Homemaking Career

I believe that prayers are answered.

2011-07-21T14:21:00.000-06:00

My husband spent 2 months preparing to take the GMAT and applying to MBA schools. We felt that this was the only option to get the type of job that he wanted. We researched, fasted, and prayed. We felt our prayers were answered that going after an MBA and getting more education was the right direction. It did turn out to be such, but in a different way than we expected. In the past we didn't want to go to MBA school because we figured that we would end up far from Utah and family, but here we were far from Utah and family and making little money. At least with an MBA, we figured, he would make more money if we were far from family. Every evening was spent doing MBA stuff. I fasted several times through out this experience, pleading with the Lord that Glenn would get a "good enough" score on the GMAT to get into the "best school for us". He did get a great score. We were excited. He nailed on interview and we were even more excited.

The economy is not great right now. Jobs are hard to find, but we were hoping that in two years things would have improved and our dream job would be waiting, preferably in the western United States, unfortunately it most likely would not be in Utah - probably not even in the west. :( Where we had a house that we would lose money on and would have to rent. (I'm going to add here that we had built the house only months before we moved out of it to go to Canada. We built it with the idea of living in it until we were old and gray.) So while we were in the final weeks of waiting to see where we would be attending school - and we knew we'd be attending because we had a safety school and a great GMAT score. While we were waiting to hear, a recruiter called Glenn about a job back in Salt Lake City. First of all, that was a miracle. Who has a recruiter call for a fantastic job in an economy like this??? Miracle. He told her he was going to MBA school to get a job with a company that was family friendly, paid well and had good benefits. He wasn't very interested and said as much, but sent a resume anyway.
We waited another 2-3 weeks and found out he didn't get into ANY school. Glenn was devistated. That was our plan out of the endless start-up company jobs that we had had for 12 years.

Glenn called the recruiter and she said that the company she was representing had been so busy with a record month that they didn't have time to hire someone and they were now ready to start the process. Glenn had a phone interview that Thursday and they flew him back to Utah the following Friday. Before we knew it we were on our way back to Utah to start a new job. We feel so thankful. It is perfect for him. He loves the business and the people he works with. the crazy thing is that he is VERY qualified for the position, but his resume that they found him with off of linkedin, didn't demonstrate that. The recruiter said that she had worked with Danny, Glenn's brother before and when the job came up, she called him and asked if he wanted to move back to Utah. He said no. A couple of weeks later she was still searching on linkedin for someone who could fill the position. She found Glenn. Then she realized he had the same last name as Danny, though he lived in Canada, she wondered if he was related to Danny in some way, a cousin maybe. She called Danny and asked if he knew Glenn and Danny told her that it was his little brother. He gave her Glenn's number and that is when she called. Even the events that took place and how everything fell into place so nicely with timing, and finding him at all , the recruiter has said that this job is meant to be yours.

Glenn has now been working at his company for almost a month and, though he is still in the honeymoon stage, he enjoys the benefits, pay and the way the company treats the workers. And we get to live in the home we built to grow old in. All the things he wanted to get in a job by going to MBA school is in this job. He will probably get his Executive MBA eventually. We still feel that our prayers were answered that we are supposed to get education, but if we hadn't been on this track I'm not sure we would have gotten this amazing job. I'm thankful for prayer. I'm thankful for a God who cares about his children. I believe that God has blessings that he wants to give to us, they are only contingent on us faithfully asking.

Meal plan idea for tomorrow

2011-07-13T15:30:00.000-06:00

Breakfast - adapted from unconventionalkitchen.com
1/2 c oatmeal
spoonfull of almondbutter
splash of raw milk
drizzle of agave
fresh fruit
dolop of kefir
cinnamon

Lunch
Green Smoothie
add cabbage wrap, if needed

Snack
Kefir with fruit and agave

Dinner
Junk food at the movie :) Harry Potter!!!

What I ate today

2011-07-06T16:05:00.000-06:00

cracked wheat cereal, pecans, maple syrup, coconut oil
apple larabar
one egg, 1/4 cup quinoa, green smoothie
tortilla chips

Back to Health

2011-07-05T15:01:00.000-06:00

I believe food matters.
My current philosophy on food.
Whole foods. Not too much. Mostly plants. (Michael Pollan) No white flour or sugar.

This Friday I will start a yeast cleanse. I will eat normally except I will cut out gluten, dairy and fruit for 2 weeks. After that I will keep taking the herbs until they are gone, but I will add in fruit, gluten and raw dairy.
I will look for healthy treat recipes for Sunday treats. Sugary treats will be on occasion.

Today's Food
Breakfast - cracked wheat cereal, coconut oil, pecans, maple syrup, blueberry
Lunch - green smoothie (3/4 quart), peanut butter and agave sandwich
Snack - nectarine
Dinner - Green Smoothie

Goals and Rewards

2011-06-29T07:04:00.000-06:00

It has been said that joy is composed of three key ingredients:
1. Close relationships with God and man, and service to both
2. A worthy, deeply felt mission or cause in life.
3. Personal health and self-discipline.
If these are true measurements, Christ quickly qualifies as the greatest example of joy.

These are things I'm working on.

Number 3 is my nemisis.
I will not make excuses. I will only eat 3 meals and one snack a day.
I know what to do. It is my choice.
Rewards-
August 6th - River Rafting and Zip-line with the girls
August 16th-19th - Education Week 1/2 Day
September - Hike the Narrows or Subway or Shakespeare Play
October - Disney Land!
November 11th - Time Out For Women with Sister-in-law, mom and friend

Food Journal

2011-06-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

Breakfast
cream of wheat, 3 dried apricots, t. coconut oil, few walnuts, 1/4 c. milk

Lunch
cabbage salad - EVOO, seasame oil, rice vinegar, almonds
taste of bread and frosting
cucumber

Snack
1/2 larabar
apple with peanut butter

Dinner
Asian Vegetables
Pasta with meat sauce

I've been reading Michael Pollan

2011-06-08T18:11:00.000-06:00

What he has said rings true.
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

That makes sense. I can do that!

He also talks about eating things in season and meat sparingly. I've thought the things he is talking about for a long time. Yeah!

Day 1 - Get Healthy

2011-06-06T19:34:00.000-06:00

For quite sometime I have been trying to lose weight. I lost around 20 pounds last year and none this year, but at this point it has become more about health than weight. This is a paradigm shift for me.

So here is my journey. It didn't start today, but I'm documenting starting today. I decided to document my triumphs and set backs.

I'm going to feed my family dinner right now (canned chili and boxed macaroni and cheese - I know not the best, but the kids were out of school today and I took them to a science museum downtown and now I'm tired).

First of all. This is what I eat.
meat
eggs
fruit
vegetables

That is not all I eat, but what I focus on.

This is how the day went
BF - lemon water
eggs and quinoa
Snack to eat on the way to science center - green smoothie - little fruit
Snack - Larabar Peanut Butter and a little nibble of my kid's PB and J sandwich
Lunch (3pm) - white chili with LOTS of corn chips This is where it all went wrong because I was so hungry. Frito's and salsa and about 6 maple cookies. Blah. I love the cookies, but it all gave me a headache.
Dinner - still full from my Large/Late lunch. Pineapple and cucumbers. One more cookie - what?! Why you ask, well because I was listening to a talk about no gluten and I panicked and wanted some unless I decided that I was going to cut it out altogether. Which is why I'm not prohibiting anything from my diet. I'm just focusing on what I am going to eat.

Still have a headache. I think I'll go to bed.
Good news of the day is that my husband got a job back in our home state. We can move back into the country and be by family again!!!! AND we're making lots more money!!! Good job hubby!!!

PS I have three warts and lichen schlerosis and I suspect adrenal fatigue. I'll talk about supplements some other time.

The ups and DOWNS

2011-05-28T18:02:00.000-06:00

I'm writing this post to remind me that hard times come. It is normal. I want to look back at this post and remember that though it was hard, things "came to pass" and things got better.

1. My husband is out of town.
2. My dad was in the hospital yesterday for anemia and got 2 blood transfusions. They don't know the reason, but are doing tests.
3. My mom had to go to the hospital today for racing heart and abnormal beat. They don't know the reason, but are experimenting on her.
4. My mother-in-law announced today that she has breast cancer.
5. My 3 year old decided to potty train this weekend, with all of this going on. He refuses to put on diapers. Needless to say I have had a few extra messes to clean up and a few extra clothes to wash.
6. My husband had a job interview for our "dream job". We don't know how it went. We were hoping to find out after the interview, but they said they are going to get back to us next week. This is a big deal. This will decide if we get to move back home, closer to our parents, or if we will need to remain out of the country. Just writing this makes my heart beat with nerves.
7. We are still new in this country and I don't have any close friends to rely on.

This entire weekend I have been feeling out of sorts. I was feeling lonely. I ate a lot. I finally asked myself, what I'm trying to feed with the food. I needed comfort. I decided to turn to spiritual comfort. I went to lds.org. I read conversion stories on my email that I've been wanting to get to. I went on ksl.com and watched miraculous stories of survival through the huge tornados they have been having. I prayed and I cried. As I prayed I tried to picture my Father in Heaven. I tried to picture him as a loving man, much like my father, and how he would react to one of his daughters asking him for favors. I believe God wants to bless us. I believe that there is a buffet of blessings out there for us, waiting to be devoured, if we will just ask for them. I also believe that God knows what is best for us. Sometimes we think a "cake" looks really good and we want it with all of our hearts, but sometimes that "cake" is not what is best for us. I get that, but I'm asking for the "cake". I'm fasting to show my desire. I believe God is a God of miricles and that he can help us get a job, if it is His will. I believe this. I'm praying for this and for my family.

After all the searching I'm reminded of how important those family relationships are. That is all that really matters. I have a strong desire to build those. I have a desire to reach out to my parents, my husband's parents, my brothers and all my in-laws. And especially my boys.

More of my plan

2011-05-16T14:28:00.000-06:00

If I plan on having a little bit of sweets every day, I think about sweets and crave it all day long. So I'm going to just cut them out - for awhile. Until I can get a handle on things. I may have them on Sunday, but I will make sure there are none left in our house for the week or I know it will be tempting for me.

I also make most of my mistakes in the afternoon so I'm going to rearrange my eating schedule. It will be as follows.
Morning - lemon water with cayenne pepper
8:00 Breakfast
11:30 Lunch (started off with veggies or salad)
1:30 Snack
3:30 Snack
5:30 Dinner

Only eat when it is time and eat sitting down. Food will be quality with lots of protein.

I will plan out my food every morning or evening.

So in review
Sweets on Sunady - Extras will be given away or packed away for kids.
Only eat when it is time. (Sleep in the afternoon if I have to.)
Sit down and eat slowly.
Plan out my food everyday and have a plan before the day begins. Go to the store if needed.
Write down when I do something great.

Sad MBA Weekend

2011-05-16T05:15:00.000-06:00

My husaband has been applying to business school. It has been a long 4 months of study, essays and waiting. This Friday we found out from the last school that he did not get it. This is what he really wants to do. This is a great path to our future, but right now it is not an option. We are at a loss as to where to go next. I believe that a door will open, but right now we are seeing walls and doors locked tight. The future is hard to plan and to see. It is dark. I know that sometimes you have to step into the darkness before you see the light. That is what we are doing. We are researching, looking, asking questions to people. We are moving forward and praying.

So, once we found out the news, well, I gave myself a weekend long of "I can eat any thing I want" attitude. The truth is that I can always eat whatever I want. I can eat junk and I can eat lots of food without limits and self imposed "rules". I can choose that. The problem is that I CAN'T choose the outcome of such living. And the outcome showed on the scale today. I can rationalize all the reasons that it is okay to not eat the way I have planned, but the end result cannot be avoided. It is the law of nature. I need to remember that I can feel intitled to food. I can cope with food. But the end result will be disappointment. Next time I am sad, I hope that I can keep things in perspective and know that if I eat too much I will, in the end, become more sad than I was to begin with.

Once again, here are my goals.
Eat Slowly. Enjoy every bite. Sit down.
Read my response cards and reasons for why - every morning and night.
Eat a salad or vegetable before lunch and dinner.
Eat five times a day - no seconds.

Make Good Use of the Time You Have

2011-05-11T17:36:00.000-06:00

"Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness."
- Jean de la Bruyere, 17th century French essayist

It is not a matter of having time; it is a matter of making time. It is about prioritizing. It is about spending time on things that matter most. My body matters to me. It is the home of my spirit. I'm taking the time to take care of it because as I improve my body, my spirit will have room to expand.

Are you making bariers to your goals?

2011-05-10T17:54:00.000-06:00

Most barriers to your success are man-made. And most often, you're the man who made them.

