Yes, It's That Week!

What week?  Sister's week or brother's week if you're on facebook.  Or maybe it's breast cancer awareness week?!  You can make it whatever you want on that site.  It's crazy how fast stuff goes around on that thing.

No ladies, it's that time of the month.  Sorry to be so personal, but if I can't get personal here, where?  Okay, okay.  Now I feel like all I'm doing is complaining on this blog, but I know you can relate!  (Well. most of you!)  Sorry guys.  No, I'm not sorry!  Keith told me yesterday that I could take my whatever emotions and attitude and pack it up and send it to Zimbabwe!  Ha ha!  I said, "I would love a week vacation every month in Zimbabwe!"  Are you with me ladies?

Maybe I'm just really feeling it because it is only my second cycle since Jesse finished nursing and I'm feel. ing. it.  And I'm eating it too!  Can you say comfort food?!  Wendy's Frosty, chocolate shake, finishing off the ice cream straight from the container, breakfast burrito, and don't forget a good bean and cheese burrito!  Yeah, it's been that good.  And talk about emotional.  Good Morning America almost made me cry this morning with their over done story on a rescued sea turtle.  Crazy!

Ugh!  Don't even talk about my skin!  And all of the things that have been happening around here.  (Looks like we'll be moving, again, soon!)  I want to be excited and happy about it but, I just can't.  Tell me it's just this week and I will feel better in a few days!  Please!

Hello?!? Anybody Out There?

Hello! Is anyone out there?

I sure miss this blog, I was reading back on some of the old posts and it made me want to get this thing going again. What happened? Where did we go wrong? Was it just kids, life, moving, summer, pregnancy, work, depression, or lack of creative thoughts that made this blog get off track?

Does anyone even care?

I miss having an outlet or something to look forward to and connect with. Summer's over, school's back in session, we're all moved in (minus Aliece, again, maybe) so let's get it together and start writing again. Please!

Are you with me?

(Share the love even if you're not a sister so then maybe my sisters will feel like this is something they want to start doing again. :) Thanks! Of course maybe everyone is glad we stopped and in that case we'll take the hint and just let a sleeping dog lie (is it lay or lie? I may never know).

Wright Brother (Vaughn) Writes

Over here. Who cares if it was a year ago? It might make you think...

Mini Book Review (sort of)

Room

By Emma Donoghue

I had this book on hold for about a million years at the library (I'm not much of a book buyer since I'm (a) cheap and (b) I generally don't ever read books a second time) so after waiting forever for this much hyped and anticipated book I was needless to say quite disappointed.  It's a hot book right now on book club lists, getting talked about by everyone and so perhaps I had built it up a little too much in my mind.

The basic premise is this:  A woman has been held captive in a single underground room since she was 19, is repeatedly raped by her captor and while there gives birth to a son who is now 5 years old and the narrator of the story.  I guess this was the main drawback of the story for me.  I found it dreadfully boring and slow to have it told through a child's perspective. 

I am the kind of person who finds stories like this extremely fascinating when they are in the real news and apparently this story was inspired by one of those cases, so I thought I would like this story a lot more than I did.  But, to be honest I didn't even read the whole book, hence the title of this post.  I was so bored in the beginning I sort of skipped to the middle and then skipped some more to the end just to find out what happened and get it over with. 

I don't know if it's because I just would have preferred to have the story told from a grown-up perspective or just that the kid kind of drove me crazy with the way he spoke.  I mean, I get it, it's the only world he's ever known and his mother did a wonderful job raising him considering the circumstances but it just didn't resonate with me at all.

I would love to know what you thought about this book if you've read it already, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only person who doesn't think this book is all that and a bag of chips.  I guess I'll just stick with the true life stories from the news to satisfy my morbid curiosities.

The Grass Isn't Always Greener, But I Promise It's Better

It took me moving out of Arizona to realize why I love it so much. Which basically is a total cliché, but hey it’s true. Our parents are natives and their parents are natives and their parents are native, so to say we are from Arizona is kinda an understatement.

When I first moved away to Mississippi, it happened to be a particularly rainy summer. I thought I’d be excited about that. I mean come on; it’s a requirement, all Arizonans LOVE the rain. However, after two weeks of nonstop rain in the cold (meaning 50-60 degrees, I told you I’m from AZ) weather, I was so sick of it! And then it hit me, my heart only belongs to Arizona’s rain. She had me at monsoon. (Swoon.) I love how the calm, blue sky gets suddenly temperamental and turns to shades of blue, gray and steel. The swirling dust suddenly becomes a rowdy student being called to settle down by the teacher. And the smells of that settling dust as it becomes wet with gloriously pure rain, I tell you if it came in a perfume I’d buy it. The rain brings just enough cool and clean to make the desert sparkle better than Windex.

Speaking of perfume, where the heck is the Arizona Orange Blossom Perfume? Is there no sweeter scent in this world? We go through those horribly, freezing winters ;) and then spring blesses us so kindly with the orange blossoms. That’s how Arizona is, constantly blessing the lives those who live there.

When someone talks about how the desert is bland and ugly, it’s like peeing on my cornflakes. Are you kidding me? Have you seen the sunsets? Do you not recognize God and beauty when you see it? There isn’t a more beautiful sight. The way the vibrant shades of pink, yellow and orange fuse together, it’s more delicious than butter melting on a blueberry muffin. Have you not seen the Grand Canyon? Me neither, but still I’ve seen pictures, and that place is majestic. Have you ever been up North? Greer, AZ? Aka the most gorgeous place on earth? Its beauty is sacred and spiritual. I love it so much one of my girls is named after the place. And what about when a Suarro blossom blooms? Do you not understand a miracle when you see it? Those cacti are the most resilient plants ever, and then they still have it in them to produce a blossom? Talk about strength. I see the beauty in that.

Let me tell you, I live in LA right now, of course LA is known for their traffic, but no one mentions how bad their freeways totally suck. Hellloooo, Arizona’s freeways! I’d drive them any day! Especially when they can take me places like Last Chance, Hobby Lobby (not one in LA), Carolina’s, Tia Rosas, Pete’s, Neilsens’, Costa Vida, El Charro, Gecko Grill, and the list goes on and on and on. The food…don’t even get me started…my stomach is growling…that is a whole other post…
 
Here is some extra proof how much I love AZ, in case you didn't believe me. This pic hangs in our living room:

In case you can't tell, on the outer edges are all the places Wesley and I want to visit someday; yet in the center where my heart is, where I want to end up...Arizona. Now, if I could only convince my husband...

We LOVE These!

Woo-hoo!!!  Thank you Unilever for finally bringing these to the US!  I was first introduced to Magnum Ice Cream Bars 12 years ago when Keith and I visited Portugal.  While there I learned first hand that in the US, we have less than impressive candy bars.  Kit Kat Bars, for instance, are made by Nestle in Europe and have a better quality chocolate.  More chocolate - not over loaded with sugary waxy-ness.  Thank you for keeping the same European goodness with the Magnum Bar!  (So good that Keith kept a couple of the wooden sticks as souvenirs with the date and location when we enjoyed them in Portugal.)

