From the Past

I have become the family keeper of the pictures. My parents gave me the family pictures since they have become RVers. It is nice to have so many memories (maybe in my case reminders, since I don't really have a memory). ;) I was excited to find some of the pictures of my some of my grandparents and great grandparents. I need to scan them for posterity as well as to put on here. Luke sat with me as I organized some of them. He kept asking who everyone was. He was especially interested in the pictures of me and my little brother, playing in mud. There was one where it was obvious that I had eaten some! He kept asking why I had eaten mud and didn't I know that was gross? It was really cute.

This has gotten me interested in family history and genealogy again. I was really into researching and finding people and places, then linking them to me. I have gotten out of the habit of doing that. I need to get back to that. There are so many resources!

Almost Done!!!

I have been working on this double-sided blanket for a long time. I can't even remember when I started it. It must have been just after Christmas... Anyway, I am almost finished. I want to give it to my niece on Sunday. She is getting her name and blessing on Easter. It is a perfect time to give her a gift. I just HAVE to get it done!!

It looks done in the picture, eh?

It is actually quite easy, just time consuming. I found the pattern here. I saw a woman working on one at storytime and I searched for a long time before I found the right one. I really love the pattern and I am trying to decide if I want to do another for a friend who's baby is due in August. That's enough time, right??

Cooking Experiment

Trusting in my cooking skills, I thought I could make my own crab rangoon. I didn't really go from a recipe. I should have. I put the crab (imitation, because I've seen what they do to poor little crabs) in the blender with cream cheese. It was too thick, so it was REALLY hard to get all the same, smooth consistency. I finally got that under control and then I really needed more cream cheese to balance out the amount of crab that I bought.


From there I had to figure out the best way to wrap them. I tried the "flower" shape. They looked really good, but they were hard to keep the filling in.


I changed to an envelope/tortellini shape.



That worked a lot better. Overall, I enjoyed making them and eating them. I still have filling and wrappers left. I think I might make more for my breakfast.

Raines

We just found a great new show on TV. It is on Friday nights on NBC. It's called Raines and it's about a detective who has hallucinations of victims whose murders he is trying to solve. He can only see what he knows, so at first he sees them as they were at the crime scene...it can be gross. Quickly, though he learns names and faces and they start to become more of a person. I really like it because I like mystery show and I hate the gory parts. This show is more about figuring it out, not the nastiness of it all.

If you're interested, you aren't far behind. There have only been 3 episodes so far and you can watch them all online.

Good Little Nappers

Belle has always been a great napper. All I have to do is ask her if she is ready to take a nap with "Baby" & "Pooh" and she repeats their names and comes along. She is amazing! Luke was never that easy. He was never a big napper. Anyway, on Friday, when I left her to go to sleep, the stuffed animals were just in the crib with her, but when I went back to check on her, I found this:


She had turned them all to face down the way that she sleeps. I just had to take a picture of that much cuteness! I hate that she sleeps that way and so soon after I took the picture, I moved her head and some toys so that I knew she could breathe. I know that she is old enough to move if she isn't getting enough oxygen, but it just makes me nervous!

LDS General Conference

I have been listening to the general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (The church I belong to.) It is great! I will have to read it when it is printed, since it is really hard to listen with two young children.

One talk that I really liked was by the former Relief Society general president Bonnie D. Parkin. She spoke about gratitude. The first thing that she said that hit me was that murmuring makes it difficult for the Spirit of the Lord to work in us. I am generally a very positive person, but I have a bad habit of complaining about some people in my life. I really need to work on that. I need to be more loving and understanding of people's faults. She also read a scripture (Doctrine and Covenants 59:7, I think). It says "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." I don't think I do that enough. Especially in the adversity I have. She said we should. I suppose I am thankful for the things that I learn when I go through adversity. She made another comment that I really liked near the end of her talk. She said that our gratitude is an expression of our faith. If we have faith in God, we will be grateful to him and thank him for the things that he has given us!

Then, we got to witness a historic event. I wish we could have been in the Salt Lake Tabernacle as they spoke about it and rededicated it for use for many more years to come. I am also really amazed that they can redo the foundation and not have the whole building cave in.

Aaron and I were at the last session of conference (before this one) held in the Tabernacle. It was really neat. We were probably the last people to get ticket since they had closed the ticket office and we were late. They took us back and still let us pick up our tickets! I remember an usher making fun of us for kissing before the meeting. We had just gotten engaged and he was telling us he was going to kick us out.

