I'm so done!

I am so DONE with family vacations.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE all those things, but we have overloaded ourselves this year and I really need some home time to balance it all out.
We just finished up a Yorgason family reunion and my in-laws outdid themselves in it's planning. There was a great turnout and it was so much fun. My kids got to go to Lagoon for the first time on Fri. I was surprised that my boys weren't too anxious to ride the 'scary' rides. I helped the youngest girls for a while, then the tweens for a while, then spent the evening riding all the big rides with the teenagers. That new ride, Wicked, is great. Unfortunately, it lived up to it's name, destroying J's new digital camera that flew out of his pocket on the upswing. Thank goodness for a warranty. Here are a few pics of the kids at Lagoon.

Taking a Flying Leap.........

of Faith. After much thought, study and prayer, I have decided to'bring home' my girls this year and home school them. I had wanted to bring all of the kids home, but have decided that this will be a good first step.

I have been pondering the wisdom and benefits of homeschooling for a few months now, especially after reading the blogs of Lara and Montse. They really inspired me to even contemplate this move. A few weeks ago as I was driving to AHS for the uniform swap I was noticing all the homes for sale on the way to school, like I usually do. As I did this I got to thinking that most of these homes were someone's dream home and that to achieve a dream like this, a plan has to be made and followed. I then asked myself what C's and my dream was. It's a pretty simple one, we want a place with a little more land, the ability to raise a few animals if we choose to and garden more. Just try to be as self-sufficient as we can. Unfortunately, we cannot have animals here, so for that dream to happen we have to look elsewhere. Financially, that dream was a long ways off. Later that day, C had me read an article in the newspaper about homeschooling and it was like a light went on in my head and bells started ringing. I thought, "Here is the key to making that dream a reality. If we pull the kids out of school and home school them, we can use what we had been putting out for tuition to finish our addition to our house, sell it and look for another place. And if the kids don't attend AHS, we don't have to try to move closer to the school and we can look anywhere for our 'dream' property. I have also been so unhappy with the way that school, be it public or private, robs my family of 'family-time'. There is so much homework that most of the time we have at home is spent trying to get the kids(nagging) to get it done or doing it and fulfilling Church responsibilities, that precious little time is left for us to do anything together as a family. I struggled with this issue all last year and was not looking forward to the coming year. This will really free up my evenings and the time can be spent doing things that will strengthen our family, which is also a dream of ours.

I approached the kids about it and tried to explain my reasonings and the girls were willing to try, but the boys were unhappy about it. After considering all the benefits they would have to continue at AHS, we decided that it would be fine for them to stay there for this year and we'll revisit the issue again next year. M is really excited about 9th grade there, the German and Ballroom classes and extra-curricular sports that will be offered. F wanted to finish up 8th grade and after going to the Shakespeare Festival with last year's 8th graders, I was loathe to deprive him of the opportunity to do the Shakespeare production. That is something that I cannot replicate at home.

So I've been studying and reading and praying and pondering if this truly is the right thing for us to do. I read a book I've had, entitled "Revealed Educational Principles and the Public Schools" by Jack Monnett. It is basically a historical book about Early Utah and how we came to have public schools. It is full of quotes from the prophets and apostles. They counseled the Saints over and over again not to vote for or utilize 'free' public education. They set up Church schools and tried all they could to educate in the Lord's way, but the Saints would not listen and failed to follow the counsel of the prophets. At the risk of sounding very naive I'm going to tell you that I NEVER knew that the prophets had said this. As I read this book, I gained an understanding that that counsel is still in effect and that it is displeasing to the Lord to abdicate the education of our children to strangers. It is part of my duty and responsibility as a parent to make sure that my children are educated properly. Who knows or understands or loves my children more than I do? Who can teach them better than I can? NO ONE! They are MY stewardship, and I now know that I have to retake the responsibility for that.

I have been pondering my own education, as well as my oldest son's, and I can see things that happened in each of our lives that were damaging to our love of learning. Things that were said or done that made us feel like our thoughts and efforts were worthless. I have been stuggling with having one of my daughters labeled. It hasn't happened yet, but I would not have been surprised to have it happen. She learns at a much slower pace than the teachers think is proper. But she does learn if she can do it in her own time and way. By bringing her home, hopefully I can allow her(and the others) to progress at her own rate and protect them from being labeled or degraded or made to feel worthless.

