One Goal Down

At the beginning of this year I made a list of goals I published and I made a list of goals I didn't post. One of those goals was to jog and/or run one mile without stopping. I may or may not discuss other goals as they are accomplished.......

Anyway, last night I did. I jogged at a speed of 5 miles per hour for 14 consecutive minutes on the treadmill. No small feet when the just 2 months I could only jog for 1 minute before my shins or lungs were in so much pain I had to slow down to a quick walk.

You see, I have exercise induced asthma and shin splints. I have spent the last two months strengthening my leg and lung muscles and building up my endurance. I started with jogging for 1 minute and walking for 2 or three minutes. Then the next week I shortened my walking interval. The next week I lengthened my jogging interval, and gradually increased it each week, stopping only when my lungs or legs couldn't handle the pain. Tonight I completed one consecutive mile without lung or leg pain! Yeah, for more miles like tonight's in the future.

Movie Reviews

 Adorable

 Cute

 Intriguing

Enjoyable

Intense

 Outrageous & Funny

Lame

Hilarious

April General Conference

On Saturday and Sunday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints broadcast its 182nd annual General Conference. I found myself thinking about my Grandpa. You see, it was two years ago during the Saturday afternoon conference I was able to visit with my Grandpa for the last time on this earth. When we said good-bye after our visit I felt like it would be the last time I get to say good-bye to him, and while I did not want to believe it at the time I am extremely grateful I was able to let him know I love him and tell him good-bye before he left this earth.

Although each April will be a bittersweet reminder of this experience, it is also a time to rejoice in the knowledge of life beyond this one and that our actions, choices, and experiences can be carried with us when we die. I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace and comfort it brings into my life amidst the turmoil of every day life. I know Jesus lived and died for us so we can be forgiven for our sins, resurrected, and be with the ones we love after this life is over.

Children and Listening

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” - James Baldwin

I find this hilarious and thought provoking at the same time. Maybe if I work more on my example and less on talking we will see more changes in the behavior of our children. Maybe if I learn about other examples in their lives I can better understand thrm.

Sent to Heaven

We've been having a lot of ups and downs at our house the last few weeks. I am trying some new alternative medicines to help with some of my challenges and haven't had a whole lot of upbeat things to post about. Yesterday, I was testing the kids in Benjamin's school class on reading when I received a text from one of my friends that gave me a different perspective on my challenges, constant as they may be. You see, the text read "Candice's baby passed away of SIDS this morning." I struggled not to burst into to tears and rush home. Her baby boy was 2 1/2 months old.

Candice is one of my close neighbors and friends, and one of the sweetest people I know. Her kids play with my kids. I remember her delight at having a second boy to added to their family of three girls and one boy and the struggles she was having at the end of her most recent pregnancy. I cannot begin to imagine what she is going through right now.

Her loss has taught me a great deal about "mourning with those who mourn" as we are instructed to in the scriptures. It has only been a matter of hours, but trying to deal with my own reactions to what has happened has been intense. I reflected on the pregnancy losses I've experienced, my difficult pregnancies, Bekah's RSV at 4 weeks old, and the impression I had that one of my babies would not make it shortly before he was born. None of those can compare to losing a baby to something you have no control over like SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), but it gave me a little bit of perspective. Then I went through all my frustrations as a mother lately and felt guilty about taking my children for granted. I found myself asking questions like "do I enjoy my time with them," "how can I be more patient with them," "do they know how much I love them," etc. After I talked with Michael about everything that was going through my head, he helped me understand that in my own way I was trying to empathizes and it was okay to feel the way I was feeling.

I am devastated for her. All of life's other uncomfortable moments and ongoing challenges are not as painful or important right now. Even though I know families can be forever, it is very hard to lose them in this life, especially after such a short time. I pray they will be able to find comfort and healing in the months to come.

Food for Thought

I have not run out of flashbacks. I've just misplaced the CD with my pictures on it, again. So today's post is a funny story posted by my friend, James H. on Facebook.

Since it is election year for the United States President, there is a lot of political stuff (crap) flying around, being discussed and posted, the Internet. I usually ignore it, not because I don't want to be informed, but because I think most of it is worthless information and a lot of bashing which doesn't accomplish much besides create intense emotions. There are also a lot of strong political beliefs that present themselves during elections, and that is what my friend's story is about. He is a strong Republican by the way.