Move over Dove and Haagen-Dazs!  Magnum is the real deal!  A thick, rich, Belgium chocolate shell surrounds the creamy vanilla or chocolate ice cream.  One will definitely satisfy your chocolate and ice cream cravings.  We have had the Classic, Almond and Double Chocolate varieties thus far in our house.  (Note: Do not eat the Double Chocolate just before bedtime!)  I am looking forward to trying the double caramel.  I found them at Wal-Mart for about $3.40 for a box of 3.  Keith bought a couple boxes on sale at Basha's for $3.99.  Watch for coupons, I've heard they're out there.  This is my new stash.  Sorry kids, I'm not sharing!

Embarrassing Eliza

I just have to say that I hate being embarrassed. I mean really hate it, avoid it at all costs kind of hate it. Also, I don't think I get embarrassed too easily so situations that others may find embarrassing I really don't. Like my sister Tara's story about the ObGyn I don't think would really embarrass me too much because I just tell myself those guys see that kind of stuff all day every day and it's no big deal. So, I don't have too many stories that I can recall because I think I must block most of them from my memory. My husband says it's because I'm guarded and I definitely think that's true.

I've walked into a tree because I was looking the other way, forgotten the steps to dance routines at the recitals, and backed into somebody's car in the parking lot. But nowadays most of my embarrassing moments revolve around the things my children say and do. I think these ones embarrass me the most right now because I feel like people think that everything your kids do is a reflection of you and your parenting. But whatever, I really do try and not worry about that kind of stuff too much. Anywho, here's a few of my most memorable (wish I could wipe them from my memory) embarrassing moments.

Dead Weight
When I was a teenager one Sunday I was at church and I had to get up and leave before the meeting was over. But my foot was seriously asleep and when I stood up to leave I could hardly move. I wanted to just slip out quickly and quietly but I couldn't. I kept trying to take a step but my leg was dead weight, like flopping, dragging, bending at the ankle, dead weight and I had heels on making it virtually impossible to walk. I felt trapped, I couldn't go back and sit down and I just wanted to get out of there, but short of crawling on my hands and knees I didn't know what to do. I just had to hobble and hop with my foot bending and dragging slowly out of there with a bunch of people sitting there thinking "what is wrong with that girl?"

Noisy Newlyweds
Just sharing this story is embarrassing to me. But whatever, when we were first married we lived on the second floor of our apartment complex. Right below us lived an adorable little 6 year old girl and her single mother. One day in passing we stopped and were chatting with them and the daughter asked us what all the noise was above her bedroom. She said it was really loud and squeaky. Um, how do you answer that? Gee sorry, I guess we better stop jumping on the bed! I'm pretty sure her mom was more embarrassed than I was, but I was pretty mortified!

Have a Seat
One Sunday about 3 years ago, when I was pregnant with my youngest son we walked into church late and there were no seats available. We were relegated to the very back on the noisy wood floor and we had to set up our own chairs so pretty much the whole congregation was aware of the fact that we were late. When a few chairs were set up I went to sit down on one and just as I was bending down to sit my husband scooted the chair over and I fell loud and hard. The clamoring type of fall that causes everyone to turn and look. My poor husband felt so bad, he didn't realize I was going to sit down and I was horrified. Just the feeling of falling when you aren't expecting it and then having everyone staring at you to see what happened, not good and super embarrassing.

I hope you've enjoyed me reliving my humiliation!

Aliece's Embarrassing Turn

I think that most of my embarrassing moments start with my mouth and my naivete.   From making stupid comments about foreigners in front of Emilie, (she must think I'm an idiot) to not knowing enough about a topic and totally getting laughed at in the conversation.  (Thankfully, that usually happens with family.)  Honestly, I mean well.  I spend way too much time thinking about how wrong something sounded and how I wish I could have a do-over.  I would've just kept my mouth shut!

I had a good moment in high school.  My girlfriends and I were invited to eat lunch at a guy's house, a guy I obviously did not know.  We were jumping on his trampoline, showing off a bit and I did a toe touch and completely ripped the crotch of my jeans.  Well, they were Jill Jarvis Badger's jeans, Calvin Klein's to be exact.  She was there and laughed her head off!  (Which actually made me feel better, I was worried about her jeans.)  Thankfully, the guy had a little sister and let me borrow some of her shorts which I returned at school a couple days later.  And Mom was able to repair Jill's CK's.  Thanks Mom!

Oh, and there was our first childbirth class.  We were so excited for our first baby, but we had crazy schedules so I signed up for the class at the last minute.  I asked the lady on the phone if we needed to bring anything to class. (Before everything was online, obviously.)  She told me no and reassured me I would receive a packet in the mail with all of the info.  Well, Keith and I both rushed to the class after work, not having checked the mail that day.  (He actually had to get off work early to make it.)  We were the last ones to arrive, but we got there in time for introductions.  At the end of the class, our instructor had us grab two pillows and lay down.  There were pillows stacked on tables behind everyone, so we did.  When we got up to leave we realized that everyone else had brought their own pillows and we totally grabbed the pillows of the people sitting next to us!  I felt so D-U-M-B!  We apologized.  It was not that big a deal, but we did have to finish the next 3 weeks of classes with them.  And we brought our own pillows!  Ugh!  That felt pretty stupid for a while!

Miche's Most Embarassing

For some reason, most of my embarrassing moments happened when I was a child. Maybe back then I was more vulnerable to feeling embarrassed, I don't know. I do know one thing, my sister Tara's moments trump all of ours. I have had the usual accidentally farting in ballet class, riding my bike into a trash can while waving at someone, and falling flat on my stomach on stage at a ballet performance. But, to get things started I am going to tell you about one that happened just last night.

My in-laws invited Mia and me, and some of their neighbors over for a weenie roast last night. My father-in-law has a four wheeler that he uses for all sorts of tasks. It was outside by the fire and I asked him if I could give Mia a ride on it. I have never driven a four wheeler before. So he showed me what to do. Pretty much Mia screamed the whole time. I wanted her to be safe so I kept one arm around her. I kept doing the whole stop and go, stop and go. I felt like an idiot. I thought I might run into their horse pasture but fortunately I turned the four wheeler just in time. As I was finishing our little ride, I started to get worried about where and how I should stop. I kind of freaked out and before I knew it I was running into one of their plastic chairs. I heard Dan's dad yell, "Stop, stop." Yeah, I totally broke the chair. Their neighbor was standing there watching the whole time, looking at me like I was the dumbest girl in the world. I think I gave my in-laws heart attacks, and I don't think I will be riding the four wheeler again anytime soon.

I am not a fan of going to the dentist. I have had to get some serious dental work done lately. I always try to look really nice and dressed up when I go so that they don't judge me on my teeth. I also feel like I get better service from people when I look the part. One time after a long appointment, I got in the car and took a deep breath and glanced in the rear view mirror to fix my bed head hair. Then I saw them. Two visible boogers right in my nose. I. wanted. to. die. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I still can't laugh about it yet.

