So I was thinking about self discipline and I decided the difference between the disciplined and the undisciplined is about 30 minutes. Or in other words really not that much. I'm saying this in regards to the Thanksgiving clean up. You know the house was in good condition to start. By the end of the festivities it is like a bit of a hurricane. This is always how it is at any family gathering. After everyone was was gone the kids and Jeremy( who works at 3 a.m.) were ub bed, I sat back thinking, "man I'm tired." I just wanted to veg a little. I thought of my mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law, the ultra disciplined and decided that just 30 minutes would put me back where I started. 30 minutes isn't much and my day tomorrow will be so much better if I do it. I would have been justified in putting it off but I'm happy to report that discipline won out this time and I put in my 30 minutes. I wish discipline always won out, life is so much better when we exercise a little self discipline. The problem is we have to do it in all aspects of life and well it is a balancing act we just have to keep tweaking. If anyone has this art form down, please contact me asap. So grandma, who I have been thinking about lots lately, thanks for your wonderful example of self discipline, maybe one day I will become the women you are. Here is hoping.

Turkey Day!!

Love this. Kids make everything better, especially holidays. I am so grateful for all my many blessings, especially my kids. Each phase is so fun I want to soak it all up, "I don't want this feeling to go away, please don't go away" Upside Down Jack Johnson

lnspite of being away from family, we had a great Thanksgiving. We celebrated with two families in our ward and it was very nice. I'm gaining an appreciation for the out of state ward "family". I feel so thankful for all my blessings, family, friends, gospel, freedom. Now how to give back with this crazy life we have? I'm open for suggestions. Hope all had a great Day.

Musings

I can hardly believe the Week of Thanksgiving is upon us. 2009 is coming to a close and I find myself wondering where has it gone? The older I get the more the phrase 'time flies' means. Life is going at warp speed and daily I am reminding myself to enjoy the moment the task at hand, because all too quickly, the children who make me want to pull my hair out during the hour of sacrament meeting, will be grown and gone.

It is funny with the holidays closing in my usual feelings of nostalgia are here and stronger than ever as this is my first Thanksgiving and will be first Christmas away from family. I have started listening to Christmas Cd's while driving in my car to home care visits. The phrases "I'll be home for Christmas," and "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas," have taken on new meaning. They have intensified my longing for home.

We will be hosting Thanksgiving at our house with two young families in our ward and it will be fun but not the same as keeping with usual traditions. I am looking forward to the preparations, cooking, yummy food, and delicious smells emanating from my kitchen.

In all honesty I am not ready for this time of year to be here. I need 1-2 more months to prepare. I guess the key is to simplify, enjoy celebrating the reason for the season. instead of the commercialized side of Christmas. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving week and we remember all we have to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

Childhood Memories

Playing in the fall leaves 2008: Andrew, Lexie, Davis

CAREFREE!

I was reading my friend jen's blog the other day, about memories from her childhood. We grew up in the same neighborhood, and she ran around with my older sister, Jessica. So much of what she said reminded me of my own wonderful childhood, and made me want to record some of the things I loved about growing up on Oak Lane in Kaysville, Utah.

Kaysville is a bedroom community. Not great for a town's tax base, but wonderful to grow up in as a kid. It had one stoplight and today only has a few more. It was a town of one grocery store Bowman's (it now has two.) I think my parents are still loyal to Bowman's and when we lived in Layton I would sometimes still shop there( when I would do the shopping, Jeremy does most of it.) I love that my parent still live on the same street, I grew up on. They have lived there all of my life and can't imagine they will ever move. For some reason this makes me happy. Probably cause change is hard for me, and I couldn't imagine anyone else living in "my" childhood house.

