Today was cold again. I think a bit warmer than yesterday..thank goodness. I just freeze around here in the morning and then at night. Today has been crazy busy. Got Mitty off to school this morning and then came back to pick up around the house. Got some things done and before I knew it I needed to make sure Casey ate and was ready for school. Then Todd called to say that he forgot his phone. What would we do without cell phones?? I feel naked if I don't have mine. Isn't that funny! Emily loves to go "meet" dad. She asks if we can do that everyday after we take Casey to school. This time it was fun to say yes to her since she asked. We ate lunch at Woodstock's pizza. Emily chose the place and had lots of fun. There was a lady painting the windows with Christmas scenes and let Emily use a sponge to put the paint on the window. She thought that was so fun. Todd played Pac-Man with her which she totally loved. Even more, she loved to tell the boys once we picked them up that she got to meet dad and play pac-man with him.
I made it back to finish putting clothes away and picking up since my visiting teacher was coming over. She is really fun. She is from a family of 17 children. I couldn't believe it when she told me. Nutso. I asked her if her mother is ok. I think there are two sets of twins. Can you imagine being pregnant that many times. I would die. There would be nothing left of me to raise my kids. She said that her older siblings did a lot of raising the younger ones. She said they had 2 washing machines/dryers that continually were running round the clock. It is making my head hurt to just imagine. I like her and her little boy is just a doll. She brought me some wonderful sourdough bread. Todd is happy! As I sit and write this, I feel like a heel that I didn't get to my sisters this month. I will get them early December so it doesn't slip away from me at a very busy time.
After she left then it was dinner time, bath time, finish homework time, etc. That all equates to crazy time. Got everyone to bed and then had to cut out 45 rectangle shapes of material for Casey's class tomorrow. I had to take a break from it. My back was killing me to lean over and cut material. I may just go to bed and finish in the morning. Yeah right. Who am I kidding? My feet are cold and I am sleepy. Time for bed!!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
WW Ideas/Tips
Today seemed to be a good day. No I didn't get done all of the things I listed earlier but that is ok. I didn't really expect to. I get so many interruptions during the day it is almost impossible to finish that list before sundown. It was pretty funny tonight...Mitch got his first phone call from a friend in his class at school. They talked and he was all of a sudden so grown up like. Oh no, it's happening. It was fun to see him be such a big boy. The boy asked him if he could come over and play one Sunday. Mitch told him that we don't play on Sunday's. Way to go Mitty!! There was no hesitation in his answer. The best part about the call was that Casey followed him around like a puppy dog saying, "let me talk to him" over and over. Casey just can't handle not doing the exact same thing as his big brother. Anyway, it was cute nonetheless.
Here are few ideas/tips for doing WW per Laurie's request:
Here are bunch of 2.5-4 point meals/snacks:
1. 1/2 banana & 1 Tbsp. peanut butter = 3.5 points
2. 1 hard boiled egg and 1 slice Sara Lee Whole Wheat bread w/1 tsp. Brummel & Brown(slice the egg and place on top of the toast) = 3.5 points
3. 1/2 c. S&W black beans, 1/2 c. corn, 1 Tbsp. sour cream, 1 tsp. BBQ sauce, chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper, sprinkle of red cayenne pepper = 3.5 points (mix the sour cream, bbq sauce and cayenne and then blend with the rest)
4. 1/2 c. cottage cheese, salsa and 8 wheat thins = 3.5 points
5. 1/4 c. cottage cheese, 1 slice Sara Lee Whole Wheat bread (Classic style) toasted. Put the cottage cheese on the toast and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top = 2.5 - 3 points depending on how much sugar is sprinkled.
6. 1 tbsp. of peanut butter and spread it on a celery stick = 2.5 points Cut up your stalk into smaller pieces so you have volume instead of thinking you just get one stick.
7. String cheese = 2points
8. 10 almonds = 2 points
9. 1 tbsp. peanut butter & 10-15 choc. chips, melted = 3.5 points yummy treat!!
10. 1 Jack in the Box taco = 4 points (For those who like them...I happen to love them. And they are cheap)
I use pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans in my tacos instead of grd. beef when we eat tacos. I usually fry up 1 corn tortilla (2 points incl. the oil used for one tortilla), then a 1/2 c. of beans (1 point) and then layer lettuce, tomatoes, gr. onions, little cheese/maybe an oz.(2 points) and then salsa or ketchup. Put a little bit of red wine vinegar in your lettuce that is shredded up. It is so tasty and only 5 points. It fills you up using the beans (lots of fiber). I have done this now for years and I just love it. It's the best taste. Depending on how many points you want to make it, add some shredded chicken. I think it is 3 points for 3 oz. of chicken.
If you like hard boiled eggs, boil a bunch so that you have them on hand. Quick, easy snack for 2 points.
Another bit of advice is know what you are having/making for dinner before you eat breakfast. That helps so that you aren't stuck at dinner time with just a few points left.
I have found making a vegetable and eating it while making dinner or before helps to make me not feel so hungry which then causes me to over eat. And you get in some veggies. Broccoli with a little Brummel & Brown, salt & pepper. B & B is my substitute for butter.
Here are a few suggestions. To be serious, I have chosen not to eat foods that I can't count the points. Like going out to dinner. There are so many hidden calories in restaurant food, it's unbelievable.
Good luck to those on WW. It truly works when done honestly. It is the best!! I tell everyone about it. Todd pumps up WW to everyone because he saw it work for me. When I went for the first time back in the beginning of 1998, I lost 35 pounds. I had tried every stinkin diet under the sun. Just ask my family. Trying WW was my last resort and I am still living it. I love it!!
Here are few ideas/tips for doing WW per Laurie's request:
Here are bunch of 2.5-4 point meals/snacks:
1. 1/2 banana & 1 Tbsp. peanut butter = 3.5 points
2. 1 hard boiled egg and 1 slice Sara Lee Whole Wheat bread w/1 tsp. Brummel & Brown(slice the egg and place on top of the toast) = 3.5 points
3. 1/2 c. S&W black beans, 1/2 c. corn, 1 Tbsp. sour cream, 1 tsp. BBQ sauce, chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper, sprinkle of red cayenne pepper = 3.5 points (mix the sour cream, bbq sauce and cayenne and then blend with the rest)
4. 1/2 c. cottage cheese, salsa and 8 wheat thins = 3.5 points
5. 1/4 c. cottage cheese, 1 slice Sara Lee Whole Wheat bread (Classic style) toasted. Put the cottage cheese on the toast and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top = 2.5 - 3 points depending on how much sugar is sprinkled.
6. 1 tbsp. of peanut butter and spread it on a celery stick = 2.5 points Cut up your stalk into smaller pieces so you have volume instead of thinking you just get one stick.
7. String cheese = 2points
8. 10 almonds = 2 points
9. 1 tbsp. peanut butter & 10-15 choc. chips, melted = 3.5 points yummy treat!!
10. 1 Jack in the Box taco = 4 points (For those who like them...I happen to love them. And they are cheap)
I use pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans in my tacos instead of grd. beef when we eat tacos. I usually fry up 1 corn tortilla (2 points incl. the oil used for one tortilla), then a 1/2 c. of beans (1 point) and then layer lettuce, tomatoes, gr. onions, little cheese/maybe an oz.(2 points) and then salsa or ketchup. Put a little bit of red wine vinegar in your lettuce that is shredded up. It is so tasty and only 5 points. It fills you up using the beans (lots of fiber). I have done this now for years and I just love it. It's the best taste. Depending on how many points you want to make it, add some shredded chicken. I think it is 3 points for 3 oz. of chicken.
If you like hard boiled eggs, boil a bunch so that you have them on hand. Quick, easy snack for 2 points.
Another bit of advice is know what you are having/making for dinner before you eat breakfast. That helps so that you aren't stuck at dinner time with just a few points left.
I have found making a vegetable and eating it while making dinner or before helps to make me not feel so hungry which then causes me to over eat. And you get in some veggies. Broccoli with a little Brummel & Brown, salt & pepper. B & B is my substitute for butter.
Here are a few suggestions. To be serious, I have chosen not to eat foods that I can't count the points. Like going out to dinner. There are so many hidden calories in restaurant food, it's unbelievable.
Good luck to those on WW. It truly works when done honestly. It is the best!! I tell everyone about it. Todd pumps up WW to everyone because he saw it work for me. When I went for the first time back in the beginning of 1998, I lost 35 pounds. I had tried every stinkin diet under the sun. Just ask my family. Trying WW was my last resort and I am still living it. I love it!!
Tuesday....
This morning is pretty cold..50 degrees. That is pretty cold to me. Thank goodness for the sun that shines so brightly. I thought about that as I opened the blinds this morning. The warmth that I am able to feel from the sun on a cold morning makes me happy.
Yesterday was somewhat busy. Mainly at the end of the day when I waited to do everything. I had to go to Trader Joes, Wal-Mart and the cleaners. That can be rough at 5:00pm with all 4 children. I stuck to the few items that I needed at each place and we got out of there. The worst is when you are ready to go and then all of the kids are saying they have to go to the bathroom. I knew I had 2 more stops to make so we had to use the Wal-Mart bathrooms....big mistake. It is so nasty. I can hardly stand public bathrooms. For the boys, it isn't so bad because they don't have to sit down. For Emily, it's bad. I pretty much layer the toilet with a couple of seat covers and then have her sit down. The handicap stall door was open and so I always hit that one since there is so many of us. I get down to the end with all of the kids to find a lady sitting on it with the door wide opened. She looks at me and says the door is broken. I thought to myself, then why didn't you use another stall. She wasn't handicap either. Strange. There wasn't anyone else in there. That's Wal-Mart for you. I found that odd. Oh well, we made it out of there in a hurry and on to the next stop. I bought pizza dough at Trader Joes and we made pizzas at home. Todd had made homemade pizza sauce that we wanted to use. They turned out very tasty. We slice up the mozzarella instead of grating it and put the sauce on top. It was so good. It's cheap too. The pizza dough is $.99/ball for a cookie sheet size pizza. The night ended well with me warm in my bed early. I felt good when I got up this morning. I love that. Why don't I do that every night?
Today I am on a mission to find Mitty some pants. He grows out of his pants so fast. Before I know it they are floods. His waist is tiny but his legs are long so it is hard to find pants to fit him. What would I do without adjustable waist? :) I have to hit Costco also. That is definitely a trip I do with just the 2 girls.
I asked the kids yesterday for their Christmas lists again. Emily said, "I want a pink bike and a dame boy (she says d's for g's) and that's it." I think this year Santa is getting each child 3 items and then stocking stuffers. I don't want it to get out of control like it seems to every other year. The kids always end up playing with one or two of the items that they get anyway.
Here is my list of things to do today:
*dishes/kitchen
*finish laundry/folding
*straighten the house
*vacuum
*Costco
*clean bathrooms
I am hoping by posting this list it will help me to finish it all. Ellie is asleep so I better get to work.