- Frank Tyger

Think about something you want to accomplish, a goal. Why are you not doing it? What are your excuses? Re-evaluate if you really want that goal. If you do, find a way to do it. If you really don't want it anymore, then stop thinking about it and move on. It is okay to re-evaluate. It is not okay to have a carrot dangle in front of you. Eat it or get it out of the way!

This time...

2011-05-10T17:40:00.000-06:00

I'm going to change my body. I'm going to be the person I want to be.

It starts now.

It starts with the Beck Diet for Life. It is not a diet you usually think of, but a way to think so that you can be free from letting food run your life and free to do the things you love and become the person you know you can.

The physical body and the spirit are connected. One lives in the other and the other is controlled by one.

Improving one, improves the other.

The Complete Beck Diet Solution for Life. Read along and join me. Lets do it together.

Distraction List

2011-05-10T11:14:00.000-06:00

Read your list of reasons to loose weight.

Look at pictures of models on the internet.

Dance to fun music.

Look up the Nate Berkus Show on the internet.

Look up blogs, Jodee, Jodie, Cumorah, Rachel Jones, Smilewithyourheart.

Get on facebook.

Call a friend or family. Cherie', Julie, Melinda, Tammy, Angie, Jodee, Sara, Drusilla,

Look up fun things to do with the kids on internet. (Family fun/Homeschool)

Look up vacations and plan.

Plan the next few months - vacations, family time, Tuesday Dates, Friday Dates, etc.

Blog.

Upload pictures.

Put pictures in a digital scrapbook.

Call an old friend.

Send a thank you note or letter of appreciation to someone.

Buy a fun card and send it to someone.

Send out a family picture card.

Send a post card to someone.

Work on Young Women Goals.

Read lds.org

Read a book.

Organize something.

Look up interior decorating ideas.

Brush your teeth.

Drink water.

Sleep.

Read response cards.

Read Beck Diet Book.

Read about lichen sclerosis.

Read about adrenal fatigue.

Read spark people, blog, community, teams.

Read diet blogs or sites.

Emails.

Read to the kids.

Play with the kids.

Look at dream board and meditate.

Shop online for clothes, jewelry, toys.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2011-04-20T18:42:00.000-06:00

This was the scene in my living room this evening before my husband (cub scout leader) took my son to their scout meeting.

This was my son making a fruit salad. Then he took a picture of it, like I so often do. He said it was healthy and then kept talking about all the healthy aspects of it - I recognized some of the words as being VERY familiar.

There is no better way to make a difference in a life than to raise children. They are watching. They want to be like us. I often get comments about what great, thoughtful, kind boys I have. For that I am thankful, but I often pray that they will turn into the honorable men that I envision despite my weaknesses. I do my best. It sometimes is not the best, but I have faith that God will make up the difference. This is my lesson of the day and my reminder to try even harder and to be the person I want my kids to be.

Daily Food

2011-04-11T18:23:00.001-06:00

Here is what I ate today.
Breakfast - Red Rover Cracked Wheat Hot Ceral, pecans, milk, pinch of raw sugar, pinch of salt, blueberries
Snack - almonds and cutie orange
Lunch - salad, balsamic vinaigrette, spaghetti squash w/pecans and olive oil, bite of potato salad

Snack - bread, cajun, sweet potatoes, egg with olive oil mayonaise

Snack - LaDonna's Delight

Dinner - homemade chicken noodle soup

Unplanned snack - potato chips

I ate too much, but I ate when I planned. That is progress. Baby steps. I'll get there.

The Oldest

2011-04-02T18:17:00.002-06:00

This boy's heart is made of gold. He tries to do what is right. He is helpful. He can be counted on.

One of my favorite things about this little boy is that he has courage. Courage to do hard things and courage to stand up for what he believes. He has courage to do the right and courage to try new things.

He also loves adventure, being a leader and playing games. He is a natural leader and leads to do good.

He beams when he is told he is anything like his dad, which he is. He is proud of who he is. He loves good people and meshes well with them. He is not willing to let his standards down to play with someone who is mean spirited. When he finds a friend that is loyal, trustworthy and good, he gives his loyalty back to them and will bend over backward for them.

Adults notice him. They notice his kindness, patience and knowledge. They mention it to me often. He stands out because of his grandness. He stands out because of his testimony of Christ.

He will also do anything for his family. He is full of service. I feel so blessed to have this boy lead his brothers. He is full of teaching moments. I look at his little brothers and I see them admire him. They love him and want to be with him. They want to be like him and I couldn't think of a better boy to lead them. Glenn and I are raising men and Christian is guiding them.

I'm thankful for Christian and I feel his name fits him perfectly as a believer and follower of Christ.

I love you Christian.

Who Moved My Cheese?

2011-03-28T11:37:00.000-06:00

Each day we snip a bit off of Stafford's binkie. We are wondering if her will notice that bit by bit we are moving his cheese. It is already half gone and he still wants the thing. We're hoping that when it is a small stump it will be more trouble to keep in than it is worth. Wish us luck.

Birthday Boy

2011-03-20T18:24:00.001-06:00

This kid runs around enjoying life. When you watch him join in with his brothers you can see sheer joy on his face. He doesn't know, yet, that having a bunch of boys around to play with isn't how everyone lives. He seems happy for each day and excited to see what his "bruvers" are doing. He looks for them in the morning and really relies on them for so many things.

He loves horses and has for years. If a show has a horse in it he will watch it, even if it is a boring black and white western that I can't even bear to watch.

He loves to be tickles and will say, "Tickle me!" with his arm in the air.

He says "Searole" for cereal.

He calls girls, "Kia". (I have know explanation on that one.)

If it isn't his idea then he can hold his own quite well, but if you say please he will usually say, "Awight." and do what you asked him to do.

"Mom, wan play mit me?" is one that is hard to resist.

He goes right into nursery and has lots of tales to tell when he comes out. The thing is that we have no idea as to what he is saying when he gets going so quickly. I'm sure it was a riveting tale, though.

He likes books, dancing, being twirled in a circle, riding people as horses and putting saddles on them too. He is great with knots and a goodl time involves tieing his toys with ropes. He loves "ropes" and will spend lots of time playing with the cat and getting her to chase the cord or belt that he has.

The other day I tried to sit him on the couch next to me and he stopped me and explained that he had spicey poo. Boy did he! Anyone who has kids knows what I'm talking about.

Day 8 - 40 Day Challenge

2011-03-20T17:29:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling pretty bad right now. I ate so much junk today. When I eat right I feel right. I have more energy and more optimism. This is not the case today. I didn't live true to my body. It was my youngest son's birthday and I went to town with the junk. Plus, a lady at church gave me some of her favorite Canadian candy bars to try. They were good and I ate a lot of them. One alone was 300 calories. That was my favorite, Mr. Big. Yum. For my son's cake, my husband made my favorite homemade cake, carrot cake. It was so good. I feel so stuffed. It is uncomfortable. My perception of my thighs is that they must be two inches bigger from today and my birthday three days ago, but I'm logic tells me they are not. Even if they were, I'm still getting back to my plan. I fell. It hurts. I'm a bit sad. When I eat this way I fee down on my ability to lose weight. When I eat right, I know it will come off if I'm patient and just follow the plan. We will be traveling for the next three days, but I feel like I can do it. It is easier to stay 100% true to the plan than to stay 98% true because then you start slipping.

So right now I'm getting back up because I'm a fighter and fighters always get up. It doesn't matter how badly they're hurt, they get up and that is what I'm doing.

Ding the bell, I'm back in the ring. Ready to Fight.

Current Daily Schedule

2011-03-17T19:04:00.000-06:00

6:00 - Internet Time (I rarely actually wake up for this.)
7:00 - Breakfast
8:00 - To Do
9:00 - Email, Sparkpeople, Passions, Goals, Blog (Errands)
10:00 - Cardio, Dance, Yoga, Play with kids (Any "To Do" that I need to finish)

12:00 - Kids: Lunch
1:00 - T/F - Laundry, free time - Yoga or Read
2:30 - Tidy Kitchen
3:00 - Kids: eat snack, Homework, Tidy, Free Time
4:00 - Make Dinner, Ready
5:30 - Dinner
Clean-up
Family Time or Any errands that I need to make.
7:00 - Family Prayer, brush teeth, time to talk
7:30 - Blog, Menu, Yoga
8:15 - Ready for Bed
8:30 - Scriptures, Journal, Spiritual Read, Yoga Read

Birthday Eve

2011-03-16T18:23:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm going to be 34. It seems like a good age. Not too intimidating. I'm still in my early, or maybe mid thrities. At least I'm still closer to 30 than 40, even using correct rounding principles. I'm excited. I'm excited for this coming year. I see good things. I've had a lot of change in my life over the past 6 months and I'm at a good place. I'm excited for life. I'm setting goals and I'm acheiving them. There are new things on the horizon. Great things are coming and I'm excited to see them.

I have learned that happiness is linked with expectations. I've had birthdays where I have expected too much, especially since becoming a mom. I expected to be pampered. A one year old doesn't care that it is your birthday. He will still want to be served, taken care of and will most definately still poop a lot. I have ended the day of my birth feeling sad and under appreciated because I expected too much. Maybe this seems sad to some of you, but really it shouldn't be.

I tell my husband exactly what I expect. This year it was the cake of my choice. This year I asked him to make a Double Chocolate Mouse Cake. That's it. That's all I want. He is a good cook so I know it will be good and I've been drooling over the picture for weeks waiting for this moment. I also will buy me something. I like to do that because then I get exactly what I want. Unromantic, but perferred. Then I will go to the store and buy myself those Lofthouse sugar cookies and maybe cupcakes too. I love them both and don't eat them except once a year. So excited. I'm going to a potluck/play group tomorrow so I can bring the left overs, if there is any.

I'm noticing how much revolves around food. Junk food. Oh well. I try to eat healthy most of the time. Sometimes I don't want to. On my birthday, I don't want to, but I will still get my fruits and veggies in and maybe a healthy fat and protein here or there too.

I will still clean and I will still cook for my family and I will still change poopy diapers. And I'll be happy because I expected to do those things. If someone gives a little extra help, I'll be grateful, but I don't expect it. My boys are getting older so they do TRY to help out. They are sweet and I appreciate any effort they exert.

I'm excited for my birthday. It's going to be a great day and it's going to be a great year.

Speaking of Cakes. Two of my boys had a joint Lord of the Rings Party. (Even though the younger one had never seen the movie, my oldest son tried to fill him in on how cool it is.) One is the ring and the other is of a Hobbit home in Bag End.

Goals

2011-03-13T18:24:00.001-06:00

In 4 months (July 13th)
I weigh 138 pounds.
I have a habit of only eating one serving.
I eat every two hours during the day.
I do yoga/weights 4hrs and 40 mins a week.
I do cardio 4 hrs and 40 minutes a week.
I am productive and stick to my schedule.
I go on a date with Glenn every week.
I go to the temple every month.
I have my yoga certification.
In 1 year (March 13th, 2012)
I maintain my weight.
I run, cross-country ski, ice skate or snow shoe 3-4xs a week.
I eat organic produce.
I eat healthy meat.
I eat fish every week.
I eat raw dairy, milk, kefir, yogurt, cheese.
I eat farm eggs.
I eat sweets and savor it.
I play the cello.
I couple dance with Glenn twice a month.
I am good at yoga and practice daily.
I swim 2xs a week in a saline pool.
I have great friends and socialize with them weekly.
I support my my oldest two kids in 2 activities each.
Glenn and I go on a date every week.

Attitudes

2011-03-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

Attitudes are contagious. I want to share happiness, enthusiasm, and optimism!

I have children. I want them to be excited about life. I need to stop feeling the drudgery of daily living and instead focus on the fact that it is a small step to get through to get to all the fun things in life.

This does not mean that I don't think I should share my feelings, but I do feel that I need to focus on these three things.

My children don't like living here. It feels so temporary to them. I need to make our home feel like a home.

Nothing is guaranteed in life, so make the most of each day and persevere.

2011-03-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

This is something I try to remember. It encourages us to not sweat the small stuff. And reminds us that its all small stuff.

I used to be really good at this, but I have stopped. I stress about little things. I let little things get me frazzled.

This is my goal. Perspective and perserverence.

Social for Boys

2010-05-10T07:38:00.004-06:00

Here are some ideas to foster social experiences for the boys

Warrick-Primary class party - Tanner

Porter - Will come and play

Christian - soccer or swim party - or small party Justin, Cordon, Ollerton?, Taylor?

