be getting your hopes up too high. It's really nothing, are you ready?
We just started working out... I know, big surprise. I've already told you that. Anthony's been running, Brooke's been Turbo Jamming, blah blah blah, yada yada yada... who cares!
But this time it's more intense. We bought P90X!! Since I'm too cheap to pay full price, I got it on ksl.com.
I must tell you, it is definitely extreme! Have any of you ever done it? We're on day 11 today... Yoga X.
Can I make a confession? And before I do, I must apologize to anyone that really loves yoga and is really great at it because honestly, I had never done yoga before P90X. I always thought it was "exercise" for wimps. Balance on one foot, whoop-a-dee-doo!
I WAS SOOOOOO WRONG! There, I said it! I was due for my once-every-five-years 'wrong' anyway ;)
Yoga really is extreme and you have to be extremely strong. It takes coordination, flexibility, and core strength. I think I'm pretty coordinated but far from being flexible and my core? Not. strong. at. all!
These are a few things I've learned about in the past 10 days (I'd say 11 but we haven't worked out today yet. We do it late at night once the house is quiet.)
- My core is absolutely the weakest muscle group on my body--I know I already mentioned this but it's so true it's worth mentioning twice.
- I hate the word lunge.
- I hate the word squat even more than lunge.
- I still hate exercising but am hoping the happiness with the results will outweigh the hate of exercising.
- I am weaker and at the same time stronger than I thought.
- My body fat percentage is WAY higher than I would have thought.
- I really CAN eat healthy and clean without cheating.... too often.
- I despise ab work!
- I might, just maybe, be able to do a pull-up (just one) at the end of 90 days. Maybe.
- Protein bars are absolutely disgusting!
- Anthony is much stronger than I knew. (He's doing this while still training for the marathon... he's NUTS!)
See what I'm doing there? I'm trying to convince myself that 80 days is a short amount of time. 80 MORE DAYS! I just might die, people! Actually, if any of this is going to kill me, I'm 99% sure it will be the Ab Ripper X workout. So, if you see my obituary and see 'cause of death' I can almost guarantee it will say "Ab Ripper X" next to it. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
It might take Anthony first. For some reason, whenever Anthony does that one, he always feels like he's going to throw up. I admit, it does make me queasy too if I'm really working it hard but last night, he literally did throw up. He couldn't finish it. Good thing it was the last work out of the night.
Last week, the Yoga X kicked our butts and we had a hard time getting through it. Hopefully we have more success tonight. Wish us luck! There's a bit of yoga throughout all the workouts and we can both already tell a difference in our flexibility. Yay!
We took 'before' pics but I will not be posting them until day 28 when we are supposed to take pics again. Even then, I'm a bit nervous to post a pic of me. We'll see.
Anyway, I know it's really not a big deal to you. We just wanted to do something to really get us into shape and figured this was a great way to go. So far it has delivered the butt-kicking they promise.
Content Overload
So much to catch up on... where do I start?
First of all, I guess I should tell you why it's been so long since I last updated. Now, which excuse should I use? There are so many to choose from.
You could start by just calling us (my family) the Icky Sickies! That's what's been going on at our house. Every single one of our children has been sick for over a week. It started with K, she was coughing and hacking and sounding pretty congested two Mondays ago (10 days ago) and then little B started in on it too. The poor little man was so miserable. His first birthday was last Thursday and we were planning a big ol' celebration, but unfortunately, we didn't even let anyone know about it once we realized that the kids were getting sick. However, we did make it to the zoo on Thursday. We'd been promising the kids for a couple weeks and didn't want to disappoint. We figured since they wouldn't be in close contact with anyone and we would be outdoors, it would be alright. Poor B was miserable the whole time... runny nose (raw from wiping it), coughing, and slightly lethargic.
Friday morning it seemed he had taken a turn for the worse and I took him to the doctor for fear that he might have RSV. His cough sounded really bad, he was wheezing a bit and Thursday night it seemed that he was having a hard time breathing.
Does it seem like everyone's baby has had RSV this year? I know so many people that have had to hospitalize their babies. I was scared to death this would be the case for us.
Lucky for us, he didn't have RSV but it was a good thing I took him in anyway. He ended up having a double ear infection. Silly me, that didn't even cross my mind. In the 9 1/2 years we've had kids, we've only encountered ONE, yes one, ear infection. 'A' had walking pneumonia the summer before last and she got an ear infection. Other than that, we have had no experience with such nasty infections.