Yesterday was somewhat busy. Mainly at the end of the day when I waited to do everything. I had to go to Trader Joes, Wal-Mart and the cleaners. That can be rough at 5:00pm with all 4 children. I stuck to the few items that I needed at each place and we got out of there. The worst is when you are ready to go and then all of the kids are saying they have to go to the bathroom. I knew I had 2 more stops to make so we had to use the Wal-Mart bathrooms....big mistake. It is so nasty. I can hardly stand public bathrooms. For the boys, it isn't so bad because they don't have to sit down. For Emily, it's bad. I pretty much layer the toilet with a couple of seat covers and then have her sit down. The handicap stall door was open and so I always hit that one since there is so many of us. I get down to the end with all of the kids to find a lady sitting on it with the door wide opened. She looks at me and says the door is broken. I thought to myself, then why didn't you use another stall. She wasn't handicap either. Strange. There wasn't anyone else in there. That's Wal-Mart for you. I found that odd. Oh well, we made it out of there in a hurry and on to the next stop. I bought pizza dough at Trader Joes and we made pizzas at home. Todd had made homemade pizza sauce that we wanted to use. They turned out very tasty. We slice up the mozzarella instead of grating it and put the sauce on top. It was so good. It's cheap too. The pizza dough is $.99/ball for a cookie sheet size pizza. The night ended well with me warm in my bed early. I felt good when I got up this morning. I love that. Why don't I do that every night?
Today I am on a mission to find Mitty some pants. He grows out of his pants so fast. Before I know it they are floods. His waist is tiny but his legs are long so it is hard to find pants to fit him. What would I do without adjustable waist? :) I have to hit Costco also. That is definitely a trip I do with just the 2 girls.
I asked the kids yesterday for their Christmas lists again. Emily said, "I want a pink bike and a dame boy (she says d's for g's) and that's it." I think this year Santa is getting each child 3 items and then stocking stuffers. I don't want it to get out of control like it seems to every other year. The kids always end up playing with one or two of the items that they get anyway.
Here is my list of things to do today:
*dishes/kitchen
*finish laundry/folding
*straighten the house
*vacuum
*Costco
*clean bathrooms
I am hoping by posting this list it will help me to finish it all. Ellie is asleep so I better get to work.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Our Trip
We left Tuesday night and made great time getting to Orange in 3 hours...no traffic!! The kids slept and that made the trip real smooth. We spent the next few days at Carol's, Todd's mom's house. The kids just loved being with all of their cousins that they haven't seen for a while. The boys played football, games, baseball and rode on scooters, etc.
Thursday was Turkey day and the guests started coming. Todd's brother and his 3 boys came and then his sister's family came... in total we had 18 people around the dinner table. This year Carol wanted the kids to be included around the table with the adults. You know instead of that dreaded "kids table". It was nice to have everyone together. It doesn't happen often with his family. I enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, asparagus, candied yams, and gravy. The house was full. We had 12 people staying at his mom's house. It was zoo like. It was fun but I was ready to go on Saturday.
I stuck to my points throughout this vacation and it felt so good to come home and see the scale go down another pound. The saying, "Food doesn't taste as good as thin feels" is so stinkin true. I knew I was totally dedicated to counting points when I was having a 1/2 of banana and 1 tbsp. of peanut butter each day for lunch. I passed up a donut trip, Togos, In-N-Out and waffles. I just wasn't in the mood to ruin what I have started. It paid off since the scale was down.
Friday we hung out around the house and the kids played football outside again. This time Mitch kicked the football up in the air, it hit a tree and bounced right down onto the side mirror of his brother's car. We spent a big part of the day finding a VW shop open to have the darn mirror replaced since his brother was going back home to Utah the next day. We got it fixed, $200.00 later....OUCH! That was a bummer. Friday night we met up with my family at Claim Jumper for my dad's 60th b'day dinner. My entire family was able to make it and be there including John and Peggy Meisenbach. We all had such a nice time and it was fun to be with everyone. It was a dinner out without all of the kids. It was fun to talk and catch up. I know my dad was in his element.
Saturday Todd and his dad went to the USC/Notre Dame game and so I took the kids and my mom down to Seal Beach to visit Grammy. I don't think I have seen her in over a year. And she has never seen Ellie so I really wanted to go and visit. It was fun to visit with her and have the kids play with her. The kids behaved and the visit was really nice. Danny even came over and hung out with us for a bit. The kids always like to play with their uncle. The man in the picture below is not my Papa...this is Sal, Grammy's male friend.
I am so glad that we took pictures because I now have a 4 generation picture with Grammy, mom, me and my girls.
Saturday night I met Todd up at the game once it was over and we drove home from there. The kids were asleep and we made it home just at midnight. The car temp read 41 degrees as we drove down our street. Apparently, Winter came while we were gone. The wind was blowing and it was freezing when we got out of the car. It was nice to be home in our own place with our own stuff and not with a hundred people. It was nice to have Sunday to recoup (not sure that is how it ended up) before Monday morning. Todd didn't have any meetings this morning so it was nice to have him around while we got ready.
Today was cold and pretty busy. I had lots to do since I remembered last night on our drive home that I was supposed to teach Casey's class today in Primary. Ugh! I winged it and did just fine. It was hard having the baby to juggle and teach the class. Especially since there is a child who is very hard to manage in his class. I am thankful today is over and that the kids are asleep. yep, it was one of those kinds of days. Hopefully, tomorrow will feel a lot less stressful. Tonight it has been raining so maybe it will stay until tomorrow. The kids will love that. it's late and I'm beat so I'm hitting the sack.
Thursday was Turkey day and the guests started coming. Todd's brother and his 3 boys came and then his sister's family came... in total we had 18 people around the dinner table. This year Carol wanted the kids to be included around the table with the adults. You know instead of that dreaded "kids table". It was nice to have everyone together. It doesn't happen often with his family. I enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, asparagus, candied yams, and gravy. The house was full. We had 12 people staying at his mom's house. It was zoo like. It was fun but I was ready to go on Saturday.
I stuck to my points throughout this vacation and it felt so good to come home and see the scale go down another pound. The saying, "Food doesn't taste as good as thin feels" is so stinkin true. I knew I was totally dedicated to counting points when I was having a 1/2 of banana and 1 tbsp. of peanut butter each day for lunch. I passed up a donut trip, Togos, In-N-Out and waffles. I just wasn't in the mood to ruin what I have started. It paid off since the scale was down.
Friday we hung out around the house and the kids played football outside again. This time Mitch kicked the football up in the air, it hit a tree and bounced right down onto the side mirror of his brother's car. We spent a big part of the day finding a VW shop open to have the darn mirror replaced since his brother was going back home to Utah the next day. We got it fixed, $200.00 later....OUCH! That was a bummer. Friday night we met up with my family at Claim Jumper for my dad's 60th b'day dinner. My entire family was able to make it and be there including John and Peggy Meisenbach. We all had such a nice time and it was fun to be with everyone. It was a dinner out without all of the kids. It was fun to talk and catch up. I know my dad was in his element.
Saturday Todd and his dad went to the USC/Notre Dame game and so I took the kids and my mom down to Seal Beach to visit Grammy. I don't think I have seen her in over a year. And she has never seen Ellie so I really wanted to go and visit. It was fun to visit with her and have the kids play with her. The kids behaved and the visit was really nice. Danny even came over and hung out with us for a bit. The kids always like to play with their uncle. The man in the picture below is not my Papa...this is Sal, Grammy's male friend.
I am so glad that we took pictures because I now have a 4 generation picture with Grammy, mom, me and my girls.
Saturday night I met Todd up at the game once it was over and we drove home from there. The kids were asleep and we made it home just at midnight. The car temp read 41 degrees as we drove down our street. Apparently, Winter came while we were gone. The wind was blowing and it was freezing when we got out of the car. It was nice to be home in our own place with our own stuff and not with a hundred people. It was nice to have Sunday to recoup (not sure that is how it ended up) before Monday morning. Todd didn't have any meetings this morning so it was nice to have him around while we got ready.
Today was cold and pretty busy. I had lots to do since I remembered last night on our drive home that I was supposed to teach Casey's class today in Primary. Ugh! I winged it and did just fine. It was hard having the baby to juggle and teach the class. Especially since there is a child who is very hard to manage in his class. I am thankful today is over and that the kids are asleep. yep, it was one of those kinds of days. Hopefully, tomorrow will feel a lot less stressful. Tonight it has been raining so maybe it will stay until tomorrow. The kids will love that. it's late and I'm beat so I'm hitting the sack.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Busy Monday
Yesterday turned out to be a nice day. I found myself ready for church and waiting around for the time to pass to leave. When does that ever happen? I tried getting a picture of the kids for a Christmas card before we left. Not sure yet if I am using one of those. It's hard to get them all looking at the same time and not doing that fake funny looking smile. We'll see. I may just use it so that I can be done and on my way to Costco. This is the earliest I have ever been ready with cards. I like it. I can already feel a more stress free Christmas time coming on.
Yesterday felt busy but I think it is because of all of the things I was asked to do. Does that make sense? A lady called in the morning from our ward asking if I would host a table at our ward Christmas dinner. Yikes. I felt a wave of panic come over me and then asked if I had to do what I have always known the hostess to have to do....bring all the silverware, place settings, decorate the table, make the food, etc. She said, "oh, no." I just couldn't see me juggling that and all of the kids at the same time. I agreed to do it and it's pretty basic. They will bring the food to me that morning for my table of 8-10 and I have to warm the food and make sure it is hot for the dinner, transport it over to the building and use my own serving dishes. Not bad, huh? They take care of decorating and the place settings. It can't be too fancy since it is for the entire family (kids and all). Then a sister asked if I would teach Casey's class on Sunday and then the announcement of helping families outside of the ward in providing food for a Thanksgiving dinner. Of course! I do love to contribute in any way I can to helping others enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner. I can't imagine not having the means to provide that. I am more than happy to do that. I will drop off 6 boxes of stuffing and 6 cans of cranberries tomorrow night on our way out.
So last night I got out paper and started making my big list to be ready to leave for Orange on Tuesday night. We were on the go today. It all worked out and I am finished with the shopping for the kids exchange. Tonight I will wrap and have that out of my hair. It feels good to be done this early. I feel like I will be able to relax and enjoy the holidays instead of being so crazy busy.
The kids have been pretty good for me. This morning was a whole different story at the store. Casey is such a teaser and Emily just squeals. It was driving me nuts. Once I was alone with just the girls running errands it was much better. A totally different experience. The boys brought their report cards home and it was all good. Yeah!! They are doing really well. It's so nice for me to read how Casey's teacher says that he is a great listener, helps other kids in their group time, follows directions, is attentive, etc. He is very different at school. He loves to feed the fire around here sometimes. I'm glad he can do what he should at school.