May 11th Schedule

2010-05-10T07:14:00.004-06:00

BF
Clean Kitchen
Organize/Clean
11:00 Lunch/put Stafford down/email
12:00 School
Laundry/To Do/Clean/Orgainze
4:00 Journal/Dinner/CLean
5:30 Eat
6:00 10 Minute Clean
Walmart(present and frames)Price(check) Sunrock(drains) Nursery (plants)

Tuesday
5:45 wake up
5:50 Scripture/Read/Organize/Internet/Blog/Email
Time with whatever kids wakes
BF
Clean Kitchen
Ready
Play/Organize/Go Somewhere
11:00Lunch/Put Stafford Down/Email
Clean - school with Porter
1:00 Laundry/To Do/Organize
3:00 Pick up Christian and take to party
4:00 Journal/Dinner/Clean
5:30 Dinner
5:45 Pick up Christian
6:50 Zumba
8:15 Kids go to bed
Yoga
Read

Wednesday
5:30 wake up and dress
5:35 Scripture
5:55 Cardio Pump Class
7:15 BF (If time then plan meals or organize or To Do)
Clean Kitchen
9:00 Leave
9:30 Test/DI and park
Lunch
Laundry/Clean/Organize
2:30 Boys Club
5:00 Journal/Dinner
5:30 Eat
6:00 Clean
6:30 Swim
8:00 Bed for Kids
Yoga
Read

Schedule

2010-05-04T21:11:00.003-06:00

5:50 Wake up and dress
5:55 Cardio Pump Class
Shower
BF
Make Lunch
Clean Kitchen
8:30 Leave for Test
Go to a park
11:00Lunch/Snack/Go Home
12:00Laundry/To Do/Organize
2:30 Boys Club
4:00 Dinner/Clean
5:15 Eat - c goes to scouts
6:00 10 minute clean or outside
7:15 Watch Christian at scouts
8:45 Kids go to bed
Journal
Read for 10 minutes

Thursday
BF
Clean Kitchen
Ready
Play/Organize/Go Somewhere
11:00Lunch/Put Stafford Down/Email
Clean
1:00 Laundry/To Do/Organize
4:00 Dinner/Clean
5:30 Dinner
6:00 10 Minute Clean or Outside
6:50 Zumba
Journal
Read 10 minutes

Friday
5:50 Wake up and dress
5:55 Zumba
Shower
BF
Make Lunch
Clean Kitchen
10:00Go to a park
Laundry/To Do/Organize
4:00 Dinner/Clean
5:30 Eat
6:00 10 minute clean
Journal
Read for 10 minutes

Saturday
Clean
11:00 Lunch/Put Stafford Down
12:00 Exercise
2:00 Shower
Clean or organize or shop or whatever

Meal Plan

2010-05-03T17:58:00.002-06:00

raisin bran with 2% milk

yogurt

sandwich

apple and almond butter

main dish and lots of veggies

almonds

Sunday May 2nd

2010-05-02T21:05:00.001-06:00

I have a cold. I didn't go to church, but we had a good day.

Glenn made cowboy cookies and we ate leftovers. Glenn and I went outside with Stafford and Glenn threw rocks for Hermie to chase. She and Stafford loved it.

My Schedule This Week

2010-05-02T16:20:00.004-06:00

Sunday Night
5:00 Dinner
5:30 FHE
6:00 Show
8:00 Read
8:15 Bed for kids
Journal
Read 10 Minutes

Monday
6:00 wake up and dress
6:05 Scripture
6:25 Exercise
7:15 BF
Clean Kitchen
Shower
Play or Organize
11:00Lunch/put Stafford down/email
12:00School
Read/Write/Math/Cursive/Type
Laundry/To Do/Organize
4:00 Dinner/Clean
5:30 Eat
6:00 10 minute clean or outside
FHE
8:00 Read
8:15 Kids go to bed
Journal
Read for 10 minutes

Tuesday
5:30 wake up
5:40 Scripture/Read/Organize/Internet/Blog/Email
Time with whatever kids wakes
BF
Clean Kitchen
Ready
Play/Organize/Go Somewhere
11:00Lunch/Put Stafford Down/Email
Clean
1:00 Laundry/To Do/Organize
4:00 Dinner/Clean
5:30 Dinner
6:00 10 Minute Clean or Outside
6:50 Zumba
8:15 Read
Kids go to bed
Journal

Wednesday
5:30 wake up and dress
5:35 Scripture
5:55 Cardio Pump Class
7:15 BF
Clean Kitchen
9:00 Leave for Test
Go to a park
11:00Lunch/Snack/Go Home
12:00Laundry/To Do/Organize
4:00 Dinner/Clean
5:15 Eat - c goes to scouts
6:00 10 minute clean or outside
7:15 Watch Christian at scouts
8:45 Kids go to bed
Journal
Read for 10 minutes

Words of Warrick

2010-05-01T14:30:00.002-06:00

Warrick said he didn't want to wear a certain jacket because "I look like a duffis in that coat." I told him that a boy that looks like he does would look good no matter what he was wearing. He said, "Moms only think that about their kids."

I alsways try to get details out of him when he comes home from preschool and usually don't get very much info. One day he said, "Mom, what's the past?" I told him. He said, "Yeah, I don't like to talk about the past." Fair enough.

Homeschooling April 5th

2010-04-05T15:58:00.003-06:00

Our homeschool day started out quite self-directed. Christian and Porter worked on an experiment. They put a blue and yellow jellybean in hot water and a blue and a yellow jellybean in cold water. They were seeing if they would dissolve. Christian copied his findings in his notebook. The hot water ones dissolved more quickly.

They got a toy that expands in water. Christian tied it to the fosset so that only the head would read the water below. He was trying to see if only the head would get bigger or if the rest of it would too. He found that the water was sucked up by the head and dispersed through all of the duck.

I like that kind of learning.

Later in the day they watched High School Musical 3 and on the commercials we did school. We all learned a little more about the solar system and how it all works together so perfectly. Then we recored this past weekend in our journals and each child drew a picture. Porter read to me for his school from ABEKA readers. Warrick worked on his workbook about numbers. Christian worked on division and started two digit division. C and I played a division game. He also read from the book about Eddie Rickenbaucher as a child. He did two cursive pages in Cursive Without Tears.

Now Christian and Porter are playing and Warrick and Stafford are resting.

Notebooks

2010-03-25T15:27:00.003-06:00

Writing Notebook - Multi Grade - anything he writes, journal, book reviews, journal, pictures, etc.

Field Trip Notebook - When we go on field trips or vacation I bring their notebook and they need to draw a picture and write something about what they learned or liked. Sometimes add pictures to write about.

Science Notebook - Apologia gives directions.

Family School

2010-03-24T13:46:00.002-06:00

Today for family school we wrote birthday letters for Grandma Great.
The younger kids learned about starting sentences with a capital letter and ending them with a period. They also learned the form of the letter. Christian learned to address and envelope. He also learned some spelling.

Tomorrow in family school we will watch a math show to learn more addition. Then if we have time we will read aloud.

The boys love family school when we all work together.

What we did today

2010-03-22T15:39:00.002-06:00

Porter
read two pages in the ABEKA handbook for reading
one math worksheet (adding ones)
worked on writing a short story for a contest

Christian
worked on multiplication in math
read from "Eddie Rickenbacker" for 20 minutes
two cursive pages
worked on writing a short story for a contest

Detailed School Plan

2010-03-18T13:33:00.005-06:00

12:00 School Starts (read aloud from knights of freedom book or choice)

Christian
math (2 K12 lessons plus multiplication practice)
reading (30 minutes)
writing (write a project / journal or cursive practice) next year TLP
typing

Porter
reading handbook
read a book
workbook
math
next year TLP

Warrick
workbook / preschool homework

1:30 PE

2:30 Scripture Snack (memorization)

3:00 Utah, History, Science, Writing (poetry, creative, journal, report, book report, letters)

(Next Year we will add Total Language Plus to read aloud and do the work during alone study and will alternate TLP with a couple of other read aloud picks like knights and fun.)

4:00 Do my stuff

Friends can come over before 11 am, after 4pm or on Friday or Saturday.

End of Friday Fun School Year

2010-03-12T16:16:00.003-07:00

Today was the last day of Friday Fun Classes for this year.

I taught a clogging class to the oldest girls.

Christian's classes learned and memorized keywords to the first 6 Bill of Rights. They also learned about writing creatively and his last class was PE.

Porter had a lego class and PE class.

Warrick had a preschool class and a PE class.

It was a good experience, but I'm glad it is over anc we can do park days and field trips.

Tentative Future Schedule

2010-03-10T21:29:00.002-07:00

Once Christian finishes third grade math then they will have NO school until the first of June. (I will still read aloud, but that will be under the table. We will also focus on scouts)

June/July is easy school - math (probably worksheets that help multiplication) and reading and scouts

August
As a family we will do Utah History/Geography/Geology, Apologia Science, Story of the World, writing (report, poetry, creative, journal, letters, blog), read aloud, Language Arts(Total Language Plus),

Christian - Saxon math, TLP assignments, cursive, typing, extra from coop/Liberty
Porter will do Math U See, Happy Phonics, Explode the Code Workbooks, coop/Libery

They will also have time to practice reading (30 min for C and 10 min for P and 5 for W)

September = easy school while I get ready for birthday parties.

October-April = regular school

Schedule will be the same
Script
Exercise
Email
Read

Breakfast
Clean up

11:00 Eat
Nap
School
Family School
Individual School
1:30 PE
Scripture Snack
More School

4:00 My list of things to do

Dinner

Schedule (Mon, Wed, Thurs)

2010-03-09T21:15:00.004-07:00

I always wonder what I used to do during different stages of my life so I'm posting my schedule for what I do right now so I can look back and remember how I filled my days.

Scriptures (20 minutes)
Run (30 minutes)
Email (15 min)
Read (20 Min)

Breakfast
Clean Kitchen

11:00 Lunch
Put baby down for a nap
(yoga?)
12:00 School Starts
Christian-math, literature, composition, cursive, typing & homework from Libery/coop
Porter-math, reading
Warrick-workbook

1:30 PE
We usually work on whatever sport is in season or fly kites or hike or whatever

Scripture Snack
We eat a snack, scripture story from the gospel kit, pioneer story or Friend story

Finish School

4:00 journal, dinner, laundry (T/F), tidy, plan meals, plan shopping, To Do, scrapbook, blog, read or internet

Eat

Good, Better, Best

2010-03-04T16:45:00.003-07:00

Ironically since we started homeschooling we are being pulled in so many different directions. There are social,educational, and enriching opportunities each week. This is something I'm working on balancing. It is so hard to decide what is good, better and best. Once decided, it is important to only do the best; there is not time for every good thing.

A friend of mine sent this quote to me today. I think it is great and I'm posting it so I have it in a central location.
May 2002 conference talk by Elder Wirthlin

"I do not know of another period in the history of the world that has been so filled with such a variety of entangling nets. Our lives are so easily filled with appointments, meetings, and tasks. It is so easy to get caught in a multitude of nets that sometimes even a suggestion of breaking free of them can be threatening and even frightening to us.

Brothers and sisters, we can spend a lifetime whirling about at a feverish pace, checking off list after list of things that in the end really don’t matter.

That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls on those things of eternal significance—that is essential.

As the clatter and clamor of life bustle about us, we hear shouting to “come here” and to “go there.” In the midst of the noise and seductive voices that compete for our time and interest, a solitary figure stands on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, calling quietly to us, “Follow me."

Now when I figure out how to do this better I will let you know.

College Memories

2010-03-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

You might want to read the post below before you read this one. It explains why I'm telling this story.

My dog's discovery of an elk leg has triggered a memory from college that I want to write before it fades from my memory.
I was at my first year at USU and visiting some friends from high school. I won't name names (Chelsea and Sheree) but somehow we aquired a deer leg and somehow we decided on a great way to spend an afternoon. Their apartment was on a busy corner where lots of college students walked on their way to campus. We put the leg strategically in the middle of the path, tied white floss to it and pulled the string through their partially opened window. Hidden inside their frontroom we watched and waited. We watched as the students noticed that the large stick in the path was actually a deer leg. They usually pointed it out to a friend and that is when we jerked on the string. Description won't do the scene justice. Picture America's Funniest Videos in real life. A jump and a squeel followed by a split second of frenzy. Even the guys jumped a bit before they acted like nothing happened and continued on their way. I smile even now just thinking of it.

The freedom of youth is knowing how to spend an afternoon with a deer leg and having a great time doing it.

That's Quite the Stick

2010-03-03T10:33:00.003-07:00

More Mountain Adventures

Our dog was MIA - long story. I was sitting out on the front porch in hopes she would grace us with her prescence. Eventually she came putting up the street with the largest stick I've ever seen her carry. I think, "Wow, that's quite the stick!" I'm happy for her. She likes to chew on them to pass the time. As she got closer, I realize that the stick has a hoof. Yes, that stick was an elk leg.

