What Do You Do For New Year's?

Every year I think I want to do something fun on New Year's eve, but I can't ever plan it. I figure other people have exciting plans already. So, once again, it will just be our little family tonight. I even made enough food to feed other people, but I guess we're just going to have it for leftovers.

If I could do anything on this holiday, it would probably be to play games WITH OTHER ADULTS. I love games, but I don't get to play them enough.

What do you do for New Year's? Do you have a tradition? Is it with family? Do you stay up until midnight?

Merry Christmas?

I've been a little late with Christmas wishes this year. I am still clinging on to the hope that I will make some nice gifts for the neighbors and friends. I just have to wind that darn bobbin...

But, since I bet that everyone's trees are still up....MERRY CHRISTMAS!

P.S. Adam has told me a few times today to not forget about Jesus. He reminded us to say we were grateful it was his birthday in our evening prayer and said he had be trying to think about it all day. How sweet is that?

Out With The Old, In With The New

I LOVE my new IKEA dishes. Cheap and pretty - the perfect combination.

I have now done 11 recipes from the book and I am going to stop talking so much about it.

I felt confident enough about my cooking that I hosted Daniel's family on Christmas. I made everything from appetizers to dessert. (Actually, Daniel did cut and arrange the apples nicely.)

Happy Birthday Mom!

I Made Chocolates

A month or two ago I would have told you that making cholcolates or, for that matter, desserts at all was pretty low on my importance list. I guess my cooking self is coming out. I saw a invitation to go and make chocolates on a blog I follow. I emailed her to see where she lived, and found out she was REALLY close by. I totally went and made chocolates with her and her sister. They were both very nice and the chocolates are GOOD. Now I'm thinking up big plans for Valentine's day. Thanks Emily!

Hey, This Blog Thing Isn't So Bad

Those were very nice comments everyone left. Thank you so much. It's nice to have people say kind, encouraging things. I do need to let you know that today has been better. Not great, but better. I think Sarah is on the mend. We had less crying today.

I got to go on a DI shopping spree tonight without my kids. It's was oddly enjoyable. It's the small things in life that excite me, just like it's the small things that get me down. I know I should be glad that I'm really only dealing with small things.

I am so proud of myself. I have now made 8 recipes from the book. I made Hello Dolly Bars (aka. Magic Cookie Bars) for my family party and Sweet and Sour Chicken for dinner last night. They are both suprisingly easy and yummy recipes. I just have 2 more to go by Thursday.

So, I know that the main problem with my days is MY LACK OF SLEEP. Because of this, I am going to try to not spend much time on the computer this weekend. I am looking forward to the holidays, but I need to get some more stuff done before them and get some sleep. The computer has been taking too much of my free time.


P.S. You may have noticed that I put more links on my sidebar. It's a more complete list of blogs I follow. I have found a few blogs of people I don't know that I really enjoy reading.

Motherhood is HARD

I was going to blog about the graham cracker houses and tell you that no one got ANY right, but I don't have the energy right now to do that post justice.

WARNING: This post doesn't flow very well. But then again, neither do the thoughts in my head today. I can't focus.


This motherhood thing is hard. The last week has been hard. Sarah has been very unhappy. I just took her to the doctor and found out that one ear has a normal infection, but the other ear is infected in the canal and IS BLEEDING - similar to swimmer's ear I guess. Yep, her ear is bleeding (a little). After the $20 copay, I spent another $30 at the pharmacy getting two different prescriptions (one for each ear).

I just got a phone call about an interaction someone had with one of my children. I feel bad. I feel bad for my child, I feel bad for others. I wish I could make life happier for all of my children. Some days are okay, but some are not.

Sarah has been crying.

Adam has been grumpy.

Isaac has been down.

I am just hanging on, just barely.

There is nothing hugely wrong - it's just, I'm tired. I'm worn out. Sometimes, I just want things to be perfect in life. I don't always want to have to work this hard.

Really, I just wish I was naturally more inclined to be emotionally level and positive all the time. Sometimes I think you can change your attitude, but it's when you're not trying that it's easy to revert to genetics.

Now, how's that for a positive post! I guess I'll just have to accept that I'll never inspire thousands by my inspirational posts on motherhood. THIS IS HARD!

P.S. Both of my boys just came home VERY sad. One lost special things he had taken to school and the other said a lot of people were mean today - stolen gloves, crinkled papers - that kind of stuff. I ache for them.

Update: Someone did get it right. I need to show you a picture of the back of the houses so you can see that the end one is actually really cool. Way to be different, Suzanne.