Thanks to antibiotics, little B has perked right up! His nose finally stopped running yesterday and he's now back to his happy little self. And guess what else... just guess! He's WALKING!! As of tonight, I am officially calling him a walker.... of sorts. He's attempting it anyway. Once he stumbles (about 5 or 6 steps in), he's off and crawling again but he's at least trying. That's gotta count for something, right?
Well, after taking B to the doctor and getting him taken care of, A started in on the coughing but never had a fever like K and B did. Shortly after she started, C and H started coughing and running fevers. What a whirlwind!
And whatever this is, it is kicking C's butt (or should I say behind). H's fever was easily managed with one dose of Motrin but C has required several doses and he has been completely wiped out. The poor kid has been laying around, not into anything (you'd think that would be a nice break but it's actually very sad to see), and whining to be held. "Mom, put B down." Poor little man! He just wants to snuggle. After a couple days of straight fevers, it seems to have calmed down tonight. Thank goodness!
I think we're finally looking up from here. Whew, it's been a rough go!
And now on to my other excuses for my absence. The first being the fact that we Sold these BEAUTIES...
for these BEASTIES!
**sorry about the sideways pic**
All I can say is, sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. And this was just one of those things. It's a sad thing because I really really loved my beauties. They were AWESOME. We bought them when we first moved into our home, five years ago. And now, they've moved on to be someone else's beauties, and we get to deal with the beasties.
I'm very grateful for the beasties, don't get me wrong. They are part of the stuff my sister left behind when she moved to California with my parents.
The dryer is actually not a problem at all. It's great! The washer is the problem. First of all, my sister informed Anthony to NEVER use the 'Super' for the load size. I forget why... something about a leak or a spill-over or something? I don't know. But with a family of our size, only using 'Small' or 'Large' means for a lot of loads.
The second of our issues is the fact that our drain doesn't exactly agree with the amount of water the 'new' washer likes to push through. I guess I never realized how truly effecient the beauties were. The washer used sooooo much less water which meant that our extremely slow drain (which we didn't know was so slow) was able to keep up. NOW, there's a process. Wanna hear it? Here you go.
From the time I start the washer (on heavy soil level) to the time it drains is approximately 17 minutes. Which means, I start the load, I run upstairs to set the kitchen timer and when it beeps, I get to run downstairs and get ready for the flood. Only now, it's not a flood because after learning the hard way, I have perfected the process...
Once the water starts draining, my job is to wait approximately 3.5 seconds (for real, I've counted) and then push the knob in to stop it. Even half a second later and the water starts spilling over the top of the drain pipe.
The knob now stays in for approximately 3.5 seconds to allow the drain to catch up. Pull out...3.5, push in...3.5, pull out...3.5, push in...3.5, etc.
This process is repeated somewhere between 13 and 16 times. Yes, that is real, I've counted. It all depends on how precise my seconds are. Is it sad that I know the exact seconds and how many times? Yes, I'm awesome!
From there, once that cycle has finished, it's time to wait for the rinse cycle to complete. I set the timer for another 9 minutes and when the timer goes off, it's off to the basement again for another round of push and pull!
Basically, I now get to babysit the washer. And trust me, it's a BAD day if I forget to set the timer. It's happened once or twice... DARN DISTRACTIONS!! If you ever want to try it, let me know... you're more than welcome. It's lots of fun!
It's really not the washers fault, and yes, the drain could be cleaned out and I'm sure that would help immensely. But when you don't have the funds, you don't have the funds. If you know a plumber that wants to come fix it for FREEEEEEE..... ;) Maybe next paycheck.
And now, for my final excuse... you'll have to wait until the next post for that one. It's almost 2 in the morning and I am going to bed!
First of all, I guess I should tell you why it's been so long since I last updated. Now, which excuse should I use? There are so many to choose from.
You could start by just calling us (my family) the Icky Sickies! That's what's been going on at our house. Every single one of our children has been sick for over a week. It started with K, she was coughing and hacking and sounding pretty congested two Mondays ago (10 days ago) and then little B started in on it too. The poor little man was so miserable. His first birthday was last Thursday and we were planning a big ol' celebration, but unfortunately, we didn't even let anyone know about it once we realized that the kids were getting sick. However, we did make it to the zoo on Thursday. We'd been promising the kids for a couple weeks and didn't want to disappoint. We figured since they wouldn't be in close contact with anyone and we would be outdoors, it would be alright. Poor B was miserable the whole time... runny nose (raw from wiping it), coughing, and slightly lethargic.