I'm currently sitting on my porch. And now the elk leg is sitting in the middle of our driveway. The mail lady is approaching. I have a choice, smile and act like it isn't there or try to explain why I have not moved it. Or tie some floss around it and yank it just when she gets close enough to notice it.

Kung Fu Yoga

2010-03-01T17:08:00.002-07:00

We had a dance party with one song playing, "Kung Fu Fighting". It was right before bedtime so to calm everyone down I had them lay in savasana (yoga corpse post) and led them in relaxation.

Wacky Web Tales

2010-03-01T12:25:00.005-07:00

For language arts we are learning about parts of speach. After we do our instruction we to the site, http://www.eduplace.com/tales/. It is the equivilant of Mad Libs, but on the computer. We take turns choosing a tale and the parts of speach. It's fun. Here is one that the boys really liked. (Just look at it through the eyes of a little boy to see the humor and excuse the potty talk.)

For a Limited Time Only!
Hi, I'm Michael Jackson, and I want to tell you all about the new horse.

Have you seen the new horse? It's fantastic! It will die and jump with no problems at all. To use the horse, all you need are a few dying people. Yes, folks, it's that easy.

Tired of always having to poop? Well, now you can relax and let the strong horse do all the work.

Our customers love the horse!

Jack Black said, “After using the horse, I'll never go back to using the Dying Chicken Butt. Why bother?”

This strong horse is available at any store that also sells globes. For a limited time, we are including a bonus fat person with each horse that you purchase. That's right, folks. Buy the horse and get the fat person absolutely free!

We are also running a contest. The next 100 people who buy a horse will be entered in a contest to win a lifetime supply of ninjas!

Visit your local Wal-Mart and pick up the horse. Act now, while supplies last!

Here is another. Sing to the tune of Jingle Bells
Barfing through the woods
In a one-chicken open jet,
Over the fields we go,
dying all the way.
Ant on bob-tail ring,
Making spirits bright,
What fun it is to fall and fart
A sleighing song tonight!

Jingle mouth, jingle mouth,
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to poo
In a one-chicken open jet.
Crud!!

Jingle mouth, jingle mouth,
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to poo
In a one-chicken open jet.

Animal Reports Really are Important

2010-02-23T11:56:00.007-07:00

I am home without Glenn. It is late at night. Our dog, Hermey, starts barking like crazy. It is a different bark than usual. She is practically hanging herself on her leash because she is pulling so hard on her rope. I get concerned. I turn off all the inside lights so I can see out there better. Across a patch of trees in our back yard there is a red fox. It is frozen and starring at the dog. The dog is still going mad. I decide the barking must stop. I've heard that if you make yourself look bigger than you are (never a fun thing for a woman to do) that animals can be intimidated. I burst out onto our deck in my best football line-backer stance in hopes the fox will scamper off to it's home. because I am in the light, all I see is thick darkness beyond the trees. I know something is still there because the dog is incessantly barking. Hermey is trying to tell me something. Was there something more?As I stand on the deck starring out into nothing, I hear a woman cry in distress. Yes, I am certain. It was very clear. This is not a good sign for another woman standing alone in the dark so I do what any good Samaritan wouldn't do and I run for the house. My fight or flight mechanism kicked in and there was no stopping me. I figure if I could just survive long enough to get inside then at that point I could figure out how to save that poor woman. So I slammed the door behind me and locked the deadbolt. (Kids are still sleeping soundly and have no clue of the chaos that is beginning to form around them.) I rush to a window that is closer to the cry and then I realize that the cry now has a bit of a barking quality to it. Remember the animal reports that most of us did in 3rd grade, will apparently I wasn’t paying attention when the fox was presented because I was unaware that their bark can sometime sound like a cry – would have been useful information at this time in my life. I look up online to see what I could learn about red foxes. "Often carriers of rabies..." Yikes! I went out to try to bring Hermey into the garage before there was a brawl and a reenactment of the last scenes of “Old Yeller”. Before I can get her into the garage, she gets loose and runs off into the dark mountain terrain. I stand there helpless as her barks run into the distance. My comfort is that when we were at the vet a few weeks ago they accidentally gave her two rabies shots - probably a good thing.

Boys, Girls, Ducks

2010-02-22T11:36:00.002-07:00

Warrick and I "raced" down the stairs and he won.

He said, "Boys run faster than girls." Pause. "Girls run faster than Ducks."

Kindergarten Curriculum

2010-02-17T16:07:00.003-07:00

Reading - Leap Frog Letter Factory (this explains the letters and sounds)
Happy Phonics (we matched the muffins)
Abeka Readers (I LOVE their early readers. They are so simple and teach the short vowels first so the child can read many words in a short amount of time.)
Explode the Code Workbook Primers ABC (These go very slowly and teach the letter sounds.)

One of my favorite things to do to keep interest is that he can read any book. I read, but when I see a word that has a short vowel sound I stop and he reads it. We have started the ABEKA book Owl readers and these have introduced some sight words so I let him read those too.

My future plan is to use the ABEKA reading workbook. I think it introduces long vowels in a good way and it will go along with our readers. I will also order more readers for him to read from ABEKA.

Math - Math U See (We watch the video with popcorn and then we do the worksheets and tests until I feel he has masterd the concept.)

Future plan - I will keep using this until the third grade. Then I might switch over to K12 math.

History and Science will be covered in the summer with fun activities.

He gets grammar and literature by listening to his brother's lessons.

Trials

2010-02-16T14:52:00.001-07:00

In 1968 a marathon runner by the name of John Stephen Akhwari represented Tanzania in an international competition. “A little over an hour after [the winner] had crossed the finish line, John Stephen Akhwari … approached the stadium, the last man to complete the journey. [Though suffering from fatigue, leg cramps, dehydration, and disorientation,] a voice called from within to go on, and so he went on. Afterwards, it was written, ‘Today we have seen a young African runner who symbolizes the finest in human spirit, a performance that gives meaning to the word courage.’ For some, the only reward is a personal one. [There are no medals, only] the knowledge that they finished what they set out to do” (The Last African Runner, Olympiad Series, written, directed, and produced by Bud Greenspan, Cappy Productions, 1976, videocassette). When asked why he would complete a race he could never win, Akhwari replied, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; my country sent me to finish the race.”

He knew who he was—an athlete representing the country of Tanzania. He knew his purpose—to finish the race. He knew that he had to endure to the finish, so that he could honorably return home to Tanzania. Our mission in life is much the same. We were not sent by Father in Heaven just to be born. We were sent to endure and return to Him with honor.

The challenge is overcome the trials that we meet along the way.

Last conference Elder Clayton spoke about three sources of trials.
1. Natural Causes (natural disasters, physical disabilities, illness)
2. The Sin of Others (addiction, abuse, gossip and unkindness)
3. Our own Sins

The first two are harder to accept than the last because we can be living be keeping the commandments and living as God would have us and still suffer the effects of those things. It is natural to ask why.

The prophet, President Kimball explains it really well. He said, "Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?

"If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things … righteousness … wickedness … holiness … misery … good … bad. …” (2 Nephi 2:11.)

"There are people who are bitter as they watch loved ones suffer agonies and interminable pain and physical torture. Some would charge the Lord with unkindness, indifference, and injustice. We are so incompetent to judge! …

Imagine if the power of a person's prayers and priesthood were limitless even though our understanding is limited. I might heal people who should die. I might relieve people of suffering who should suffer. I fear I would frustrate the purposes of God.

"Had I limitless power, and yet limited vision and understanding, I might have saved Abinadi from the flames of fire when he was burned at the stake, and in doing so I might have irreparably damaged him. He died a martyr and went to a martyr’s reward—exaltation.

"I would likely have protected Paul against his woes if my power were boundless. I would surely have healed his “thorn in the flesh.” [2 Corinthians 12:7.] And in doing so I might have foiled the Lord’s program. Thrice he offered prayers, asking the Lord to remove the “thorn” from him, but the Lord did not so answer his prayers [see 2 Corinthians 12:7–10]. Paul many times could have lost himself if he had been eloquent, well, handsome, and free from the things that made him humble. …

"I fear that had I been in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844, I might have deflected the bullets that pierced the body of the Prophet and the Patriarch. I might have saved them from the sufferings and agony, but lost to them the martyr’s death and reward. I am glad I did not have to make that decision.

"With such uncontrolled power, I surely would have felt to protect Christ from the agony in Gethsemane, the insults, the thorny crown, the indignities in the court, the physical injuries. I would have administered to his wounds and healed them, giving him cooling water instead of vinegar. I might have saved him from suffering and death, and lost to the world his atoning sacrifice."

Trials are in our lives to help our progression. We do not always understand them, but God does.

President Brigham Young said, "Let us alone, and we will send Elders to the uttermost parts of the earth, and gather out Israel, wherever they are; and if you persecute us, we will do it the quicker, because we are naturally dull when let alone, and are disposed to take a little sleep, a little slumber, and a little rest. If you let us alone, we will do it a little more leisurely; but if you persecute us, we will sit up nights to preach the Gospel."

We can't choose if we have trials, but we can choose how we react to them.

In Alma 62:41 is says, "But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their aafflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility."

I really like this scripture because there was a group of people who had challenges and hardships. Some of them came away from the trial better people and some who had the same difficulities chose to harden their hearts. They didn't use the opportunity to become better. You may as well, if you have trials try to gain something from it.

Elder Talmage wrote, "No pang that is suffered by man or woman upon the earth will be without its compensating effect … if it be met with patience.”
Not every trial will be for our benifit automatically. Notice the qualifier above, "if met with patience." We have a choice about how we deal with our challenges.

Joseph Smith was counceled "My son, apeace be unto thy soul; thine badversity and thine afflictions shall be but a csmall moment;
And then, if thou aendure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." (Docterine and Covenants 121:7-8)

We need to remember who we are and that we are here for only a short period in time.

The prophet Joseph Smith counciled to have faith, have courage and to hold on. I really like the last one - hold on. Because sometimes that's all that we can do; just tie a knot at the end of the rope and hold on until the storm passes.

It doesn't matter what our trials are. It just matters what we do with them.

Some trials are taken away quickly. And with some trials we are given the opportunity to develop patience, humility, and faith.

I'm thankful to the early saints. The ones that remained faithful. There were some that said it was too much. They lost sight of who they were and what they were to do. Over a centurey has passed and their small moment has come and gone. How blessed are those that held on!

Athleta Chi » Rachel Coleman

2010-02-16T10:31:00.001-07:00

I was online looking at some really cute clothes and I saw this athlete of the year. I cried. Then I went to her blotg RachelColeman.com and I cried again. What an example! I have families that are close to me that have children with disablilities and I watch them and I think they are amazing. Rachel is no exception. Check out this link. It is inspiring.
Athleta Chi » Rachel Coleman
Maybe by learning from these amazing moms we can learn that we can make a difference in our little world too.

Summer Plan

2010-02-14T20:55:00.002-07:00

When Christian gets done with math we will go to another schedule.

We will do the normal stuff in the morning, maybe have a friend over, go to the library (Wednesday), go to a park (Friday).

Our school schedule will be (2-4 times a week)
Family
read aloud
science (experiments and short lesson)
history (story of the world - color pages)

Christian
math - slowly work on 4th grade math (10 minutes)

Porter and Warrick
math games
happy phonics (abeka readers)

Homeschool Highlights

2010-02-12T17:15:00.004-07:00

At co-op Warrick's classes are preschool, lego art, and playground games.
Porter's are Lego Art, Self-Esteem (taught by a former school councilor), PE
Christian's classes are Bill of Rights (they are learning about them and memorizing them), writing, and PE.
Stafford has a nursery class, but perfers to follow me around. (I teach a clogging class to the older girls.)

This afternoon Porter and Warrick went to Granddad's to learn the culinary skill of pumpin pie making.

Christian is at his friends Korbin and Brayden's house. Porter is at his friend Andrew's house and Warrick is on an outing with his dad to get treats for our party tomorrow and a red box for tonight. It is 51 degrees outside and it is starting to feel like spring. I love it!

Homeschool Highlights

2010-02-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

We use Math-U-See for Porter. There are little videos that explain the concepts and then the teacher's manual has fun ideas, stories and worksheets to reinforce what they have learned. Today, when we watched the video, we made an event of it. We popped popcorn and cuddled in a blanket. Porter is also working on making the armpit fart sound with his knee.

Christian is working on multiplication. Instead of flashcards we use a website that drills the facts. Christian begs to do this. They compete against other kids that are online. They race and the faster they answer, the faster they go. If they get one wrong then they are delayed. It really is quite fun and I find myself wathing over his shoulder to see what place he will come it.