I better fold the last of my loads of laundry so I can have everything ready to pack up tomorrow. UGH!! I hate having to pack up my entire house. It's so much work. Well, we are hoping to avoid major traffic by leaving tomorrow night and coming home on Saturday instead of Sunday. I will just die if our plan proves me wrong.
Yesterday felt busy but I think it is because of all of the things I was asked to do. Does that make sense? A lady called in the morning from our ward asking if I would host a table at our ward Christmas dinner. Yikes. I felt a wave of panic come over me and then asked if I had to do what I have always known the hostess to have to do....bring all the silverware, place settings, decorate the table, make the food, etc. She said, "oh, no." I just couldn't see me juggling that and all of the kids at the same time. I agreed to do it and it's pretty basic. They will bring the food to me that morning for my table of 8-10 and I have to warm the food and make sure it is hot for the dinner, transport it over to the building and use my own serving dishes. Not bad, huh? They take care of decorating and the place settings. It can't be too fancy since it is for the entire family (kids and all). Then a sister asked if I would teach Casey's class on Sunday and then the announcement of helping families outside of the ward in providing food for a Thanksgiving dinner. Of course! I do love to contribute in any way I can to helping others enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner. I can't imagine not having the means to provide that. I am more than happy to do that. I will drop off 6 boxes of stuffing and 6 cans of cranberries tomorrow night on our way out.
So last night I got out paper and started making my big list to be ready to leave for Orange on Tuesday night. We were on the go today. It all worked out and I am finished with the shopping for the kids exchange. Tonight I will wrap and have that out of my hair. It feels good to be done this early. I feel like I will be able to relax and enjoy the holidays instead of being so crazy busy.
The kids have been pretty good for me. This morning was a whole different story at the store. Casey is such a teaser and Emily just squeals. It was driving me nuts. Once I was alone with just the girls running errands it was much better. A totally different experience. The boys brought their report cards home and it was all good. Yeah!! They are doing really well. It's so nice for me to read how Casey's teacher says that he is a great listener, helps other kids in their group time, follows directions, is attentive, etc. He is very different at school. He loves to feed the fire around here sometimes. I'm glad he can do what he should at school.
I better fold the last of my loads of laundry so I can have everything ready to pack up tomorrow. UGH!! I hate having to pack up my entire house. It's so much work. Well, we are hoping to avoid major traffic by leaving tomorrow night and coming home on Saturday instead of Sunday. I will just die if our plan proves me wrong.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Ellie's 4 Month Well Check
Ellie went to the doctor yesterday for her 4 month check up. She is doing very well. She had to have more shots which she handled rather well. She hasn't been fussy either. None of my kids have had problems when they have shots. I am very thankful for that. She weighed 13 lbs. 6 oz. and is 25" long. To document...she rolled over for the first time on the table in the doctor's office. I was very excited because she hasn't done that. So fun to watch all of these milestones. She is grabbing at stuff more and more. She will actually hold her toys that hang down on her bouncy seat. I love to watch her develop these skills each day.
She is a great sleeper. Last week I tried a couple of times putting her down with her still awake yet ready to be asleep. I want to start that now so she doesn't have to be rocked to go to sleep everytime. She did just fine and went off to sleep. Emily was always like that. I could lay her down awake at night and she would go to sleep without a peep. Maybe Ellie will follow those same wonderful sleep patterns. Ellie is not a crier when she wakes up. You can hear her sniffing and making sounds when she wakes.
I am enjoying having sweet little Ellie in our family. The kids just adore her and help so much with her. The boys are always holding her. Mitty has been spit up on a few times so he gets a little nervous if he has her too long. It is fun to watch the boys take such good care of their younger sisters. I hope they will continue to look out for them throughout their lives. I realized that Mitch, Casey and Emily will all be in high school at the same time. Yikes!! I hope the boys will be a good example for their sisters. A mother can only hope :).
She is a great sleeper. Last week I tried a couple of times putting her down with her still awake yet ready to be asleep. I want to start that now so she doesn't have to be rocked to go to sleep everytime. She did just fine and went off to sleep. Emily was always like that. I could lay her down awake at night and she would go to sleep without a peep. Maybe Ellie will follow those same wonderful sleep patterns. Ellie is not a crier when she wakes up. You can hear her sniffing and making sounds when she wakes.
I am enjoying having sweet little Ellie in our family. The kids just adore her and help so much with her. The boys are always holding her. Mitty has been spit up on a few times so he gets a little nervous if he has her too long. It is fun to watch the boys take such good care of their younger sisters. I hope they will continue to look out for them throughout their lives. I realized that Mitch, Casey and Emily will all be in high school at the same time. Yikes!! I hope the boys will be a good example for their sisters. A mother can only hope :).
I Worked All Day!
Today has been a very warm day. It doesn't seem like this is typical for November. It was nice. The kids played outside most of the day in the backyard or colored and organized their toys inside. This morning Mitty, Casey and Emily had their boxes of toys out on the floor sorting them into the right boxes. They did it all on their own. That is beautiful to me.! I love that they will do that or that they care about having some order to their millions of toys.
This morning I was able to sleep in until 7:30. Very nice. Todd and I were just so happy that we didn't have to be up doing the normal morning routine so darn early. We could all just relax and enjoy the morning. I went to the gym early before Todd had to leave to go to the game..USC vs. Cal. By the way, they won!! Yeah. Once I got home from the gym, I literally got the itch to go through this place and throw away junk, clean out everything that has been bothering me. You know the different piles and stacks of just whatever. I was so happy to throw out so much stuff today. I dealt with so many clothes....putting the kids clothes away, my clothes, washing clothes, etc. I wanted to organize throughout the house. I wanted to know that certain drawers weren't screaming at me to clean them out. I was in the mood to deal with it all and I did. I have just been folding laundry tonight as I sit here. Todd won't be home until midnight or so. I love to do all of that when he is gone. The kids were really good for me today. They mostly played outside with each other and did pretty well. I only stopped to make them lunch and to feed/play with Ellie and then she was back to sleep for a 4 hour nap through this evening. Very nice. That enabled me to do what I did. I am very happy and feel like I accomplished so much. And on top of that Emily was in bed asleep at 7:00. She is so good that way. Always has been. The boys were a bit more challenging but in the end were asleep at 8:30. Casey gave himself and me a scare tonight. He was laying in his bed and all of a sudden came running out to the couch holding his mouth kind of freaking. He leaned over the couch towards me and a ball(Magnetix marble) came rolling out of his mouth onto the couch. That scared me so badly and him. His bottom lip was just quivering. I felt bad yet thankful that he came running out for help. Later he told me he tried reaching in and pulling it out but couldn't grab it and that is when he came running. I am always telling him to take things out of his mouth. Hopefully, he had his scare and won't put things in his mouth anymore. Todd wants all of those magnetix's and small toys trashed. It is just not worth the problems that it can cause. Sounds like another job going through all of their toys. Maybe tomorrow.
I am so happy I went through the house because now I feel that I can bring in the Christmas decorations without feeling like it is cluttering up the place. We are going down to be with Todd's parents for Thanksgiving. We are trying to avoid any horrific traffic situations on our way down. We are going to leave on Tuesday night and come home Saturday night. I just can't hardly stand our normal 3 1/2 hour trip taking 6 or more hours. It is brutal....we did that going to Disneyland last month. So I'm hoping that the kids will fall asleep and I won't have to hear Casey ask about every 15 minutes if we are almost there yet. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. With a new baby, Ellie changes all of the time so it's hard when family aren't close by to see her grow. I have never lived away from family when having kids so this is a change. It's all worked out just fine though.
I better go finish the laundry before tomorrow. I want tomorrow to be a day of nothing. Somehow I don't see that happening with Todd leaving at 9:15 for the day. :)
This morning I was able to sleep in until 7:30. Very nice. Todd and I were just so happy that we didn't have to be up doing the normal morning routine so darn early. We could all just relax and enjoy the morning. I went to the gym early before Todd had to leave to go to the game..USC vs. Cal. By the way, they won!! Yeah. Once I got home from the gym, I literally got the itch to go through this place and throw away junk, clean out everything that has been bothering me. You know the different piles and stacks of just whatever. I was so happy to throw out so much stuff today. I dealt with so many clothes....putting the kids clothes away, my clothes, washing clothes, etc. I wanted to organize throughout the house. I wanted to know that certain drawers weren't screaming at me to clean them out. I was in the mood to deal with it all and I did. I have just been folding laundry tonight as I sit here. Todd won't be home until midnight or so. I love to do all of that when he is gone. The kids were really good for me today. They mostly played outside with each other and did pretty well. I only stopped to make them lunch and to feed/play with Ellie and then she was back to sleep for a 4 hour nap through this evening. Very nice. That enabled me to do what I did. I am very happy and feel like I accomplished so much. And on top of that Emily was in bed asleep at 7:00. She is so good that way. Always has been. The boys were a bit more challenging but in the end were asleep at 8:30. Casey gave himself and me a scare tonight. He was laying in his bed and all of a sudden came running out to the couch holding his mouth kind of freaking. He leaned over the couch towards me and a ball(Magnetix marble) came rolling out of his mouth onto the couch. That scared me so badly and him. His bottom lip was just quivering. I felt bad yet thankful that he came running out for help. Later he told me he tried reaching in and pulling it out but couldn't grab it and that is when he came running. I am always telling him to take things out of his mouth. Hopefully, he had his scare and won't put things in his mouth anymore. Todd wants all of those magnetix's and small toys trashed. It is just not worth the problems that it can cause. Sounds like another job going through all of their toys. Maybe tomorrow.
I am so happy I went through the house because now I feel that I can bring in the Christmas decorations without feeling like it is cluttering up the place. We are going down to be with Todd's parents for Thanksgiving. We are trying to avoid any horrific traffic situations on our way down. We are going to leave on Tuesday night and come home Saturday night. I just can't hardly stand our normal 3 1/2 hour trip taking 6 or more hours. It is brutal....we did that going to Disneyland last month. So I'm hoping that the kids will fall asleep and I won't have to hear Casey ask about every 15 minutes if we are almost there yet. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. With a new baby, Ellie changes all of the time so it's hard when family aren't close by to see her grow. I have never lived away from family when having kids so this is a change. It's all worked out just fine though.
I better go finish the laundry before tomorrow. I want tomorrow to be a day of nothing. Somehow I don't see that happening with Todd leaving at 9:15 for the day. :)
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Thursday....
Nothing too big went on for me today. The boys had a minimum day and so it was nice only going to the school twice instead of three times. Ellie was able to nap for a longer period of time without me having to wake her up :). I can't believe it but I can see that Ellie is getting her two bottom teeth. I know it sounds early but Mitch got his 2 bottom teeth at 4 months. She goes into the doctor tomorrow for her 4 mo. vaccinations...ugh!! I hate how many pokes they have to do for such a little punkin head.