So, that's my big news. I have literally been consumed with trying to learn all I can so that I can make the best choice for my family and now I'm trying to determine which methodology I think will be most suitable. It's a huge undertaking, but the peace (and excitement) I feel, makes it worthwhile.


*edited to add: This post is merely a story of my own journey to this place. I do not presume to tell people that everyone should home school their kids and I hope that, in turn, others don't presume to tell me that I'm wrong for doing this. Thank goodness we live in a place where we actually have a choice!

JULY????????????????

Someone pick me up! I can't believe that June is gone! I got next to nothing done. Think it had anything to do with my crazy travel schedule and sick family when we were home? Well, I'm using that as my excuse anyway.

One last jaunt in my future, to my hometown to attend the sealing of my new adopted niece to my sister and her hubby. She's almost 4, so this will be a wonderful memory for her to have. I love attending sealings. It's so amazing to see those children all in white.....almost makes you wish you hadn't been married in the temple, or were adopting all your children. But I only said almost. I am so thankful for the blessings we receive from being eternally bonded together as a family. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

I've been doing lots of research on a particular subject lately and at some point I'll post my thoughts and conclusions, but I will say that yet again, Heavenly Father has allowed me time to grow and learn and I have been taught some things that you think would just be common sense, yet I didn't know. I find it amazing how conditioned we are by our society to believe in certain 'norms' and then to find out later what the Lord has said about it.....I only wish I had been ready for the 'truth' before now. But that's all for now, I'll leave it at that and you hanging.................

Have a good one!

Wyo, wyo, Wyoming?!

June is scheduled to be an absolutely frantic month for me. We got back from a whirlwind trip to Wyoming on Wednesday. Mom started talking about this trip a couple of years ago, to experience Martin's Cove and Rock Creek and honor our ancestors who were in the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies, and decided that it would be good to do before J left on his mission, so this summer was the one.

So, you take 2 parents + 4 daughters + 4 sons-in-law + 15 grandchildren and add to it:
3 days
3 hotels
5 cars
1 flat/blown out tire
2 purses/wallets left behind
1 abusive waitress
1 headache
1 throwing up kid
90 degree weather
1 'broken' swimming pool
4 handcarts
1 rickshaw
1 5-mile trek
and several new air matresses and what do you get?

Sore muscles and a trip to remember! After all the 'happenings' we were starting to think that this trip might rival our Canada trip in '84 (another story for another day) but it turned out wonderfully and I think our little 'happenings' will help us remember the trip with laughter to go with the tears shed for the ancestors we admire and love. I am blessed to have a great family who would make and take the time to go do this together and for parents who made it possible. Thanks Mom and Dad, and my dear sisters and families. I love you all very much and would do it again in a heartbeat!

But it's a Dry Heat! Thank Goodness!

Wow, lots has happened since I last posted here. We got through those last crazy days of school and got Montana graduated from 8th grade on May 23rd and Jordan graduated from high school on May 24th. Thanks Mom and Dad, for making and taking the time to come up for that. It meant a lot to him and to me, too.

Just got back from spending 10 days in the suburban Atlanta, GA, area. C's parents have lived there for about 14 years now. We have never had the funds to take all of our kids and just go visit. We have been there as a family once, but so were all of C's siblings and their families and it was chaos. Fun chaos, but crazy anyway! I told C that our kids need the experience of being the only people at their house, so that they can spend lots of time with their grandparents and build bonds and memories. We asked them back in the fall where they would choose to go if our family could take a big trip and hands down, their answer was to Grandma and Grandpa Welch's house. Over Disneyland! And SeaWorld! (For what it's worth, I was with them all the way!)

So for Christmas we gave them this trip, just had to wait til school was out to make it happen. We had wanted to go during Spring Break, but that's when N had her twins and Grandma was out here, so we just waited for June.

We really had a fantabulous time. We are not hard to please and don't have to be entertained, but I think Grandma and Grandpa wanted to make it extra fun so the kids would always remember it. We visited Stone Mt. and shopped and played in water, fed ducks, rode the tram to the top and back, rode the train, visited the plantation and watched the laser show. We went to C's sister's, B's, house one day to swim and have some southern BBQ pork and such. It was nice to see their home and now have a frame of reference for them. The little girls had so much fun with their cousin, E, and even got to spend a night at her house. We went to the GA aquarium. It's big and there were tons of people. But the exhibits were great and the favorite was the walk thru tunnel with rays and whale sharks and huge fish, and the Great Barrier Reef simulation with all the intensely colored fish that live there. We walked from there to Centennial Park, where the Olympic Ring Fountain is. It was super hot and H and her cousin, E, were the only ones brave enough to go run through the fountains as the water jets danced around. They were about the only white kids there, which might have been strange for my other kids.