Warrick attends preschool. When I picked him up today and asked what he learned. He looked at me with a furrowed brow, "Nothing," as though that was a silly thing to assume. He sure had a great time though and I guess that is worth the $50.

Stafford ends most sentences with "mom". And is unhealthily obsessed with horses.

What did you do today?

2010-02-08T16:10:00.003-07:00

You know as well as I know that vitamin D is very good for you and that it comes from sun shining on the skin. If you don't know that then you should. Even Oprah knows this. Anyway, in attempt to get my vitamin D, I went out in the sun. I felt bad for our dog and so I let her sit out on the front porch with me. I had my phone and a great book and watched as the kids were sledding down our front yard. (Yes, it's that steep.) Well, when I had soaked up my fill of vitamin D I gathered my book and gathered my phone... wait, where was my phone? I searched all of my pockets thrice. Then I glanced at our large dog down the street bugging some construction workers. I had a hunch. I went and got our home phone to dial my cell phone. I couldn't hear a thing, but it turns out I gave the workers something to talk about. They saw their first dog with a ringing head. Yes, that "dear" dog of our swiped my phone and ran away. I finally got it back and other than slobber and snow getting into it, it still works fairly well.

Well, later that night we had family come over for a football game. Have you ever heard the term "swinging from the rafters"? If you have not then you need to take some vitamin D and get out of the house more. My husband and I mention how well the boys are playing. Then I realize something must be amiss. I call to them and asked what they were doing. "Just swinging," the four year old answers. Swinging?

"What are you Swinging on?"

"A sheet," was the nonchalant answer.

"What is the sheet tied to?" I ask bracing myself for the answer. It was tied to the railing on the stairs - the closest thing we have to rafters. They were having a ball. Sadly, we had to put a stop to the party.

What a day.

First Day of Preschool

2010-02-02T21:33:00.001-07:00

W was so excited to start school. He walked out of the van and right into the classroom without even looking back at me.
He came home with some papers and was so proud. It is so wonderful to see your children happy.

Tricky

2010-02-02T21:30:00.004-07:00

W called me to the bathroom to help him after his business was done. When I got in there he said, "Ooops, I'm not done."
I told him that was okay.
He looked at me with his eyebrows up and a perplexed look on his face. "I don't know. Bums are tricky!"

Thanks Great Uncle Roy

2010-01-27T14:44:00.004-07:00

W once again had said more than he should. We are new in our ward and trying to not make any enemies right off the bat. We volunteered to clean the church.

There was an older man there and after W had been speaking with him he said, clear as day, "Can you take your teeth out?"

The man said, "What?"

W repeated himself. The man just stared down at him, dumbfounded. I just stared at him too, horrified.

I'm not sure how that conversation ended or how it was rectified, if it was at all. I think I blocked the rest out and the next memory I have is of the family in the van speedily driving away.

It really was innocent. His Great Uncle Roy plays a fun game of taking his teeth out and scaring the little kids. W thinks that game is the best and was just looking for some way to spice up the night.

Never Boring

2010-01-26T16:26:00.004-07:00

You know as well as I know that Vit. D is very good for you and that it comes from sun shining on the skin. If you don't know that then you should. Even Oprah knows this. Anyway, in attempt to get my vitamin D I went out in the sun. I felt bad for our dog and so I let her sit out on the front porch with me. I had my phone and a great book and since our front yard is steep, I had two little boys in heaven as they were sledding as their mom looked on. Well, when it was time to go in because I had soaked up my fill of vit. D, I gathered my book and gathered my phone... wait, where was my phone? I searched all of my pockets thrice. Then I glanced at our large dog down the street where some construction workers were working. I went and got our home phone to dial my cell phone. I couldn't hear a thing, but it turns out I gave the workers something to talk about. They saw their first dog with a ringing head. Yes, that "dear" dog of our swiped my phone and ran away. I finally got it back and other than slobber and snow getting into it, it still works fairly well.

Well, later that night we had family come over for a football game. The boys were playing so nicely downstairs. You ever heard the term "swinging from the rafters"? If you have not then you need to take some vitamin D and get out of the house more. My husband and I mention how well the boys are playing. Then I realize something must be amiss. I call to them and asked what they were doing. "Just swinging," the four year old answers. Swinging?

"What are you Swinging on?"

"A sheet," the nonchalant answer.

"What is the sheet tied to?" I ask bracing myself for the anwer. It was tied to the railing on the stairs - the closest thing we have to rafters. They were having a ball. Sadly, we had to put a stop to the party.

What a day.

One poo, one wipe

2010-01-24T14:33:00.005-07:00

I usually get the honor of helping the younger boys in the bathroom. The other day, I was busy and G got the job. He wiped for W and W said, "Ow." after G helped. G didn't think much of it. Then as they were washing hands W said, "One poo, one wipe, and then you tried to stick that thing up my butt." We have laughed hard about that one. I guess G uses a little more elbow grease than W is used to.

Super Gross

2010-01-24T14:26:00.003-07:00

Warrick was talking to Glenn about a dream he had. Then he stopped and seemed really disturbed and imbarrassed about a part. He said he couldn't tell because it was too gross. It took several minutes and a Dad growing very concerned about what could be so shameful to a young 4 yo. before he confessed. "We were driving in a car and my foot fell off." W's eyes got incredibly huge as he told the last part and waited for the squirms and horror that his dad was sure to deliver.

G mimicked his large eyes and said, "Oh wow, that is gross!"

W said, "Is that the grossest thing you have EVER heard?"

G said, "Pretty close." He was relieved that that was the grossest thing W. had ever heard.

Pink Chili

2009-11-23T22:27:00.002-07:00

This is what we had tonight.

1 can white beans
2 cans red kidney beans
1c onion
2t garlic
1 can green chilis, drained
8oz shredded chicken
2-14oz cans chicken broth
onion salt, salt, chili powder to taste

mix all together and warm up
serve with corn chips, sour cream and cheese
This is call pink chili because it isn't quite white chili, but it isn't quite the regular red chili.

I took the older boys to a movie. G took S to Wal-mart and Sam's Club.

G and I both like to cook, but we are so busy that this year we had to buy the pies. :(

I took the dog today for an early morning walk. It was COLD. I went 30 minutes and two of those minutes I was jogging. I'm working on running more, but I'm going to add on slowly. I don't want to injur myself by starting too quickly.

October Tid-Bits

2009-11-23T22:26:00.002-07:00

Buddies

I found this picture when I was putting the pictures on the computer. One of the kids took a picture of me while I was resting.

Porter is so sweet with our cat, Chelsea. Here he is sleeping with her and his build a bear frog that is named Porter. Since we temporarily have three bedrooms, Porter and Christian are in our room until everything is fixed. So Porter sleeps in a sleeping bag. Often I will find him sleeping with his favorite stuffed animals crammed in there with him. Their heads are always poking out like they are really sleeping. Chelsea usually joins the party.

There is a small canyon behind our house. We took some friends hiking up there. One little boy was nervous to climb a steep hill. Christian took the dog's leash off, fastened it on the boys belt loop. He then proceeded to pull him up. The poor kid learned the true meaning of wedgie that day.

Meteor Seen Round the State

2009-11-19T12:42:00.002-07:00

Our Experience with the meteor...
My husband played basketball until late into the night. He got home and said his prayers. The second he looked up he saw a bright flash behind the blinds of the window. His first thought was that someone was behind our house and their headlights flashed on the window. (We live against a mountain with no backyard neighbors and a fire access road lining the back of our yard.) He quickly looked out the window and no one was there. It was the fastest get away ever. That made him so worried. He spent the next 1/2 hour sure that there was an intruder trying to get into our house or doing something weird. He COULD NOT figure it out. It wasn't until the news the next morning that the mystery was solved. We laugh now because he is not usually the type to get scared.

Warrick's Pronunciation

2009-11-16T21:35:00.002-07:00

Warrick says washes like wasses. Words with "sh" he pronounces with just a regular "s" sound. Like should is sould. I love it.

Stafford - 19 Months

2009-11-14T20:58:00.003-07:00

Stafford's favorite things all start with a "B".
Here is how he says them.
"bi" for binkie.
"bu" for book and bath and bottle
"bl,l,l" for blanket

He still loves loves horses and will look at horse books for a long time. He brings the book to me, sits on my lap and leafs through the pages.

He likes to chase and be chased and has recently found that if he takes off his pants and diaper I will chase him.

Satafford - 17 months

2009-09-07T21:42:00.000-06:00

Stafford can now say, "No, no, no," which is usually only spoken when I'm dragging him away from something.

He also says, "Bome." He does this usually when his toys are bouncing off something or when he is poking someone.

He also loves horses. He loves toting his three toy horses around.

Cat Breath

2009-09-07T21:22:00.002-06:00

Stafford LOVES cat or dog food of any kind. It really is bizarre. He will sneak over to the cat dish, turn his head to see if anyone is watching his transgression and if we are and start running over to him to stop him he shoves his finger in as fast as he can and tried to get it in his mouth. Now, if we get there before he can get it into his mouth or even get his hands on it, oh the devastated cry we will hear. He will eat the stinky wet kind too. One day he came into the living room and I smelled cat food. I followed the smell right to Stafford's little lips. GROSS! But that little guy thinks it is delectable and will be heard saying, "Mmmmm."

Warrick

2009-09-06T21:37:00.002-06:00

Warric ate a peach in a bowl and then wanted another peach with a new bowl. I explained to hime that if he got another bowl then that would make more dishes for me to clean. He said, "That's okay, it will make you stronger." I have told him that hard work is good for him. I guess he figures it is good for me too.

Sister Wells stopped us in the hall of church today and said she would miss out kids so much. She said that Warrick is kind of the mascot of the neighborhood. She said that no party at any house in the neighborhood is a hit without him. It is true that he floats from one house to the next and basks in the attention they all give him. He also has a nose for when one of the houses is hosting a party and somehow he gets right in the thick of things. When the Wells had a family reunion he was ther playing with all the cousins. One of the aunts just couldn't figure out which sibling of hers he belonged to.

Second Week in July

2009-07-13T12:45:00.001-06:00

Glenn accepted a job with a company called V. He is very excited and we are off on another adventure.

Wednesday - We went to our favorite chiropractor in a town an hour away, Dr. V. This is the chiropractor that dispelled the myth for G that chiropractic work it psycological. Then we went to the O. M. Temple Open House. This is the second open house that my boys have been to. They love to go there. (When we were in the D. Temple Celestial Room, C experienced his first "happy tears".)
Our favoirite part of this tour was the ride to the temple from the parking lot in a golf cart type thingy. P was up in the front hollering with joy with his hands up in the air. It was fun to watch the type of joy that children display on a regular basis.

We belong to a boys club full of homeschooled boys that are all around the same age. We take turns hosting the club and do something that the boys will enjoy. That afternoon we had a bird show in our back yard for the club. We saw a red tailed hawk, and two American Kestrals.

Thursday C and I headed up to Camp Jerimiah J. for Cub Scouts Day Camp. I got to shoot sling-shots with the boys. I'm not sure who had more fun, me or them.

That evening the boys went to "Aliens and Monsters" and S and I shopped.

Friday morning I met with a homeschooling group at S. Pond. W found a baby robin on the ground that let him pick it up. He loved it and called him "his bird".

Later that afternoon we returned to S Pond for a V company party. W was excited to see "his bird" again. I tried to explain that it might not be there still. He kept the faith and sure enough he came walking through the grass with a little bird in his hands. He packed it around with him the entire time we were there. He'd set it down so that he could go and do something fun and then he'd return to it and it would still be in the same spot. One time he even hired (for free) two little boys to babysit while he did something else. They took the job very seriously and gave it back right away. Just before we left the bird disappeared. I was a little relieved since I didn't want to explain that it wasn't "his bird" and that we had to leave it. He was heartbroken and searched everywhere in vain.

Meanwhile, Porter made friends with a grandpa that was there with his family. The buy began teaching him to fish and he caught one just as we were leaving.

Tonight we are going to our homeschooling group potluck and kickball game. My kids love the homeschool activities. They get to see their best friends and play and do fun things. I like it too because I get to see my friends too.

The First Week in July

2009-07-12T12:36:00.002-06:00

We headed for St. George. On the 4th of July we headed to Cedar City to enjoy the small town parade (which turned out to be one big advertisement on wheels with a bit of candy thrown here and there). Then we went to Paragonah for races, egg tosses, balloon tosses, watermelon eating contests, three legged races, tug-of-wars.
When we got back to Springville we had the "sidewalk of fire" out in front of our house and then went to Provo to see the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire.

Sit Down

2009-07-01T07:38:00.002-06:00

Today I'm going to add to my habit of writing everything I eat down at the first of the day.

New Habit:
ALWAYS sit down when I eat.