One time, when I was in the fourth grade everyone was out at recess playing soccer. That's what all the cool kids did. Whether it was football, soccer, or kick ball. Lots of us girls would try to join in even though the ball never got passed to us. I remember this so clearly, one day the soccer ball was headed straight for me. I couldn't even believe it. Much to my dismay the ball smacked straight into my stomach. It came with such force that the ball forced me to let out a ginormous fart! Ah ha ha! It was so loud and EVERYONE heard and was laughing. I yelled, "It wasn't me! It wasn't me!" But everyone knew that it was. I wanted to die at the time and crawl into a hole. But now I think it is hilarious.

Confession: Most Embarrassing Moment(s)

Warning: I am about to disclose way too much personal information. I hope you can handle it. (I know my sisters can.) Definitely going to be tmi, but we gotta keep it real here.

Where do I start? Embarrassing moments happen to me all too often. I've locked my baby in the car while it was running, I've driven away with the gas pump nozzle still in my car; I've been in a car accident, didn't see the damage to the car and let the lady leave scott free; I've been peeing on a plane to have my 2 year old open the door; and I stutter when I speak in public. There's more, but the point is I can be so socially awkward. I get the 'Is she OK stares?' all too often. Here are a few of my more memorable embarrassing moments:

Gettin' Down and Dirty

All growing up my parents had an office cleaning business. All the kids willingly, happily took part in the family business, especially me. ;) *sarcasm* Although, now I am more than grateful for all the many, many lessons it taught us.

Anyway, one day when I was at the fragile age of 17, I was cleaning the dentist's office in my ever so attractive head gear. Honestly, I personally do not know of anyone who's had to wear head gear since the 80's, but whatevs I did. Isn't that fact alone embarrassing enough? Back to the cleaning, I was just finishing vacuuming with my disc man; rocking out to some legit tunes and maybe doing some seriously sweet dance moves. I was twirling around as I pulled the cord out of the socket, and just as I looked up I saw the Dentist mouthing the word "hello." I pulled off my head phones and whipped off my head gear, as fast as I could. Turning many shades of scarlet I said "hello," not only to the dentist, but to his whole entire family too. He laughed and said, "Hey, we love to see people enjoy their work." Which actually, was the most endearing, perfect thing to say. It did make me feel better, and still does after all these years.

It was embarrassing. Period.
Before I got married I made an appointment with the ObGyn to get on birth control. I hadn't had my period for four months, and was a little anxious about all of it. It was my first time meeting this male doctor and he seemed ok, asked me the usual question, etc. Then he proceeded to give me my first pap smear. (Is there an uglier word?) As he was downtown he looks up at me, kind of chuckles then announces, "Annnnd you've just started your period!" What do I even say? I was mortified....Then he has his nurse hand him a tampon, and he inserts it for me. OMG! I think I stopped breathing right there on that table, and I surely wanted to just die. Then, as they step out of the exam room to let me get dressed I can hear the nurse announce just outside the door, "Well, that one's going to have to come back for the rest of her exam, she started her period on the table!" Talk about professional. I was totally shamed!

Hope you've enjoyed some of my humiliation! Looking forward to hearing some of my sisters' stories.

The Happiness Project

For the past couple of weeks I have been reading, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Intellectual and informative books always take me longer to get through. But anyway, My book club at church read it. I have always wanted to be part of a book club and now I finally am! I have really enjoyed reading this. Gretchen maps out a 1 year happiness project doing different things to help enhance her overall well being and feeling of happiness. She wasn't depressed or anything she just wanted to be happier. I love this book because she takes charge of her own happiness. She doesn't let the world or whatever happens to her determine it. She doesn't tell you specifically what to do to be happy, but you can learn from her project. Besides, we all have different things we need to do to make ourselves happy.

There are some negative reviews on the book. Some people thought she sounded arrogant because she talks about her great life. But, I didn't feel that way. Possibly because I read reviews before hand, and I decided I didn't want to judge her (or judge her book by it's cover ba ha ha). It's not incredible writing, but I didn't need it to be. I have simply enjoyed learning from her everyday stories. It also helped me to realize that I am personally doing a lot of things to instigate my own happiness. However, I have so much to work on.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book (It's kinda long sorry), "To be happy, I need to think about feeling good, feeling bad and feeling right...To be happy I need to generate more positive emotions, so that I increase the amount of joy, pleasure, enthusiasm, gratitude, intimacy and friendship in my life. This wasn't hard to understand. I also needed to remove sources of bad feelings, so that I suffered less guilt, remorse, shame, anger envy, boredom and irritation. Also easy to understand. And apart from feeling more "good" and feeling less "bad", I saw that I also needed to consider feeling "right."

I just loved that quote when I read it, and I wrote it down in my journal so I would always have it handy. The author goes on to develop her, "First Splendid Truth" which is, "To be happy, I need to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth."

So I have been working on having more positive thoughts this week. Like when I am feeling stressed out at my job I say, "I love my job, I love my job, I am grateful for the money, It's so convenient." It actually helps. I notice that when I am positive, I work faster. Another time I was craving a candy bar really bad and I said, "It might make you feel good right now, but the long term effects will make you feel worse." And I resisted. I am pretty proud of that one, but I can't always resist the sweets. Not now that we have a Neilsen's Frozen Custard in Rexburg now! Yay!
I hope you enjoyed the review. Peace out sistas.

I'm At That Point In Pregnancy When...

my hips hurt in the morning when I wake up...

I waddle when I walk...

I can't make it through a whole night's sleep without getting up to go to the bathroom...

I need help to get off the couch...

I worry every time I haven't felt the baby move for a few hours...

I can't bend over without feeling like my guts are getting squished out...

tying shoes and painting my own toenails are definitely out of the question...

shaving my legs is a bit challenging...

I feel like a beached whale trying to roll over in my sleep...

and heartburn is my constant companion!

I'm longing for the days when I can...

lay on my stomach...

touch my toes...

run after my two-year old...

wear normal clothes...

lift heavy objects...

do some Turbo Jam...

hold my other children on my lap comfortably...

hug my husband close...

and breathe!

But...

I'm loving every minute of it!

I am happy every time I feel the baby move...

I feel blessed to have such healthy, easy pregnancies...

I love not having to worry about my waistline...

I love shopping for baby clothes (girl's this time!)...

I freaking love not having a period for a good 1 and 1/2 years...

and I seriously can't wait to hold this little one in my arms!

Wright Brothers write!! I'm takin over!!!

    This letter is almost in protest to the long standing Wright sisters Write blog that Me and Vaughn (the two boys stuck in the middle of five girls) have been excluded from. I hope no one is going to get offended, I'm mostly doing this to be funny, and I really don't fell bad at all. Just wanted to write a little note to let you guys inside my head. The other day I was talking with Tara about some random stuff, and she commented that because of some of the stuff I had said she felt like she didn't know me. I thought that was extremely lame on my part, because I take responsibility for not communicating enough with you guys, being the sibling living the farthest from home.
     This little post is about cherishing what you have while you've got it close. These past six months have been so rough being apart from the family. (Not really looking forward to deploying, don't worry still not going anywhere) The weekend I spent in Arizona was so much fun, being around all the family, but mostly being with my awesome wife, and two amazing kids. It's crazy what you miss out on even with things like skype. Max was soooo fun. I feel like he and I are starting to bond in that awesome father son way. I can't wait for this weekend when they get to Georgia. P.s. Georgia is rad if anyone wants to plan a visit.
     I also want to mention how much I miss the craziness of Sunday dinners and all the little get togethers. Em never understands why I love arguing with the family so much, and I can't really explain it either, but I love our deep "discussions". I hope everyone is good, I miss you all. A side note, Emilie will be posting a blog relatively soon about Georgia and our house and what not. Later, Neils

Lesson Learned

I'm not sure who really reads this blog, but I think most people who do know that we have a gay sister, Britny. She is the youngest of all the kids. She is also probably the most outgoing, energetic, charismatic, and fun. And, yes she is gay. And, yes this can cause conflict, because of our faith. It is an issue I have given a lot of tears, prayers, and thought.