Whose is Whose?

Sarah didn't make one. The smaller one in the back was done at school.

So, whose is whose? How well do you really know us?

Eating is Overated (Alternate Title: I'm Gaining Weight)

Last night, I made Baja Chicken Fajitas. They were pretty good. I don't recall using fajita seasoning before. It was my 6th recipe.

I am full. Too full. I am not used to sitting down to a large meal every night. Since it is so special to have such food, I think we are trying to take advantage of it by eating a lot.

If I keep this up, I'm not going to be my current size for much longer. These are not low fat dinners. The book says it's all about portion control. The new plates I want are smaller. Smaller is good. I've heard that can help.

Though I am NOT craving more food, I am still going to stick to my schedule. I don't think I even NEED to cook so often. What about leftovers and simple dinners? Do people really like to eat this much?


P.S. There must be a magic switch that changes kids from grumpy to happy and back again. Since I wrote the post asking for afterschool advice, my boys have been SO much happier. I haven't changed much, but suddenly they're more patient and pleasant. Maybe you all prayed for me. That's what I'm going to believe. Send some more prayers this way, please. (If you don't have any ideas on what to ask God to grant me, let me help: Sarah to remember she's a happy child and act like it, my house to be miraculously clean and organized, all of the shopping to be done, more energy for me, and peace. I could use some peace. -- Oh, and make sure you pray for others too, not just me.)

P.P.S. Actually, right now I know of a lot of people, some of them dear friends, that are struggling - financially, spiritually, physically, at their job, in their marriage, with their children, with themselves. We could all use more prayers and a little less criticizing.

Blogging and Cooking are Complicated

Lately, quite a few people have been telling me that they are reading my blog. I haven't thought as much recently on how my words could be interpreted by so many different people that I know from different ways (i.e. family, church, school, neighborhood, lifelong friends,...) .(Comments help. Thanks to those that came out of the woodwork to let me know you are there.)

Blogging can be complicated.

A few people have said that I write how I talk. I imagine that's true because there are few filters in between my thoughts and my words. Sad, but true.

Cooking can be complicated too.

SO FAR, I have made 5 recipes from the book, 3 of which have turned out good or okay.

My Chicken Cordon Bleu (pictured) was pretty good, but the accompanying Rice Pilaf was way too seasoned. My Tomato Basil Soup was good, but while I was making it, with a pounding headache, I accidentally put in the whole can of marinara instead of half of it. Whoops. I tried making Baguettes (see picture). It didn't go so well. I don't have a mixer or baguette pans, but I have a 9-year-old helper. It was edible, but didn't rise all the way.

Last night, (I wish I had remembered to get a picture of this) I made Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Corn. It was the best so far. As I was staring at the potatoes, wondering how I was going to get them into nice thin slices, I remembered that I had a Pampered Chef Slice and Grate (Mandoline) from 8 or so years ago. It was surprisingly easy. I can't believe it's taken me this long to see the value in it.

5 recipes down, 5 to go. I am so getting those dishes.

A Few Quick Things I Need To Say

HEEEELLLOOOOO? Are you out there? Don't more people want to give me advice?! It is so weird to know that people are looking at your blog and not saying anything. I CAN SEE YOU sort of. Have you noticed the tracker at the bottom of my page? Well, I can't really SEE you, but I can guess who you are - but really not that well if you live in Salt Lake or West Jordan. It's all confusing.

BTW, for those of you that care, the blogs on my sidebar are sorted by most recent post. It's an easy way for me to see who's updated. I've heard that following blogs isn't half bad. I may do that in the future.

Oh, I said "SOCKS ONLY" because of the dog poop post. Scroll down if you're lost.

I made dinner.

It's REEEAAAALY late.

P.S. (Um...Stacie who commented, I'm assuming you're Stacie-who-lives-down-the-street-from-me-with-boys-a-plenty and that you are going to give me at invite to your private blog - right?)

P.P.S Daniel says this is a confusing post. I'll have to think about it in the morning.

I Went Grocery Shopping...With a List!

Those of you who know me, know that I don't love food. It's not that I hate it, I just don't love it as much as most other people. (I do enjoy good food on occasion, but I don't mind eating simply.) I struggle with my blood sugar. now and then, mainly because I don't eat regularly enough. I don't starve myself. I get hungry. I just don't like to think about food that much. I have said this many times and think I really mean it: If there were a pill I could take everyday and not have to eat, I'd be in. Imagine not having to think about, buy, cook, and be disappointed with sub-par food! I know this sounds blasphemous to many, but I am as I am.