I know this will decrease the amount I eat. I often grab something, anything as I walk through our kitchen. This will make me work hard.

Yesterday we took treats to my son's kickball game. We had extra and I really wanted to eat it, not because I liked that particular treat, but because sometimes it feels really good to eat fat and sugar. I almost ate it and said it would be okay, but I corrected my self-talk and decided I can stick to my plan - no matter what. I'm so proud of that. I told myself that I could write it into my eating menu for today, but this morning I don't want it. I would rather spend those calories on something I really like.

June Days

2009-06-30T13:20:00.006-06:00

This June has been the best June I have ever had - weather wise. It has been mild with lots of rain. I LOVE rain in the summer time.

My 5yo has been playing kickball. His personality is such that if he gets his feelings hurt (which happens easily) by a teacher/authority figure then he will NEVER return to where it happened, church, sports, a friends, you name it. He is also shy in new situations - to the point that he refuses to emerge from hiding behind my legs - unfortunately I give him better coverage than I'd like. :) Anyway, I talked one of his friends to sign-up for kickball with him, Korbin Anderson in hopes that Porter would actually participate. (He wouldn't participate when we put him in soccer.) Anyway, the first day of kickball my hubby took him. P. said, "I'm not going to play." But before he could hide his bubbly, happy coach says, "Who is this!?" She acted so excited to see him and from there on out he has loved to play. His coach made all the difference. He is intense on the coach and since he is tall, he is about a head taller than everyone else. He runs and almost gets every ball. His new trick, since he figured out that most times he has a lot of time as he runs from base to base is to run in pretend slow motion. If the ball gets close though, he hustles to safety. It has been so nice to see him so excited to participate in something. We will request his same coach for soccer. She was super surprised to learn that he is often hesitant and shy in situations like this. She brought out the best in him. Who knew that a kickball coach could do so much for her players at such a young age.

My 8yo has been playing baseball. He loves to participate in most things and be in the middle of the show. He has already moved on mentally to football. He loves to practice throwing the football with his dad. Football is his dad's sport. His twice a week games will be over tomorow and we will have almost two months break from sports.

We have had a huge crop of cherries. Something that has kept my boys busy these last few days is selling cherries on the corner. They made $21. They also had lots of adventures including being caught out in a downpour and having to hide under a tree for safety. I happened to be with them at that moment. Ahh, the adventures of childhood.

Our neighbor doesn't have kids and has allowed my kids to have free reign on his tramp. We have never had one so they spend a lot of time bouncing, playing games and trying new tricks. Sometimes our neighbor is dog watching and brings out the little dog, Marley, and the boys spend lots of time running with the dog.

Another adventure we had one day this month was finding dogs. Early one morning a little gray dog showed up. The boys spent the morning with the neighbor, Brooklyn Day, playing with the little dog. They fed it in hopes that it would stay around longer. Then they took off in search of it's home and found the owners. Then after lunch a large golden dog showed up. They played with that dog too when they realized it had a collar. They called the owner. He said it would come home on his own. I should have told him, "Not if it's tied up in my backyard." smile. They sadly snet that dog on his way too. They love dogs and my 3yo still misses Suey, the little gray dog.

It has been a full month. We have also been going to karate at a neighbor's house. 5yo and 3yo love to go to that. 5yo also made better friends with a neighbor named, Tate Gifford.

8yo still waits for the time he can play with his best friend and fellow homeschooled child, Dylan Jones. He also has a new love for Harry Potter. He watched his first one this week and that is all he thinks about. I'm hoping it will get him to want to read more. I let him watch 3 of them and told him he needs to read the books now before he watches them. We'll see.

Focusing on me, focuses on them

2009-06-28T11:23:00.006-06:00

I have four boys under the age of eight.
We are building a new home and are acting as our general contractor.
My husband sold his business and is now starting a new job at a start-up company.
My one year old still does not sleep through the night.
I home school our children.
I eat when I'm tired, stressed and overwhelmed. (Things that happen often.)

So that is where I'm starting.

I am 5'6" tall.
I weigh 170lbs.
I want to weigh 140.

I want to eat more healthful foods.

The reasons I want to loose the weight are...

1. There are not many people around here that homeschool and they have a preconcieved idea that homeschooling moms are frumpy and weird. I would like to look good so I can be an example that home schooling is do-able and we're not weird.

2. When I eat under control I feel better about myself. When you feel good about yourself you are more patient and kind to others.

3. I love fashion and I would like to wear cute stuff that looks cute on me.

Here are the ways I plan on achieving this goal.

I need to be more regimented - this is something I did very well until I had children.

Each Sunday I will plan what I will eat for the next week (Saturday is when we do our shopping so I have to plan in advance).

I will also plan on the calendar -
weekly out time: visit the library and read, shop, shop on-line, blog on-line, go with friends, etc. (this helps me want to be thin - even if I'm shopping for books, kids clothes, or home decor and even if I don't buy anything - just regrouping)

weekly date: I long for a good relationship there - connection helps me not eat to try to get that.

monthly temple: this always makes me feel good

Each Morning-
I will exercise
Read Beck Diet Solution tips, blogs and response cards
Write down my food for the day
Get Ready for the day

During the Babies Nap-
Response cards, goals and pictures
I will read scriptures (20 min)
clean the house
do the laundry
cook dinner
then if there is time I will work on my 'to do' list and alternate it with
organization (10 min)
blog journal (15 min)
scrapbook (10 min) I put pictures in slip covers and every now nad then I type a story to go with a picture.
email
write - either for my blog, journal or scrapbook (20 min)
visit other blogs (10 min)
Read - if there is any other time which there usually isn't.

After dinner is reserved to do outside cleaning and tidy
Around 8:00 I will get myself ready for bed (teeth, face, pray). Then I will read or spend time with my kids. At 9:00 we will pray and get the kids ready for bed. Then I read my book of choice (10 min) and then my response cards, goals and reasons.

If I eat what is on my card I know I will lose weight. Dr. Beck says to weigh yourself every day, but I know that I work better if I don't weigh, but just follow my plan.

My goal is to be 145 by January 1st.

I have to do these things. I have to be strong. I have to be selfish. I have to look out for me. I don't want to be a fat person - that is not how I pictured my life.

Let's face it

2008-04-23T19:47:00.003-06:00

I have come to accept that I'm just going to have to write down what I plan to eat the day before. I have done this in the past and it works well for me. After awhile I can stop writing everything, but I'm definately not at the point.

So what point am I at? Well, I had a 9 pound baby and 10 ounces and had a lot of amniotic fluid so I lost about 20 pounds in the first few days after m y dear baby was born. I do not have a scale at home so I haven't weighed myself for a week or two (he was born on March 20th), but I fit into a lot of my fat jeans and get a lot of compliments from others, especially my hubby. My husband doesn't give comments that he doesn't mean so that means a lot. Here is the thing though, my metabolism is in top gear right now and so I want to eat well so that I can get rid of extra fat. I don't want to cut huge calories, but I want the ones that I do eat to be healthy.

I'm ready to be healthy. It is not all about weight right now. During this pregnancy I had some physical problems and that was hard for me. I have always been very healthy and active and I love that. After I had the baby my back was very sore and I couldn't walk well for a week or two. I'm so thankful that I can move and I want to preserve my health.

So it is going to be hard to plan everything that I need to eat especially tonight because I need to go to the store (well my hubby does - I hate grocery shopping and he likes it so we are a good pair). We don't have a lot of food to choose from.

I will try to take time to plan tomorrowa good shopping list and game plan.

In the meantime, here are some things I can do.

breakfast is cereal, banana and milk
snack is apple and peanut butter
lunch is carrots and 2 pieces of cheese pizza
snack is apple and 1 piece of pizza
dinner is main dish with two vegetables
floating snack is glass of oj and a granola bar
The vitamins I want to take are multi, C, E and B-multi, and calcium

Here I go to a healthier me.

Explanation

2008-02-03T17:32:00.001-07:00

Here is an explanation for those of you who are just stopping by for the first time. I am due to have a baby in March and so due to that I am simply trying to eat healthy (protein, fruit and vegetables, etc.) and after the baby comes then I will hit it and try to eat for just one instead of the five I've been eating for for the past year. This is my fourth pregnancy and I started out about 20 pounds heavier than I did with the rest. That fact is nothing I can change now, but I hope to be able to take care of myself better after the baby is born. I realize that this will be tough because I will have limited sleep and time, but I've got to do this. When you take care of your body then your spirit is more free to acheive what it is meant to do.

So I'll see you in March or maybe April and we will hit it. Deal or No Deal?

Answer Your Question

2008-01-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

I was asked where President Hinckley spoke of one of the books that I read, "And There Was Light". The problem I have is that I have been trying to read many - if not all - of the books that he has written so it is hard for me to recall exactly where I read that.

My best guess is that is was from his book of Virtues because I read that book around the time I decided to read "And there was Light". I think it was in one of the sections in the second half of the book.

So I hope that give you a direction. Sorry I don't have it filed away neatly in my brain. Good luck and thanks for reading my blog!

The Power of One Good Habit

2007-12-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

December 2007
I like the show, Zonya’s Health Bites. She talks about how important it is to just start small with one good habit. The two good habits that I would like to start with is 50 jumping jacks a day and three to four fruit servings a day. No big deal right? Maybe if I do this every week then I will be back to the old health conscience me.

How will I do this? I will do jumping jacks after my afternoon nap to get my blood flowing.

I will eat breakfast. Before I do my morning activity my snack will be water, fruit and some protein like cottage cheese or string cheese or a few nuts. I will have lunch (with a vege of course) and then another snack right after my afternoon nap that is similar to the morning one. I will have another snack around 4:30 that is just fruit and water and then I will have dinner (with two vegetables) around 6:00 or 6:30 and I will be done for the night unless I really need a vegetable for a snack.

September 13th, 2007

2007-09-13T20:50:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I’m back. I have lost weight – not a good thing and I have gained back weight too. I do not want to diet, but I do want to be healthy and have healthy weight gain. I should only gain about 25-35 pounds. All of my pregnancies I have gained around 45-50. I don’t want to do that again. I’m older and I know the pounds will come off slower. I am going to count points. I am going to give myself extra points though honestly you are only supposed to be eating 300 more calories a day than a normal healthy diet. The baby doesn’t need that much. I am still going to do WW. Now that I feel better I feel I can count points without wanting to vomit. I am doing WW not to lose weight, but to gain a healthy amount of weight. I also am doing it because when I was doing it I ate more fruit and vegetables than I normally do and I drank more water. Now what pregnant woman couldn’t benefit from that?

Food For Today
1/2 cheese stick 1
Malt o meal 4
Milk 2
Cheese 5
Pickles 0
Graham cracker/milk 4
Spaghetti-Fazoli’s 9
Bread stick 2
Cereal/milk 2
Turkey soup 2
Cookies and frosting bunch
Carrots/dip 3

I was shooting for a total of 35 points. I can see from what I ate that if I cut out the junk, or limited it more and added more fruits then I would be eating quite well.

I walked for 30 minutes at a slow rate. It is my first time back in awhile and I can already feel stretching in my hips and pubic bone. I think I’m going to switch to swimming. I need to buy a suit that will fit my full figure tomorrow.

I’m excited to back and keeping tack of my life in my journal. Thanks for joining me.

Dora Bubble Bath Ad

2007-08-19T16:02:00.000-06:00

I thought this looked like an ad for these bubbles. This is 1yo.

I feel so much better today!!!! Four days of being yucky sick has made normal morning sickness feel not so bad.

Stomach Flu

2007-08-18T17:23:00.000-06:00

I have been throwing up on Wednesday and Thursday and then Friday and today I've got loose stools. Just a fun little update ;)

DH spent the day cleaning and even made 6yo a banjo from wood that he has been asking for.

Last night 6yo and 3yo and dh slept in a tent in the backyard after roasting marshmallows in our fire pit. I wanted so bad to join them, but I just couldn't pull myself away from the bathroom for very long. :( when I went out they were each taking turns telling stories around the fire. 1yo sat cuddled with dh. Those are the times that warm the heart.

Roller Coaster

2007-08-14T19:55:00.000-06:00

I feel I'm on a roller coaster, but I'm grateful for that. I'm thankful that even though I have rough days that I still have not so hard days. Sunday and Monday I felt very sick and was afraid that this was how things would be for four mor weeks, but today I felt quite a bit better and was able to get more done. I did some cleaning, ran to the music store to get 6yo a new piano book and took my kids to a water play area to meet some friends. I took the afternoon and evening easy.

6yo and 3yo made a mouse trap because 6yo is determined to have a pet that he catches from the wild. We will put it out tonight and see how it works.