I can't imagine the internal struggles she has had to deal with growing up Mormon and having feelings of same sex attraction. I have watched my sister be tormented by others about her sexuality. I have seen her be judged; and at times I admit, I have judged her too. However, nothing makes me more infuriated than when I hear someone ignorantly talk about gay people. (Here comes Mama Bear) I could make a list of so many assholes people at Mountain View High School that inflicted extra pain upon people like my sister. It makes me feel sick to my stomach. That's a lecture for a different day. (But, honestly can people mind their own business? And if they are going to judge, can't they just keep it to themselves?)

What I really want to share is a lesson my sister recently taught me. We were having a conversation about how Britny hasn't felt loved by our family (hurts my heart so bad). And she said, "Tara, even if you committed murder I'd still love you." I responded with, "Yes, I'd still love you too, Brit, but you know I couldn't agree with your choice to murder, unless it was self defense." Then she replied, "Of course, I wouldn't agree with murder, but I'd fight like hell to make sure you never felt alone."

Lesson learned, Brit. We all go through times in our life of loneliness, and it is a horribly agonizing feeling. I'm sorry Brit has had to deal with more than her fair share of loneliness. Sister, I love you, we all do. Now go conquer the world, like I know you can.

 

Britny & my little Ivy hamming it up for the camera. April '11

A couple things I need on a hard day

We have those days that suck balls sometimes. You know those ones where at the end of the day you are quite winded and ready for bed. So here are a few things I need on those days. My favorite daytime talk show is most definitely, The Talk. I love all the ladies, they always make me laugh, they talk about subjects I find interesting, and they are all moms. What more could I ask for in a tv show?
I recently took up journaling. I have done it 50 days in a row now and I find it so therapeutic. It's nice when you don't really want to burden someone else with every single detail of your thoughts. It feels so good to get all my thoughts out on paper. It helps me feel validated too.

I know this may sound dumb but since taking on journaling, I have an obsession with Zebra pens. I just love they way they write. Just thought I would throw that out there. I don't really need a Zebra pen on a hard day, mostly just the journaling. :)


I have very vivid memories growing up of my mom drinking herbal tea. I can see her squeezing out the tea bag now. It's so relaxing, it also makes me feel proper and British. For some reason I feel more sophisticated. Ha Ha. Lately I have been drinking St. Johns Wort herbal tea, because if I'm gonna drink it, why not something that might make my mood better?
I think I will go make myself some right now.

Wait, What Day is it Again?

I think it would be nearly impossible not to know what day it is, well maybe for me because of church and facebeook. Or maybe it's just because I'm a mom.This blog is about being a woman, and everything that goes along with it, especially motherhood. I had a different post originally in my mind, however with it being Mother's Day weekend it feels very wrong to not talk about mothers here on this blog today.

It does seem everything to be said about mothers has already been said, so I decided to make a list of some of my favorite quotes:

There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.
-Jill Churchill

The phrase "working mother" is redundant.
-Jane Sellma

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.
-Tenneva Jordan

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?
-Milton Berle

Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.
-The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Motherhood is the keystone of the arch of matrimonial happiness.
-Thomas Jefferson

It is not until you become a mother that your judgement slowly turns to compassion and understanding.
-Erma Bombeck

One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.
-Thomas S. Monson

I just love being a woman and mother! I learned from the best, I love you so much Mom! After reading these quotes I feel even more empowered and inspired. I hope all you woman and mothers out there had a wonderful day, and take pride in your femininity. I am so blessed to have such amazing women in my life. Sisters and mother oh how I love you so! You are all such great examples to me, in such different, unique ways. Thank you for everyone's contribution to this blog, it helps me feel connected when I live so far away, and it makes me want to be a better mom! XO!

Feeling Old

I think she looked pretty awesome rockin' that sweet 80s hairdo! And I totally burned her forehead with the curling iron.

Today was 80s day at school. Hmmm, I went to elementary school for like almost the whole decade of the 80s. Nothing like that to make you realize you ain't no spring chicken anymore. That's when you know you're gettin' old- when your kids are memorializing your decade in dress up days at school! Unfortunately, I'm already getting to the point where I am lamenting the fact that my children are growing up in this "day and age" and I wish they could have grown up in "simpler times". Because the 80s were such a nice long ago decade in which I grew up in.
I've already regaled them with tales of having to actually get up and change the channel on the TV (honestly!) And of telephones that were attached to the wall (gasp!) And of life without the Internet (the horror!) And when you actually had to use pencil and paper to pass notes to your friend (what?!) It's true. Hard to believe, I know, even for my younger sisters.
I'm not really the kind of person who worries much about my age. In fact, sometimes lately I don't even remember how old I am. (Hmm, maybe that's a bad sign.) I have always felt young, sort of ageless, getting older doesn't bother me. I don't dwell on wrinkles or dread my birthdays. I don't get depressed about getting closer to 40 (other things yes, but we won't go there right now...) But today for some reason I started to feel old. The older I get the younger 60 looks, maybe that's a sign of aging. The older I get the stranger my children's generation seems to me. Maybe this is a wake up call for me. I need to get back in touch with my inner child. You are only as old as you feel, right? Or something like that.

I plan on living until at least 100 so I need to keep on feeling young for a long time still, since I'm only 1/3 of the way there! Whenever you see a person who lives to be 100 aren't they just the cutest little old person ever! They seem to just really embrace life and live it to the fullest, as much as you can at that age anyway! This is my life's goal, to be one of those cute little old people! Living with my 70 year old kids, I can't wait! :) Only one condition, all my kids need to outlive me!

And the best thing to come from the 80s was the Goonies, of course!

Goonies Never Say Die!!!

Feelin' Like A Mother

I put Mia to bed at 7:30. When 9 o'clock rolled around and I could still hear her talking, I decided to march up to her room. I was all ready to give her the, "MIA IT IS TIME FOR NIGHT NIGHT" speech. But instead all I could do was laugh because I found her naked (with her diaper on fortunately). I laid her down in her crib to put her jammas on and she was reaching up to me saying, "Hug, hug, hug" I smiled and I felt like I wanted to cry happy tears. What a special moment for me. So I gave her the biggest hug ever and rocked her for a minute. I am pretty good at cherishing the moments when I get to rock her. It makes me feel like a Mother.

