Thursday, August 25, 2011
meet rocky
Here is the newest member of our family:
We're so glad he came to be with us and are looking forward to many years of fun and memories with him. He is a total sweetheart!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
goodbye bad habits!
I just devoured 4 (small, but still....4?!) slices of pizza for dinner tonight. It's the third or fourth pizza dinner in the last couple of weeks. Needless to say, I'm holding up well, considering, but I've definitely felt better.
I haven't taken a nap or exercised consistently in months. I haven't seen my doctor in a long, long time. Wes and I haven't been out on a date in a couple months - despite the fact that we just had our 7th Anniversary.
The boys have been in bed late night after night after night. Wes and I haven't been to the temple together in way too long. I haven't been writing, blogging, doing anything Power of Moms related in a month or so, haven't taken too many pictures....
....and the list goes on and on and on.
But, somehow, I have found the time to eat lots of junk food, get addicted to The Dick Van Dyke Show, trash my car, gain a couple pounds, forget to floss my teeth at night, practice the piano or voice, and do much cleaning.
I am in total disbelief just thinking about it....total disbelief about how many things in my life can be so out-of-whack at once. Now, don't get me wrong, I get that lots and lots and lots of stuff has affected my life in the past couple of months. I understand that I was pretty darn busy and pretty darn stressed. And so exhausted. I am not beating myself up about any of this. I'm just being honest and putting it out there. Maybe one day one of my kids will see that I struggled with things as silly as flossing and things as important as temple attendance. Maybe they will learn that nobody's perfect and that every single day really is a new beginning.
And you know what? There really are times in your life when all you can do is survive. And honestly, I feel like I have been in and out of "survival mode" for a long, long time. Some of it's been my fault, and some of it has been completely out of my control.
I am a pretty good-natured, happy, easygoing person. I truly appreciate my life and everything in it, even the hard times. But let's face it: sometimes life is really hard. And there's not a whole lot you can do about it except ride it out. And I feel like "riding it out" is exactly what we've been doing the past few years.
And now we are on to a new beginning. A special new beginning. One where we made so many careful, prayerful, BIG decisions to get to. One we waited for and anticipated for years, and eagerly awaited for many months. A new beginning that created a ripple effect of other new beginnings in our lives. We have felt the many blessings spilling into our lives and loved every minute of it.
Does that mean life has been easy the past little while? NO! I haven't had the ability to use my kitchen sink for a week....since we moved it. Hence the living off of junk food. It's kind of hard to eat anything if you can't use your sink to cook. For reasons I won't go into now, our house has been Grand Central Station since we moved in last week, and it's not going to be slowing down for a little while. I thought we'd be all settled in with a nice, structured routine by now, and we are far from it. Pictures need to be hung, A/C need fixing, organizing and taking care of things needs to happen, lots of phone calls to make and computer work to do. More than the ordinary chaos. We are still a ways away from "settled in". But I am so happy, I'll take it! We're almost there....
So, I am here, right now, declaring war on the things I can control that are contributing to life being so crazy and us not feeling "up to speed". I am ready to take the bull by the horns and get the ball rolling on all the little changes I need to make happen. So here I am, declaring my "new beginning" to the blogging world! I have a lot to do still, but I have a good feeling about where things are going. I can't wait to stop and reevaluate, and then continue on in the new direction in life we are heading now. I will not expect perfection of myself or anyone else, but I will also not look for excuses for making the wrong choices.
I am ready to "move with the cheese"! So, here I go. Goodbye bad habits, hello good ones!
I haven't taken a nap or exercised consistently in months. I haven't seen my doctor in a long, long time. Wes and I haven't been out on a date in a couple months - despite the fact that we just had our 7th Anniversary.
The boys have been in bed late night after night after night. Wes and I haven't been to the temple together in way too long. I haven't been writing, blogging, doing anything Power of Moms related in a month or so, haven't taken too many pictures....
....and the list goes on and on and on.
But, somehow, I have found the time to eat lots of junk food, get addicted to The Dick Van Dyke Show, trash my car, gain a couple pounds, forget to floss my teeth at night, practice the piano or voice, and do much cleaning.
I am in total disbelief just thinking about it....total disbelief about how many things in my life can be so out-of-whack at once. Now, don't get me wrong, I get that lots and lots and lots of stuff has affected my life in the past couple of months. I understand that I was pretty darn busy and pretty darn stressed. And so exhausted. I am not beating myself up about any of this. I'm just being honest and putting it out there. Maybe one day one of my kids will see that I struggled with things as silly as flossing and things as important as temple attendance. Maybe they will learn that nobody's perfect and that every single day really is a new beginning.
And you know what? There really are times in your life when all you can do is survive. And honestly, I feel like I have been in and out of "survival mode" for a long, long time. Some of it's been my fault, and some of it has been completely out of my control.