Friday morning it seemed he had taken a turn for the worse and I took him to the doctor for fear that he might have RSV. His cough sounded really bad, he was wheezing a bit and Thursday night it seemed that he was having a hard time breathing.
Does it seem like everyone's baby has had RSV this year? I know so many people that have had to hospitalize their babies. I was scared to death this would be the case for us.
Lucky for us, he didn't have RSV but it was a good thing I took him in anyway. He ended up having a double ear infection. Silly me, that didn't even cross my mind. In the 9 1/2 years we've had kids, we've only encountered ONE, yes one, ear infection. 'A' had walking pneumonia the summer before last and she got an ear infection. Other than that, we have had no experience with such nasty infections.
Thanks to antibiotics, little B has perked right up! His nose finally stopped running yesterday and he's now back to his happy little self. And guess what else... just guess! He's WALKING!! As of tonight, I am officially calling him a walker.... of sorts. He's attempting it anyway. Once he stumbles (about 5 or 6 steps in), he's off and crawling again but he's at least trying. That's gotta count for something, right?
Well, after taking B to the doctor and getting him taken care of, A started in on the coughing but never had a fever like K and B did. Shortly after she started, C and H started coughing and running fevers. What a whirlwind!
And whatever this is, it is kicking C's butt (or should I say behind). H's fever was easily managed with one dose of Motrin but C has required several doses and he has been completely wiped out. The poor kid has been laying around, not into anything (you'd think that would be a nice break but it's actually very sad to see), and whining to be held. "Mom, put B down." Poor little man! He just wants to snuggle. After a couple days of straight fevers, it seems to have calmed down tonight. Thank goodness!
I think we're finally looking up from here. Whew, it's been a rough go!
And now on to my other excuses for my absence. The first being the fact that we Sold these BEAUTIES...
All I can say is, sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. And this was just one of those things. It's a sad thing because I really really loved my beauties. They were AWESOME. We bought them when we first moved into our home, five years ago. And now, they've moved on to be someone else's beauties, and we get to deal with the beasties.
I'm very grateful for the beasties, don't get me wrong. They are part of the stuff my sister left behind when she moved to California with my parents.
The dryer is actually not a problem at all. It's great! The washer is the problem. First of all, my sister informed Anthony to NEVER use the 'Super' for the load size. I forget why... something about a leak or a spill-over or something? I don't know. But with a family of our size, only using 'Small' or 'Large' means for a lot of loads.
The second of our issues is the fact that our drain doesn't exactly agree with the amount of water the 'new' washer likes to push through. I guess I never realized how truly effecient the beauties were. The washer used sooooo much less water which meant that our extremely slow drain (which we didn't know was so slow) was able to keep up. NOW, there's a process. Wanna hear it? Here you go.
From the time I start the washer (on heavy soil level) to the time it drains is approximately 17 minutes. Which means, I start the load, I run upstairs to set the kitchen timer and when it beeps, I get to run downstairs and get ready for the flood. Only now, it's not a flood because after learning the hard way, I have perfected the process...
Once the water starts draining, my job is to wait approximately 3.5 seconds (for real, I've counted) and then push the knob in to stop it. Even half a second later and the water starts spilling over the top of the drain pipe.
The knob now stays in for approximately 3.5 seconds to allow the drain to catch up. Pull out...3.5, push in...3.5, pull out...3.5, push in...3.5, etc.
This process is repeated somewhere between 13 and 16 times. Yes, that is real, I've counted. It all depends on how precise my seconds are. Is it sad that I know the exact seconds and how many times? Yes, I'm awesome!
From there, once that cycle has finished, it's time to wait for the rinse cycle to complete. I set the timer for another 9 minutes and when the timer goes off, it's off to the basement again for another round of push and pull!
Basically, I now get to babysit the washer. And trust me, it's a BAD day if I forget to set the timer. It's happened once or twice... DARN DISTRACTIONS!! If you ever want to try it, let me know... you're more than welcome. It's lots of fun!
It's really not the washers fault, and yes, the drain could be cleaned out and I'm sure that would help immensely. But when you don't have the funds, you don't have the funds. If you know a plumber that wants to come fix it for FREEEEEEE..... ;) Maybe next paycheck.
And now, for my final excuse... you'll have to wait until the next post for that one. It's almost 2 in the morning and I am going to bed!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
How did they know?