I just got back a little bit ago from working out. It feels so good to exercise. I was able to go earlier tonight. I am really trying to get myself into bed earlier these days. I left Todd as he was in the kitchen starting to make cookies. I knew I had to get out of there. I have been so good with counting my points... I lost another pound. I am happiest when I am in control of my eating. I have definitely realized that over the years. The smell in the house was so good when I got back that I couldn't resist. Look at these babies. Todd and I grade our cooking making. These got an A on the texture and the taste. I had enough points left for me to have 3 cookies. YEAH!! It was so good.
I made sloppy joes for dinner tonight and Casey told Todd, "Mom is making floppy joes." They had never had them before. I use a recipe out of the Better Homes and Garden cookbook. It's fast and tasty. The kids liked it. I even got Mitty to eat the little bits of green bell pepper in it. I told him that I would give him a candy bar if he just ate it without looking at the meat. He did!! :)
I was able to do quite a bit around the house. I washed more clothes, helped clean the boys room while they were at school, washed pots/pans, wiped down the bathroom (Love the Clorox wipes), held Ellie and held Ellie and held Ellie. She just doesn't like to be put down. It's hard but I just hold her and do all of my cleaning while she sleeps. As for the Clorox wipes, I keep one of those containers under the sink in every bathroom and in the kitchen. So easy to wipe down the toilet and counters. I just have some folding and vacuuming to do tomorrow. I was helping the boys deal with some clothes in their room today and Mitty decided he really needed to organize his drawers. I love that he realizes it and just does it on his own. He took everything out of his drawers and folded each item nicely and put it back in the drawer it belonged in. He was so proud of his work as was I. It looks so good. I should have taken a picture. I still can.
Well, no big plans for the weekend. I think we may try a new Mexican restaurant called Old Juans tomorrow night. I'm not sure it can top Loco. The kids want to get out and go to a "place" for dinner. They told me tonight they really want to go somewhere to eat. We haven't been out with all of them for awhile. We usually do the take out once they go to bed. I love that. I can really enjoy the food warm.
Does anyone know of a furniture store that I can get a decent deal on a dresser and twin bed for in my girls room? It can be down south. Let me know if you know of any good finds. I am looking but don't want to spend a fortune.
I just got back a little bit ago from working out. It feels so good to exercise. I was able to go earlier tonight. I am really trying to get myself into bed earlier these days. I left Todd as he was in the kitchen starting to make cookies. I knew I had to get out of there. I have been so good with counting my points... I lost another pound. I am happiest when I am in control of my eating. I have definitely realized that over the years. The smell in the house was so good when I got back that I couldn't resist. Look at these babies. Todd and I grade our cooking making. These got an A on the texture and the taste. I had enough points left for me to have 3 cookies. YEAH!! It was so good.
I made sloppy joes for dinner tonight and Casey told Todd, "Mom is making floppy joes." They had never had them before. I use a recipe out of the Better Homes and Garden cookbook. It's fast and tasty. The kids liked it. I even got Mitty to eat the little bits of green bell pepper in it. I told him that I would give him a candy bar if he just ate it without looking at the meat. He did!! :)
I was able to do quite a bit around the house. I washed more clothes, helped clean the boys room while they were at school, washed pots/pans, wiped down the bathroom (Love the Clorox wipes), held Ellie and held Ellie and held Ellie. She just doesn't like to be put down. It's hard but I just hold her and do all of my cleaning while she sleeps. As for the Clorox wipes, I keep one of those containers under the sink in every bathroom and in the kitchen. So easy to wipe down the toilet and counters. I just have some folding and vacuuming to do tomorrow. I was helping the boys deal with some clothes in their room today and Mitty decided he really needed to organize his drawers. I love that he realizes it and just does it on his own. He took everything out of his drawers and folded each item nicely and put it back in the drawer it belonged in. He was so proud of his work as was I. It looks so good. I should have taken a picture. I still can.
Well, no big plans for the weekend. I think we may try a new Mexican restaurant called Old Juans tomorrow night. I'm not sure it can top Loco. The kids want to get out and go to a "place" for dinner. They told me tonight they really want to go somewhere to eat. We haven't been out with all of them for awhile. We usually do the take out once they go to bed. I love that. I can really enjoy the food warm.
Does anyone know of a furniture store that I can get a decent deal on a dresser and twin bed for in my girls room? It can be down south. Let me know if you know of any good finds. I am looking but don't want to spend a fortune.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Meatball Recipe
Donna, this one is for you..... she requested the meatball recipe that I made.
Meatball recipe from Rachel Ray:
1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/4 c. grated Parmesean, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
Mix all together and form 1 1/2" balls. Place them on a cookie sheet greased with olive oil. Bake the meatballs at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink.
I have only used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It is so good :). It is really good to butter the french bread and put the cheese all over the bread before toasting/broiling. Also, I have used Balsamic vinegar instead of Worcestershire sauce and that is good too. Let me know how your family likes them.
Today is beautiful up here. I think we will meet Todd for lunch today. Costco is right by his office and we need gas and eggs. I love how I can buy 60 eggs for $3.99. That is the best buy!! My kids love hard-boiled eggs so we go through them very quickly. Anyway, the day has started off very nice. Kids are all in a good mood...makes the morning so fun. Or maybe it is that I'm in a good mood. I fell asleep last night before 11 and woke up at 6:40. I guess I need more sleep than what I have been getting. Duh, I knew that. I am really going to try and go to bed earlier. It's all of the clean up after dinner and me going to workout that sets me back and makes it late. I need to organize my time better. Oh well, one day I will get it right. Time to put away dishes and start more clothes in the washer. Ellie fell asleep on our way home from school so that is nice. I will have a couple of hours to work around here. Good day to all!
Meatball recipe from Rachel Ray:
1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/4 c. grated Parmesean, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
Mix all together and form 1 1/2" balls. Place them on a cookie sheet greased with olive oil. Bake the meatballs at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink.
I have only used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It is so good :). It is really good to butter the french bread and put the cheese all over the bread before toasting/broiling. Also, I have used Balsamic vinegar instead of Worcestershire sauce and that is good too. Let me know how your family likes them.
Today is beautiful up here. I think we will meet Todd for lunch today. Costco is right by his office and we need gas and eggs. I love how I can buy 60 eggs for $3.99. That is the best buy!! My kids love hard-boiled eggs so we go through them very quickly. Anyway, the day has started off very nice. Kids are all in a good mood...makes the morning so fun. Or maybe it is that I'm in a good mood. I fell asleep last night before 11 and woke up at 6:40. I guess I need more sleep than what I have been getting. Duh, I knew that. I am really going to try and go to bed earlier. It's all of the clean up after dinner and me going to workout that sets me back and makes it late. I need to organize my time better. Oh well, one day I will get it right. Time to put away dishes and start more clothes in the washer. Ellie fell asleep on our way home from school so that is nice. I will have a couple of hours to work around here. Good day to all!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
I'm Tired
Today went much smoother than I could have ever imagined. It was wet here this morning from the rain and so I didn't take the kids to the park day we have in our ward. I wasn't ready to deal with kids and wet sand right before school. I stayed home this morning and got things organized for my dinner guests....the missionaries. I picked up around the house, put dishes away and washed some more laundry. Story of my life....laundry. I couldn't have any more kids just for the fact that it would add more laundry to my endless loads. I am maxed out in all areas right now. Anyway, for the most part the kids were very good for me. Ellie napped when I needed her to which is right at dinner time. She is on a good schedule for me. She takes her big nap from about 4:30 to 7:00 and sometimes later. It's perfect timing so that I can make dinner and get the kids ready for bed without her crying for me to hold her. And then she goes back to bed at about 9:00-9:30 and doesn't get up until 6:30..that has been lately. I normally have to wake her up around 8:00 so that I can feed her before I take Mitch to school. It's beautiful. Emily started sleeping through the night at 5 weeks also and never changed. She is one of my best sleepers. She is also a 12 hour sleeper. It makes life manageable for me even with a smile on my face. I would not be able to function if Ellie was up every 2 hours through the night because I can't take any kind of nap during the day. Not with the little ones around. I am very thankful my girls have been good sleepers.
I made spaghetti and meatballs with salad and french bread. I took the picture of the bowl of spaghetti because Todd and I said that we had never made so much or seen a bowl of that much spaghetti. before. I was ambitious. I literally made enough food for 2 or 3 families. I have a ton left over. Out of 24 meatballs, there are only 6 left. I guess the meatballs were a hit. I have a really good recipe that is easy and fast. It is one from Rachel Ray. The guys went for seconds so I guess it turned out ok. But then again they are 20 yrs. old...they will probably eat almost anything. They loved the dessert also. I was a bit worried because once I cut into it I realized it should have cooked a bit longer. I gave them the pieces around the edge where it alwasy cooks through and they told me it was the best pumpkin dessert they had ever tasted. That was easy too. The night didn't drag on too long. They had to be somewhere at 7:30 which helped with us trying to get our kids settled down and into bed. The kids get so wild when the missionaries are here. I remember loving when the missionaries would come. They were so cute to us young girls. Emily just loves the one. She brings him out all of her stuff and has him play with her. He does and thinks she is so cute. The license plate on the bike is one of the missionaries. I had to take a picture..it is classic. He is a fun missionary!
My other picture wasn't too good but it is a burn on my finger that I got trying to take out the food from the oven tonight. I don't think I have had as bad of a burn before. It is a horrible blister and is just throbbing. Oh well something had to go wrong. My arm is falling asleep from holding Ellie. She is asleep and complete dead weight. Time to go rest and maybe even fall asleep early. That would be nice.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Busy Monday
I am glad that it is almost time for bed. I was really busy this morning and for most of the day. I didn't eat until 1:00...there was no time to sit down and have a bite to eat. I guess that's one way to jump start a diet. I am proud of myself that I have done really well on counting points. The scale was down 2 lbs. from last Monday. Hooray, I really can do it. It's not helping me to smell a pumpkin pie dessert that I am baking right now for our dinner tomorrow night. I have the missionaries coming for dinner. I love preparing as much as I can the day before because sure as the sun rises everything will be hard to do tomorrow.
This morning I was busy doing dishes, getting the girls ready for pictures, getting Casey's lunch/snack packed for school, and finishing & packing 25 vests made out of brown paper bags for the kindergarteners to wear for their feast. I had to cut them all out and did most of it last night. It took a couple of hours. Tedious work!! The kids love these things though. After I took Casey to school I took the girls over to have their pics done at Wal-Mart...oh man. It was almost another fiasco. The diskette that she was using kept showing errors on the computer screen when it was time to review the pics. I was starting to die thinking that all of the pictures we just took were gone and I would need to do this a third time. Obviously, at a different place. I will never go there again. The photographers are not trained at all in picture taking. Good thing I only paid $6.00 for both girls to get individual pics. They gave me Ellie's package for free since we had such a fiasco on Saturday. I was bummed...I won't get them until Dec. 5th. That is so long to wait. I'm spoiled from going to Kiddie Kandids where I walked out with the pics the same day. I hope they turn out. A lot of time was spent on getting them ready this morning. I am reminded of what Peter Vidmar, our former bishop, said about kids and picture day. He found that he was so impatient on family picture day and trying to make sure the kids didn't get anything on their clothes (no spills, etc.) that he said it really wasn't worth all of the bad feelings and negativity that go along. If the kids spill choc. milk on the way, oh well you will always have a story to tell with that pic. I believe that happened to his son. For some reason I have not yet taken that attitude. I want everything to be just right. not a hair out of place. Why do I make it such a big deal?? Once I get a pic for our Christmas cards then I will be done with pics for a little bit.