I really like the effect that the Tabernacle Choir used in the closing song. They sang The Spirit of God. This song is used a lot for dedications. They started by having one man singing a solo, then adding another and another. The three were then joined by the men and then the women. It was as if it were Joseph Smith bearing testimony then a few then the whole choir as if it were the entire Church bearing testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It was awesome!

I can't wait for the rest, tomorrow!

SMART Habit Saturday

I am so proud of myself, this week! The only goal I didn't do everyday (I don't count Sundays) is making the beds. I exercised, mostly on the bike, but once we went on a 45 minute or so hike. I figure that was plenty for me. I feel so good. It has been a really productive week for me. I also have been doing well on not wasting so much time on the computer.

I am afraid to add anything since I am doing well. I think I'll stick with what I have and only add blogging only once per day to my list, since I am doing that anyway.

If you haven't started with SMART habits, you should check out Lara's blog.

On a side note, I am really excited for general conference. In our church, twice a year we get to hear from our prophet and other leaders. I hope to learn a lot and become rededicated to becoming closer to the Lord. We bought the kids new coloring books to help them be occupied. I hope it helps!

Control

Aaron and I have talked a lot about the control that people try to have over their children. Kids who have every move and choice they make overseen, eventually rebel. They are a lot more deceptive and sneak around to do the things they know they are not allowed to do, even at a very young age. I'm not saying that I want to have no control over my children, but I think there is a point where you never bend and let them be children. The point of being a child is to learn and play, not to be little adults!

The control thing goes for adults, too. How many of us have dieted only to binge and end up fatter than we were before? Only to do it again when the next diet comes along...

Money can be the same way. I was reading a recent post of Lara's and it got me thinking about this. If you budget yourself into complete control over your money, you may end up splurging and spending way more than you intended to.

We try to avoid these problems at my house by fitting in small amounts of food and money that we really don't have to explain. At the grocery store, we each get a treat that is up to each of us alone to choose. The idea is that we get to eat it alone, but we usually end up sharing. It really helps. We know that we can get a treat that we don't have to prove is worth getting. It is just something that we wanted. We then don't constantly have the house full of sugary, salty and greasy treats. When it comes to our budget, we get mad money that is up to each of us to spend however we want. It really does help. We don't get so many urges to spend random money.

Side note: I have learned that the real way for me not to over spend each month is to change my mindset. If I think we have plenty of money and I can get random extra things as I am shopping, then I spend A LOT more money than if I think of it differently. If I realize (or convince myself) that there isn't a ton of money to be spent (which there isn't) then I don't spend as much.

Bottom line: Our minds are very powerful! If you feel trapped and controlled, at some point, you will rebel and splurge. I think the goal is to have a balance of control. This is really what discipline is all about. We have to learn to control ourselves in a way that works for us. And, back to kids, if we control their every move and choice, then they can't learn to be disciplined.

Okay, so now I am going to get off of my soap box and have a fun day with my kids!!

Dyson Slim Vacuum Contest

So, even though I rarely win things, there's no harm in trying... Over at 5 Minutes for Mom, they are giving away a new Dyson Slim Vacuum. For me, vacuuming is just another chore, Aaron is the real vacuum user in our house. He also likes to mow the lawn. (which would be really helpful if we had one...) I think the two may be related. Anyway, go over and check out this contest and see if you can win. Or don't and my chances will be better!! ;)

I've been thinking...

I read Kim's post and it got me thinking. I spend way to much time checking my email and blogging. I finally decided to only blog once a day. I'll still get around to all the posts, but it will have to happen at one time instead of many times during the day. Of course, when I get online, I waste time on other things as well.

So, I tried it out yesterday and I got so much done. I craved my computer many times, but I only got on to blog once. I checked other things, but I didn't go around and spend a lot of time wandering around. It felt really good and I got a lot of stuff done!!

It may not look much different, but I'll notice!

What's Your Sign?

I never read my horoscope, but I thought, coming from The Onion, it may be worth it. I was right! Check yours out!

Babywearing in and Emergency

I found a site with some videos that show how to carry a baby with just about anything. I think it is a great thing to know about, because we never know when we are going to be in an emergency situation. If there is water, debris or anything else all over the ground that would be unsafe for your baby or toddler, the safest place for him or her is to be carried. This way, you can also have your arms free!

Family Home Evening Rocks!

We had a fun family night, well afternoon, yesterday! We found a hiking trail and went rock hounding. (I don't know why they call it that, but it is just looking for rocks.) Luke has already decided that he is a geologist, or rock man as he calls himself. We took Freckles and Belle in the new baby carrier/wrap that I made yesterday.