Update: I totally forgot to mention that if you see anyone that dances like Dan... Anthony would really like to take lessons! ;)
Well, here it is, 1:00 in the morning and Anthony and I are watching one of our very favorite movies. Have you ever seen Dan in Real Life? I am telling you, it. is. hilarious!
More than one person has told me that they just can't seem to get through it but Anthony and I die laughing every time. Maybe we're lame.
But I just have to say, the three girls in the movie..... they are just like our three girls. I kid you not, a little older maybe but the oldest is just exactly what I imagine K being like at 17. The youngest is a spitting image of H (even kind of looks like her) "in the fourth grade!" - (a line from the movie). And the middle one, Anthony and I swear it's A at about 14 or 15 years old.
One of our favorite lines is "YOU.... ARE A MURDERER...... OF LOVE!"
I can almost guarantee that some version of that line is going to come flying at us from A's mouth one day. We already get milder versions of it. She is convinced that we "treat (her) like a teenager!" Then she reminds us that she's only seven so we shouldn't treat her like a teenager. Apparently, only teenagers get in trouble and are grounded. Oh, and we love all the other kids much more than we love her --- according to her.
It doesn't matter how hard we try to convince her otherwise. The nice thing is, she realizes the truth once she has calmed down. She always apologizes for yelling, which is where most of her trouble stems from. Always has to have the last word. She takes after her mother, I suppose. We've just learned that it's not worth talking to her about until she's calmed down.
It's just so funny that watching a movie can give me a glimpse into my future. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it! If you already have, do you love it as much as we do? Tell me we're not lame.
Well, here it is, 1:00 in the morning and Anthony and I are watching one of our very favorite movies. Have you ever seen Dan in Real Life? I am telling you, it. is. hilarious!
More than one person has told me that they just can't seem to get through it but Anthony and I die laughing every time. Maybe we're lame.
But I just have to say, the three girls in the movie..... they are just like our three girls. I kid you not, a little older maybe but the oldest is just exactly what I imagine K being like at 17. The youngest is a spitting image of H (even kind of looks like her) "in the fourth grade!" - (a line from the movie). And the middle one, Anthony and I swear it's A at about 14 or 15 years old.
One of our favorite lines is "YOU.... ARE A MURDERER...... OF LOVE!"
I can almost guarantee that some version of that line is going to come flying at us from A's mouth one day. We already get milder versions of it. She is convinced that we "treat (her) like a teenager!" Then she reminds us that she's only seven so we shouldn't treat her like a teenager. Apparently, only teenagers get in trouble and are grounded. Oh, and we love all the other kids much more than we love her --- according to her.
It doesn't matter how hard we try to convince her otherwise. The nice thing is, she realizes the truth once she has calmed down. She always apologizes for yelling, which is where most of her trouble stems from. Always has to have the last word. She takes after her mother, I suppose. We've just learned that it's not worth talking to her about until she's calmed down.
It's just so funny that watching a movie can give me a glimpse into my future. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it! If you already have, do you love it as much as we do? Tell me we're not lame.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Crazy Life That is Ours for the Taking
Sometimes I feel like we are too busy to breathe. I know I'm not the only one that feels that way. Here are the few the things that have been going on in our lives that keep us on our toes.
Besides the obvious change in eating habits which we've discussed many times already, so let's move on...
B is now standing! We have known for several weeks that he could but for some reason never would. Being that his first birthday is coming up next week, I just have to say, it's about stinkin' time! What I know now is that he could walk if he really wanted to. No, really! We've all seen him do it. He's taken up to 6 steps on his own (that was just 3 days ago) but he gets nervous and decides that crawling is a much simpler way to get where you are going. I disagree but try reasoning with an almost 1-year-old. So, I can't officially call him a walker... yet!
C is a big monkey, as always, and still loves tormenting his sisters and little brother. Anthony and I are convinced that he acts out for attention but I swear he gets 90% of the attention we give. He demands it! I don't see how we could NOT! Love the little guy to death but goodness gracious, let me rest for half a second.
Everywhere we go, people think he is the cutest little stink they've ever seen. People we know adore his personality. Trust me, the kid's got plenty of it. Anthony and I often wish we had just a fraction of the energy he's got bottled up in that little ripped body of his. Have I mentioned the fact that he has a six-pack? No joke! And his back and shoulders are ripped too. He's so strong!