What is New

2007-08-11T22:44:00.000-06:00

Here is what is new here in our house.

I’m teaching 6yo piano. I had initially planned on waiting until he was 7 ½ because I heard the older the better, but he has been asking and the other day he brought over some of my piano music and said, “Mom, I just need to know what each note means and then I can play a song. Can you teach me?” So I went and got him some beginner books and he has been excited since. Of course, it has only been two days so it is still quite novel. I started piano when I was six, but a lot of teachers recommend age eight.

I have been looking for swim lessons for the older boys, but everywhere close only has lessons that are every single day for two weeks. I don’t like that because it takes over your life for those two weeks. I would rather a month of twice a week. Well I decided to teach them myself. (A random fact about me is that I started swimming at a very young age and when I was in high school I got my first state title when I was a sophomore in a relay swimming race and then I took my first individual first place when I was a junior in high school and defended my title my senior year.) SO I plan on teaching them when I start feeling a little better. Hopefully that will be in a week or two. It is better to teach with about four kids so I might invite a friend and ask her to watch my 1yo while I teach the older kids. We will see what I feel up to. I may just teach my two in the evening when dh can watch 1yo.

We went to meet a midwife. I really like her. She has attended over 3000 births. We heard the baby’s heart rate and that was really exciting. DH was singing the entire way home.

DH and I went to play games tonight with three other couples. We met at a friends’ house that don’t have kids and the rest of us got sitters. It was lots of fun and a great break. Things like that always make coming home and being patient with the kids so much easier. The cat had an accident in the house while we were gone, but other than that, everything was fine. An interesting side note, you can sure learn a lot about marriage relationships when people play game together. Plato said something like you can learn more about a person in one hour a play than you can in one year of conversation.

I’m really looking forward to feeling well again. I really want to get on a schedule again and feel productive. I devised a new one for the coming school year today. I’m excited to implement it.

I also want to stop eating ALL the time. Just before I got pregnant I was really good at restricting and controlling my eating to healthy amounts. I will not change that now, but during my second trimester I plan on implementing Dr. Beck’s Diet Solutions and not restricting, but choosing more wisely and judiciously.

I finished Jane Eyre. I read part of it and listened to the other part on CD. The reader on the CD was so excellent that it felt like I was watching a movie. I would like to own the CD. She reads so well that I went back to the parts I read myself and listened to them with her being the reader. She gave them new spirit and excitement. If you are looking for a book on tape I HIGHLY recommend Jane Eyre.

2007-08-09T08:24:00.000-06:00

6yo when he was 3 months old.

6yo found that old hat and wanted to look like that picutre again.

Time 4 Learning

2007-08-08T20:27:00.000-06:00

I said I would write about time4learning so I’m doing it now.
My son uses Time4learning during the summer. It is an internet site that is geared toward the individual student. My son works on reading, math, social studies, and science and can do it all by himself. He loves it and looks forward to doing it each time. After lesson time there is an added bonus of going to the “playground” where there are appropriate games to play. I feel his reading skills have improved and I think I will implement this program every summer. The site is time4learning.com, check it out.

Two Meetings and No Car

2007-08-07T22:40:00.001-06:00

This evening I went to a garden salad social. I left dh with the kids. He had a meeting he had to go to at two different churches. I took his car and left him with the minivan. I had to go to the church after the social. As I pulled into the church I saw that I had both sets of keys. I felt so bad that he missed his meeting. Turns out when I went into the church they said that he had already been there. I was surprised and figured he was determined and decided to walk. It is only a few blocks away and not a long walk. I rushed home so that he could have the keys and still make it to the second meeting at another church that is about a mile away. I got home to no one and both vehicles where unused. Did he walk to the other meeting? I drove to the other church and just as I pulled up I saw our little stroller outside. When I went in, there was dh in his church clothes with the kids. The kids were in the best of moods and thought they had gone on the most wonderful adventure. They had cut through fields and probably only walked 1 / 2 mile, but I was so surprised that dh went through all the effort. They weren’t important meetings and it wouldn’t have mattered if he had gone or not and he could have gone another time, but he pushed forward. It was cute. The boys have scratches and tales to tell about it all.

To find A Person's Character

2007-08-06T21:28:00.000-06:00

"It's not what others say about you, but what you say about others."
Saw this the other day. When I find the direct quote again and author I will post it, but right now this is how I remember it. This is how I live my life. People who are upbeat and speak well of others can be trusted with confidences and true friendship.

School Clothes

2007-08-05T21:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I took 6yo to get school clothes. It is our first year of all day school and also the first year I let 6yo help pick his school clothes. We have a bit of differnt tastes, but I let him go with his fasion style. I like more of the clean preppy look. He likes the sports shirts and such. I let him choose and he did quite well. He cried quite a bit when today I wouldn't let him wear them to play in, but my mother didn't let me and, though I cried too, I stuck to my guns.

I told my parents today that I'm expecting. Mom reacted the way I had suspected. No congratulations but said, "I hope you're done after this.". My dad, however, gave me congratulations and made me feel good. I have to admit that I kind of wish that I hadn't told her. If she is going to be down on me then I don't want her help. She tends to be a bit controlling and I'm just now starting to resent it all. Anyway, they want to come visit and I have mixed feelings. I don't need a lecture and it is not her place to tell me what to do with my kids. She will tell me I'm doing a great job and then the next minute seem really negative. She didn't used to be like this. I don't know and I'm too tired for philosophy right now, but I'm happy to announce that I've been feeling quite well and I attribute it to taking it easy, B6, digestive enzymes and my hubby cooking. (DH went shopping yesterday and came back with meal plans for the next few days. Yesterday we had stroganoff and broccoli, today we had ham, Potato Casserole, and salad and for desert we had blackberry pie from our blackberry bush and ice cream. Tomorrow we will have grilled hamburgers - at my request. Tuesday is leftovers for the family and I'm going to a church Summer Social.)

Weigh In

2007-08-03T22:23:00.000-06:00

I'm up two pounds this week. I have been eating more and exercising less. That equals a gain. I guarantee that it is not the baby that weighs that!

Here is the plan. For the next few weeks I will continue to eat what I feel my body needs and when it needs it. I will exercise when I feel good enough to do so.

Next trimester I will start practicing the Beck Diet Solution Tips. I will work on eating more mindfully, sitting down, writing down what I eat and eating for hunger reasons and not for emotional. If I can practice these habits while pregnant then I feel I will be ready after I have the baby to hit it.

I simply do not want to continue to gain after I have this baby. I will put all the restrictions and goals aside for a few months, but I'm determined to hit it when I get back in the game.

What would you change about your wedding?

2007-08-02T21:22:00.000-06:00

A friend asked me what I would change about my wedding day. That was a very interesting question. It is not something I think about much since it really doesn't matter at this point, but after thought here is what I came up with.

1. First of all our actual wedding was performed in an LDS Temple and it was beautiful, complete and pure. I wouldn’t change a thing. Everyone was dressed in white and there were mirrors on two sides of the walls that if you looked into you could see yourself an infinite amount of times. This symbolized how our marriage is forever, but also that through our children and their children and their children our bond goes on and on and there is no end. Beautiful. I wouldn’t change a thing.

2. The reception is what I would change. This was held in a church. I wasn’t firm in what I wanted by way of decorations and that sort of thing so when other people pushed what they wanted, I wasn’t strong enough in my resolve to stand up for what I really wanted. For instance a lady (my sister-in-law’s mother) ended up being our decorator and she didn’t decorate in the style I likes and I thought it quite tacky. Furthermore, I wanted it elegant and simple and for there to be two colors, forest green and pale yellow. She said you can’t just have two colors and needed one more for visual interest. Well, that third color was violet. I DO NOT LIKE VIOLET. The reason it was this is because my mother-in-law had a violet dress she wanted to wear in the line and I didn’t have what it takes to say no.

3. I also wouldn't have fought with my dad about the price. If you can believe it he wanted to spend more, but I thought it frivolous. I'm his only daughter and can now appreciate that he wanted to do it as a gift and I shouldn't have made it hard for him.

4. I also would have cherished my dance with my dad a little more. We are very close, but we are not a touchy family so it was weird for me to dance with him. I realize now how hard it must have been to say good-bye to his daughter and our relationship as we knew it.

5. Also I didn’t want a long reception line. I wanted just me and my hubby, and our parents. Well, somehow his bother, the best man, ended up in the line and so we had to rush to get my best friend, the maid of honor, a dress to wear – that very day! I think I didn’t communicate well enough or something. I have gotten much better at speaking up and voicing what I need and want. I also didn’t do a good job of delegating and communicating who should do what, but everything went okay and fine enough.

I know these are very minor things. Most everything else was great. My dear friends went into our hotel room before we did and made it so romantic. There was music playing, candles glowing, rose petals tossed around and bubbles for a bubble bath. There were snacks and treats and so many other things I would have never have thought we needed. It was so much fun. I know this is more than you wanted to know, but we had both saved ourselves for each other. So for both of us it was a first that we shared and will always hold dear.

So what would you change about your wedding day?

My First Trimester Schedule

2007-08-01T21:17:00.000-06:00

I wake up and if I got 8 hours of sleep by 5:45 or 6:15, I go to the gym to workout. If I didn’t then I send my kids to the TV and try to get more sleep. This is very important for me. I feel guilty sending them to Aunt Tellie (as I call the TV to ease my conscience), but I figure it is a few weeks of their lives and they will recover; besides, don’t they say the channel “Noggin” is preschool on TV? So actually I’m giving them a very good education. ;)

Then we clean the bedrooms and then we have breakfast. Some days I just don’t have it in me to cook pancakes as a reward for cleaning. So I tell them that after breakfast (toast or cereal) they can have ice cream. (That’s a dairy, right? It probably has less sugar than the syrup they put on their pancakes anyway.)

Then I simply let them play and there is our morning. Much changed from before. If I feel like it or can think of something that won’t take too much energy then we do that. I see how I feel and see how cooperative the boys are and go from there. It has been working quite well though it is a little boring for me at times. It will be nice when schools tarts. 6yo will be enriched by that environment and I will have only two give my attention to.

We have lunch – whatever sounds good at the time. Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese seems to be a favorite for both them and me.

Then 1 and 3yo go down for a nap and 6yo entertains himself for 30-60 minutes while I nap. Then I allow him to visit Aunt Tellie. I know every time I write that I cringe a little – how bad can an aunt be?

I usually sleep for 30 minutes before 6yo comes running in telling me about some great product I need to buy. Today all I heard was, “It’s Betty Crocker and it’s only $10!” He was quite excited and I’m glad 3yo is a heavy sleeper as I usually sleep next to him; 3yo loves that.

Today I felt quite well so I cleaned a bit and did laundry while I listened to Jane Eyre on CD. This has redeemed the classic books for me as lately every classic I have started has brought me to the conclusion that they are better named the Crappy Classics. ;) Maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough to appreciate them, but I don’t waste my precious reading time. If it doesn’t grab me quickly then it is out the window – so to speak.

After all the kids woke up I got everyone ready to go to the chiropractor and we were off.

I will do my usual 15 minute tidy tonight. This has saved me and keeps my house from feeling like a jungle of junk.

I’m taking a multi-vitamin and B vitamin and I’m thinking of trying a digestive enzyme. I will have to ask a midwife or doctor first. I also take a little Metamucil for regularity. As with all of my pregnancies I will start taking a calcium blend supplement when I’m in my second trimester. This is supposed to help with contractions and pain. I can’t say I can argue with that since my labors have not been too out of control. KNOCK ON WOOD!

How Do I Feel? Okay.

2007-07-31T21:36:00.000-06:00

I keep telling my dh that I feel okay when he asks and finally this morning he asked what that meant. It means that I don't feel horrible, but I don't feel great.

Actually, I have been told that morning sickness can be caused by lack of B6 in the diet. I have been told lots of things, and have tried some, but I thought I would try this. I took a supplement last night and one the day before and today I have felt quite normal, other than tiredness and the cold I seem to have caught. I would much rather a sore throat than an upset stomach. I can’t figure out why I have been feeling quite sick and then the last couple of days I have progressively gotten better. I actually took my kids out today and I haven’t for a week or so. We went swimming with all three boys to celebrate one of them finishing their workbook. Honestly, I am quite proud of that feat. I will keep taking my B6, trying to sleep enough and not do too much and see if that is my solution. My diet has varied so much that I can’t pinpoint anything there. I pretty much eat what sounds good and try to make it as healthy as possible.

I typed up my morning schedule before I became pregnant. Quite honestly it has all vanished. It worked well before I didn’t feel well, but now my main concern is to tidy the house as much as possible, cook as much as possible and do as much laundry as possible. The essentials. I know this time will pass so I’m trying to not get too bothered by things not being as I would normally like them to be.