"Why My Liberal Neighbors Aren’t Speaking To Me Anymore"

I recently asked my neighbors’ little girl what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, are liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, ‘If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?’

She replied, ‘I’d give food and houses to all the homeless people.’

Her parents beamed with pride.

’Wow…what a worthy goal.’ I told her, ‘But you don’t have to wait until you’re President to do that! You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I’ll pay you $50. Then I’ll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.‘

She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn’t the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?'

I said, ‘Welcome to the Republican Party.’

Her parents still aren’t speaking to me.

I strongly believe in hard work and trying to better yourself. Yes, I do believe we should help others and there are people who are homeless who could use a helping hand and would improve on it. However, I also believe there are a lot of people who take advantage of people giving them things and use it as an excuse not to work. If we could find a happy medium between learning to work and being given things, I feel there would be more balance in the world. Something I am trying to learn and teach my children every day.

I posted this story because I found the child's thought process interesting. Not to say one political party is better than the other. The way children's minds work intrigues me.

Home Improvements

When we decided to tackle the basement last year, I thought we had a good handle on making some necessary home improvements. I mean, an unfinished basement to a (mostly) finished laundry room and extra room with a giant (compared to our other closets) closet is a big change, right? Right.

Then December hit. We were super close to finishing the room downstairs so we could restore some order to our house before Christmas when we discovered we had some unwanted guests, mice. Not the one mouse I thought we had, but mice. Thanks to the disgusting mess they scattered throughout my house, every room in my house was deep cleaned and rearranged at least once between December 20th and New Year's Eve. We now have DICON strategically placed throughout the lower levels of my house and have no more evidence of unwanted visitors.

On New Year's Day, the stove started smelling funny when I turned on the oven. Thinking a mouse had died in the insulation, I didn't use my oven for a week so Michael could take it apart and see how much damage had been done. Low and behold, at least one mouse had been nesting in my stove and had chewed through some wires ruining the stove. Since at least one other mouse had been living under my fridge, I was afraid to see what kind of damage had been done there as well and since parts of the fridge had been broken by my children and needed to be replaced (I couldn't find the owner's manual to figure out which parts to order from where, we opted to replace both the fridge and the stove at the same time. Thanks to Sears Outlet Center, I purchased both appliances (after sales tax and delivery) for the sale price of the same fridge at Sears. Which says a lot considering I bought a double oven, free standing stove with a glass surface and a matching brushed stainless steel fridge with a pull out freezer drawer, and both were brand new.

Then we moved into the month of February and not even one week in, the garage door opener broke. The $10 replacement part was not what was needed to fix our monstrously loud garage door and we decided it was time to replace all of the broken parts (the outside panel doesn't work, the sensors were bent and falling apart). Now, we have a almost silent, working garage door.

All I can say is I am grateful for savings and tax returns. We won't be making the other improvements we were planning to the backyard this year, but I am grateful to not have to go into debt to make all of the necessary improvements we have encountered in the last few months. I do hope we are done for a long time though.

If I won a shopping spree . . . .

During the month of December several of the radio stations were doing give-aways. One was giving away "piles of cash" in hundred dollar increments. Another was giving away a $10,000 pile of presents. Still another was giving away a $1,500 shopping spree. All these offers made me contemplate what I would do if I won something like that, and I discovered some rather unique things about myself.

If I won a shopping spree, I would hope it was to a bookstore, a fabric and craft store, or a home improvement store. First, books are adventures I can take over and over again, or ways to learn new things. We love going to the library and bringing home as many books as we can carry and someday I would like to have a huge library of our own. Second, I love to create things, mostly to give away as gifts but also to beautify our home and for the children's enjoyment. My kiddos also like to make things and do projects and are always asking for a new project when I take them to the craft store. Third, I have some many things I would like to do with our yard and home it would be nice to have a lot of extra money just to get them all done instead of doing a little bit here and there.