In addition to wreaking havoc 95% of the time that he's awake, he's also learning to USE THE POTTY-- havoc in and of itself! I must admit, this is my absolute least favorite part of toddlerhood. Lucky for us, we have hardwood floors or tile throughout the whole main floor of our home. Easy clean-up! Does anyone else have a hard time teaching kids to go #2? That has been the hardest thing with every child. I think C's almost got it mastered, though. He's no longer hiding in a corner and messing his pants, thank goodness! My favorite was when he would be hiding, I would walk into the room, at which point he would tell me to "Go away! I poopin'." NICE!
Enough about the boys, let's move on, shall we?
The girls are such big helpers to me, especially K. I don't know what I would do without her. She's my go-to gal whenever I need a specific chore done or someone to check on what the boys are doing. And every once in a while, I ask her to change a diaper. She's still never done a messy one. Although, she's no longer able to change B. He's too darn wiggly these days!
A and H are still fighting like cats and dogs, and loving like BFF's. But don't count K out of this one. She's often the ring leader of the fighting and she's got a temper on her. Surprising? Maybe, but she's learned from the best (that would be me). Yes, I've got a bit of a temper and I see it come out in her. It's funny the things you don't see in yourself until your kids show you that it's there.
A is definitely still gets the Drama Queen award. That girl and I butt heads more often than I'd like to admit. Fire and ice I tell you! But she has such a sweet side too. The sweet side likes to show itself more toward inanimate objects, however. Her stuffed animals and dolls get better care than a heartbroken sister. What to do, what to do...
H is still sweet and super silly. The things she says are just so random and often just plain weird. Just this morning she was looking at something in Anthony's junk drawer (I forget what it was) and she turned to him and said, "Daddy, are you a spy?" We got a pretty good laugh out of that one.
Anthony, of course, is still doing very well with his new eating plan. Much better than a wife of his that I know. I think you could say I've fallen off the wagon this weekend for sure. Time to kick it into high gear... again! No wonder he's lost 13 pounds and I've been stuck at 6 for a while now. **Sigh**
And dare I say what's ahead of us for the next 3 months? Here's a hint: We just bought something that we've both said that we want to try but now that it's here, I'm scared to death! What if I can't do it? But, what if I can... and do! That would be exciting!
And now I must apologize to my parents, the Santa Barbarians, for not Skyping for a
while. I promise we will. It's been a busy week for us and we haven't even had the kids to bed on time all week.
So, until next post...
Besides the obvious change in eating habits which we've discussed many times already, so let's move on...
B is now standing! We have known for several weeks that he could but for some reason never would. Being that his first birthday is coming up next week, I just have to say, it's about stinkin' time! What I know now is that he could walk if he really wanted to. No, really! We've all seen him do it. He's taken up to 6 steps on his own (that was just 3 days ago) but he gets nervous and decides that crawling is a much simpler way to get where you are going. I disagree but try reasoning with an almost 1-year-old. So, I can't officially call him a walker... yet!
C is a big monkey, as always, and still loves tormenting his sisters and little brother. Anthony and I are convinced that he acts out for attention but I swear he gets 90% of the attention we give. He demands it! I don't see how we could NOT! Love the little guy to death but goodness gracious, let me rest for half a second.
Everywhere we go, people think he is the cutest little stink they've ever seen. People we know adore his personality. Trust me, the kid's got plenty of it. Anthony and I often wish we had just a fraction of the energy he's got bottled up in that little ripped body of his. Have I mentioned the fact that he has a six-pack? No joke! And his back and shoulders are ripped too. He's so strong!
In addition to wreaking havoc 95% of the time that he's awake, he's also learning to USE THE POTTY-- havoc in and of itself! I must admit, this is my absolute least favorite part of toddlerhood. Lucky for us, we have hardwood floors or tile throughout the whole main floor of our home. Easy clean-up! Does anyone else have a hard time teaching kids to go #2? That has been the hardest thing with every child. I think C's almost got it mastered, though. He's no longer hiding in a corner and messing his pants, thank goodness! My favorite was when he would be hiding, I would walk into the room, at which point he would tell me to "Go away! I poopin'." NICE!
Enough about the boys, let's move on, shall we?
The girls are such big helpers to me, especially K. I don't know what I would do without her. She's my go-to gal whenever I need a specific chore done or someone to check on what the boys are doing. And every once in a while, I ask her to change a diaper. She's still never done a messy one. Although, she's no longer able to change B. He's too darn wiggly these days!
A and H are still fighting like cats and dogs, and loving like BFF's. But don't count K out of this one. She's often the ring leader of the fighting and she's got a temper on her. Surprising? Maybe, but she's learned from the best (that would be me). Yes, I've got a bit of a temper and I see it come out in her. It's funny the things you don't see in yourself until your kids show you that it's there.