I am a pretty good-natured, happy, easygoing person. I truly appreciate my life and everything in it, even the hard times. But let's face it: sometimes life is really hard. And there's not a whole lot you can do about it except ride it out. And I feel like "riding it out" is exactly what we've been doing the past few years.
And now we are on to a new beginning. A special new beginning. One where we made so many careful, prayerful, BIG decisions to get to. One we waited for and anticipated for years, and eagerly awaited for many months. A new beginning that created a ripple effect of other new beginnings in our lives. We have felt the many blessings spilling into our lives and loved every minute of it.
Does that mean life has been easy the past little while? NO! I haven't had the ability to use my kitchen sink for a week....since we moved it. Hence the living off of junk food. It's kind of hard to eat anything if you can't use your sink to cook. For reasons I won't go into now, our house has been Grand Central Station since we moved in last week, and it's not going to be slowing down for a little while. I thought we'd be all settled in with a nice, structured routine by now, and we are far from it. Pictures need to be hung, A/C need fixing, organizing and taking care of things needs to happen, lots of phone calls to make and computer work to do. More than the ordinary chaos. We are still a ways away from "settled in". But I am so happy, I'll take it! We're almost there....
So, I am here, right now, declaring war on the things I can control that are contributing to life being so crazy and us not feeling "up to speed". I am ready to take the bull by the horns and get the ball rolling on all the little changes I need to make happen. So here I am, declaring my "new beginning" to the blogging world! I have a lot to do still, but I have a good feeling about where things are going. I can't wait to stop and reevaluate, and then continue on in the new direction in life we are heading now. I will not expect perfection of myself or anyone else, but I will also not look for excuses for making the wrong choices.
I am ready to "move with the cheese"! So, here I go. Goodbye bad habits, hello good ones!
Monday, August 22, 2011
entitlement
I wanted to blog about something important today.
There aren't too many things more important than being a good parent. I know I want to teach my kids all the right things, help them be the best they can, and make certain they know that no matter what, I will always love them. I want to give them all the tools they need to grow up in this daunting world....a world where pretty much everyone out there except for us parents will be constantly luring them into a very dangerous trap - the entitlement trap.
Sometimes I am blown away by the way things are today. There is so much financial and personal crisis because people expect handouts and refuse to take responsibility...for themselves! And now our children are becoming the same way. They think they need everything they want, the minute they decide they want it, just because someone else has it or even just because it suddenly exists. Can you imagine, with these children growing up with our entitlement-teaching government, with parents, teachers, everyone giving them handouts, what they are going to do when they suddenly get to college and are offered hundreds of preapproved credit card applications? Do you think they will even be equipped and know how to handle money or do responsible things?
I have a friend who once had a job teaching young missionaries in our church how to do simple household tasks such as cleaning toilets and doing dishes. Can you believe that? Grown 19-year-old boys not even knowing how to fold his laundry?! Well, that's the world we live in, and a harsh reality for some unlucky children, children whose parents probably meant well and wanted them to have all the happiness and joy this world had to offer, parents who didn't understand or consider the fact that the reality is that work can be a joy, especially when you are taught about and handed the power that only work and responsibility can supply. I know that I definitely want my children to grow up knowing how to work hard, handle money, and take responsibility for their own decisions.
But how?
Lucky for us, there is an actual book coming out that is going to be able to guide us all through the process by offering tried-and-true methods for teaching ownership and responsibility. I have already preordered this myself back in April and cannot wait to get my hands on this important, every-parent-should-own-one book. It's called "The Entitlement Trap" by Richard and Linda Eyre. You can order your copy here.
Ordering your copy of today will do two things: 1) You will have it to teach your children and help equip them with what they need to avoid the entitlement trap, plus preordering today will get you a $6 discount and 2) You will help this book make its debut already on the NY Times Bestseller list....where hopefully other parents who could use the book that might not go looking for it will find it. This is a book every parent should have.
Well, kids are coming in my room now, which is my cue to go. Thanks for reading and have a fabulous day!
There aren't too many things more important than being a good parent. I know I want to teach my kids all the right things, help them be the best they can, and make certain they know that no matter what, I will always love them. I want to give them all the tools they need to grow up in this daunting world....a world where pretty much everyone out there except for us parents will be constantly luring them into a very dangerous trap - the entitlement trap.
Sometimes I am blown away by the way things are today. There is so much financial and personal crisis because people expect handouts and refuse to take responsibility...for themselves! And now our children are becoming the same way. They think they need everything they want, the minute they decide they want it, just because someone else has it or even just because it suddenly exists. Can you imagine, with these children growing up with our entitlement-teaching government, with parents, teachers, everyone giving them handouts, what they are going to do when they suddenly get to college and are offered hundreds of preapproved credit card applications? Do you think they will even be equipped and know how to handle money or do responsible things?