Cooking is one of the things that I am not great at. I've known for a long time that change needs to happen, but it's so hard for me to feel inspired about food. You see, most of the things I enjoy doing have a lasting effect. Woodwork is pretty much forever. I don't have to do the same thing over and over. I can enjoy what I accomplish for a long time. Food, however, gets consumed and forgotten. And then you have to worry about it all over again. Oh bother.


BUT I KNOW, I really do, that their is more to this eating thing than I give it credit. That's why I'm making a change. I bought a cookbook for $25! It was expensive, but the author-lady was there with her soup and homemade bread in all its glory...so I made a pact with myself. I could buy the book if I promised to make at least 10 recipes from it. I also made another decision (that I haven't mentioned to Daniel yet) - if I make 10 recipes by Christmas I can buy myself new dishes.


So here's my clearly written goal: I will make 10 new recipes from the book by Christmas and show my family how much I care about them by making awesome dinners! (My clearly written goal is in honor of the assembly I went to this week at the middle school.)


Um, back to the book. I quite like it and it has some advice on how to manage cooking at least 5 nights a week. Taking this advice, we made a MENU for a week (they suggest two weeks, but we started small). From this MENU I made a SHOPPING LIST.


(I know some of you are gagging right now. Let me just say that, yes, it is possible to go to the grocery store without a list and, yes, you can still eat and survive. I am living proof.)


So, I went to the store with that SHOPPING LIST in hand today. I ran into Robyn (whose blog I was about to link to and then realized it was private) and little did she know how monumental this particular trip was for me. I had to ask THREE different workers where certain items were located, even though I've been to the store a hundred times. I don't believe I have ever bought half-and-half, white pepper, or dry mustard. Yep, I'm going to make those recipes like they say and NOT CUT CORNERS for the most part.


Wow. I just talked a lot, but you see, I'm all fired up. Wish me luck.

I'm Asking For Advice

I meant to post these pictures of our lovely watercolor artwork the afternoon we made them - two days ago I think. Are we not AMAZING artists?

I do not show this to you so that you think I do lots of creative stuff with my kids; I show it to you because I was trying so hard to be a good mom, to stay calm, to help everyone feel happy by doing something fun, and it DIDN'T WORK! Some day my kids are just grumpy...all three of them! I can survive for a while with grumpiness, but eventually it sucks me in. After bedtime I ran away to a friend's home on the verge of tears and tried to forget about the evening.

So here's where I ask for advice (Keep in mind that I don't do this often, so if you've always wanted to tell me how I can do better, now's you chance!) : What do you do when your kids come home from school? What is your routine? How do you help your children unwind from the day, but still accomplish what they need (i.e. homework, piano practicing, reading)? How do you turn a grumpy child into a happy child? Can it be done? Is more structure or less better? Do you let them watch TV?

Please answer one or all of these questions (even if you don't have school-aged children - I'm sure your ideas have got to be better than mine). Things here need to improve. This is my hardest time of day. Daniel doesn't get home until 6:30 (at the earliest). I could have had a great day, but those few hours in the afternoon can change all that. What do I do??

P.S. Note the picture I made. It says "Merry Christmas, SOCKS ONLY!!!!"

A Quote I Have Thought a Lot About

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

Christmas At Our House

(These are really tiny pictures. Oh well. Why in the world can you click on some of the pictures you put on blogger (and see a bigger version) and not others?) This year I decided to put the Old World ornaments my sister gives the kids every year on the main tree.

They are very cool.

Premiering On The Sidebar: Things I Am Grateful For

My friend Kerri did a thankful post for every day in November. In her wrap up, she mentioned that it helped her see things in a better way. (I love how she said "There are so many struggles in all of our lives that it can be easy to wallow in the muck of it all. I certainly have found myself in many a muck-fest." --- Oh, me too, honey, me too.)

Sooo...I am going to try putting some things I am thankful for on my sidebar and REALLY TRY TO RESIST adding too much of a negative spin. You see, I am sort of like an optimist trying to drink out of the glass that's half-empty. I can't seem to enjoy some of the joys in my life for what they are. I'm going to try to be better.

They will be in no particular order. Some of my favorites I might save until I have something more profound to say.

'Nuff said.

I Never Took My Shoes Off

Today was a busy day. I never managed to take off my shoes after going walking in the morning, which I almost always do because we don't wear shoes in the house. That just shows you how busy I was. I drove to school, showered, picked up Adam at school, took him and Sarah to a doctor's appt, did lunch, took him back to school, came home, tried to work out for a few minutes with Leslie, searched for a strange smell, cleaned because of it, made some insurance calls (billing problem), went through some Christmas decorations, stripped wet and my-diaper-didn't-keep-it-all-in bedding, did laundry, did dishes, talked on the phone, took stuff out to the garbage,....