We also drove up to TN to visit C's oldest brother and his family. They have recently bought a new home out in the country and are trying very hard to follow the Prophet's counsel to get out of debt, get storage and be as self sufficient as possible. I was amazed at what they have done. They sold their much larger home in the city and bought a very small home with some land and I believe they probably own it free and clear or are very close to it. They have chickens and are looking to get maybe some lambs and goats. C's SIL, C, is a great gardener and has a large garden now, but is expanding it again. They have a large shop building which has an air-conditioned workshop room for R and his tools. He is an engineer and always tinkering with stuff and designing and building stuff. There is also a food storage room in there that is air-conditioned and lots of other storage on top of the workshop room. I love how they have simplified their lives and are so happy with the choices they have made. I came away from there so inspired to get my life and home in order so I can feel peace regardless of what may come.

We were also able to take in an Atlanta Braves game. I wasn't sure how the kids would handle this, since they can go quite long, but time seemed to pass quickly, and I never once heard, "When will it be time to go?" Unfortunately, the Braves lost, but they had two home runs which were awfully fun to cheer for.

C and I and his parents drove up to see the Georgia Guidestones near Elberton on Tuesday. We had heard of them and wanted to see them. Strange story and strange place. Reinforced the knowledge that there are groups of people on this earth working to undermine God's plan. The things written on the stones may sound good, but if you really look at them in the context of 'evil designs of conspiring men' you can't help but know that there really are people working for the other side. If you're curious about them, check here

The kids travelled wonderfully. On every single flight people commented on how well behaved they are and how polite. It was truly gratifying to hear that, because most of the time C and S and I were not seated near the other kids. We assigned each of the boys to be a travel buddy to a younger sister. They were to keep track of them in the airports and such and it worked wonderfully. I will have no qualms about travelling with them again.

We got home on Wed and I had so much I wanted to get started on, but I think I must have found some water from Mexico somewhere. I ended up with upset insides and today is the first day that I've had any energy or felt able to do anything.

Plans in the the pipeline are to move J downstairs and the girls upstairs so we can cut the hole through to the new girls room and get the new furnace/AC unit in and move the water heater and frame the new girls room and yada, yada, yada. I wish I could just twitch my nose and have all this work done and my house perfectly finished. I'm tired of living in a half completed home. Samantha Stevens, where are you when you're needed????

Cheese, Gromit, Cheese!

One of the things I wanted to learn about and attempt this year was cheese making. Pretty easy cheese making, but cheese anyway. My chance to do it came today. Nina has been working on a county report for her Utah History studies and her county happens to be Cache. One of the requirements is to study up on one unique aspect of her county and present it to the class. She and I decided that since Cache Cty is known for Cache Valley Cheese we would attempt to make some cheese.

Using a recipe off the internet, we got out all our ingredients and tools.

No rennet! I was sure I had read that fresh lemon juice could be used instead.....nope, no lemon juice in the recipe so I bought those four lemons in vain.

OK, send C to the store for rennet and Citric Acid.

C gets back and WOW, for the price of the citric acid, this cheese better darn well turn out.

Pour milk in pan, put on stove, go to put thermometer in pan and notice that it starts measuring at 100 degrees and I need one that starts at about 80 degrees. Hhhhmmmm, what to do. Throw caution to the wind and go for it. I figure we'll use the one we have and if it registers on the thermometer we'll know it's getting too warm.

Things are going well, milk is warming, and starting to curdle. Put in the rennet and let it sit. Supposedly 3-5 minutes for the curd to form.

3 mintes-not forming yet...................


5 minutes-starting to thicken.........................





10 minutes-thicker........................................................................






15 minutes!- finally thick enough to cut and watch the whey drain out.
We scoop out the curd and put into a colander and let the whey drain.

Wow! Lots of whey! Anyone need some????

Finally get as much whey pressed out as possible by hand, so we start microwaving it and draining it again. After 3 rounds its ready to start kneading and stretching. That's what gives mozzarella its texture, the kneading like bread dough and stretching like taffy. Well, that's what its supposed to do....mine kneaded just fine, but didn't want to stretch much. I don't know if I over cooked it or undercooked it or didn't knead it long enough.

Whatever, we salted it and kneaded it into a smooth ball and ran cold water over it and voila', it's "Cheese, Gromit, Cheese!!"