I came back home and worked on laundry and emptying dishes. I had one hour before I needed to start packing the kids back up to go get the boys from school. I really can't wait until the boys are in school all day. The driving back and forth with a baby is rough. I am constantly waking her up to go get into the car. It stinks. I always think of how much I could be getting done if she stayed asleep.
A cute comment that Mitch made tonight after I told him the missionaries were coming for dinner tomorrow was...."Mom, they never teach us when they come over." I guess all the boys hear us talking about to them is that when you are a missionary you will get to teach others about the gospel. I told him to ask one of the elders to teach him something tomorrow. I guess Mitty wants a discussion. We had a mini FHE tonight...we had the kids and ourselves tell each other what we were thankful for. Casey stood up and said..."I am so thankful for the gospel." How cute is that. He cracks me up sometimes. I'm sure he was feeling like such a big guy by saying that. That makes me happy. We continue doing the Thanksgiving activity that I posted. It's pretty cute. The less fortunate kids that we will give toys to scored big time on the day that it says to put in for how much weight the parents feel they are over...cha ching$$$$$. Ha ha :). The kids really love doing this and I am so glad. I think they will really enjoy buying the toys that we will give these children. I am going to make this a tradition in our family every year.
My eyes are drying out and I am rambling on. Time to hit the sheets. Oh, it will feel so good to stretch out and put my head on my pillow. I am never awake long enough to enjoy it. I literally am asleep the minute my head hits the pillow. Goodnight!
This morning I was busy doing dishes, getting the girls ready for pictures, getting Casey's lunch/snack packed for school, and finishing & packing 25 vests made out of brown paper bags for the kindergarteners to wear for their feast. I had to cut them all out and did most of it last night. It took a couple of hours. Tedious work!! The kids love these things though. After I took Casey to school I took the girls over to have their pics done at Wal-Mart...oh man. It was almost another fiasco. The diskette that she was using kept showing errors on the computer screen when it was time to review the pics. I was starting to die thinking that all of the pictures we just took were gone and I would need to do this a third time. Obviously, at a different place. I will never go there again. The photographers are not trained at all in picture taking. Good thing I only paid $6.00 for both girls to get individual pics. They gave me Ellie's package for free since we had such a fiasco on Saturday. I was bummed...I won't get them until Dec. 5th. That is so long to wait. I'm spoiled from going to Kiddie Kandids where I walked out with the pics the same day. I hope they turn out. A lot of time was spent on getting them ready this morning. I am reminded of what Peter Vidmar, our former bishop, said about kids and picture day. He found that he was so impatient on family picture day and trying to make sure the kids didn't get anything on their clothes (no spills, etc.) that he said it really wasn't worth all of the bad feelings and negativity that go along. If the kids spill choc. milk on the way, oh well you will always have a story to tell with that pic. I believe that happened to his son. For some reason I have not yet taken that attitude. I want everything to be just right. not a hair out of place. Why do I make it such a big deal?? Once I get a pic for our Christmas cards then I will be done with pics for a little bit.
I came back home and worked on laundry and emptying dishes. I had one hour before I needed to start packing the kids back up to go get the boys from school. I really can't wait until the boys are in school all day. The driving back and forth with a baby is rough. I am constantly waking her up to go get into the car. It stinks. I always think of how much I could be getting done if she stayed asleep.
A cute comment that Mitch made tonight after I told him the missionaries were coming for dinner tomorrow was...."Mom, they never teach us when they come over." I guess all the boys hear us talking about to them is that when you are a missionary you will get to teach others about the gospel. I told him to ask one of the elders to teach him something tomorrow. I guess Mitty wants a discussion. We had a mini FHE tonight...we had the kids and ourselves tell each other what we were thankful for. Casey stood up and said..."I am so thankful for the gospel." How cute is that. He cracks me up sometimes. I'm sure he was feeling like such a big guy by saying that. That makes me happy. We continue doing the Thanksgiving activity that I posted. It's pretty cute. The less fortunate kids that we will give toys to scored big time on the day that it says to put in for how much weight the parents feel they are over...cha ching$$$$$. Ha ha :). The kids really love doing this and I am so glad. I think they will really enjoy buying the toys that we will give these children. I am going to make this a tradition in our family every year.
My eyes are drying out and I am rambling on. Time to hit the sheets. Oh, it will feel so good to stretch out and put my head on my pillow. I am never awake long enough to enjoy it. I literally am asleep the minute my head hits the pillow. Goodnight!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Picture Day...ugh!
Today I woke up to the sounds of rain. I thought there is no way. It has been warm here and really no signs of rain. It was definitely raining!! I do like the rain but not so much of the cold that comes with it. Today when I got in the car to go workout at 4:20 the temp was reading 57 degrees. It was cold! Maybe fall is really here to stay. Now on to my story....
I saw an advertisement for a picture package at Wal-Mart for $5.88 for just the amount of pics I wanted. It was quite a few pictures. Anyway, I spent this morning getting the girls ready and doing Emily's hair. That is not an easy task. After rushing around we get into the studio. Mind you I have never gone to Wal-Mart for pics before so I have no idea how they run their shop. First off we were dying that they didn't have a digital camera. I am so used to Kiddie Kandids in Tustin Marketplace where you get the photos before you leave. Love that!! The gal took a couple of shots of Ellie and then she started getting fussy so I thought we could switch and have Emily take a few. We never even got to Emily. Her film was running out and so she had to change it. She literally had the black bag that you put each arm into so that the film is not exposed. She couldn't get it right. At that point she said she was new and that she wouldn't be able to finish our session. She had to call another girl to drive over and help her figure out this problem. After dealing with this for an hour and half I decided it was time to go. The kids were hungry and at one point I looked down and Ellie was conked out on my arm. Little did I know she couldn't retrieve any of the pics that she took of Ellie. I was dying. Oh well, she told me to come back on Monday and she would do both girls separately for the one price of $5.88. Of course, I have to give it a try. I'm sure we will have the same battle on Monday with me trying to get Emily's hair right. Wish me luck on the pics. I will die if they don't turn out. So we left and tried taking some of our own photos of the kids together at different photo spots around town. They turned out pretty good. I didn't want all of my efforts just wasted.
On another note....has anyone heard of a Tomagotchi guy? Here is a photo...
This is the big craze in Mitch's class at school. Every kid has one or two. They are electronic and the whole premises is this egg hatches and you don't know if it is a girl or a boy, you name it and then have to take care of it or it'll die and the whole process starts over. It poops and you have to clean it up (It's all on this screen), you have to feed it a meal or a snack, sometimes it has a toothache and you have to fix it. Mitch got one for his b'day from another boy in the class. Casey has been wanting one and so we decided we'd get one for him. Todd said Oh i'm sure they are only like $5-$6.00. I had no idea they are $14.00. And if Casey is wanting one then Emily does too. She knows how to work Mitty's and it wasn't going over really well telling her she wasn't going to get one. We saw one last pink one that had cherries all over it. Too cute to pass up. She has to be part of the gang. So now I hear all of these electronic devices sounding off at different times. The sounds are alerting the owner that the poop needs to be cleaned up or it is hungry or has a toothache. And these things go through different ages starting as a newborn then a 1 yr old and so on to a teenager and adult. Too funny. It has kept the kids occupied and happy all day. Now I have something that I can take away for not so good behavior.
Tonight I am sleepy and am ready for a good nights rest. These kids are killing me getting up at the crack of dawn. Hopefully tomorrow will be a peaceful day with me full of patience for all of the antics that go on.
I saw an advertisement for a picture package at Wal-Mart for $5.88 for just the amount of pics I wanted. It was quite a few pictures. Anyway, I spent this morning getting the girls ready and doing Emily's hair. That is not an easy task. After rushing around we get into the studio. Mind you I have never gone to Wal-Mart for pics before so I have no idea how they run their shop. First off we were dying that they didn't have a digital camera. I am so used to Kiddie Kandids in Tustin Marketplace where you get the photos before you leave. Love that!! The gal took a couple of shots of Ellie and then she started getting fussy so I thought we could switch and have Emily take a few. We never even got to Emily. Her film was running out and so she had to change it. She literally had the black bag that you put each arm into so that the film is not exposed. She couldn't get it right. At that point she said she was new and that she wouldn't be able to finish our session. She had to call another girl to drive over and help her figure out this problem. After dealing with this for an hour and half I decided it was time to go. The kids were hungry and at one point I looked down and Ellie was conked out on my arm. Little did I know she couldn't retrieve any of the pics that she took of Ellie. I was dying. Oh well, she told me to come back on Monday and she would do both girls separately for the one price of $5.88. Of course, I have to give it a try. I'm sure we will have the same battle on Monday with me trying to get Emily's hair right. Wish me luck on the pics. I will die if they don't turn out. So we left and tried taking some of our own photos of the kids together at different photo spots around town. They turned out pretty good. I didn't want all of my efforts just wasted.
On another note....has anyone heard of a Tomagotchi guy? Here is a photo...
This is the big craze in Mitch's class at school. Every kid has one or two. They are electronic and the whole premises is this egg hatches and you don't know if it is a girl or a boy, you name it and then have to take care of it or it'll die and the whole process starts over. It poops and you have to clean it up (It's all on this screen), you have to feed it a meal or a snack, sometimes it has a toothache and you have to fix it. Mitch got one for his b'day from another boy in the class. Casey has been wanting one and so we decided we'd get one for him. Todd said Oh i'm sure they are only like $5-$6.00. I had no idea they are $14.00. And if Casey is wanting one then Emily does too. She knows how to work Mitty's and it wasn't going over really well telling her she wasn't going to get one. We saw one last pink one that had cherries all over it. Too cute to pass up. She has to be part of the gang. So now I hear all of these electronic devices sounding off at different times. The sounds are alerting the owner that the poop needs to be cleaned up or it is hungry or has a toothache. And these things go through different ages starting as a newborn then a 1 yr old and so on to a teenager and adult. Too funny. It has kept the kids occupied and happy all day. Now I have something that I can take away for not so good behavior.
Tonight I am sleepy and am ready for a good nights rest. These kids are killing me getting up at the crack of dawn. Hopefully tomorrow will be a peaceful day with me full of patience for all of the antics that go on.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Happy Birthday Grandma Stoddart
She would have been 94 years old today. Wow! She died in 1997. And then if I remember right her husband, my grandpa, died 6 weeks later. He just couldn't be without her. I just love to think of it like that. Later that same year, my other grandpa, Papa, died. I had 3 grandparents die in the same year. I don't think that happens very often.