I tell you all this to illustrate just how much I did and how many places I walked in my shoes.

You know why?? Guess. Just guess!!?!!

At the end of the walk, Sarah was out of her stroller and stepped in the neighbor's dog poo (that was conveniently on the sidewalk) in her socks. I only barely registered that there was a footprint in it. Yep, IT WAS MINE!!!!!!! I, ONLY NOW, JUST NOTICED THAT THE SMELL I HAD BEEN ATTEMPTING TO GET OUT OF MY HOUSE ALL DAY WAS ON ME!!!!!!!! I walked EVERYWHERE IN MY HOUSE. EVERYWHERE!!! I even had the shampooer pulled out because I could smell it on the carpet, but didn't realize it was ON MY SHOE. Is that crazy?

I AM SO DISGUSTED!!!

Cousins

Cute, aren't they? It's seems that Sarah will now leave her hair done for a short time - as long as she knows there is a purpose, such as someone coming to visit. Eventually however, she'll start walking around saying "ow, ow" and pull it out.

I have way too many cute pictures that I could post from the past few weeks. I just can't do it. I need to spend less time on the computer and more time making sure my life is organized!

Good Influences

My sister, Lynea, and her family are visiting. Yay! However, today, Hunter showed Sarah how to LICK the back window. Yummy. The boys outside thought this was very funny and reinforced it. Thanks Guys!?!

Snotty Raisins and Phlegm Fruit Snacks

I have been feeling pretty yucky and tired for 5.5 days now (plus quite a few days before that of fatigue). There were lots of times I thought I was on the mend, but I was wrong! Uck. I have had NO motivation for much of anything. This morning I can feel the life coming back into me. It's about time!!

When Isaac was getting out of the neighbor's van on Monday, he tripped and hit the asphalt hard. His wrist swelled and I was worried it could be fractured or something. Feeling not so good myself, I drug all the kids to the instacare. While we were waiting in the room (forever), Sarah was eating raisins on my lap. I guess she thought it would be interesting to stick one up her nose -- way up. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on. She seemed bothered and kept sneezing. I had no idea what to do since I hadn't had much experience with this! I looked in the hall for someone to help me and a very nice male nurse came in. Sarah was already apprehensive about being there before, but she started SCREAMING when the nurse looked in her nose.

SOOOO...now I know the first thing to try in this type of situation....(If you already know this let me know, because no one I have talked to does)...He said "This is going to be a little gross. I'm going to cover the unblocked side of her nose and then you are going to blow hard into her mouth and it will come flying out and hit you in the face." !!!!

And guess what? That's what happened! (But then it fell on the floor. Visuals help, don't they?)

I just started laughing.

But then, minutes later, Adam was gagging and out came a fruit snack on the chair, nice and slimy.

Then the laughter really came (because everybody was okay, right?). However, Adam didn't think it was so funny and let me know.

Isaac's wrist looks okay. It is sprained, but not broken.



P.S. The first thing Isaac was sad about when he hurt his wrist? -- Not being able to play the piano. Hooray!

Lots of Celebrations

There's nothing like a last minute birthday party. Thanks to everyone who made it so fun.

Obsession?

Jump-o-rama

Daniel didn't want me to get one of these when the boys were little because they take up so much room. Sarah, however, jumps all the time. (Including on our bed, which is something I never allowed the boys to do. I just can't keep her off.) She seriously jumped on the FLOOR for 20 minutes before I blew up the jump-o-lene. So far it is a match made it heaven.

Happy Do Do To Do

She's 2. (That's her showing that she's two.) I can hardly believe it. It is so bittersweet. Goodbye babyhood.

It was a great day. I'm tired. Maybe I'll post more tomorrow.

Volleyball Revisited

This is a happy post. While our volleyball experience had a rocky beginning, it had a fabulous ending. No, I don't think we won any games - but we had a great time. The last few games we played have been some of the funnest yet for me. Thank you to all of the ladies for helping make our team AWESOME! I took my camera tonight to get a picture...but left it in the car.

A Good Sad Thing

A little while back I stumbled upon a family's blog who had lost their only daughter a few months before. Lucy was nearly 2, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She choked on a small piece of apple on the way home from church. (You may know about this from the news. They live in the Park City area.) It was so touching and devastating to see,through their blog, how these parents were dealing with their loss. I can't help but think about what it would be like to lose Sarah. Every post I have read on their site I have cryed through. The crying has been good though. I feel like I am crying for someone else's pain rather than my own. It is inspiring to see how they are turning to God at a time like this.