A is definitely still gets the Drama Queen award. That girl and I butt heads more often than I'd like to admit. Fire and ice I tell you! But she has such a sweet side too. The sweet side likes to show itself more toward inanimate objects, however. Her stuffed animals and dolls get better care than a heartbroken sister. What to do, what to do...
H is still sweet and super silly. The things she says are just so random and often just plain weird. Just this morning she was looking at something in Anthony's junk drawer (I forget what it was) and she turned to him and said, "Daddy, are you a spy?" We got a pretty good laugh out of that one.
Anthony, of course, is still doing very well with his new eating plan. Much better than a wife of his that I know. I think you could say I've fallen off the wagon this weekend for sure. Time to kick it into high gear... again! No wonder he's lost 13 pounds and I've been stuck at 6 for a while now. **Sigh**
And dare I say what's ahead of us for the next 3 months? Here's a hint: We just bought something that we've both said that we want to try but now that it's here, I'm scared to death! What if I can't do it? But, what if I can... and do! That would be exciting!
And now I must apologize to my parents, the Santa Barbarians, for not Skyping for a
while. I promise we will. It's been a busy week for us and we haven't even had the kids to bed on time all week.
So, until next post...
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Plaque
No, I'm not talking about the kind on your teeth. That would be a strange subject, indeed. I'm talking about the one Anthony received tonight.
That's right, Anthony received an award. He was able to sell enough policies to be invited to an Awards Night for Farm Bureau downtown.
The funny thing is, he didn't even know that he was invited to this dinner until Wednesday. It wasn't until someone mentioned that they needed his RSVP... whoops!
Let me tell you, it was far beyond our level of posh-ness. I know it's not a word, just go with it. We are not the least bit fancy. Our idea of manners at our house is pointing out that you are going to be reaching over someone's plate before actually doing it.
And our idea of dressing up is Sunday clothes. Fortunately, Anthony has a suit but I don't own any fancy clothing. I don't own much clothing period. The skirt and shirt that I wear to church every.stinking.Sunday (someday I'll have new duds) are just plain boring. They are old, worn out and quite frankly, I just don't like them.
So I opted for my only pair of pants that aren't jeans (I have 3 pairs of jeans.... not much) and a shirt and sweater that I acquired from my grandma after her passing. Is that sad? I'm wearing Grandma's clothes but she was very stylish, I promise. No one would know they were Grandma's, except that you do now.
And that is how we went. Did we blend in? We may have looked the part, kind of. We tried.
Now for the fun part, the food! Isn't that always the best part of any event? It is for me. Before dinner was served, there was a cheese and cracker tray that we could eat off of. I've had crackers before, who hasn't? And I've had cheese before. Never had wine before but that's beside the point. I just thought of that because I've heard of wine and cheese tasting parties. This was like that, minus the wine.
I stood in the cheese and cracker line and gathered my crackers, avoiding the white ones (they had multi-grain and wheat :)) and as I looked up to the cheeses, I realized that I only recognized two of them. As I mentioned before, I've had cheeses before.... cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, string, cottage, cream, ricotta, .... the basics. But they had some fancy cheeses! So, I grabbed them all. How was I supposed to know which ones are good? You'd have done the same, I'm sure.
It's too bad I don't know what I was eating because they were all really good. Couldn't they have put little signs up? Anyway, I'm pretty sure I ate too much and that was before the salad and dinner were served.
So then comes the salad. Oh man! It was heavenly. Spinach with mandarin oranges, pecans (they were candied and we ate them anyway), feta (another cheese I know well), and this delicious PINK poppy seed dressing. OH! And a strawberry. I'm pretty sure the dressing was heavily sugared, and yes, we ate it anyway. We didn't want to be rude! ;)
Along with our salad came the rolls. We chose the wheat ones, and then we smeared them with butter because what else do you do with a dinner roll?
Then they had the nerve to serve us strawberry lemonade. I was doing just fine with my water and they killed it! I tried so hard to avoid the lemonade but my tastebuds won.
The actual dinner was pretty clean. Not much to talk about there. Two small red potatoes, steamed veggies, and a meat trio. Mmmm!
Dessert, I avoided it like the plague..... until they set it in front of me. It was a chocolate mousse pie thing and it was soooo rich! But it was chocolate and I've been craving chocolate. I ate about 3/4 of it, Anthony finished about 1/3 of his (his will power is much stronger than mine). I would have finished the whole thing but it was really really rich.