I could not cover my childhood without paying tribute to Natalie. Nat and I we joint at the hip from an early age. She is in my earliest memories and I feel so lucky to count her as a close friend. Every little girl should be so lucky as to have a friendship like ours. It has been magical and still continues to be. I remember drinking chocolate milk from straws and blowing bubbles together. Having read-a-thons when we were like seven or eight. I don't think normal kids do that but I am so glad we did. I had a hard time learning to read, and I was lucky to have Nat who loved books to help me see the beauty. I love to read today and I learned that books were cool by being friends with Nat. (All of my family are readers so I think I would have caught the bug eventually but I am truly grateful to Natalie for this.) We got a ride in the mail mans truck one day when it was raining, and he chauffeured us from her house to mine. What would it be like to live in a world were you could still trust your mailman to drive your child to their friends house (it was only 5 houses away although we did turn a corner.)? I would die if Lexie did that and we were probably her age(4). Like I said the friendship was magical; I grew up thinking every little girl had the same magical friendship, and to my dismay, this is not the case.

I remember playing night games. I don't know if kids still do this, but I sure hope so. It was so fun. We had a total routine; it started with Steal the Flag at Benson's. Then we crossed the street to Anderson's and played Poison and Lightening on the basketball court followed by Ghost in the Graveyard also at Anderson's. When it was time to come home my dad would go outside, stand at the top of the hill and whistle. This is how we knew it was time to come home. No cell phones, no constant video games we played outdoors and we played hard. Then we would come home and have baths and Mom would put our hair in curlers for Sunday. On a rare occasion if my mom happened to be at work, my Dad would roll our hair in the curlers. This was bad cause taking them out when Dad put them in was always a tearful event with many tangles. Like I said it was a rare occasion, but I always thought it was cool I had a Dad who would do this in the first place.

We rode our bikes all over the place, went on circle walks, and walked around the cemetery. Jess(my sister) and I, on more than one occasion filled the wagon with the tall glass soda bottles and would pull them to Bowman's were you got 10 cents for each bottle. I remember getting close to twenty dollars once, we thought we're rich. Don't do the math to see how many sodas we drank. I'm sure we looked hilarious to the passer by, but for me those are the things that make life great. I love it when I see a lemonade or kool aid stand, and see kids just being kids. I think kids are growing up way to fast these days. Oh how I miss the carefreeness of childhood and hope and pray I create the same kind of environment for my own kids. Thanks Mom and Dad for providing the ideal childhood, it truly was the best!

I am Thankful for...

Jeremy and Lexie


Jeremy and Anna

Jeremy and Andrew

I've been thinking about gratitude and how I really need to have more of it in my life. Awhile back I really felt I was doing good in this area, but lately my focus has been in the wrong area. Time for a shift. I have been blessed with so much and today being Jeremy's birthday I wanted to tell why it is I am grateful for him.

Jeremy is very passionate. While dating him this was something I was attracted to. While I still recognize it as a strength, it sometimes makes me nutty. Sorry Dear, I am working on it. I love your passion. It is great that when you like something you immerse yourself in it and become very knowledgeable about it.

I love Jeremy for the how hard he works. He gets up at a hideous hour most mornings to be at work. Me, not being a morning person, am amazed he is able to drag himself out of bed. I would be pushing snooze over and over and he just gets up. I am also grateful he goes to work, does so willingly and genuinely enjoys his job. I complain too much about mine, and it probably makes him nuts. (I am grateful for my job and my skill set that allows me to be employable, and easily. It is just time to find the right fit.)

Jeremy is very smart and I think he has a photographic memory. He remembers everything he reads. He reads lots of news and magazines and if it were not for him I would not know what was going on in the world.

Jeremy told me he wanted some socks for his birthday. He was very particular in the socks he wanted. They couldn't be too high or too low. A cotton synthetic blend, but not to much synthetic fabric. I was finally like why don't you pick them and I will wrap them up. So when he got them another of his good qualities I could learn from: the bargain shopper. Not to say I can't find a good deal, but not like Jeremy. I'm not as cognisant of the price as I maybe should be. He got eight pair of socks for $1.40. He had a coupon to Kohl's and they were on sale. I told him he should get into the coupon scene. People save lots of money doing this and I am trying to learn, but if Jeremy took it on he would be like the COUPON MOM who was on Oprah.