So, I wanted to add their site to my sidebar and point you to one post in particular. It is titled "The Anatomy of Our Troubles". Click on the title and read it. I love the whole thing, but especially when she talks about sharing our weaknesses. She says "Does this mean we go around being negative and only speaking of our weaknesses? No. It's about honesty. And openness. It's about being real. Including celebrating our blessings. We may be making someone feel unnecessarily isolated because we choose not to share our weaknesses in appropriate ways. We may be causing our fellow sisters or brothers to feel even MORE weak, when we turn away from their pain and show them only our "best selves". "

I would love to sit down and cry with her.

I struggled with a whole bunch of loneliness and isolation of sorts when the boys were little. When I started feeling better I felt like I could help other moms in similar situations. Not every mom has the same challenges that I did, but some do. I think that finding out that you're not the only one who's struggling can be reassuring.

I am Feeling Uninspired About Blogging

Every night on my computer this week, I have blankly stared at the screen with nothing to say. I've commented here and there, but this week blogging has lost its lustre. It takes so much time.

I am still trying to COMPLETE some of my projects so I can post about them. Right now I have a bedroom that needs fine tuning, kitchen chairs in the middle of recovering, neighbor gifts waiting to be sewn, a deck that needs many final screws and a bookcase that desperately needs organization. -- oh yeah, and a header that needs to be fixed (see above).

In the meantime, take a look at this darling dresser that Andrea, my friend from college, painted. So cute.

They Really Are Siblings

Despite their different hair colors, they really do have some similarities. (See above picture.) Not everyone can see it though. Once, someone told me that her children looked more like a family then mine and hers were adopted! Ha! We love our variety and hope they stay that way.

P.S. No, the similarity is NOT messy hair.

My Sticker

Sarah tried to take my sticker, but I wouldn't give it to her.

Why My Kids Don't Believe in Santa

To start off this very touchy post, I must let you know that I did not grow up with the Santa tradition myself. I do not know the magic me and my children are missing out on. Despite this, I loved Christmas as a child and anxiously awaited the holiday season and what I would receive every year.

I asked my mom recently why she never had us believe in Santa. She told me that she didn't like when she found out as a child that all was not as she thought. So, she decided she wouldn't carry on the tradition.

I didn't originally make a stand about Santa. When my boys were small I just didn't really worry about it. However, Isaac approached me at quite a young age and asked me if Santa were real or not. My answer: no. The truth. Over the years we have had many conversations about Santa and why people encourage their children to believe. (I believe there is a lot of good behind this.)

Even though Santa Claus has been over commercialized, I really do like the message his image carries. Christmas is a time for loving, caring and giving. Santa is all of those things. He has a good heart and soul and loves children everywhere. What is there not to like about that?

The main point I cannot move past is this: Is it not confusing if I teach my children that Christ is true and Santa is true and then they find out I was lying about one? How do they believe I was not lying about the other?

My dearest friends and I differ on this issue. IT'S OKAY. I am not out to change anyone's opinion or family traditions. I just want to explain why WE do what we do.

In respect to most other families in this country, my children have strict rules about not speaking about Santa to other children. For the most part, they have been good and understand why they must be. If this is ever not the case and my kids divulge information they should not, I apologize in advance. They are children and are unfortunately not completely under my control.

I don't like confrontation, so please be careful about bringing this up in conversation with me.

Don't Be Shocked..

I have added more blogs for you to go see other than just Kerri's. I'm sorry for not asking anyone's permission, but if your blog is public, then it's public, right? That means you want people to see it and boy can I send a lot of traffic your way. Just check out my high comment counts. Wow.

THE RULE OF CLICKING on someone else's blog is that you HAVE TO READ MINE FIRST, even if I went blogging crazy and put up something like 5 posts in one day. Okay? Deal.

What She Does When No One's Looking

After taking a quick shower, this is where I found Sarah. (You can't see the Tic-Tacs all over the floor in the picture and as you may note, the chair was moved there for easy access to the counter.)

Today she layed down all the barstools and brought out the plunger for a walk.

Halloween in Pictures

Grandma Bowen Brought Cookie Dough

How nice is that? Daniel's mom brought cookie dough and spent Friday afternoon cutting, baking and decorating Halloween cookies with the kids. My mom stopped by to get some stuff she forgot so we took some pictures with both grandmas.

Thanks Denise!