Mia has a bee pillow pet. She is very attached to it, among other things like her blanky. Anyway, her pillow pet got a hole in it and she has been taking the stuffing out. I have put the stuffing back in a couple of times, with a mental note to stitch up the bee. It's hard because she is so attached that I never really get the chance to take it from her. It's the same reason her blankies are so nasty and dirty. So when I laid her down for the second time, I decided that I had had enough because she had pulled about half of the stuffing out this time. So with a sobbing Mia I told her, "I'm sorry honey, but I need to fix him." Downstairs, I added some stuffing and stitched her bee up. I sat there thinking, "I wonder how many times I will have to stitch this dang bee up?" But then I decided that I didn't care one bit because, it made me feel like a Mother.

As soon as I finished, I took the bee up to her, buttoned up her pajamas one more time. And what do you know, she finally fell asleep.

My thoughts turned to infertility (as they often do) and I couldn't help but long for the chance to be a mother again. I know it will happen someday but it's so hard not knowing when. It's so heartbreaking when everywhere I go I see pregnant moms or newborn babies. It makes me feel sad knowing that I haven't gotten another chance at it yet. All I can do right now is be grateful that I have a little girl who gives me hugs, and pillow pets to stitch up, because feeling like a Mother is the most amazing thing.

Some Things Never Change

Today was one of those veg out days. Days I crave all too often. You know the kind, where you don't get out of your PJ's, go braless, and don't brush your teeth 'til noon? I figure I better soak up days like these while I can, because before I know it my girls will be in school, and then it's go go go time...Anyway, today we got to have one of those precious days.This doesn't mean we just sit in front of the television all day long. I try to do some sort of project or activity that requires a little imagination. And today I found myself reminiscing about our amazing childhood. Wasn't growing up on Delta Avenue just the best? I find the older I get the more nostalga I long for, or perhaps it is just having kids?

So, today for the first time I made homemade playdough. Mom used to make it at least once a week. I can still smell the salt cooking like yesterday. I can see her slightly bent over, squinting over the measuring cups like she still does. I remember it taking hours, and we had to wait in agony while it cooled. She always let us pick out the food coloring color, if she had it on hand, but lots of times we just played with it uncolored.

Here's the recipe: Homemade Playdough
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 TBS cream of tartar
1 TBS oil
food coloring

Directions:
Heat all ingredients in a saucepan, slow to medium heat. Stir continuously. Once dough is at the consistency you want, remove from heat. Cool before using.

And then the princess and I got cooking:

She picked out blue and then we added some glitter. Princess style, you know.

Scarlet was pretty happy, for seriously a couple of hours, as long as I was creating with her. I made this Dori inspired fish:

Man, I always wanted to be a sculptor. And a painter. And a fashion designer. And a teacher. And a school nurse. And a writer. And a photographer. Hey, at least I get to be those things to my children. :)

Ivy, happy to be in the center of it all, and Scarlet after a quick costume change, showing off her 'birthday cake for Care Bear':

And it was almost better than I remembered.

And P.S. Please remind me to never buy playdough again.

Oh My Hoard!

I have a tween daughter. Well, she's only nine so I'm not sure if she even really qualifies for that since I don't know what the technical ages are for "tweens". Is it double digits only (10-12) prior to becoming a full-fledged teenager? Who knows? So whatever, she's tall enough, emotional enough and mature enough in my eyes to be labeled a tween. Heaven only knows what we are in for when she really does become a teenager.

She's a very imaginitive girl and she likes to be artistic. Probably one of her favorite art forms is "found art". Don't know what that is? Well, basically it's when people take garbage and turn it into something artistic, you know the type, right? I think it takes a special kind of person to create this kind of art, no really, I do. I am definitely not one of them. It has taken me a while to learn to not get frustrated with my daughter for her dumpster diving. Ok, so she has yet to actually jump into a dumpster, but she is not above digging through our house garbage cans. I cannot tell you how many times I have found something in her room that I recently tossed in the trash.

So all of this leads me to my point, which is... I'm worried my daughter may turn into a hoarder. A few weeks ago while shopping at Goodwill 50% off day she approached me and her dad with some trinket that she wanted to buy. I sighed and asked her if she really needed it. Of course, she always thinks she needs something so I shouldn't even bother to ask. Then I make the mistake of telling her that I think she may be turning into a hoarder. She has watched the shows with me on A&E and she is just as fascinated by them as I am and for me to say this to her was extremely upsetting. She immediately got mad at me. So I said "well, you're probably just a pre-hoarder, but I can kinda see you heading down that path." This did not help. It only made her madder. Then her father pipes up, "yeah, you're a 'twoarder' that's a tween hoarder." He and I chuckled and had great fun at her expense.

Needless to say she did not get whatever junk it was that she wanted at the store that day. And just to show you what I'm talking about as far as the hoarding goes I thought I would post some pics of her room. I cleaned it out the other day because I could not stand looking at it anymore and sometimes no matter how many times you ask your kids to clean their room it's never going to get done quite to your expectations. Granted, I will cut her a little slack because of the living situation (we have been living with my parents for a little while and she has been sharing a room with her brothers) but really she was pretty much like this before we moved back to AZ.

Is this normal? All of this trash, junk, ahem, stuff was found under the bed. And let me just say that this was not all of it.

What girl doesn't have an American Girl catalog under her bed?

This was an interesting treasure I found under there. A lego treasure chest filled with lego hands, how morbid!
And really, any spelling bee champ should have one of these under her bed.
This one made me smile. Especially the misspelling of the word "excel" (rule 1).
A pillbox turned into doggie bed. #1 made me laugh, #4 made me cry (although I certainly don't miss a snowy winter I do feel bad that my kids do).
Doll socks and shoes inside a Sucrets box inside a Valentine's treat box.

I know it could be worse, but honestly that's what I'm afraid of, it could be worse!!!

Royal Perfection

I don't think I could do a blog post today and not talk about The Royal Wedding. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and technically the plan was to go to work. But, I just couldn't resist turning on the tv to see what was going on. I had it set to record because I didn't want to miss it by accident or get up that early. If there hadn't been so much hype in the media I don't think I would have been super excited about it. But the whole world was watching and I didn't want to be left out. It's funny how the media can get us worked up about things, whether it be good or bad. It felt kind of special to be bonded with the world as we watched the most adorable couple be bonded in holy matrimony. I found myself wishing I was Kate. So beautiful, incredibly poised, she just seems too perfect. What an enchanted life lies ahead for her. But really I don't think I would want that life, too much pressure. I wouldn't mind having an English accent though. Anyway, who didn't love her dress? I loved everything about it. I also liked how Kate's sister Pippa carried the train. For some reason I though Pippa might try to steal some of her spot light, I don't know why. About an hour and a half after turning on the tv I made it to work. I came right home and resumed where I left off. I watched their first kiss after being married, and their second. It was sweet and they are a sweet couple. But man I was just dying for them to make out or something, they could have a least had a little more open mouth. I understand why they weren't all over each other and lovey dovey, they need to be proper and whatever. Well, that being said I am happy for Great Britain they seem really united by this, even though royalty in England doesn't have any real political power. It's so exiting having public figures you can look up to. I wish I could just see what it would be like to live in Kate's shoes for one day. I also wish that hats and head pieces where as popular here as they are there, I think they are really fabulous. And one more thing, before I go...I enjoyed the footage of Princess Diana's wedding that was showed. What a wonderful way to remember her.

