I worked out today!!!

I debated over whether this announcement should be a whole blog post or just a status update on facebook.  And I thought it was big enough news to write a paragraph or two about it...also, I don't want all my facebook friends to know I never work out. :)

So, I have been having some less than healthy couple of months. I won't go into details, but I am a bit concerned so I decide that finally in my 37th year, it is time to start working out.  But I need some serious advice here!!!!!

1.  It is so boring. I chose to walk with our jogging stroller and 18 month old around our neighborhood lake/pond.  It is a great little curcuit, some uphill and some down, but wow!!!! NOTHING to do but walk and walk and walk.

2.  Have you ever exercised in a sauna?? Yeah, well, that was me this morning.  I am all showered and dressed for the day and sitting in my air conditioned house STILL sweating.

3.  It seems so hopeless, like I have to do this every single day for a whole month or something before I will notice it even helping me at all.

OK, so give me some encouragement. advice, help, what do you do to work out?

Thanks....

Football, parakeets, singing in church

Wow, this post would sure be more exciting if I had some great pictures. I am working on it.  My camera is kind of well, not working so........This is the best I can do.
Football, our town is a little bit excited about football.  I have never seen anything like it.  Every Friday all the kids wear our school color. We only have one highschool in our town so every school has the same mascot and color.  Anyway, on Fridays which are game days for the highschool, all the kids in all the schools have a spirit day and wear our colors.  Very cool.  The moms all wear sequined spirit t-shirts and hats and things. There is a total market for crafty women who make stationary, hair bows, shoe laces, t-shirt designs, skirts, pencils, you name it. If it has our school colors and info on it, we buy it.  Football starts when we are VERY young.  4-5 to be exact.  Ben has been playing since then.  And this year he just began tackle.  He is 8.  He is considered big for his age (90 lbs) so they red tape him and he plays on the line.  Anyway, the point of all this is just to share that he practices THREE times a week at 2 1/2 hours each practice and has a game every Saturday.  He game last Saturday was a 4 hour experience.  wow. So who has time for anything else?

We do.  In fact, we just bought two cute parakeets.  Again, pictures to come.  But the girls have been wanting a pet.  I did and do not want to handle anything to do with pets so it is all up to Dad and the girls to keep these dear birds alive. It has been great fun for all the kids and an awesome babysitter for the 18 month old!!

My girls have caught the drama bug...yes, drama happens all the time, but I am talking about actually on stage!! :)  So, we have one in a show called, The Wiz.  Ever heard of it? It is the African American version of the Wizard of Oz.  The last time it has been seen by large audiences is on TV with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Yeah.  But anyway, should be fun, lots of dancing and singing.

The other daughter is trying out for Annie this month. Wish her luck!!

And then of course, we also have soccer going on. My other son LOVES Soccer.  He also loves tennis and want to play basketball this winter. And somehow in all this, he really wants to try football to see if he likes it. I mean, we can't NOT do football right? right?

And it was just such a cool experience for us.  The ward music specialist (the lady at church responsible for the music on Sundays) called and asked us to participate with some sort of musical number.  Wow, we are not performers, but I told her yes and the three girls sang together. Wow, they were brave.  Our little 4 year old started them off with the first line of the song. So cute.  You never know what you or your kids can do until you try.

And then there is the subject of fashion.  I can't help it. I must blog about this.  WHY can't large flannel shirts and birkenstocks and thick wool socks come back into style??? I mean, come on!! IT has been over a decade now and it is about time people!!  I think I came into my best look in the early 90s when I could go to my college classes with curly, somewhat messy hair and those before mentioned items of clothing. sigh.

OK, that's it for now. So much more to say.

Room Makeovers

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Mandi's room

Sarah's Dresser, I added fabric to the front with a staple gun, and a little padding.  I want to paint it white and change the knobs, but this is the start.

Sarah's room. She still needs a bed frame.

Mandi's room

Swiss Family Robinson

Hello!
I have so many posts planned and not enough time to post them.
From the first page of Swiss Family Robinson:

"My beloved children, God can save us, for nothing is impossible to Him.  We must however hold ourselves resigned, and, instead of murmuring at His decree, rely that what He sees fit to do is best, and that should He call us from this earthly scene, we shall be near Him in heaven, and united through eternity.  Death may be well supported when it does not separate those who love."