It didn't really take very long and if it tastes good, we'll probably do it again. We have lots of rennet and citric acid left over!

Anyone know what to do with a gallon of whey?

Another first for Soren!

He got his first real spanking today. Oh, I've never been so upset with him. Being the baby he usually gets plenty of leniency on things, but today he just went too far...........

My oldest son is in an Architectural Rendering class and had completed a hand done rendering that won 2nd place in a contest at UVSC and got Honorable mention at the Timpview Art Show. I made the mistake of leaving his room door open this morning, and Soren somehow got a thin Sharpie pen and added to the drawing. I have no idea if there is anything that will take the pen off it or not. I feel sick to my stomach when I think about it. J spent so much time on that rendering and now it's all messed up. Most of the markings are at the top and not on J's drawing so I think they could be removed if there was anything that would remove them. Poor J! And poor Soren! He got put in his bed and cried himself to sleep.

This is just one of my bad-mama days. Actually, it's been a bad mama month........

An end...

I believe I have nursed Soren for the last time. I didn't nurse him at all yesterday or today and I think it's a good time to just let it go. He seems to be doing fine without it, in fact, I think I may miss it more than he does.

I have savored all those moments in the last 16 months that we spent together. I loved looking into his bright blue eyes when he was just a tiny baby and so dependent on me. I loved that it was time spent with just the two of us. In a busy household, it was a haven of quiet and peace. I still love looking into his bright blue eyes, but usually he is so eager to be off to new adventures that he rarely stares back.

I will miss this time with him.

However, I love watching him grow and achieve new things. Some of his latest tricks are walking(not scooting backwards) down the steps, climbing into his high chair alone, playing catch with anyone who will play, doing pattycake with his 'Tigey', jumping on the trampoline and wadding up any loose piece of paper he finds and throwing it in the trash. You can almost see the little wheels turning in his mind, it's so busy learning and comprehending new things. He is turning into quite a ham! Anything for a laugh, and with 3 giggly sisters, that is just about anything he does.

On to bigger and better things my little one. Love ya, Soren!

Ack! Where does the time go?

Wow, has it really been that long since I had anything to say? Oh, yeah, it's really been longer than that since I had anything WORTH saying! haha!

Just wanted to do a quick update. It's been nutso-rama around here. Lots of projects due in school and last week was Teacher Appreciation week. I was in charge of it for one of my kids, F's, teacher. I'm SO SO glad it's over. I think to celebrate I will take the room mom folder I was given at the first of the year and do a celebratory burning of the folder. The last big thing we have going is the Shakespeare play and celebration all next week. M is a sea captain in the play and we have been trying to finish up his costume. I hope that he has all his lines down. I have a couple of dresses to sew for the girls to wear, since the kids can dress in Shakespearean costume all week long. It is really the great culmination of a wonderful year at school. Each day the 8th graders do one act from the play for the other students. The older children are all assigned a younger student to be their "buddy" for all the festivities. They have a Shakespearean Feast and on Fri night the play is put on for all the parents and public. My kids couldn't stop talking about it last year. The play they are doing this year is "Twelfth Night"

So I again bombed on SHS and I figure that I will continue to bomb on that til school is out. I am trying to keep up with stuff but it seems like so many things that are out of my control are taking over my schedule and life.

Got the great experience today of attending my SIL's ward and being at the blessing of their new twin boys. There were so many people there to support them, probably added about 50 people to the congregation.Their father gave them beautiful blessings and they were absolute angels. The gospel of Christ is such a blessing in our lives. The knowledge of the importance of families was manifest today.

Hey, it's May!

Wow, time flies when you're having...............fun? Is that what I've been having? I wouldn't classify it as fun, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

For some reason the last two months of school always find me scrambling trying to keep up. There are so many projects due and papers due and activities to wrap up the year, and by the time the end of May comes I am WASTED, EXHAUSTED, DEAD!! This year is no exception. We've been pushing J to finish up his district packets and online course so he can graduate. I think he squeaked those in under the wire at the last minute. Then there were two required science fair projects this year. F has a big research paper type thing due tomorrow and I know he's not close to being done. I've been sewing and altering costumes for the Shakespeare play that the 8th graders are doing this year. They are doing 12th Night. M has the part of a sea captain, Antonio. He is supposed to have a sword fight, but there is talk of cutting that out and he is hoping they don't do that. That was what was most exciting for him. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I have been in charge of that for F's class. I have one more thing to put together for tomorrow and then that will be done. Hooray! And last but not least, I had to make my VT calls. I am learning how important it is to call your VT supervisor after doing your visiting teaching, since I find I'm having to do lots of chasing down of people to get their report. This is a particularly hard time of year with all the students moving and not calling their report in before they go. But it's done too.