If I one the pile of presents, I would give away a lot of it to people who were in need or struggling and sell the rest to either work on paying of the cars and house or to put in savings (though I am sure some of my family would talk me into keeping one or two things.) Especially at Christmas time, but all year long as well, I find myself wanting to help others by giving them things or doing things for them. When I am in a position to help, I try to do so. When I am not, I really wish I could. I guess I would say I feel better about myself when I have the opportunity to help others and I can't get enough of that feeling.

If I won the hundreds of dollars in free money, I would put it towards paying off debts and building up savings rather than spending it all on Christmas presents. I have to admit our debts are only for the necessities like cars, home, and education (with the exception of the piano) but I don't like having debt and I am trying to pay it off as soon as possible. Furthermore, I would love to have an enormous amount of savings and am always looking for ways to increase our savings.

All of these things are not what I typically here people wanting to do with prizes or money received by chance. But then, I am finding I am not like most people when it comes to the way I spend our money.

Life is Crazy Busy

Living from day to day takes a lot of time. There are always chores to do, meals to make, errands to run, children to play with, school, books to read, exercises to complete, movies to watch, places to go, things to do, etc. Trying to juggle and balance it all is a phenomenal act. As long as I do a little bit each day, it feel like things are moving forward instead of sliding backward or standing still. There are never enough hours in the day, or energy in my body, for everything I would like to accomplish. Maybe life will slow down in a little while. Maybe I will find a better way to balance. Until then, one day at a time . . . . . one day at a time . . . . . one day at a time . . . . .

What's Your Sign?

Ryan has reached the wonderful toddler screaming stage. For him this means "If I scream at you, you will give me what I want because I want it right now." For me this means "You are going to scream at me until I guess what you want because you can't use words yet." We are both frustrated with this unsuccessful process and so I have been trying to communicate an alternative form of communication to him, sign language. It took several months, but he is finally getting it and screaming a little less. He points more specifically to things with his little hands, says please when he wants something, and yesterday he signed "more" when I asked him if he wanted more and showed him the sign. I will be grateful when he learns a few more signs and starts saying more words, but mostly I am grateful for anything that will reduce the amount of toddler screaming we experience in our house. I am so extremely grateful for the small, yet significant, impact sign language has had in my life.

Valentine's Day: Her Favorite Holiday

Not mine. Bekah's. Why? Because of all the pink.

Today we made pink cupcakes and decorated them with pink, red, and heart shaped sprinkles. Bekah is dressed all in pink, though she would not let me do her hair in a heart shape. Then we cut out pink and red hearts to decorate the house. We also plan to have heart-shaped, personal size pizzas for dinner, and if I can squeeze it in, heart-shaped doughnuts.

And, she likes to tell people her favorite color is all of the colors or green. Can you guess her real favorite color?

I am Harry Potter

Hooray for Spirit Week! Benjamin's elementary school has a spirit week at least once a year and this year's theme was Harry Potter. Each day had something fun to do or wear that related to Harry Potter.

• Monday was "Wear a Scarf" day. I found a simple scarf pattern and made him a scarf on Sunday night in the authentic Gryffindor colors. (I made one for Bekah too, but that is a whole another post.) 
• Tuesday was "Invisibility Cloak" day. Benjamin wore his super hero cloak from a party he went to this last summer.
• Wednesday was "Sorting Hat" day. Benjamin wore the beanie I made him to match his scarf. The school also had a Quidditch (soccer) game this day and Benjamin, who loves soccer, was delighted to participate.
• Thursday was "Dress as your Favorite Character" day. I actually remembered to take a picture this day, and I am so thankful Michael's black dress shirt is the perfect size to be a cloak on Benjamin so we were able to put together a costume without going to the store.
• Friday was "Wear your House Colors." So Benjamin wore red and yellow, the closest we could get to maroon and gold because Gryffindor is his favorite house.

I am so glad the people at his school take time to do have fun activities for the kids. He had a lot of fun this week.

The Return of Mr. Happy Pants

Yes, I do call my kiddos silly things like "Mr. Happy Pants" and "Mrs. Silly Pants." Last week, we had sick kids at our house. Fevers, coughs, runny noses, etc. When Ryan gets sick he is horribly grumpy, screams a lot, and wants to be held when he isn't sleeping. On Monday, he was finally feeling better and back to be content playing on his own and asking for things in a none screaming voice most of the time. He even found his monster (huge) grin and started doing his little happy dance when he was excited about something.