Today I felt quite capable and probably could have done my normal routine, but since I have been feeling so lousy I thought that I would take it easy and slowly ease back into things. I don’t want to speak too soon and say my morning sickness is over. I just had one good day and I will be happy for that and wish for more to come.

I still haven’t decided about what to do for a doctor. I seem to misjudge how far along I am by the contractions. Baby #2 I started pushing at home, but luckily I pushed for 90 minutes and had time to get to the hospital. AS you know baby #3 there was no chance in getting to the hospital. I do not want to have dh deliver my baby again. Nothing against dh, we actually joke to our friends that he is a midwife now, but I tore like crazy. I’ve thought seriously about a homebirth just to make sure someone is there that knows what they are doing and can monitor the baby, but the biggest down side of that for me is that I want to relax in the hospital after. Some people want to get out as quick as possible and I used to until I realized that I wouldn’t be waited on at home and instead will have little ones to wait on. I enjoy the few days there to just read and relax before the realities of adding one more child to a family kicks in.

Morning Routine

2007-07-30T20:40:00.000-06:00

Here is my new schedule that I said I would post
Every Morning
Exercise
MF – treadmill or stair stepper
TTh – pump class
W – boot camp or treadmill/stair stepper
When I get home I start a load of laundry while my kids finish their show that dad set them up with. I check my email and respond to blog.

Then all of the boys and I clean all the bedrooms and make beds and put away laundry.

Breakfast (boys must clear their dishes and table)
I tidy the rest of the kitchen while they entertain themselves
Then I shower and get ready
Here is a new thing I’m doing and has been working great. Just before I get into the shower I clean one thing in the bathroom
Monday – toilet
Tuesday – sink
Wednesday – bath/shower
Thursday – bathroom floor
Friday – all mirrors in house upstairs, TV screen, and sliding door

And there you have it. I have a clean bathroom and only spend five minutes a day.

I will type my nap routine and night routines later.

6yo had the runs - poor kids. They are all watching Cars the movie upstair for family night. I will tidy for 15 minutes and then finish watching with them.

July 29th, 2007

2007-07-29T19:29:00.000-06:00

This weekend I have been feeling much improved from how I felt earlier this week. I think it is because hubby is around and I’m able to take it a little easier and have less responsibility. He has been helping a lot.

I’m a little worried to start another week, but I will try to stay relaxed and calm. That seems to help a lot. I also need to keep a balance of staying busy, but not doing too much.

Hubby and I went on a date Friday. It was so nice. He has been working long hours and it was great to be able to talk to him without interruption. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (very good, first time there) and then drove around before we went back to the kids and the sitter. We talked a lot about moving, etc. Ever since that conversation, I have been able to not focus on it so much. I think we will end up not moving until after the baby. We will offer to take care of the yard and things while the in-laws are away, just to help out. There is no way all of our stuff can fit into their house without us getting a storage unit and they would have to get one too and I think they want to keep a lot of their stuff there. I don’t blame them. I would want to just leave and come right back without the hassle of moving. I would also want to have my house taken care of. We can do that.

Our Home Teachers came over today. (Home Teachers are two people from the congregation of the church that come at least once a month to check on an individual family and to make sure they are okay and to share a spiritual thought. They often become great friends and people whom you can trust to call on in emergencies. It’s a great program.) They were complimentary to the way we are raising our children and teaching them. That meant a lot to me at this time in my life.

Since becoming pregnant I have had the question come to my mind, “Can I do this? I have my hands full already. I think I might be already at my limit of how many children I can nurture and rear.” So, the compliments of the Home Teachers was well timed. By the way, they don’t know I’m expecting yet. No one does except my chiropractor, my best friend and hubby’s parents, oh, and all of you. :) Luckily at lds.org it is easy to search for encouraging thoughts for parents about how God will help us raise our little ones. We are doing His work when we raise our children and He wants nothing more than for our children to know His Divine love for them. We are not alone, thankfully.

Entertainment in a clothes basket

2007-07-28T21:21:00.001-06:00

Lately I have been dreading every evening because I haven’t known what to do with my kids. They are tired, but not tired enough to go to bed. It is still very hot outside. And I don’t want them to watch more television because they have been watching a bit more lately since I have not been feeling up to par. (I don’t feel nauseous, but I feel tired and my stomach feels unsettled.) So come evening I feel guilty for adding onto the TV. Today as I was laying on the couch thinking of where to direct their energy they started to play with an empty clothes basket. Hubby had had enough noise and was quite tired as he has been taking over a lot of my responsibilities so I sent them to go either outside or downstairs. Before long they were sliding down about four stairs and taking turns inside the basket. They put pillows at the bottom of the stairs to cushion any fall and it was all giggles. They took turns; no one got hurt and they were all happy. Hubby and I were able to clean upstairs and he was able to have a much needed break watching The Office. When the kids came up sweaty and tired we got them drinks and cheese and let them watch a little of Signing Time to cool down. They are finishing up so we will read scriptures (the picture ones), pray, brush teeth, and then 1yo will go with Dad for books and to be tucked in. 6yo will dress himself for bed and then he will read to me. Then dad reads to 6yo while I play with 3yo and then dad reads to 3yo while I finish tidying the house.

We also got family pictures today and I'm quite happy about that feat.

Big News

2007-07-27T14:06:00.000-06:00

I haven’t felt well ever since we got back from Indiana. Here is why, we are currently expecting baby number four. Instead of losing 20 pounds in the next several months I will be gaining. (Notice my goal outfit.) As you can guess, I will be trying to still eat healthfully and stay fit throughout my pregnancy. I am starting 20 pounds heavier than I was with all the other pregnancies. This is not great. The last pregnancy I got into horrible eating habits and I’m determined not to repeat that. I’m determined to look great throughout, or as great as one can under these circumstances. Here is the good news, because of the dieting I was doing previous to conception I feel my body is healthy and I don’t currently eat as many sweets. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables and I feel I’m giving my new baby what it needs nutritionally.

This puts an added complication to our moving plans. I just got done researching all the houses that are on the market right now. The prices are soooo high. You can’t get much home for $300,000. Now is the time to sell, but not the time to buy. Lots of people are predicting a market correction. I hope so. So, hubby’s first choice is to live in his parents house. His second choice is to buy a house closer to work.

My first choice is to buy a nice house that I love that we can stay in for 10 or more years. (This is not possible since all the houses on the market in our price range don’t qualify.)

My second choice is to stay in our current home until after the baby is born (March 23rd) and wait until school is out and then put it on the market and get a house that we could live in.

I’m having a hard time because I don’t like any of my realistic choices. I think I’m just being picky, but I seem to be so confused right now. I feel a little trapped and feel each way I look is not a good option.

Hubby and I are trying to get a babysitter so that we can go out tonight and just have dinner somewhere nice and relax and talk. Plus I have been craving a good dinner salad from a restaurant.

Just a side note, I haven’t been craving all the junk I did with baby #3. I want fruits and protein things. I made beans and rice yesterday and it was heaven.

Also I’ve heard that if you dream about the sex of the baby while you are pregnant then that is the sex you will have. I dreamt it was a girl the other night. We’ll test that theory.

My next big thing to do is to decide what Dr. to go to. Here is a brief history of my births.
#1 c-section – breech baby
#2 hospital birth – 16 hour labor – all natural
#3 hubby delivered baby in our bathroom – oops – 3 hour labor – complete with firefighters rushing in from the 911 call and then the ambulance – we still have the 911 call recorded

Six Year Old

2007-07-25T12:46:00.000-06:00

My six year old said to the neighbor, “If I get my colors wrong don’t blame my parents for not teaching me. It’s because I’m color blind.” Poor kid. It is true. Colorblindness runs in my family, but I had to smile at his consideration for my hubby and I (though it wouldn't matter to us if they did think we didn't teach our children colors. There are bigger things to worry about than that. :)

I'm leaning toward moving...

2007-07-25T12:38:00.000-06:00

Here are my thoughts on the new plan for the move. We will talk to the in-laws and make sure that we can move all of our stuff in and make the home our own while we live there for 18 months. I do not like the home much nor the decorating style and it would make a big difference to me if we had all of our stuff and little of theirs. If we are on the same page I am thinking of starting my son in the school by my in-laws. My hubby would drive him and then after school he would walk to the in-laws home (literally three houses down) and wait for 1-1 ½ hours before hubby picked him up on the way home from work. We would have to do this for four months. He would do homework or play with new friends in the neighborhood. That is my new idea. (Does that sound doable to anyone who has had kids in all day school or taught school? We are new at this and feel like we are treading on new soil.) We would be able to save about $10,000 extra dollars to put on a home that we will stay in for quite awhile, HOPEFULLY. This would also give us time to know how my hubby’s new business was going. In two years from now we should know for sure which direction business is going. Another thing to add is that many people are saying that the market value here has peaked or will soon and then will go down. It might be a good time to sell our current house and wait for the market to go down.

My husband takes care of all of our yard needs as well as our garden. The one thing he hasn't touched is a little piece of dirt in front of our house that is supposed to be for flowers. It has had tons of weeds growing there. We have had a couple of overcast days where the temperature hasn't been in the 100's and so I took it upon myself to weed. What a workout! It was so much fun though. There was a little bit of rain falling, my boys played in the dirt after I removed the weeds and they were completley content most of the morning. The cats even joined in and had a ball chasing bugs, spiders or anything else that moved. I can't wait to finish it off and get some beautiful flowers growing. I have never done anything like this before and I'm quite excited. Off to Wal-Mart to pick some flowers. We'll see what I end up with. I'm not even sure what any flower names are. Here goes nothing.

Pioneer Day

2007-07-24T13:41:00.000-06:00

Agnes Caldwell and her family traveled with the Willie Company (a handcart company of pioneers that were caught in an early storm crossing the plains) and suffered terrible hardships with the others. When the rescue wagons came, they took on all the infirm and those who couldn’t walk, but the able-bodied still had to press forward on foot. Nine-year-old Agnes and some of the other children decided to try to keep up with the wagons in hopes of being offered a ride. Sure enough, after a time one of the drivers asked her if she’d like to ride with him, an invitation she gratefully accepted. As she tells the story:

“At this he reached over, taking my hand, clucking to his horses to make me run, with legs that seemed to me could run no farther. On we went, to what to me seemed miles. What went through my head at that time was that he was the meanest man that ever lived or that I had ever heard of.”

I’ve tried to imagine this scene. I’ve pictured a little girl who had given everything she knew how to give for a cause she had been taught was dearer than life itself. I’ve wondered how it must have felt to finally be offered some relief and then have it just as suddenly withdrawn.
Agnes continues:

“Just at what seemed the breaking point, he stopped. Taking a blanket, he wrapped me up and lay me in the bottom of the wagon, warm and comfortable. Here I had time to change my mind, as I surely did, knowing full well by doing this he saved me from freezing when taken into the wagon.”

I have thought of this story many times when I find myself or my friends in what I would call “running –beside-the-wagon” moments. I have wondered if, at such times, when we have given all we have to give, relying on the promise that the Lord will lift us up, when we are questioning why he doesn’t pull us into the wagon, when we are about to collapse from the sheer exhaustion of it all – what if we stopped and listened to the Spirit? Perhaps we might hear him saying, “Wait. Wait just a little longer. You don’t know what I’m trying to save here.” Maybe the message would even be, “You don’t know who I’m trying to save here. You don’t know whose life might be eternally affected by your willingness to hang on for one more moment, to keep taking step after step. I promise I won’t leave you to drop. I know what you can bear, and your trials will not exceed your capacity.” I have to trust that the Lord knows what he is doing with my life, even in those hard moments when I can’t possibly see what he has in mind.

Grandma Elaine Southwick

2007-07-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

I went over on my points toady. I didn’t eat all my fruits and vegetables. I find when I do eat enough of the good stuff then I don’t really have room or want the high point stuff. I will try again tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Pioneer Day when we remember and celebrate the trek of the pioneers across the plains. As per tradition we taught our children about one of their ancestors for tonight’s family night. This year I taught them about my grandma Elaine Southwick. I told them about the gold CTR (Choose the Right) Ring that she gave me when I was 18. I told them about the poetry book that she published and I read them some of the poems that mention my name. I then showed them pictures of when she was honored by a university as one of the key founders. There was a large dinner and celebration and presentation of an oil painting of her that was painted by Del Parsons. She was quite the lady and I hope my children have a glimpse into who she was and what they can accomplish too. We then went to a nearby park where they had pioneer games, pony and tractor rides. We finished the night off with cake in honor of my grandma and sang happy birthday. (I smile when I write that we sang happy birthday because I‘m not sure why we did it, but there was cake and we were thinking of someone special and it just happened.)