Lost



 "Keep a close watch on Scarlet," were Wesley's last words to me before he left for the store. We were at the world's largest Easter Pageant, which seems ironic because it's in lil' ole Mesa where generations of my family (including all us sisters) were born and raised. Inevitably, the pageant turns into the world's largest family reunion. I usually end up meeting a relative for the first time, and my mom looks at me like I'm stupid that I didn't know it was so-and-so's daughter. Anyway, Wes had just left the temple grounds where the pageant was being held to pick up some last minute treats.

It was one of those perfect spring desert nights; no sweater necessary and no sweating required either. We were there with my two older sisters, their families, and our parents. I was sitting there thinking what an enjoyable time everyone seemed to be having, when I glanced back to check on Scarlet and realized she wasn't there.

"Scarlet?" I called with no response, seeing fifteen rows of vacant metal folding chairs staring back at me blankly. I jumped out of my seat, Ivy on my hip. I was not too concerned yet and called to the group of cousins, "Do you guys see Scarlet?"

It took a few moments of heads shaking no for it to sink in, that I really did not know where my child was. The pit in my stomach growing, my heart accelerating, hysteria was coming on. The crowd that once seemed familiar and fun had now turned into a crowd of strangers that seemed to grow with my anxiety- and quickly at that. All I could do was seem to whimper, "Scarlet??" Over and over again. My eyes welling with tears I looked to Eliza and stuttered, "What do I do?" I was very much frozen with fear, and dark thoughts of a predator stealing my little girl.

After a few hellish minutes, where I swear I quit breathing, I turned around to see an angelic sight. My brother-in-law Kris holding my precious girl, completely unaware of the commotion she had just caused me. I suddenly remembered to breathe. He had found her playing a few rows of chairs behind us. We couldn't see her at first glance, because the backs of the chairs were taller. Thank you Kris, for taking a closer look.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder; however, I would have to disagree. My heart seemed to grow weaker, and more quickly than I ever could have imagined. I do not ever want or need to experience that again to understand my love for my children. Little girls of mine, stay close to your mama! And answer when I call your name, dammit!

Love This Guy!

Yesterday my husband ran to the store for me to pick up a missing ingredient for the dinner we had already started cooking. I was so glad he offered to go even though I knew he was tired from a long day at work, because I sure didn't want to go after spending the afternoon at the orthodontist and library. I made him a list and off he went and about an hour later he was back (and yeah, I did call him after a while to check and see if he was almost home yet, what a nag I am!)

As we were unloading the bags I pulled out the cans of green beans (one of the things I needed for the casserole I was making) and asked him if he only got the french style. He said yeah because he wasn't sure which ones I needed since I didn't specify on the list. It's true, I didn't. And I wasn't mad about it, and it didn't really matter, but then he said (and this is what killed me) that one day he hopes he can get home from the store and have gotten everything ALL right. Gotten everything on the list, the right brands, the right kinds, the right ripeness, the right amount, so there isn't one thing that I will complain about. I looked at him and instantly felt bad. It's true, I always find something to complain about. Sheesh! I'm as bad as my kids. I mean, I'm always complaining about how much I wish they would stop complaining and here I am constantly complaining. At least now I know where they get it from. Except why do they always get the bad stuff from me?

Anywho, back to my sweet husband to whom I immediately apologized. I have started to realize A LOT lately how great he is and how much I take him for granted. I think my mom is helping me to realize this. Occasionally, she'll make some little comment about what a great guy he is or she'll tell me that I need to thank him more often for the things that he does. And it's true, he is a great guy and he does do so much for me. Who wouldn't want a guy who cooks dinner and gives you a neck rub all in the same day and sometimes multiple times in one week?!

Early in our marriage when we had been going through all the growing pains and adjustments that marriage throws in your face offers, my husband told me that he would give me whatever I wanted if I would just make him feel important. This has only taken 14+ years to sink in (and it's still working it's way in there) but I do feel like I'm starting to grasp this concept. It's just the application I'm struggling with, perhaps it has something to do with my stubbornness.

It's true though, the happier I am with him, the happier he is with me and the more willing he is to do whatever I need and want him to do for me. It's such a simple, basic concept, so why is it so hard to do sometimes? Kris' grandma told me once a long time ago that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I know it's an old quote, but to be honest I don't know if I'd ever heard it before then and if I did it didn't leave an impression on me until I was married.

I don't know all the answers to a perfectly happy marriage (since I'm a ways off from having that), but I do know that most people don't stick it out long enough to achieve it. I've been thinking about young love lately and how fun and exciting it is, but how it doesn't even compare to the love that grows with time and experience and HARD WORK! I know I'm more in love now than I was 14 years ago. What did I know then? Not much, that's for darn sure! Check back in another 14 years and maybe we'll be even closer to that perfectly happy marriage! (I can dream can't I?)

Our young love state (celebrating our 1st anniversary a long, long time ago)

Decisions, Decisions . . .

Gone are the days when most decisions are made for us.  As a child, our parents guide, direct, limit and even determine our choices.  As an adult, however, it is up to us to make most of our choices.  (Why were we in such a hurry to grow up and have this control?)

So I go through this process of trying to decide.  Some decisions are easy, when I know what I want and it's ready for me.  How often does that happen?  I am indecisive.  I'm sure my parents could tell you how I drove them nuts trying to decide what to order at a restaurant.  Even still, Keith and I play a kind of game when we are out for dinner.  (I kind of like it because we always end up sharing! :)

When we decided to get married, we sealed the indecisive deal.  Marriage was a clear decision, but that was about it.  We are both indecisive.  Fun, huh?  We go through many processes when we are making most major decisions.  We talk about our options, debate, share our opinions, make pros vs cons lists, run numbers, fast and pray and poll any poor willing soul who will or must listen.  (Sorry everyone!)

So the decision we are debating right now is where to live.  It's driving me nuts! (See here.)  My biggest hang up right now is the elementary school.  My kids go to a unique school right now.  It is very student-centered.  They have over 300 students on boundary exceptions.  We love it!  We even get to request teachers and I know and love many teachers at the school.  Do I settle to move into a home that I may have to move out of in a few months to potentially stay in the school zone?  Or do we move and be settled for a while?  I don't know if I can convince Keith that we should get a boundary exception and drive our kids every day, 10 miles round trip.

Oh, decisions, decisions!  What would you do?

Just Dance

Generally I feel like I lead a pretty simple life. A happy, simple one. I am okay with that of course, I think any stay-at-home-mom would have to be, our children make our lives interesting and fun. But nevertheless I always get excited when I have something exciting and out of the ordinary going on. I feel so cool when I come home and I get to tell my husband about whatever it is I did.

This past Saturday I had an opportunity to judge a dance competition, and dance in the competition as well. I didn't really know what to expect but I was looking forward to the whole experience. I felt so high and mighty writing down notes about the dances and giving out scores. Being a judge included getting an awesome goody basket and free lunch. There was also a portion of the competition where we judges taught a group of dancers a little dance. I was basically on top of the world.