I just wanted to write down some thoughts that I remember about Grandma Stoddart. They lived in Palm Springs. We would usually make our visits out to see them on a Sunday. I remember coming home from church and our family would say, "Let's just get in the car and go see Grandma and Grandpa." The aroma of her dinner coming from their trailer was just so good. I remember mashed potatoes, rolls and I'm sure it was a roast ready for us to eat. She always had fresh lemonade and a wonderful cake for dessert. Her trailer was small but it didn't matter. We always found some fun there.
I don't have any one on one experiences with her but none needed to know how special she was. I was able to have a journal of hers that she had written down some of her lifes experiences in. There isn't much written but what she wrote was just incredible. I remember reading it again just about a year ago while cleaning out closets and found myself in tears. To think of the hard times that she went through just made me feel so sad for her. I realized I didn't know what hard really is. I am so grateful for what I do have and for the conveniences that I have enjoyed my entire life. She wrote about trying to keep her children warm at night in a tiny little place with no electricity. She would keep one of the babies near the coal stove and put up blankets by the windows to keep the cold out. And in the morning, the blanket would have frost on it. She didn't have a bathroom in her small place. She had to go outside to a bathroom (I guess an outhouse type set up.) I believe she was living in Idaho or Montana...not sure. There are more stories like that. That to me is hard. She had 5 kids and the first 3 boys are all 15 months or so apart. She was a hard worker and did her best!! What a good example of hard work and enduring to the end she is for me. I love you Grandma.
I just wanted to write down some thoughts that I remember about Grandma Stoddart. They lived in Palm Springs. We would usually make our visits out to see them on a Sunday. I remember coming home from church and our family would say, "Let's just get in the car and go see Grandma and Grandpa." The aroma of her dinner coming from their trailer was just so good. I remember mashed potatoes, rolls and I'm sure it was a roast ready for us to eat. She always had fresh lemonade and a wonderful cake for dessert. Her trailer was small but it didn't matter. We always found some fun there.
I don't have any one on one experiences with her but none needed to know how special she was. I was able to have a journal of hers that she had written down some of her lifes experiences in. There isn't much written but what she wrote was just incredible. I remember reading it again just about a year ago while cleaning out closets and found myself in tears. To think of the hard times that she went through just made me feel so sad for her. I realized I didn't know what hard really is. I am so grateful for what I do have and for the conveniences that I have enjoyed my entire life. She wrote about trying to keep her children warm at night in a tiny little place with no electricity. She would keep one of the babies near the coal stove and put up blankets by the windows to keep the cold out. And in the morning, the blanket would have frost on it. She didn't have a bathroom in her small place. She had to go outside to a bathroom (I guess an outhouse type set up.) I believe she was living in Idaho or Montana...not sure. There are more stories like that. That to me is hard. She had 5 kids and the first 3 boys are all 15 months or so apart. She was a hard worker and did her best!! What a good example of hard work and enduring to the end she is for me. I love you Grandma.
Friday.....
Today was a good day. Of course, on the day that we could all sleep in, Mitty was up at 6:20, Ellie was up at 6:10, Emily came in before 7:00 and Casey right after. I couldn't believe it. I usually have to wake up Ellie to feed her on most days around 8:00 before I take Mitch to school. So in other words, the day started unusually early. I was able to go and workout and hit the grocery store by myself. I can shop so quickly when I am by myself. I guess because I don't have any distractions. I came home and Todd had cleaned/scoured the shower, fixed the faucet in the shower and was organizing cupboards....so nice!! Thank you Todd. I love when he organizes cupboards/spaces. He is the best at it. Somehow, I just don't do well at that.
We ended up eating lunch at home and then later went out to get the boys and Todd a haircut. I am having the kids pics done tomorrow so they had to have their hair cleaned up. There was such a wait at the barbershop that I took the girls and went to Costco while they waited for haircuts. It ended up working out perfectly. Todd called to say he was ready just as I was pulling out of Costco. Emily loves all of the food samples at Costco. She wants to try everything. The brownie bite won overall. I love the Costco up here. Having shopped for years at the one on Crown Valley (down south) and waiting in horrific long lines I appreciate the one up here. It is new and never crowded. At any time I can go in and never wait more than one person ahead of me. This evening I didn't even wait. I just love that because with the kids I can't stand long lines.
Their haircuts really turned out great. Casey kept telling me, "Mom, I really look cool." They always have the guy stick the front of their hair up. They are so funny!! I just love the cute things they say each and every day.
We made it home to unload the cold items and then went to Taco Loco for our standard Friday night dinner. I was proud of myself that I counted out the tortilla chips and made good choices for dinner. Hopefully, I will see the pounds come off. It was an easy night getting kids to bed...ahhhh i love nights like this. With them getting up at the crack of dawn makes for an easy time getting them to sleep.
I'm off to watch our show....I Shouldn't Be Alive. I am so happy that it is back on. It's on Discovery and we just love it.
We ended up eating lunch at home and then later went out to get the boys and Todd a haircut. I am having the kids pics done tomorrow so they had to have their hair cleaned up. There was such a wait at the barbershop that I took the girls and went to Costco while they waited for haircuts. It ended up working out perfectly. Todd called to say he was ready just as I was pulling out of Costco. Emily loves all of the food samples at Costco. She wants to try everything. The brownie bite won overall. I love the Costco up here. Having shopped for years at the one on Crown Valley (down south) and waiting in horrific long lines I appreciate the one up here. It is new and never crowded. At any time I can go in and never wait more than one person ahead of me. This evening I didn't even wait. I just love that because with the kids I can't stand long lines.
Their haircuts really turned out great. Casey kept telling me, "Mom, I really look cool." They always have the guy stick the front of their hair up. They are so funny!! I just love the cute things they say each and every day.
We made it home to unload the cold items and then went to Taco Loco for our standard Friday night dinner. I was proud of myself that I counted out the tortilla chips and made good choices for dinner. Hopefully, I will see the pounds come off. It was an easy night getting kids to bed...ahhhh i love nights like this. With them getting up at the crack of dawn makes for an easy time getting them to sleep.
I'm off to watch our show....I Shouldn't Be Alive. I am so happy that it is back on. It's on Discovery and we just love it.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Thursday...almost Friday :)
Wow, the week went by really quickly. I have been keeping busy with all of the kids and the house. I am feeling so good about the food choices that I have made for the last 3 days. I have also gone to the gym 2 days this week and plan to go Friday and Saturday as well. I got on the scale and it was down 2 lbs. YESSSS!!!! I can do it. I literally have to account for every taste I put into my mouth. I even made homemade cookies and have had a couple. I just have to write down the points. When the scale is going down....I am one happy camper. Who isn't?
Today is much cooler with a nice breeze. I can feel it move through the house. AHHH, I love that! I am also happy that it is almost the weekend and Todd and the kids have Friday off. The kids get so excited that he is going to be here that they start planning what they want him to make for breakfast. I'm glad I don't have to get the kids moving in the morning. The last two days I have had to push and push the boys to getting dressed and doing their routine so that we can get out the door on time. I hate to have to keep badgering them to get moving and stop spending so much time goofing off.
Yesterday, I met a friend at the park and we had such a great time. Our kids played so nicely together. It is so nice when your friends kids get a long so well with your own. I felt so good that I was able to help my friend through some things that are seeming really hard for her to do lately. I feel like I am always the one seeking someones advice on how to handle a situation with a certain type of child or asking older women how did they raise their children. It was nice for me to think I was being able to offer her advice that was helpful to her in her situation. I feel it is important for us to share with others the tips and secrets that work for us in our own lives. I guess that is why journals are so important. To document our good and bad times will one day help our family.
I want all of you who comment on my blog to know how fun it is for me to read your comments. I enjoy reading about all of your lives and goings on. I feel like we are all sisters. Well, in one respect we are. Thanks for making this blogging so much fun. It is so much easier for me to journal this way than to sit down and write my thoughts on paper. Thanks Amie for encouraging me to start a blog.
Not too exciting of a post but now it's time to pick up the boys.
Today is much cooler with a nice breeze. I can feel it move through the house. AHHH, I love that! I am also happy that it is almost the weekend and Todd and the kids have Friday off. The kids get so excited that he is going to be here that they start planning what they want him to make for breakfast. I'm glad I don't have to get the kids moving in the morning. The last two days I have had to push and push the boys to getting dressed and doing their routine so that we can get out the door on time. I hate to have to keep badgering them to get moving and stop spending so much time goofing off.
Yesterday, I met a friend at the park and we had such a great time. Our kids played so nicely together. It is so nice when your friends kids get a long so well with your own. I felt so good that I was able to help my friend through some things that are seeming really hard for her to do lately. I feel like I am always the one seeking someones advice on how to handle a situation with a certain type of child or asking older women how did they raise their children. It was nice for me to think I was being able to offer her advice that was helpful to her in her situation. I feel it is important for us to share with others the tips and secrets that work for us in our own lives. I guess that is why journals are so important. To document our good and bad times will one day help our family.
I want all of you who comment on my blog to know how fun it is for me to read your comments. I enjoy reading about all of your lives and goings on. I feel like we are all sisters. Well, in one respect we are. Thanks for making this blogging so much fun. It is so much easier for me to journal this way than to sit down and write my thoughts on paper. Thanks Amie for encouraging me to start a blog.
Not too exciting of a post but now it's time to pick up the boys.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Too Hot!!
What is up with this weather and it is November? I couldn't believe how warm my temp. was reading in the car yesterday. And now today on my way up to pick up the boys it was reading 94. That is ridiculous. It has been too warm to do too much. I stuck around the house today and worked on laundry. I started that up at 7:00am which helped because it wasn't too hot in the garage. I'm not one of the lucky ones to have a laundry room inside the house. I don't mind. I lived in a house all of my growing up years that didn't have one. No biggie. Is it hot everywhere?? Ellie's head was leaving sweat marks on her car seat today. That is bad. See mom..I couldn't live in the desert with little ones. I hope it starts to cool down soon. I love the cooler weather.
I just love this picture of Ellie's face. She was so happy sitting in her seat. It also shows the shape of her head. Casey says she has an apple head. What do you think? Everyone is always telling me how perfectly shaped her head is. She has the shortest forehead...I gave her that. She is such a little doll. I love Ellie girl so much. It is really fun having a new baby around. I am realizing how fast they grow up and pretty soon there won't be a new baby. What do I do then? No....not have another one. I definitely am trying to enjoy her more and worry less if things are getting done. She doesn't allow me to get too much done while she is awake so I just hold her and play with her. It's fun. I think she and Emily will have lots of fun together one day soon.