Well worth the read. I highly recommend this book for all families.

They surprised me!!

Surprise!!

I went to Costco last night because I didn't want to have to go on my BDAY. Dustin rallied the kids and they cleaned the house AND decorated AND wrapped my presents AND were ready to party with me when I returned.  SO FUN! I love my little family. They are so thoughtful and good to me.

One of my presents is very very fun.  It doesn't actually come out until June 24 or so....

 

but you see, I have had the original I-phone since it was first created which is a very slow machine with only a little bit of memory. :)  AND you see, they are just happening to release the new one in JUNE, in my birthday month, SOOOOO  I get a new one! Yippeee!!! :)  When I first got the I-phone, I thought it was fun for Dustin to get it for me and to load things on it for me and to set it all up etc.  But it really has become such an invaluable tool for me now. I use the calendar and maps most of all.  You would not believe how many times I get lost in a day. I am directionally challenged in a HUGE way. :) But I also love my tunes on there, the movies, general conference from our church (http://www.lds.org) the church directory with maps and phone numbers, the scriptures, and now I will be able to get a library of books on there. It is way cool.  Wanna know another cool thing? I can read in the dark with that thing! So if I am sitting by a lonely child, or can't sleep, I can pull it out and read scriptures or check email, or even get on facebook. Very great for soccer/baseball/basketball/football games too.  I am sure you all have one too, but I am feeling a little excited about my new one in just a week or so!!!

Today

A Day in the Life of:

I am in quite the blogging slump so this may be totally boring to you, but I might find it interesting in a few years. :)

We all got up at 7 this morning. (Dustin was off to work at six--poor guy--always feel bad for the men who work in the summer.  I was up with him too.) I just keep doing my Mommy job in the summer time which started at 7 today.

8:00 I went to cub scout day camp with my son Ben.
He was so excited and had three great buddies right there in the den with him.  I stayed around helping everyone get settled and organized. I am the Primary President and felt a need to make sure our kids were in the right place and leaders felt comfortable.  I drove out the driveway and down the street and couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to go back and check on things and talk to Trudy.  She is an expert scouter who works with our boys.  I asked her how she feels the cub scout program is running.  Learned some new valuable pieces of info. And then drove off to head back home.

Returned home at 9. 
Fed the children who had not yet had breakfast. My older girls are such a blessing to me.  They were home watching everyone else while I dropped Ben at camp.  And then I started to clean up the kitchen a bit at which time I remembered that my friend was taking me out to lunch because tomorrow is my birthday. SO nice. :) I got in the shower and actually round brushed my hair and got ready.

12:00 Lunch with a friend.
We went to Brio. It was REALLY tasty. And the conversation was wonderful.  We laughed and cried.  And I felt very close to the Lord as we were talking about some of her life's decisions she feels good about. It was a great lunch. 

2:00 Then the girls had friends over.
Audrey went to play at Gracie's.  I left to pick up Ben and two friends at camp. James came over to swim.  I cleaned the kitchen floors and counters and did the dishes (finally, it was from breakfast and lunch now too) THEN the wonderful lawn crew showed up to trim our bushes. We are having a work dinner over here on Saturday night and it all needed to be trimmed.  Last week Dustin and I tried to do it ourselves like usual and died of heat and almost got swarmed by wasps so we gave up.  :) It was one of those moments when it was easy to convince Dustin to pay for someone else to do it. They did a great job!!

4:00 I made spaghetti and brocolli for dinner. Some of the children cheered and some cried. :)
Then I asked them to all do their power hour.  We do it every day where they spend some time learning.  So they are all quietly sitting and working.  It is a happy moment.  Noah is a bit bored though and when I sat down to blog, he pulled my hands away and tried to get my attention.  So I have been interrupted two or three times to run races in our front room with Noah, then to feed him some more yogurt in his chair, then to wash him up from that. Then he wanted to go outside, then I had to get up to check on him out there because he is alone. The yard is fenced but still he needs supervision afterall.  And then Dustin got home from work and I helped him bring up the garbage cans. whew! And now we are up to the present moment.

7:00 Tonight we will have a lesson together as a family and pray and read the scriptures. And then we will go to bed.

Not a super busy day, almost just right.
And I almost forgot it was FLAG DAY!!!!!

Glimpses

Mandi and Tia 

The kids looking for Ducks 

Waiting to ride the train