Jeremy is a fantastic father and in this area we are able to balance each other out. When he kids are pushing me over the edge he is the voice of reason and vice versa. He is great to get down on the ground and play with them.

I really love cooking with the J-dog. He really got into the Food Network a few years ago and cooking is something we enjoy doing together. Some of the best things that have improved my cooking came from his suggestions ie kosher salt, a must for any kitchen. Adding a dash of salt to fudge as well as hot fudge sauce, it really brings out the flavor.

I am so grateful to have a good husband great father for my children, someone who knows what is important and has a testimony of the gospel. Happy Birthday Jeremy, I love you. I hope you have a great day! Thanks for all you do.

PS Does everyone have trouble manipulating photos in blogger or is it just me?

How to fake a clean house

So you are loafing at home when you get a phone call of a friend in the area who is going to drop by for a visit. It hasn't been your best housekeeping day and you'd like to present your best self. I mean why didn't you get the call yesterday when the house was spotless? Cause anyone with little kids can attest to the quick downward spiral that can occur in regards to home cleanliness. Right? So here are my best tips for faking a clean house: (although it should be said that if home cleanliness is not a priority, faking will probably not be an option)

1. First do a quick "tidying" of each room. Make your kids help. I try to put things were they go in the tiding phase as it is a pet peeve to move things from one place to a new place where they still do not belong.
2. Wipe down counters in kitchen and bathrooms.
3. A quick wipe of bathroom mirrors, and a swish with the toilet brush in your main bathroom.
4. If there is time run a quick vacuum over the floors (Jeremy makes the best vacuum lines. Mine are never as good and I do enjoy good vacuum lines.)
5. Light a candle and sit back and enjoy your clean home

Honestly this can all me done relatively quickly. It is amazing how much you can get done in thirty minutes when you have the mind to. So next time you get that phone call, or are not able to muster the motivation to tackle the mess, turn on a little music get your beverage of choice, and set the timer for thirty minutes, you'll be amazed at all you can accomplish.

p.s. I forgot to include to make sure the beds are made. A neatly made bed will do wonders for a room. I love a beautifully made bed. I still remember my grandma showing me who to make a bed correctly and it is a job I've always prided myself in. You might be thinking it's a bed how can there be a right way? Well there is nothing like climbing between the sheets of a well made bed, and that's that, enough rambling.

Halloween!!

So here are the kiddos for Halloween: Annie the Clown. Will she ever quit with the constant fingers in the mouth so we can have a picture that doesn't have her fist in her mouth?? I do love the profile shot.

Anna and Andrew. Couldn't get her to keep the wig on but we did manage to get a picture. I think they are darling.

Kitty-Cat Lexie. We have gotten our money's worth out of this costume. She has worn the tights and leotard everyday.

Andrew the cowboy! I think he looks great. He had a blast and would throw his hat up and say ye haw! He is great (most days. today not so much, another post entirely.)

We went to a ward party on Halloween night. They had a dinner and Trunk or Treat. We were planning on doing a little trick or treating afterward, but they had plenty of candy and tons of fun. We called it a night.

Just wondering does anyone besides me raid your kids Halloween candy? Does this make me a rotten mother? I remember my mom let us keep our candy in our rooms. Mom what were you thinking? Or do some people let there kids keep the stash in there rooms? Well hope everyone had a good holiday and bring on Thanksgiving. I do so love this time of year.

Gratitude: Write it down

So awhile back I started doing gratitude journals with my kids. It has been sporadic, and it being the month of Thanksgiving I wanted us to get back in the habit here is Lexie's list from tonight:

1. "Hey mom, I am grateful for my big bear."
2. "I'm grateful for my uhhh, you, Dad, Anna, and Andrew."
3. "My, my, my brand new underwear, cause I like them. Thanks for buying them Mom."
4. "Hmm, let me think: my clothes."
5. "And my Bed."

I think this girl is so beautiful and I am so happy to have her in my life. Love you Lex!!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

"I have a headache"

So the other night Lex had the ice pack out Anna picked it up and told us all she had a headache. She is such a funny little girl, and talking so much. Love you Anne.