I take an adult hip hop class and we did a couple of dances during the competition (I didn't judge myself of course, there were other judges who did that). It was a lot of fun, I gave it my all knowing that someone would be evaluating what I was doing. I grew up dancing ballet and we only performed, you don't compete in ballet. So it was interesting to see another side of the dance world.

Back at dance class on Monday look at what all of us mommy's earned, da da da daaa:
I got a good laugh out of this. I haven't gotten a trophy since junior high! I told Glenda (the lady in charge) that I would put it on my mantle and blog about it. Little Mia loves to play with it, because that black circle part spins! You know you are jealous!

This 'n That

I have been savoring the sweet taste of victory since my last post! It is pretty exciting, I must say. (Oh, the things we moms get excited over!) I was prepared for that battle to be long and hard fought. But luckily, it only took a few days! Now he's done it 5 or six times, enjoyed his candy bar AND his ice cream cone (Cotton Candy Thrifty cone, to be exact!) and I am one happy, stubborn momma!

I must be going crazy because I find myself longing for summer vacation to be here already! I'm so tired of the school routine. Papers, homework, forgotten instruments, carnivals, reports, field trips, money for book orders, money for field trips, money for carnivals, money for tye-dyed t-shirts, I'm over it! This is bad because I'm sure that two weeks into summer I'll be pulling my hair out and wishing school was back in session!

Is anyone else as upset as I am that Corey and Leah from Teen Mom 2 are splitting up? I'm pathetic, I know, but that show is addicting and they were my favorite ones. I had high hopes for them, I wish they'd work it out and stay together for their family. And on that note- does anyone else still wish that John and Kate would get back together? Do it for the kids!!! Ok, I'm done now.
I always forget how good Fruit Stripe gum is and then the flavor runs out two minutes later. And it smells good too! You should get some, even if only for the memories of chewing it as a kid.

Mini Movie Review

We had some half-price movie tickets that we needed to use so we snuck out on Saturday night and saw Hanna. I'm not such a huge fan of movie reviews. I've decided I don't need an expert movie watcher to tell me all the intricacies and details of a film and whether or not it lives up to his/her high standards for movie viewing. And sometimes if a movie gets great reviews and is really built up then it can be a huge disappointment when the movie doesn't live up to the hype. I usually enjoy movies because I don't go into them with all these high expectations and I can generally tell from a preview whether or not I'm interested in seeing a film. That being said, I actually wanted to see Hanna and it did not disappoint. It was well done, suspenseful, had enough violence for my husband and I think it only had one f-word (for those of you who care).

Mini Book Review

I just finished reading the book Dreaming in English by Laura Fitzgerald. It's a book I just picked up randomly at the library off of their new releases shelf. Apparently it's a sequel to Veil of Roses, which I haven't read yet, and I hate reading books out of order but hopefully it won't ruin it too much. This book is about an Iranian woman who comes to America looking for a husband because she doesn't want to go back to Iran. I love reading books about other cultures, I find them so interesting. I also love it when a book is set in a locale close to home because I can visualize it so well and this one is set in Tucson. It was an easy, fast, light read which is sometimes nice when I'm not in the mood to read something heavy. The thing I loved the most about this book is that it oozes love for America. It got me thinking about everything I take for granted as far as being blessed to be born in this country goes, and that's a very humbling thing, really. Don't read this book looking for literary greatness, it's mostly just a feel good love story which left me... feeling good!

That's it, I'm done! Peace out homies! And, as my two year old told me last night when I put him to bed, "Good night Mom, have a good day!" Soooo, good night and have a good day!

How do we do it?

About 20 years ago multi-tasking was the way to get things done.  Books were written on the subject about how to multi-task effectively.  More recently we hear multi-tasking is ineffective and inefficient.  Avoid it.  Don't do it.  Did they talk to any mothers?  I say it is our only way of life!  Keith is always telling me not to multi-task that studies have shown it doesn't work. What?  Do you want a home-cooked meal?  Clean clothes? Your children fed and bathed?  Let alone be able to walk in the house!

For example:  I can hardly talk on the phone without folding the laundry.  Laundry!  I love my washer and dryer!  They keep working when I walk away, if I could only get the clothes out of the dryer before they sit and wrinkle!  Cleaning the house is always vacuum a floor here, pick-up a room there, wash that mirror so I can see myself!  Not to mention all while looking out for, interacting with, feeding and taking care of the kids.

And then there's dinner.  I can hardly make dinner without helping with homework, feeding the baby and getting the family ready for the evening's activities.  I can't wait for water to boil!  And I can't help but see everything that needs to be done.  It's a huge first-born tendency, I know.  I am distracted throughout the day by things that want my attention or demand it, like a potty-training 2 year old or a 4 month old to hold.

What do we do?  Multi-task!  I don't know any other way.

Sometimes I feel like The Help

I recently finished reading, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I know I am behind, I am always the last to know about the best books to read. Pretty much everyone I know has read it, or maybe it's just a couple of my sisters and my MIL. But if you haven't you should. It got me thinking about people who do "dirtier" work. The kinds of jobs that are on that show, "Dirty Jobs" or anything that we might consider to not be a great job like a cleaning, maintenance, or physical labor.

I grew up having to go clean offices with my family. We all hated it, but I think most of us would agree we learned a lot, especially the importance of good old fashioned hard work. We all swore we would never take on cleaning jobs like Mom did. But my brother Neils, my sister's Eliza and Tara have all done cleaning jobs before. I guess I was the next in line...

When my sister Eliza moved away from me, I took on her job. It's a tempting situation for a mother who wants to be home with her child. I am gone in the morning for at most two hours and I am home before my little girl gets up. For the hours, the money is actually really good. Most people that I see at work are nice and say hello and we have small chit chat. However, there are a handful of people I have never spoken to much less made eye contact with. I have to wonder what they might think of me. Do they think that I am a lowly person for doing a job with a coolness scale of zero. Do they think of me like the black maids in, The Help? Or do they think I am scum? No. Probably Not. Maybe they are just shy like me. I might never know. Right now I think that in this economy any job is a good job. And I am grateful. I might be bias but I personally think that manual labor is for the elitist of them all ;). I believe that, when I think of my Mother. Anyway it's just something to think about.

My Babies Stole My Brain

Really this is my life? Don't get me wrong I am more than happy to be a mother, I love my girls and husband more than anything. However, I didn't really know I'd be sacrificing my intelligence and common sense when I decided to have kids. In her last post, Aliece talked about how she had a different brain before kids. Well I sure know I did! Here's why, in the past couple of weeks I have:

Jumped in the car, ready to go without shoes on.

Put the frozen rolls back in the fridge not the freezer. Oh, and by the way, they completely defrosted and so I cooked the rest of them even though we were done with dinner, figured it was better than just throwing them away.

All too often I yell, "Aliece, Eliza, Vaugh-, No, Tara, No....Scarlet come here!" (Hey, it's what I grew up hearing.)

Got to the register to pay at Target, and couldn't find my purse. I instantly thought someone had stolen it and started freaking out. (The store clerk thought I was crazy. Oh wait, I am.) I ran out to the car to double check, and there my purse was sitting, in the car unlocked. Thank you dear angel.

My poor baby, I couldn't figure out why she was so fussy and realized she was hungry. It had been a few hours...