Off to make choc. chip cookies for Todd...he has been dying for some. One thing about Todd is he has to have cookies and milk or some type of baked good with choc. every night before bed. It doesn't matter what time it is or if he's fallen asleep on the couch and comes back at 1:30, he will have to have something. I was putting his socks away the other day in the drawer and low and behold sat a sleeve of Chips Ahoy. Ready to access as he lays there in bed. Too funny. I don't like Chips Ahoy so he literally is keeping them there for quick access and not to hide them from me. He loves homemade and so I will surprise him with hot ones tonight. Wish me luck....my biggest downfall in the eating area is cookie dough. I stuck to my points yesterday and today very well. I'm determined to lose this weight even if it means suffering by only eating celery and carrot sticks.:) Gotta round up the troops for showers.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Giving Thanks
I hope my sister doesn't mind me borrowing this off of her blog. I thought it was a great idea for families with children to do at this time of year. I'm excited to do it with my kids. I think they will really get into this one. Thanks April for taking care of my FHE lesson...that was helpful.
Thanksgiving is usually a very busy time for most people. Take a few minutes to impress upon your children and yourself the generous blessings Heavenly Father has given to us. Make or decorate a small box or jar to be used as a bank. Place it where you will see it daily. Once a day for the first 25 days of November, you will be placing offerings in it. (We're getting a late start on this, so Monday night we will catch up through "day 6") Decide with your family who you want to give the gift to. Ideas might be: Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, Church humanitarian fund, local food bank, etc. The Saturday after Thanksgiving deliver your gift. Each day your family can reflect upon your blessings!
DAY 1-Are you thankful for the blessing of electricity? Give 2 cents for each light bulb in your house.
DAY 2-Most of the world's population lives beyond the reach of medical care. Give 10 cents for each box of Band-Aids in your house.
DAY 3-Are you thankful you have a roof and doors to keep out the wind and rain? Give 10 cents for every exterior door your house has.
DAY 4-Are you thankful for your clothes? Give a nickel for every closet in your house.
DAY 5-Are you glad you have indoor plumbing? How about the toilet paper that goes with it? Give 5 cents for each roll of toilet paper in your house, counting all stored-away rolls.
DAY 6-To people in refugee camps, even a thin sliver of soap is precious. How many bars of soap does your family have? Give 5 cents for each bar. Also give 10 cents for each container of pump soap.
DAY 7-Do you walk to your town to get a bucket of water for washing, drinking, bathing, and cooking? Or are you blessed with faucets that bring precious water to you? Give 10 cents for each faucet. Still thinking of water, how did you get clean today? Give 10 cents if you took a bath and 20 cents if you took a shower.
DAY 8- Most of the world is starving while we are concerned about being overweight! Put in 1 cent for each pound mom and dad think that they are overweight.
DAY 9-What a blessing to be able to see and have eye doctors to help us! Put in 10 cents for each pair of glasses your family members wear, don't forget sunglasses. Give 5 cents for each person in your house that wears contact lenses.
DAY 10-Jesus loved the little children. Give thanks, and 10 cents for every child in your family. Do a secret good deed for each one of them today!
DAY 11-How would you like to live in your car as some families have to do? Give 10 cents for every car in your family.
DAY 12-Epidemics often follow natural disasters. Give thanks if no one in your house has been too sick this month to go to work or school, and give 50 cents.
DAY 13- The comfort of a clean bed is an undreamed of luxury for millions of the world's poor people. Give 5 cents for each bed in your house. Did a cozy blanket cover you last night? Give a penny for every blanket in your home.
DAY 14-Was is cold enough to wear a coat today? Were you thankful for your coat? Give a penny for every coat, raincoat, and jacket in your house.
DAY 15-Most people in the world cook over an open fire. Aren't you glad your parents didn't send you out to chop wood this morning? Give 5 cents for every burner on your stove and 5 cents for every oven. If you have a microwave add 25 cents.
DAY 16-Unfortunately this is the time of the year in which many people suffer loss in house fires. Give 10 cents for every phone in your house from which you can call 911 in the case of an emergency.
DAY 17-Many people in the world suffer excruciating pain from the lack of dental care. Give 5 cents for each toothbrush in your house.
DAY 18-Many children in the world barely get one meal a day. How many did you have? Give thanks and 5 cents for each meal.
DAY 19-Would you like to have to walk to school, to church, or to the store? Most people walk wherever they go. Give 10 cents for each bike, pair of skates, skateboard or anything else with wheels you have at your house.
DAY 20-"Give us this day our daily bread." Thank Heavenly Father for feeding you today and give one penny for every slice of bread your family ate today.
DAY 21- Count all the cans in your cupboard or pantry. Give a penny for each one of them as you thank God for the technology to can foods.
DAY 22-Count all the packages of frozen foods and meats in your freezer. Thank God for refrigeration and give a penny for each you counted.
DAY 23-Make a list of all the fruits and vegetables God created that you can name. Put a penny in for each of them on your list.
DAY 24-Many children in the world do not have a school to go to barely learn to read or write. Give a penny for every pencil or pen in your house.
DAY 25-Most people in the world have never touched a computer. If there is a computer in your house, put in 50 cents for each one of them.
Thanksgiving is usually a very busy time for most people. Take a few minutes to impress upon your children and yourself the generous blessings Heavenly Father has given to us. Make or decorate a small box or jar to be used as a bank. Place it where you will see it daily. Once a day for the first 25 days of November, you will be placing offerings in it. (We're getting a late start on this, so Monday night we will catch up through "day 6") Decide with your family who you want to give the gift to. Ideas might be: Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, Church humanitarian fund, local food bank, etc. The Saturday after Thanksgiving deliver your gift. Each day your family can reflect upon your blessings!
DAY 1-Are you thankful for the blessing of electricity? Give 2 cents for each light bulb in your house.
DAY 2-Most of the world's population lives beyond the reach of medical care. Give 10 cents for each box of Band-Aids in your house.
DAY 3-Are you thankful you have a roof and doors to keep out the wind and rain? Give 10 cents for every exterior door your house has.
DAY 4-Are you thankful for your clothes? Give a nickel for every closet in your house.
DAY 5-Are you glad you have indoor plumbing? How about the toilet paper that goes with it? Give 5 cents for each roll of toilet paper in your house, counting all stored-away rolls.
DAY 6-To people in refugee camps, even a thin sliver of soap is precious. How many bars of soap does your family have? Give 5 cents for each bar. Also give 10 cents for each container of pump soap.
DAY 7-Do you walk to your town to get a bucket of water for washing, drinking, bathing, and cooking? Or are you blessed with faucets that bring precious water to you? Give 10 cents for each faucet. Still thinking of water, how did you get clean today? Give 10 cents if you took a bath and 20 cents if you took a shower.
DAY 8- Most of the world is starving while we are concerned about being overweight! Put in 1 cent for each pound mom and dad think that they are overweight.
DAY 9-What a blessing to be able to see and have eye doctors to help us! Put in 10 cents for each pair of glasses your family members wear, don't forget sunglasses. Give 5 cents for each person in your house that wears contact lenses.
DAY 10-Jesus loved the little children. Give thanks, and 10 cents for every child in your family. Do a secret good deed for each one of them today!
DAY 11-How would you like to live in your car as some families have to do? Give 10 cents for every car in your family.
DAY 12-Epidemics often follow natural disasters. Give thanks if no one in your house has been too sick this month to go to work or school, and give 50 cents.
DAY 13- The comfort of a clean bed is an undreamed of luxury for millions of the world's poor people. Give 5 cents for each bed in your house. Did a cozy blanket cover you last night? Give a penny for every blanket in your home.
DAY 14-Was is cold enough to wear a coat today? Were you thankful for your coat? Give a penny for every coat, raincoat, and jacket in your house.
DAY 15-Most people in the world cook over an open fire. Aren't you glad your parents didn't send you out to chop wood this morning? Give 5 cents for every burner on your stove and 5 cents for every oven. If you have a microwave add 25 cents.
DAY 16-Unfortunately this is the time of the year in which many people suffer loss in house fires. Give 10 cents for every phone in your house from which you can call 911 in the case of an emergency.
DAY 17-Many people in the world suffer excruciating pain from the lack of dental care. Give 5 cents for each toothbrush in your house.
DAY 18-Many children in the world barely get one meal a day. How many did you have? Give thanks and 5 cents for each meal.
DAY 19-Would you like to have to walk to school, to church, or to the store? Most people walk wherever they go. Give 10 cents for each bike, pair of skates, skateboard or anything else with wheels you have at your house.
DAY 20-"Give us this day our daily bread." Thank Heavenly Father for feeding you today and give one penny for every slice of bread your family ate today.
DAY 21- Count all the cans in your cupboard or pantry. Give a penny for each one of them as you thank God for the technology to can foods.
DAY 22-Count all the packages of frozen foods and meats in your freezer. Thank God for refrigeration and give a penny for each you counted.
DAY 23-Make a list of all the fruits and vegetables God created that you can name. Put a penny in for each of them on your list.
DAY 24-Many children in the world do not have a school to go to barely learn to read or write. Give a penny for every pencil or pen in your house.
DAY 25-Most people in the world have never touched a computer. If there is a computer in your house, put in 50 cents for each one of them.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Weigh in
All of this talk about losing weight and weigh in days....Amie, Kristen, Barbie and all of the rest of you who are doing so well.. Good job you guys!! I'm motivated by you guys to jump on the wagon and really stick to points with WW. I did it before I can do it again. I have got to be so serious about counting points. I do and then slack a little. I can't afford to go to the meetings weekly and weigh in but I know how to count points with WW. I am going to use my blog as "my meeting". I am trying now to lose 20 lbs. This last pregnancy just about killed me on the weight gain. Now, I'm almost convinced that after my 4th baby..I'm doomed. I am going to post my weight loss every week....in hopes there is a weight loss to post. I want to lose about 6 pounds by Thanksgiving. That's realistic, right? Since I am writing this out, it is helping me to really get pumped to stick with it.
What are some tips that really help you stay focused? Please share!!
What are some tips that really help you stay focused? Please share!!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Saturday....
Today was absolutely gorgeous here. The weather was warm with a lovely breeze. It felt so good to open the windows and hear the leaves rustling and feel the clean air on my face. I meant to take a picture of the view I had from working out at the gym this morning. I need to keep my camera in the car. I could see the beach so clearly from on top of the hill. The sky was so blue and the air so clean. We never get the nasty brown smog layer across the sky. That is one thing I don't miss about down south. I think the temp in the car was reading 80 degrees. The weather was so great I took Ellie out on the grass and sat under the tree for awhile. She loved it!
The boys were wild today. They turn on cd's and dance like crazy around the house. They had fun. Casey was in his big teasing mode and so it was a bit difficult for a while. Todd took all 3 kids to the store to get groceries which gave me some time to clean...so I thought. Ellie woke up right after they left and she doesn't like to sit in her little seat. Not much gets done while Ellie girl is awake. Oh well, that is what the evening is for when the kids are out. It was fun just playing with her by myself on the couch. It was actually relaxing not having everyone in her face, my face and crawling all over the couch.