The next things on my to-do list are making a couple of costumes for the girls for Shakespeare week, F too I guess, and getting pictures of J so we can make some graduation announcements.

At this point I am just trying to keep my head above water. Anyone who knows me knows that I can't stand to get water up my nose, which is why I only learned to put my face in the water without nose plugs at the age of 28 and that was for about 2 seconds. Hate that drowning feeling and I hate this one too! But this will pass.

On a brighter note, my FIL came by yesterday, in town for a few days, and framed the wall between my new dining room and mud room for me. It is so fun to be able to step out into that room and really be able to visualize the space and how it's all going to fit. So nice of him.

C is in Monticello today for a picnit for George Wythe College. They are in the process of trying to move their campus from Cedar City to Monticello. The land they have has been donated and purchased and it's on land that my father used to own. It's really such a coincidence, because C has wanted to attend that school for over 2 years now and when my parents told me that it was moving to Monticello I just chuckled. They had no idea that we had any knowledge of it. I'm really hoping that now the possibility for him to attend will open up and for our kids too. I am amazed at the 'education' they offer. Hope they have good weather for the picnic today.

Back to the Grind!

Well, Spring Break is over. It went by just a bit too fast for my liking. I could so get used to not making that drive to A.F. every day. I'm really looking forward to the end of school this year.

We puttered around for the first two days of break, doing some yardwork for Great-Grandma Y and visiting with family. Grandma Welch was in town from GA to help Aunt N with her new twin boys. Tuesday we took most of the kids and went to the matinee of Meet the Robinson's in 3D. It was such a fun little movie with a good message and the 3D part made it extra fun! I'm sure we all looked so COOL(ie:dorky) in our 3D glasses. Wednesday I took the 5 youngest kiddos and headed south! Stayed at my parents house til yesterday and then reluctantly made the drive home. Unfortunately the weather really didn't cooperate with us for doing any out of doors activities while we were there. It was either too windy, cold or rainy/snowy. So we made the best of it and played with cousins and just hung out at Grandma's house. I always love going home even if we don't have anything 'special' planned. For me, just getting out of the city and being with my sisters and parents is a treat. I know that it can be overwhelming when my hoarde and I descend upon them all, but I appreciate how readily they take us in. Thanks, Mom and Dad! Love ya!

Due to the nature of my travels this week, I did not make much progress on my habits. So I'm rewinding to last week again. I really did take my exercise clothing with me and was hoping to walk there every day, but the weather just was not nice enough for me! What can I say, I'm a wimp!

I am also going to add a new habit this week that I thought of on my drive home last night. I have not taken the time to play the piano for such a long time. So I'm going to add playing the piano for at least 10 minutes a day. Practice up on the hymns again. I love playing the piano, and although I cannot play to accompany anyone(I freeze up!), I love to play for my own enjoyment and I find it very therapeutic. If I'm bothered by my kids, I can sit at the piano and before long the thumping and banging changes to lovely peaceful hymns. I can't believe I didn't think of this before.

Have a great week!

A Roof, We have a Roof!!!

Wow, it has finally happened. C and D(friend who knows construction) have been busy as little bees working up on our roof the last two days and finished putting in the large beam that will hold up the roof when we remove the kitchen wall, finished the trusses and got the sheathing done and I believe they are now putting down the tar paper stuff. I'm beyond excited. From here on out, with the exception of the plumbing and electrical stuff, C can do lots of the work himself. Next on the agenda are a door and windows and duct work for the new rooms so we can put in a new furnace and A/C. Wahoo!

Speaking of bees, we got a new batch today for our second hive! We are hoping to get lots more honey this year with a well established hive from last year and a new hive as well. Go girls!!!

We have been busy this week trying to get the yard looking better. Got a few more annuals for the raised flower bed, a garden hook for a hanging plant (still not sure what to plant in it) and also planted a few potatoes in the garden. The beans and corn I planted in a little started box last week are growing like crazy. Wish I dared put them out, but I need to wait a bit longer so they won't get frozen like the tomato C planted last week. Poor little thing. Still no peas or lettuce up yet.