Again, we didn't want to be rude. So, of course we cheated. But I still say we're doing well with ourdiets eating plan. It's still new to us so we're still struggling.
The awards part of the night came after all the food was cleared from the tables. It was fun to see Anthony being awarded for something that he worked so hard for. He felt accomplished and I think it lit a new fire in him. He's excited about doing even better this year.
Maybe next year he'll earn even more awards. There were some agents there that had a TON! It was really a fun event. Not only that but it was nice to just get away with him and go on an actual date. No kids (they were at my cousins... Thanks Kara!) yelling in the background or pulling each others hair or, heaven forbid, breathing each others air.
I'm so proud of Anthony and all of his hard work!
That's right, Anthony received an award. He was able to sell enough policies to be invited to an Awards Night for Farm Bureau downtown.
The funny thing is, he didn't even know that he was invited to this dinner until Wednesday. It wasn't until someone mentioned that they needed his RSVP... whoops!
Let me tell you, it was far beyond our level of posh-ness. I know it's not a word, just go with it. We are not the least bit fancy. Our idea of manners at our house is pointing out that you are going to be reaching over someone's plate before actually doing it.
And our idea of dressing up is Sunday clothes. Fortunately, Anthony has a suit but I don't own any fancy clothing. I don't own much clothing period. The skirt and shirt that I wear to church every.stinking.Sunday (someday I'll have new duds) are just plain boring. They are old, worn out and quite frankly, I just don't like them.
So I opted for my only pair of pants that aren't jeans (I have 3 pairs of jeans.... not much) and a shirt and sweater that I acquired from my grandma after her passing. Is that sad? I'm wearing Grandma's clothes but she was very stylish, I promise. No one would know they were Grandma's, except that you do now.
And that is how we went. Did we blend in? We may have looked the part, kind of. We tried.
Now for the fun part, the food! Isn't that always the best part of any event? It is for me. Before dinner was served, there was a cheese and cracker tray that we could eat off of. I've had crackers before, who hasn't? And I've had cheese before. Never had wine before but that's beside the point. I just thought of that because I've heard of wine and cheese tasting parties. This was like that, minus the wine.
I stood in the cheese and cracker line and gathered my crackers, avoiding the white ones (they had multi-grain and wheat :)) and as I looked up to the cheeses, I realized that I only recognized two of them. As I mentioned before, I've had cheeses before.... cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, string, cottage, cream, ricotta, .... the basics. But they had some fancy cheeses! So, I grabbed them all. How was I supposed to know which ones are good? You'd have done the same, I'm sure.
It's too bad I don't know what I was eating because they were all really good. Couldn't they have put little signs up? Anyway, I'm pretty sure I ate too much and that was before the salad and dinner were served.
So then comes the salad. Oh man! It was heavenly. Spinach with mandarin oranges, pecans (they were candied and we ate them anyway), feta (another cheese I know well), and this delicious PINK poppy seed dressing. OH! And a strawberry. I'm pretty sure the dressing was heavily sugared, and yes, we ate it anyway. We didn't want to be rude! ;)
Along with our salad came the rolls. We chose the wheat ones, and then we smeared them with butter because what else do you do with a dinner roll?
Then they had the nerve to serve us strawberry lemonade. I was doing just fine with my water and they killed it! I tried so hard to avoid the lemonade but my tastebuds won.
The actual dinner was pretty clean. Not much to talk about there. Two small red potatoes, steamed veggies, and a meat trio. Mmmm!
Dessert, I avoided it like the plague..... until they set it in front of me. It was a chocolate mousse pie thing and it was soooo rich! But it was chocolate and I've been craving chocolate. I ate about 3/4 of it, Anthony finished about 1/3 of his (his will power is much stronger than mine). I would have finished the whole thing but it was really really rich.
Again, we didn't want to be rude. So, of course we cheated. But I still say we're doing well with our
The awards part of the night came after all the food was cleared from the tables. It was fun to see Anthony being awarded for something that he worked so hard for. He felt accomplished and I think it lit a new fire in him. He's excited about doing even better this year.
Maybe next year he'll earn even more awards. There were some agents there that had a TON! It was really a fun event. Not only that but it was nice to just get away with him and go on an actual date. No kids (they were at my cousins... Thanks Kara!) yelling in the background or pulling each others hair or, heaven forbid, breathing each others air.