Todd made his homemade salsa....so tasty. It is addicting. Mom, you should have been here to help scarf it down. There is still some left. That will be a good snack for after church tomorrow when we are famished.
I had my hair done today. That is so therapeutic for me. They massage my head and do the best job washing my hair. I love it. I'm in the process of fixing a bad color job. Wow....don't ever make that mistake. It feels like a lifetime of nasty hair to repair it without paying a fortune to repair it overnight. It's getting better but still not back to what I am used to....light highlights. Maybe I will be brave to post a pic. Why do the highlights have to come out looking so orange?? UGH!!!
Maybe it is the lighting. Sometimes it looks orangey and in other lights it looks ok. I will never put a dark color on my hair ever again. That is how this whole mess started. It had a greenish hue and now I can't seem to shake so much of the orange. Oh well, it is better than it was. This is the 2nd time at the salon trying to make it decent. I enjoyed my 2 hours away today. It was all worth the scalp massage the girl did.
I'm so tired and Sunday is fast approaching. These days, Sunday means work. With Todd in the bishopric, he leaves in the morning and then comes home with us at 6:00pm when church is over. We go from 2:30-5:30pm. I am with these kids all day but why does it seem like so much more work than any other day? They have been really good for me so I hope it sticks.
The boys were wild today. They turn on cd's and dance like crazy around the house. They had fun. Casey was in his big teasing mode and so it was a bit difficult for a while. Todd took all 3 kids to the store to get groceries which gave me some time to clean...so I thought. Ellie woke up right after they left and she doesn't like to sit in her little seat. Not much gets done while Ellie girl is awake. Oh well, that is what the evening is for when the kids are out. It was fun just playing with her by myself on the couch. It was actually relaxing not having everyone in her face, my face and crawling all over the couch.
Todd made his homemade salsa....so tasty. It is addicting. Mom, you should have been here to help scarf it down. There is still some left. That will be a good snack for after church tomorrow when we are famished.
I had my hair done today. That is so therapeutic for me. They massage my head and do the best job washing my hair. I love it. I'm in the process of fixing a bad color job. Wow....don't ever make that mistake. It feels like a lifetime of nasty hair to repair it without paying a fortune to repair it overnight. It's getting better but still not back to what I am used to....light highlights. Maybe I will be brave to post a pic. Why do the highlights have to come out looking so orange?? UGH!!!
Maybe it is the lighting. Sometimes it looks orangey and in other lights it looks ok. I will never put a dark color on my hair ever again. That is how this whole mess started. It had a greenish hue and now I can't seem to shake so much of the orange. Oh well, it is better than it was. This is the 2nd time at the salon trying to make it decent. I enjoyed my 2 hours away today. It was all worth the scalp massage the girl did.
I'm so tired and Sunday is fast approaching. These days, Sunday means work. With Todd in the bishopric, he leaves in the morning and then comes home with us at 6:00pm when church is over. We go from 2:30-5:30pm. I am with these kids all day but why does it seem like so much more work than any other day? They have been really good for me so I hope it sticks.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Dentist Appointments
Well, today was mellow. I love down days. I cleaned out Emily's room and organized Ellie's clothes. She has jumped up to 3-6 month clothing so I had to pack up the smaller clothes. It was wierd doing that. I can't believe how fast it has gone. She is almost 4 months....where did the time go?
I took the boys to the dentist today for their routine cleaning/check up. Hooray!! Casey was good to go for the 2nd time in a row. Mitch has one cavity between his teeth in the back. Not bad at all. All in all it was a good visit. The boys love going to the dentist. Thank goodness we have had such great dentists for the kids. Their first experiences with the dentist were incredible. I miss Dr. Lonnie! I do like our dentist here. He was telling me today how much his daughter's tuition is costing. She is a sophomore at Cal and last year he paid $22,000. His daugther was accepted to USC but he said the price is pretty much what changed his mind on her going there...$45,000/yr. including room/board. He knows Todd is a die hard SC Alumni so he was saying look what I have to look forward to with all of my kids going to college pretty much at the same time. Tuition at SC has a little more than doubled in 12 years. What does that mean for my kids?? Oh help!! Kids you better have some serious talents that find you some scholarships :)
I have been trying to catch up around this house. I am making this post short since I have tons of laundry to fold. At least the clothes are clean....right? I am feeling happy that the weekend is approaching.
I took the boys to the dentist today for their routine cleaning/check up. Hooray!! Casey was good to go for the 2nd time in a row. Mitch has one cavity between his teeth in the back. Not bad at all. All in all it was a good visit. The boys love going to the dentist. Thank goodness we have had such great dentists for the kids. Their first experiences with the dentist were incredible. I miss Dr. Lonnie! I do like our dentist here. He was telling me today how much his daughter's tuition is costing. She is a sophomore at Cal and last year he paid $22,000. His daugther was accepted to USC but he said the price is pretty much what changed his mind on her going there...$45,000/yr. including room/board. He knows Todd is a die hard SC Alumni so he was saying look what I have to look forward to with all of my kids going to college pretty much at the same time. Tuition at SC has a little more than doubled in 12 years. What does that mean for my kids?? Oh help!! Kids you better have some serious talents that find you some scholarships :)
I have been trying to catch up around this house. I am making this post short since I have tons of laundry to fold. At least the clothes are clean....right? I am feeling happy that the weekend is approaching.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Halloween Day Madness
Blogger is not letting me post my pics. I will try again later...darn!
Halloween was quite a day. We seemed to be in the car almost the entire day. Ellie was letting me know how much she didn't enjoy that by screaming every time we were in the car. It was a bit rough. Emily started the day off by putting on her costume. We put makeup on her and then she said she wanted to go show dad. We met up with dad for lunch and had to show the people in his office. They love her!
Then I hit Costco for a veggie platter and some other items and then made it home just in time to put the cold items away and then get right back in the car to pick up the boys from school. We then hit Wal-Mart for a few last minute items and then came home to change into our costumes, feed Ellie, and go trick or treating. As I was walking through Wal-Mart or racing should I say with all 4 kids, I wondered how did I ever do grocery shopping or any kind of shopping with all of them. It makes for a crazy shopping trip. I always have one, Casey, who likes to watch EVERYBODY and so he doesn't realize that we have continued on. I spend more time making sure that Casey is with us and not left on an aisle staring at someone. I guess he got that from me. My mom has told me that is what I did and I remember doing it. I studied everyone. I knew what everyone looked like down to their toes in their sandals. Pretty bad I know. I love just taking the two to shop. It is so easy!! We got home and the kids changed into their costumes. It was so frustrating. I had Casey pulling the knot in his shoe tighter and tighter as he said he couldn't get it out, Mitch was trying so hard to put his pants on over his shoes and having a hard time, Ellie fussing while eating, and Emily trying to change into different underwear. I was getting frustrated because I only had one hand to help with any of this. Mother's need about 6 hands. On top of all of this, we were to be meeting a friend to do our trick or treating through the village at the very same time. I wonder why it seems to always work like that. Always feeling pressure at the worst times.
The kids had fun going through the village (trick or treating to all of the shops and restaurants in our downtown area). There were so many kids and parents...it was crazy. Thank goodness it only took us about 40 minutes to do that. In the racing around of everything I pretty much shut the cargo door on Ellie's head. I had her in the Baby Bjorn and the corner of the door knicked her head. I felt so bad. Once we got home from that, we had about 30 minutes before we needed to be at our other party for dinner and more trick or treating. We made it and had lots of fun with our friends. We had Chicken Enchilada soup and it was delicious. We got home and the kids just crashed. We have so much candy it's crazy. We went to so many houses. The kids finally started asking, "Is this our last house?" I told Todd they just wanted to get back to start eating their candy. Today Casey keeps telling me he just wants to look at his candy. Does he really think that I think he will just look at it? Kids are so funny. I crashed at about 9:45 and it felt so good. Why don't I go to bed early? It is this blogging. It keeps me up.
Just a funny thing I want to document for me...Yesterday, I was talking to a mom who we were borrowing a costume from and she said that she would dig it up and put it out so she wouldn't forget to bring it to school. Later Casey said, Mom, is she really going home to dig it up out of the dirt and give it to us?" Too funny.
Halloween was quite a day. We seemed to be in the car almost the entire day. Ellie was letting me know how much she didn't enjoy that by screaming every time we were in the car. It was a bit rough. Emily started the day off by putting on her costume. We put makeup on her and then she said she wanted to go show dad. We met up with dad for lunch and had to show the people in his office. They love her!
Then I hit Costco for a veggie platter and some other items and then made it home just in time to put the cold items away and then get right back in the car to pick up the boys from school. We then hit Wal-Mart for a few last minute items and then came home to change into our costumes, feed Ellie, and go trick or treating. As I was walking through Wal-Mart or racing should I say with all 4 kids, I wondered how did I ever do grocery shopping or any kind of shopping with all of them. It makes for a crazy shopping trip. I always have one, Casey, who likes to watch EVERYBODY and so he doesn't realize that we have continued on. I spend more time making sure that Casey is with us and not left on an aisle staring at someone. I guess he got that from me. My mom has told me that is what I did and I remember doing it. I studied everyone. I knew what everyone looked like down to their toes in their sandals. Pretty bad I know. I love just taking the two to shop. It is so easy!! We got home and the kids changed into their costumes. It was so frustrating. I had Casey pulling the knot in his shoe tighter and tighter as he said he couldn't get it out, Mitch was trying so hard to put his pants on over his shoes and having a hard time, Ellie fussing while eating, and Emily trying to change into different underwear. I was getting frustrated because I only had one hand to help with any of this. Mother's need about 6 hands. On top of all of this, we were to be meeting a friend to do our trick or treating through the village at the very same time. I wonder why it seems to always work like that. Always feeling pressure at the worst times.
The kids had fun going through the village (trick or treating to all of the shops and restaurants in our downtown area). There were so many kids and parents...it was crazy. Thank goodness it only took us about 40 minutes to do that. In the racing around of everything I pretty much shut the cargo door on Ellie's head. I had her in the Baby Bjorn and the corner of the door knicked her head. I felt so bad. Once we got home from that, we had about 30 minutes before we needed to be at our other party for dinner and more trick or treating. We made it and had lots of fun with our friends. We had Chicken Enchilada soup and it was delicious. We got home and the kids just crashed. We have so much candy it's crazy. We went to so many houses. The kids finally started asking, "Is this our last house?" I told Todd they just wanted to get back to start eating their candy. Today Casey keeps telling me he just wants to look at his candy. Does he really think that I think he will just look at it? Kids are so funny. I crashed at about 9:45 and it felt so good. Why don't I go to bed early? It is this blogging. It keeps me up.
Just a funny thing I want to document for me...Yesterday, I was talking to a mom who we were borrowing a costume from and she said that she would dig it up and put it out so she wouldn't forget to bring it to school. Later Casey said, Mom, is she really going home to dig it up out of the dirt and give it to us?" Too funny.
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