Well, I ought to update my habits.....ok, it was a so-so week. Started out great, but as the week went on and I got busier with committments at school, ie; fitting costumes for the Shakespeare play and driving for the Kindergarten field trip as well as a dr. appt, I sort of forgot or was just too darn tired.
I'm going back over my list and the one that I see I've really slipped on is my exercise. So that's what I'm going to focus on this week again. So hard to get back into it after doing nothing for 3 weeks. Ugh! But I know it will help in all areas of my life. I love how I feel about myself when I am active and that it makes me want to eat more healthily. So that's my habit re-do! Check out Lara's blog for more info on Smart Habit Saturday's. Join in for a chance to win prizes!

I got two fun packages in the mail in the last week. The first was for getting my name drawn over at Wendy's blog and she was WAY generous. It was full of fun things like foam stamps, acrylic paint, rub-on's, charms, frames, ribbon and more. Then a couple of days later my name was drawn in a contest over at Christy's blog, and I just got that fun package today. She sent an adorable little felt covered notebook(red-one of my favorite colors) and some great papers and embellishments to go with it. I'm still trying to figure out a fun thing to do with it. Any suggestions? It's about 3x5 big. I'm still so amazed that I was lucky twice in a week's time. Thanks so much Wendy and Christy, 8-D!!

SHS Easter Version

Easter is not really a big deal at our house. Not that we don't love and appreciate the reason for the holiday, but the whole Easter bunny, basket, new dress stuff just isn't a big deal here. Sometimes I feel really bad about that.....but not too bad. We did run and pick up a few things for the baskets at WalMart tonight and I have a turkey thawing for Sunday dinner. I need to make rolls tomorrow and check the rest of the menu. This will be the first big Easter dinner we've done, but I think that's a tradition I'd rather have than the flagrant spending of more money. I know that I need to do a better job of helping the kids(and myself) remember why we really celebrate Easter. What traditions do you have that help you remember the real reason?

I'm trying to be the first to post on Lara's SHS this time. So I'll be brief. Had a so-so week. I don't think I did any of my habits every single day but everything has been worked on and I think that's a pretty good habit!

Going to add flossing to my face washing this week. I really should have this habit down, after all I am a trained dental assistant. I KNOW how important flossing is and how many problems it prevents, but for some reason I have never been in the habit of doing it on a regular basis. So that's my newbie for the week. Have a great one!

Need a new Vacuum?

Just a quick note about a contest over at Five Minutes for Mom.

You can win a Dyson Slim vacuum. More info about the vacuum and contest can be found here.
Good luck!

Friday Edition of SHS!

Since tomorrow is General Conference, I'm going to do this today so it doesn't get left til Monday again. We are so excited for Conference. My kids have learned to love this weekend. It could be because they don't have to dress up and go to church, or it could be the tons of Goldfish crackers they get to eat while watching Conference, but I'm hoping that it's because they get to listen to our prophet and apostles and feel the Spirit touch their hearts. As they get older I think they are learning to love it for those reasons. With the little ones, I am just happy that they will sit still and quietly for a bit.

Interesting week here, busy as usual, but it's been hard to be happy about that busyness. I think that has something to do with the weather. I am such a lover of sunshine. I would go absolutely ballistic if I lived in WA where the sun never really shines, at least not often. I NEED sunshine. Must be why I loved AZ, where it shines 360 days a year.

Had a nice lunch and visit with a friend this week. She used to live on our street but moved to Alpine about 4 years ago. It was fun to see her new home and her new daughter and just relax and talk. I need to do things like this more often.

On the SHS front:
-this weeks goal of limiting blog reading to 1/2 hour went fairly well. I have had a bored habit of checking my favorite blogs more than once a day and I decided that once a day was plenty and I can accomplish that in 1/2 hour. It paid off for me too, as I won a contest on one of those blogs and will be getting a little package in the mail shortly. Thanks, WendySue!

-recording transactions into the checkbook every night-went well, except for yesterday. Plan to get to that today. I'm liking this habit and it sure saves me a big job later down the road.
-reading to baby-slacked a bit and only read him a book twice.
-wash pots and pans before bed-did great here, and I love my clean sink area.
-getting to bed on time-this was better this week. Not quite a habit yet though.
-am prayers-still working for me to do them at breakfast time.
-exercise/weight loss-exercise was a bust this week, can't seem to find my motivation. Who took it????????????/
-organization-great week here. C and I went through the bookshelves and CD's and videos and took a load of stuff to DI. Nice to have that pile of extra boxes out of the family room finally. I also made a dent in my recipe pile. Need to get a 3-hole punch and make a binder for the ones I want to save that are off the internet or from Homemaking, etc.