I have a friend who once had a job teaching young missionaries in our church how to do simple household tasks such as cleaning toilets and doing dishes. Can you believe that? Grown 19-year-old boys not even knowing how to fold his laundry?! Well, that's the world we live in, and a harsh reality for some unlucky children, children whose parents probably meant well and wanted them to have all the happiness and joy this world had to offer, parents who didn't understand or consider the fact that the reality is that work can be a joy, especially when you are taught about and handed the power that only work and responsibility can supply. I know that I definitely want my children to grow up knowing how to work hard, handle money, and take responsibility for their own decisions.
But how?
Lucky for us, there is an actual book coming out that is going to be able to guide us all through the process by offering tried-and-true methods for teaching ownership and responsibility. I have already preordered this myself back in April and cannot wait to get my hands on this important, every-parent-should-own-one book. It's called "The Entitlement Trap" by Richard and Linda Eyre. You can order your copy here.
Ordering your copy of today will do two things: 1) You will have it to teach your children and help equip them with what they need to avoid the entitlement trap, plus preordering today will get you a $6 discount and 2) You will help this book make its debut already on the NY Times Bestseller list....where hopefully other parents who could use the book that might not go looking for it will find it. This is a book every parent should have.
Well, kids are coming in my room now, which is my cue to go. Thanks for reading and have a fabulous day!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
finally home
I thought I'd drop a quick post before all the craziness starts today.
Tuesday was the first night in the new house, and although it's been chaos, we've loved just about every minute in our new home and neighborhood.
It's been a little extra crazy this week with the movers being late, our fridge not fitting in the kitchen, and various surprises (such as a leak in a pipe in the wall that's resulted with water damage specialist coming out to tell me not to use the kitchen sink for a day or two and not having a cabinet for several days. Poor Joe in his room has no closet.). But we are taking it all in stride and focusing on grateful hearts. Nothing makes you more grateful for running water than not being able to use it in the kitchen for several days. ;) It's been great to really just EMBRACE what comes our way.
We are busily unpacking, setting up a swing set, clearing and cleaning out our old house, trying to help the kitties adjust to the situation, preparing for our horse to arrive next week (yes! You read that right....we are so excited!), trying to get everyone settled as quickly as possible since school is starting soon, and just dealing with regular crazies of everyday life.
Life is good.
I am anxious to get back to writing. Not only here, but also on Power of Moms. I felt like I was just finding my groove and then suddenly I was signing off for a month. Things are still chaos here, but I have noticed a huge difference in my stress level without being able to write (and horseback ride, or do anything other than packing really), so I want to focus on our family settling in quickly, but allotting us plenty of free time in the process. We've all been so busy for so long, I want to make sure everyone has what they need to feel good.
Some things that have happened since I've been gone are:
-Wes and I had out 7th Anniversary. We've decided to postpone the celebration until everyone is settled in and unpacked, but of course there were extra hugs and kisses, and sweet words that day. In addition to Wes buying me a horse! (I got him this wicked awesome volleyball net he'd been crusading for to have at the new house.)
-Jonah is in the process of being weaned. Other then the fact that he is a bottomless pit, things are going pretty well. He's such a good little sport. I love that little boy!
-My big boys are going through this storytelling phase. I absolutely adore it. All day, every day, they are following me around asking me to tell them a story. It's awakened my imagination and I have had so much fun watching their delighted faces light up in excitement as I luck out and say something particularly interesting of funny. I love having their undivided attention and sharing in these sweet moments. Being a mommy is so much fun!
-We had a fun time at my family reunion at Bear Lake. Despite the fact that Jonah and Micah got croup the first night there, we were able to rest and relax and enjoy the beauty of that wonderful place so dear to our hearts. We watched movies, took naps, played volleyball, rode bikes....we even lucked out and made it to the beach a few times as Jonah got better. It was so much fun!
-Out tadpoles turned into tiny frogs. They boys have been having a blast with them. We have learned so much through the process of watching tadpoles turn to frogs.
-Micah flooded the house....twice....while I was packing to move and Wes was gone working extra hours to save up and also pay for all the extra fun things as well as the move. It was not fun. I'm so glad it was only twice!
-I've been gradually adding gluten back in my diet. I do well most of the time, but can definitely tell if I've overdone it. I've also been adding raw food back in. I'm feeling so much better already and I haven't even had a smoothie yet! In fact, I've decided that maybe I don't have any of these darn diseases that they think I have. I think I've developed certain tendencies that seem to present themselves when I'm stressed - especially if my sleep is affected. I've wondered before if the reason I feel so good when I'm pregnant is because I live in my bed and sleep all the time. So, sleep, exercise, and diet are going to be major components in everyone's routine around here. We are all excited to get back on the healthy bandwagon. :)
-Wes's brother, Joseph, decided to move in with us for a few months. We haven't seen too much of him yet with all the water damage mumbo jumbo (a lot of it is in his room), but once everything's fixed and we're all settled, we'll enjoy having him here and having some one-on-one time with him. He's such a great guy and we're so glad he's decided to hang out with us for awhile.