I am so glad he is back to his happy self. Now he is not sick, Ryan was able to show me a lot of fun things he has learned like waving "hi" and "bye" to people (even on the phone) and cars, point to the things he wants and say "please" in sign language, and hold my hand while walking through the parking lot. Ryan also let me know when he wanted to talk to his daddy, who was gone on a business trip, by bringing me the phone and saying please.

I love you, Ryan! So glad you are back to being your healthy, happy self.

Hat Wearing Little Guy

Sketch Me a Picture

The Blessing of Multiple Bathrooms

We have three bathrooms in our house. Occasionally, all three are occupied at the same time. Usually, only two have occupants at the same time. Today was a two day, but that is not why I am thankful for multiple bathrooms. I am thankful for multiple bathrooms today because my school boy came racing home from school to use the bathroom, and once he found the upstairs bathroom was occupied he knew he could go downstairs and use that bathroom to avoid an accident. He didn't have to deal with a mess or embarrassment or more strain from trying to hold it longer, he simply was able to take care of his business.

Strange, I know, but for me having more than one bathroom is a big deal. That, and not having to share my bathroom with the kids is kind of important to me too. Less accidents, less fighting over who's turn it is in the bathroom, less ridiculous "I can hold it just a little longer" poses, and more privacy for the bathroom necessities of life. Oh that, and I don't have to worry about which child is going to need to go potty while I am taking a shower because they have their own bathroom to use.

Having multiple bathrooms does not mean my kiddos stay out of my stuff. Oh no, leaving my makeup, lotions, brushes, hair ties, etc. would be too easy. It does however, reduce the amount of mischievous raids through my personal stuff and the number of kid messes I have to clean up before brushing my teeth.

I am VERY grateful we have multiple bathrooms at our house.

Teaching in Church

Until recently, I had never taught an adult class at church. Teenagers in Sunday School and Young Women's, yes. Primary, hundreds of hours. Nursery, frequently since having children of my own. But, I had never taught an adult Sunday School or Relief Society class, and definitely not Priesthood. Last week, I subbed for the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School teacher and taught lesson about the story of the Liahona and Nephi's bow. This week I taught part of the lesson for the High Priest group. (I'm the Family History coordinator for our ward and the High Priest Group Leader asked me to discuss how to do indexing for FamilySearch and how we can encourage Family History in our ward.) I have to say I was more terrified to teach the High Priests than I was Sunday School, but I did survive both. I still think I prefer teenagers or Primary age children because I don't get stage fright or wonder what they think of me and what I am trying to teach, but I definitely have been doing some growing the last few weeks.

Flashback Friday: Granny Gracie

On February first, my Granny Gracie would have been 93 years old. However, in September of this year (2012) she will have been gone for 5 years. In my gerontology class at BYU, we discussed how anniversary and birthdays are the most challenging times for the loved ones still alive. I'm not very good at remembering when loved ones have passed on, but I do remember birthdays. This week I spent time remembering Granny.

Some of the things I remember include

• doing puzzles every time we went to her house
• eating huge breakfasts which included eggs, toast, cereal, jam, fruit, bacon or sausage
• watching Anne of Green Gables and the Princess Bride over and over again because those were the only "kid" movies she had at her house
• eating watermelon and spitting the seeds in the red dirt behind her house
• climbing the hill behind her house in Kanab until we were too afraid to climb any higher
• going to the local production of "The King and I," just the two of us
• wondering why she had three bedrooms with bedroom sets when it was just her and Grandpa Arthur living in the house, but sure grateful we all didn't have to sleep on the floor or the couch when we went to visit

Every year, on February first I think about Granny and the life she lead and it makes me think about the kind of life I am trying to live. Love you, Granny.

Soccer Finatics

Backyard Fun

We came home from running errands and the kiddos asked if they could go play in the backyard. I said yes, and after I put the cold groceries away in the fridge and freezer I joined them. At first I felt a little guilty for not putting the rest of the groceries away or starting dinner, but after I let that go I totally enjoyed playing with the kids and taking pictures of them. I felt like I had done something better than my self-assigned chores, and the other things still got done a little bit later. I am glad I took some time out of my day to share in the simple joys of childhood with my children.