Going to add this week: Washing my face every night. I'm so bad about just brushing my teeth and crawling in bed. It really doesn't take that long to wash my face as well and my skin needs the help. Gotta love hormones and the havoc they wreak on women, ugh!

Have a great weekend.

Spring has Sprung!

Oh, the sunshine is so glorious today and we have spent the day working on the yard and on the addition to the house. C has worked like a madman and the rest of us have put in a half hour of work or so to help......The flowerbeds are looking wonderful in their new coat of compost as are the garden boxes.

I got to go grocery shopping...my least favorite activity of all time. Or one of them, at least. Call it a light-bulb moment or an epiphany or what have you, but it finally dawned on me this week that because C puts all the household operating $$ in my account once a month, that it would be possible for me to make a month's worth of menus and shop once. Let's see, one big shopping trip on one hand and one small trip a day on the other......Which would you choose????
I spent Thursday evening making up a menu and a shopping list and did the lion's share of the shopping today. Still need to hit Sam's or Costco for the produce and cheese and Walmart for a few non-food things, but I'm feeling so pleased with having that icky chore done. I realize that we will still have to get more produce and dairy, but that's no biggie.

Add to this the fact that now I do not have to think every single day what to make for supper and this has been a huge boost for me. Hooray!

On the SHS front:
-last week's goal of recording transactions into the checkbook every night was a success and it's sure nice knowing where my account is sitting. Will keep this one going to make it a good habit.

-reading to baby-C helped me with this and we probably got in 4 or 7 days.
-wash pots and pans before bed-this one is a toughie for me, but I think I managed it twice.
-getting to bed on time-this was better this week. Not quite a habit yet though.
-am prayers-still working for me to do them at breakfast time.
-exercise/weight loss-exercise was a bust this week. Had a nice weight loss(8lbs) but that was due to barfing my guts up on Monday night/Tues morning. Still learning to stop eating when I'm full and honoring my hunger. I am amazed at how little I need to eat to feel satisfied when it's something I like.
-organization-went through the girls drawers and closets last night to pull out things that are too small or no longer used and took a load of things to D.I. Also rearranged the food room shelves to house all the groceries I bought today.

This week I'm going to work on another bad habit I'm developing. I'm going to limit my blog reading time to 1/2 hour per day. Yikes, I better learn to speed read.

That's all for now, have a wonderful week.

What did I do to deserve this?

I'm wondering why my house has been cursed for the last month with germs, bacteria and viruses. We have run the gamut from sinus infections to pinkeye to stomach flu. It's been an absolute nightmare in terms of missed days from school, church, and other activities. Every time I think we're done, something else turns up. And it's so unusual for our family. We have always been very healthy, the only time I see a dr is for my annual exam or for OB care. In fact, he asked me once who my kids saw. I was stumped and asked what he meant. He wondered who we were taking the kids to for medical care. I laughed and told him that he was definitely our doctor but that they just never get sick enough to see a doctor.

Whatever I've done, I repent of it right now. Now, all you GERMS, BACTERIA AND VIRUSES are banished. BEGONE, I say!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

New week, hopefully a healthy one!

Well, I sent all the kids off to school this morning. After nearly 4 weeks of having someone home sick, I'm hoping that we have gotten rid of the pinkeye and stomach flu bugs that have cursed our house. I need to go strip bedding and do a lot of washing today!

Got a new calling in church yesterday after not having had one for nearly 6 months. I am a Visiting Teaching Supervisor. I guess I'm up for another calling that mostly involves phone calls, even though I have phone-a-phobia. I guess it's Heavenly Father's way of helping me overcome that fear.

It has been absolutely gorgeous here lately, in fact, it's been almost too hot. But it is SO nice to see green again and to see my little daffodils and tulips pop open. The roses are rapidly putting on leaves and I see little purple buds on our plum tree. Won't be long before they all put forth their lovely flowers. I LOVE SPRING!! It is by far my favorite season of the year. I love to see things come back to life and to have it start to warm up. But the main reason that I like it more than summer or fall................LESS BUGS!! ;-p

I didn't do such a hot job at my habit-building last week. Could have been something to do with having my mom here, sick at that, and having H home from school for four days with pinkeye. Which isn't so bad, but we had lots of homework to get done, because Fri was the end of term. So I spent most of my days helping her and S get their work done. I feel like I should get a grade for all the time I put into homework.