Walked around the house for probably about twenty minutes while holding my phone to my ear with shoulder, but not talking to anyone.

Showed up for church at 10:30 am, thinking we were half an hour late. Turns out church doesn't start until 11, so for the first time this year, we were on time!!!

We were at the Zoo and there were elephants from India. I couldn't for the life of me remember if India was a country or a continent. Then I tried to name all the seven continents. It took awhile. And I may or may not have had to look it up. :)

This is just a small list (of the things I can remember). At least I know these girls make it worth it!

Do you have any my-baby-stole-my-brain-moments that you'd like to share?
Really, it would make me feel so much better!

Stubborn

Just before we got engaged my husband spoke to my father to get his blessing or permission or whatever it is you do when you speak to your future father-in-law to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. My dad said to him, "Are you sure you want to marry her? She can be pretty stubborn." My husband in his young, naive, so-in-love-and-couldn't-wait-to-be-married mode replied, "yeah, I know she is."

Uh, gee thanks Dad...

And over the years I've had to listen to my husband say, "Man, your dad was right. You ARE stubborn, I had no idea!"

This really grates on my stubborn mind. For the record, I like to think of it as being strong-willed, independent and assertive.

And now, when we have a child who rears the ugly head of stubbornness you can just guess who gets the blame. But that's ok, I can handle it. I'm STUBBORN, remember? I take it as a compliment. In fact, I like having stubborn kids. You want to know why? They ARE more independent. Hence they dress themselves sooner, are less clingy at an earlier age, and can tend to their own needs like pouring a bowl of cereal themselves, etc.

But, here's the problem: I have a potty training two-year old right now and we are butting heads over the issue. Not the peeing part, that for the most part is good. It's the other part we're talking about here and it's definitely a problem. He, quite possibly, could be the most stubborn of them all. The bribery isn't even working at this point. A full-size candy bar and a trip to get an ice cream cone are on the table thus far. The way to this kid's heart is through his stomach and he does really want these things, it's just that he doesn't want them enough to do the deed.

And so we are in a battle.

A battle of wills. His against mine. He thinks he's won at this point because I have backed off a little bit. But, I'm just biding my time and eventually I will win because I always do. And let's face it, I have had quite a few more years than him to perfect my stubbornness.

In a past life I. . .

As we prepare for our moving adventure (trying to be positive and not freak out, which by the way is our family anthem!) I am striving to purge (gotta love that word sometimes) the stuff we collect and gather and move without really using. I purged about 20 inches of paperwork I kept from college. It's less than two inches now. I must say I am proud of my accomplishment.

Even more, I am pleased I finished college with a 4-year degree. But let me tell you, it was with a different brain. I flipped through binders from at least 3 semesters of calculus, trigonometry, statistics, and math education theory. It is a different language. (Literally, calculus proofs with nothing but Greek letters.)  Ah, I remember enjoying some of my mathematical concepts courses a little too much.

(I am just amazed at my perfect score on this calc 2 exam, even if you can't read it!)

It truly seems like a different me. I have several different me's. After college, I was math teacher me. Teaching junior high mathematics requires a different brain! (Oh yeah.)

Before college I was dancer me. I danced for a modern dance company in Phoenix for a couple of years. I grew up with Ballet Etudes in Mesa and danced with them for many wonderful years.

And of course, high school me, junior high me and elementary school me. I'm sure most of us can relate to different stages of childhood. And childhood events that define us.

And now I am mom me. (Ha ha! I had to do it!) I have been a mother for over 10 years now. I still have moments where it's hard to fathom. I think,"I'm the mom." (Especially those moments of "mom-brain".) I guess I still don't feel ready to raise a child sometimes. I am such a work in progress myself. (I hope that doesn't sound horrible.)

Speaking of work . . . I need to get back to my purging and packing. Hopefully, I'm saving things that will have meaning to me when I see them again (when I eventually unpack, or we move again!)

And I hope my analogy isn't offensive to anyone. (I could go on how my kids are my professors now, but that would be bad.)

What's that smell? Oh, it's me cooking dinner

My first year of marriage I probably cooked my husband three meals. That's what happens when you are both working full time. Poor guy. Now that I'm at home and not working, I get a text every single day from him that says, "What's for dinner?" I usually say: something with chicken, or something with beef. Sometimes I say, is grilled cheese okay? Occasionally, I stick it to him and say, whatever you wanna make. But really, I figure being a Mom who stays at home it's part of my duty and role to make din din for the familia. Though it stresses me out sometimes, I enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes. I feel really accomplished when we eat a fabulous dinner that tastes amazing. I need to work on tasty, healthy recipes though. If I really want to feel like a good cook, I get the recipe from here: The thing I like about this book is that they try out lots of different ways and variations to cook a certain meal. That's how they find the best way. They explain in the book how they come to the best conclusion. Then they give you the recipe and walk you through it step by step with good details. It's more work and time but if you want to learn some really sweet skills in the kitchen you should get the book. It has never let us down. In my honest opinion it is the Bible of all cook books. The other day we were putting some good use to Griselda, our butchered cow. Remember when I introduced you? We had some cube steaks that we needed a recipe for so we found a good one in the book. It was for chicken fried steaks with gravy. Let me tell you the hubby always likes it when I cook, but this night he LOVED it. He is not acting in the pictures at all. Truly. I love it when I make him proud.

The Sideburn Saga Continued

Remember the post about Wesley's sideburns here? I was totally trying so hard to not be annoyed by him/them. It wouldn't have been so bad if every time I looked over at Wes he didn't have some ridiculous comment about how much I loved his sideburns. Or how he was keeping them forever. Or how many compliments he was getting on them. Or how he knows I secretly like them, and so on. And on. And on. He even put his brother up to texting me about how much he loves Wes' sideburns and how awesome they are. Nice try Wes and Randy. If you know Wesley, then you know he can take a small joke that probably started out funny, and turn it into the most annyoing thing you have ever heard in your life! So, basically what I am saying is we totally act twelve about the situation.

After some serious threats about cutting my hair, posting about it on Facebook, and even pinning my hair up in a faux bob, I knew I needed to be even a little more proactive. Saturday night I grabbed the scissors to show Wes I meant business. I pulled my hair all back, and was holding it against my neck and yelled at him to just cut or I would. I was hoping he would say something along the lines of alright, alright, I'll shave. However, that sentence never was uttered. He dramatically grabs the scissors and chops my hair off. My heart dropped. After I heard the scissors snip and my hair fall. In a shaky voice asked, "Did you seriously just do that?" OOOMMMGG! He starts panicking and yelling at me, "You can't play me like that Tara! You just can't!" We were both totally freaking out. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He finished the hair cut and the total inches lost were about five. It's been probably since high school since I have had my hair this short. The cut isn't that bad, but thank goodness I have just a few hairdressers friends, and we happen to be heading back to Mesa in less than a week and I can get it fixed then. Oy vey. I am still in shock. I cannot believe how the events played out. And don't tell me it's just hair. Hair is everything.

Here's a pic I know you are all dying to see:

And if you are wondering; yes, he still has those damn sideburns!!!

(They actually don't look bad in that pic, trust me they were much worse in person.)