I'm so proud of Anthony and all of his hard work!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
A Clean Recipe ---- To start us off
K was in charge of the 'skills demonstration' this week at Liberty Girls so we found this recipe for her to demo. We had to have a practice run at home. I'm pretty sure it's clean... I think!
I know the peanut butter and the honey are clean. Yes, peanut butter is clean if you buy the right kind. Not the Jif or the Skippy or some other bigger brands. I'm talking about the ones you have to stir. The 'natural' kind!
Be careful though, some of the Jif and Skippy etc. are labeled as 'natural' but still contain sugars. Usually LOTS of sugar.
We really like the Adam's brand. We don't buy the 'no-stir' kind (which Adam's also carries) because it contains hydrogenated (or maybe it was partially hydrogenated) oils. YUCK! Those are bad, stay away from them! Straight peanuts is what you're looking for. It's ok if it has a little salt in there too.
Anyway, the part I'm not sure about is the powdered milk. I'm not absolutely sure that it's clean but I don't see why it wouldn't be. It's just milk solids, right?
Another thing I'm curious about is freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. Would they be considered clean? As far as I know, it's just fresh produce... the water's just been taken out. Add water and VOILA! It's like fresh again. From what I hear, all the nutrients are still there as well. Clean? I don't see why not.
But wait! I'm talking about Peanut Butter Balls here. No fruit or vegetables needed. Can you imagine? Gross!
So, here's the ever-so-complicated recipe.
Peanut Butter Balls
1 c peanut butter (I suppose you could use the sugary stuff ;))
1 c honey
2 c powdered milk
Mix it all up and form into balls, whatever size you prefer. You can roll them (or not) in finely chopped nuts, whole grain cereal or, dare I say, powdered sugar. *EEK* If I write it small, it's like I never said it ;P
Then place them on a cookie sheet lined in waxed paper or foil and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so.
They were pretty darn good. Anthony thought they kind of tasted like the nougat in a candy bar. I decided that he's right. They actually turned out very sweet! And while they are clean, I'm pretty sure I didn't do myself any favors by eating several, then several more. Darn that sweet tooth of mine! I'm dying, people!
Well, enjoy!
I know the peanut butter and the honey are clean. Yes, peanut butter is clean if you buy the right kind. Not the Jif or the Skippy or some other bigger brands. I'm talking about the ones you have to stir. The 'natural' kind!
Be careful though, some of the Jif and Skippy etc. are labeled as 'natural' but still contain sugars. Usually LOTS of sugar.
We really like the Adam's brand. We don't buy the 'no-stir' kind (which Adam's also carries) because it contains hydrogenated (or maybe it was partially hydrogenated) oils. YUCK! Those are bad, stay away from them! Straight peanuts is what you're looking for. It's ok if it has a little salt in there too.
Anyway, the part I'm not sure about is the powdered milk. I'm not absolutely sure that it's clean but I don't see why it wouldn't be. It's just milk solids, right?
Another thing I'm curious about is freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. Would they be considered clean? As far as I know, it's just fresh produce... the water's just been taken out. Add water and VOILA! It's like fresh again. From what I hear, all the nutrients are still there as well. Clean? I don't see why not.
But wait! I'm talking about Peanut Butter Balls here. No fruit or vegetables needed. Can you imagine? Gross!
So, here's the ever-so-complicated recipe.
Peanut Butter Balls
1 c peanut butter (I suppose you could use the sugary stuff ;))
1 c honey
2 c powdered milk
Mix it all up and form into balls, whatever size you prefer. You can roll them (or not) in finely chopped nuts, whole grain cereal or, dare I say, powdered sugar. *EEK* If I write it small, it's like I never said it ;P
Then place them on a cookie sheet lined in waxed paper or foil and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so.
They were pretty darn good. Anthony thought they kind of tasted like the nougat in a candy bar. I decided that he's right. They actually turned out very sweet! And while they are clean, I'm pretty sure I didn't do myself any favors by eating several, then several more. Darn that sweet tooth of mine! I'm dying, people!
Well, enjoy!
Just Kidding!
Ok, so if you're bored to tears reading about recipes, eating clean, our journey to better health, etc... you have some options. 1- You could bore yourself further by reading such posts! 2- You could skip them altogether!
Sorry! The "pages" that blogger has aren't really what I was looking for. Just deal with it. That's all I can say.
I have a ton to catch up on so stay tuned.
Thanks!
Sorry! The "pages" that blogger has aren't really what I was looking for. Just deal with it. That's all I can say.
I have a ton to catch up on so stay tuned.
Thanks!
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