For SHS I will add entering transactions into the checkbook each night to the mix. I have such a BAD habit of just tossing the receipts into my wallet and letting them pile up for months. I'd like to change that BAD habit for a GOOD one.

AM prayers-Found that if I do them at my Breakfast meal, I get them done.
Weight loss/Exercise 3 X-did exercise twice, but that's better than not at all, right? I'm almost finished with Intuitive Eating. I have really learned a lot from this book and I'm excited to see if it will help me have a better relationship with food and learn to like my body. We went to Brick Oven Pizza on Sat night with some of C's relatives who were in town and I kept myself to a good salad and I got some pasta, but didn't eat all of it, even though it was delicious. I realized that I was starting to feel way too full. I should not have had the soda to go with it! But it was nice to realize I felt full and that I could just take the rest home for another meal another day!
Getting to bed earlier-did pretty good this week. It's harder now that it stays light longer and I can't get the kids to go to bed. That really moves my quiet time back, but I'm still trying here.
Reading to baby-didn't get everyday. He still just likes to take the book from me and turn the pages as quickly as possible. We'll keep trying.
Wash the pots and pans before bed-stunk this one up royally. Must do better this week.
Organization-reorganized my stamping supplies to make room for the new pads I bought at the CTMH warehouse sale on Fri. Couldn't pass up CTMH inkpads for $2 each. I bought 14 of them. That's about all I got done in this area this week. I'm hoping to make a dent in my recipe/cookbook mess this month. It's something that has needed to be done for years, but I've never figured out the best way to organize my recipes. Any suggestions?????

Have a loverly week!

MORP

J got asked to MORP Tues night. SO FUN!

A girl left a stack of underT's on the step with a note that read, "I'd love to take you to MORP, but my name got lost in a crowd. You'll have to wash these shirts and the only name that remains is mine." All the tshirts were covered with names written in colorful marker. Most were kids from school, in his A Capella group, but there were some celebs mixed in. Some of the funnier ones were Queen Elizabeth, Brittany Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton, Mary Poppins, Hilary Clinton.

He thought they were so fun and didn't want to wash them. In fact, he wore one to school yesterday for fun. But he had an idea who had asked him, so he washed the one with her name on it and, of course, her name didn't wash off. So now he's trying to figure out how to reply in a fun fashion. I'll let you know what he does.

I did take pictures of the note and the fronts and backs of all the shirts. That girl has some great handwriting. I think I need to hire her to do my titles in my scrapbooks. Seriously, cool writing!

What a lllooooooooooooong Week!

Man, am I glad this one's over. Feels like Monday was about a month ago.

In relation to SHS, it was not a very productive week. My baby started with stomach flu type stuff on Sunday and it peaked on Wed when he absolutely could not keep anything down. Fortunately, C got home that night and we were able to give him a blessing(in our church we administer to the ill through the power of the priesthood for healing) and he's been on the mend since then. Then on Thursday, my oldest daughter came down with it and is only feeling better today. And today my youngest daughter woke up with pinkeye. I'm so tired of cranky, sick kids.

But, I did read to my baby this week. Or at least I tried. He is not very interested in letting me read the words on the page, so we mostly just looked at pictures very quickly as he turned the pages.

On the organizational front: I did something today that I've wanted/needed to do for years. I went through a huge container of old cards and letters and grouped them accordingly. I found a very large stack of letters from my mom to me from when I was first married and having kids. She doesn't write much now, but I'm going to put them in order by date and put them in sheet protectors and into an album. I think it will serve as a type of journal. Also going to do the same with the letters from my late grandmother. It was truly a trip down memory lane today.
I also cleared off a large stack of things that needed to be filed.

Prayer: Don't know why I still struggle so much with this one. Still keeping it on my list to do.

Weight loss: Ever since I put my foot down about counting points, nothing has seemed to be so necessary to eat that I just HAVE to HAVE IT RIGHT NOW. Thanks to Lara, I bought the book Intuitive Eating and I'm studying it. I really like many of the things I'm reading and it's amazing how many of the behaviors and thought patterns that they talk about fit me. I did exercise 3X this week, even if one was very short and sweet, I'm still counting it!

Earlier Bedtime: This is becoming easier for me, but still not quite a habit.

My new habit to work on for this week is to wash the pots and pans before going to bed each night so that my sink area is clean! I procrastinate this so badly, that usually they all sit there til there is absolutely not a clean pan to be used.

There, that's it for this week.