I'm sure there is more, but for now, I am signing off. Today is going to be full of lots of last-minute moving stuff and garage organizing (We went from 1400 sq. feet of unfinished storage to about a 5 x 7 room and the garage. It will be good to get rid of some things and get more organized, but it'll be a project to figure it all out. Part 1 is today and I am excited to see how it goes.). Wish us luck!
Tuesday was the first night in the new house, and although it's been chaos, we've loved just about every minute in our new home and neighborhood.
It's been a little extra crazy this week with the movers being late, our fridge not fitting in the kitchen, and various surprises (such as a leak in a pipe in the wall that's resulted with water damage specialist coming out to tell me not to use the kitchen sink for a day or two and not having a cabinet for several days. Poor Joe in his room has no closet.). But we are taking it all in stride and focusing on grateful hearts. Nothing makes you more grateful for running water than not being able to use it in the kitchen for several days. ;) It's been great to really just EMBRACE what comes our way.
We are busily unpacking, setting up a swing set, clearing and cleaning out our old house, trying to help the kitties adjust to the situation, preparing for our horse to arrive next week (yes! You read that right....we are so excited!), trying to get everyone settled as quickly as possible since school is starting soon, and just dealing with regular crazies of everyday life.
Life is good.
I am anxious to get back to writing. Not only here, but also on Power of Moms. I felt like I was just finding my groove and then suddenly I was signing off for a month. Things are still chaos here, but I have noticed a huge difference in my stress level without being able to write (and horseback ride, or do anything other than packing really), so I want to focus on our family settling in quickly, but allotting us plenty of free time in the process. We've all been so busy for so long, I want to make sure everyone has what they need to feel good.
Some things that have happened since I've been gone are:
-Wes and I had out 7th Anniversary. We've decided to postpone the celebration until everyone is settled in and unpacked, but of course there were extra hugs and kisses, and sweet words that day. In addition to Wes buying me a horse! (I got him this wicked awesome volleyball net he'd been crusading for to have at the new house.)
-Jonah is in the process of being weaned. Other then the fact that he is a bottomless pit, things are going pretty well. He's such a good little sport. I love that little boy!
-My big boys are going through this storytelling phase. I absolutely adore it. All day, every day, they are following me around asking me to tell them a story. It's awakened my imagination and I have had so much fun watching their delighted faces light up in excitement as I luck out and say something particularly interesting of funny. I love having their undivided attention and sharing in these sweet moments. Being a mommy is so much fun!
-We had a fun time at my family reunion at Bear Lake. Despite the fact that Jonah and Micah got croup the first night there, we were able to rest and relax and enjoy the beauty of that wonderful place so dear to our hearts. We watched movies, took naps, played volleyball, rode bikes....we even lucked out and made it to the beach a few times as Jonah got better. It was so much fun!
-Out tadpoles turned into tiny frogs. They boys have been having a blast with them. We have learned so much through the process of watching tadpoles turn to frogs.
-Micah flooded the house....twice....while I was packing to move and Wes was gone working extra hours to save up and also pay for all the extra fun things as well as the move. It was not fun. I'm so glad it was only twice!
-I've been gradually adding gluten back in my diet. I do well most of the time, but can definitely tell if I've overdone it. I've also been adding raw food back in. I'm feeling so much better already and I haven't even had a smoothie yet! In fact, I've decided that maybe I don't have any of these darn diseases that they think I have. I think I've developed certain tendencies that seem to present themselves when I'm stressed - especially if my sleep is affected. I've wondered before if the reason I feel so good when I'm pregnant is because I live in my bed and sleep all the time. So, sleep, exercise, and diet are going to be major components in everyone's routine around here. We are all excited to get back on the healthy bandwagon. :)
-Wes's brother, Joseph, decided to move in with us for a few months. We haven't seen too much of him yet with all the water damage mumbo jumbo (a lot of it is in his room), but once everything's fixed and we're all settled, we'll enjoy having him here and having some one-on-one time with him. He's such a great guy and we're so glad he's decided to hang out with us for awhile.
I'm sure there is more, but for now, I am signing off. Today is going to be full of lots of last-minute moving stuff and garage organizing (We went from 1400 sq. feet of unfinished storage to about a 5 x 7 room and the garage. It will be good to get rid of some things and get more organized, but it'll be a project to figure it all out. Part 1 is today and I am excited to see how it goes.). Wish us luck!
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