Here is Belle with her daddy.
And with me. (Not a good picture of either of us, but a great pic of the wrap.)


So, off we went to look for rocks for Luke. It was a lot of fun and we got a lot of great exercise at the same time.

We were able to find some neat rocks and some big ones to pose/rest on. Luke got really tired on our trek. He needs to get out more!


So, about this wrap. I have been looking into babywearing. Yesterday, I got the idea to look through my fabric stash and see if there was anything I could try. I found a large piece of knit fabric. It was in a large tube for t-shirt making. I cut off some of it just like it was and left it in the tube. I used it for a newborn sling.

This picture doesn't show it well, since I don't have a small enough child to pose with, but maybe you can get the idea. (Face removed to protect the unphotogenic innocent.)


The rest wasn't quite long enough and after taking off a little more for a spare or gift sling, I cut the fabric so that it was no longer a tube. Then, (once Belle was napping, since she isn't a very good seamstress, yet but wants to be) I sewed it together to make a 6 yard piece of fabric about 27 inches in width. I practiced some ways to wrap it and we had a great time on our walk. Belle loves it and doesn't want to get out when she is in!

I don't want to carry my babies around with me all the time, like some of the advocates of babycarrying do, but I love the idea of being hands-free so that I can do the things that I need to do when I do need to hold a child.

Lies

Another four year old that Luke plays with was over today. From what I could gather, they were playing too rough and the other boy got hurt. I got him some ice and he was fine for 10-15 minutes. Then, all of a sudden, Dylan (the other boy) decided to go home. I asked him why he was going home and he said it was because of the scrape he had gotten. Of course, he and his mom came over a few minutes later. She said he had told her that Luke had hurt him and that he had been too afraid to tell me about it. What a stupid little thing to lie to his mom about. What could he gain from that?

Blocked

I'm feeling a little blocked, today as to what I should say. Perhaps I shouldn't have started a post, today. But, I did.

I have been trying to finish a blanket for my newest niece. She is now 6 weeks old. To my credit, she was 2 weeks early... It is a crocheted, double-sided blanket, yellow and green. I think it is really cute, but it is just taking forever. I have trouble when I start projects that will take a while. I get bored and it takes even longer. I prefer to do craft projects that are finished more quickly. I pick it up a few times per week, but there are always things to pull me away from it. The kids are a big one. The computer is also good and calling tempting whispers my way... I should probably ignore it more, but I like to read your posts. It is a big part of my adult communication each day!

--The ability to work just a little. I want to stay in touch with the people I used to work for at a greenhouse and to keep my horticulture knowledge active in my mind. I have been teaching a community class in horticulture and I am going to start working some Saturdays where I did my internship. It is nice to have an identity and responsibilities outside of the home sometimes. I don't want to work full-time, at least while my kids are young and at home, but it is nice to be able to work just a little bit!

--The ability to stay home with my kids! Having said the above, I love to stay at home and take care of my children. I tend to be a homebody, so that makes it nice. Along with this, I am glad that Aaron makes enough money for me to be able to care for and teach our children at home.

--Sisterhood. I enjoy being able to meet with the sisters at church. It is fun to go to church and know that I'll have friendly women to sit with and talk to!

I didn't intend for this to be a Sunday thing. I guess I am just in a more thankful mood on Sundays. Maybe I should work on that!

SMART Habit Saturday

So, I did get rid of a few things we had laying around. I need more diligence, here. I haven't had a lot of motivation to keep up my habits. I guess I really haven't made them into habits. I want to work on a few old ones and bring in a new one. I think I'll actually do the old ones until I get them really down! I really liked it when the kitchen stayed clean. It looks and feels so much better when the dishes just stay clean! Aaron thinks so, too! So, that is goal number one! I will keep the dishes done. That also makes it a less daunting job. If I only have to clean up after one meal at a time, it doesn't seem so hard. Number two is that I want to make all of the beds every morning. I wonder if I could get Luke to help with his. He is usually really good at reminding me of things when I tell him it is something he should do....hmmm...that sounds like a great idea! Number 3 is new. I want to get on the exercise bike for at least 20 minutes everyday. I think I can do that! So, wish me luck! I am going for actual goals, so it may take me a few weeks of staying with the same goals (like I should have done more of already) to get there!

Come join the fun at The Lazy Organizer!!

That Look

These two are both at fun ages. They are able to play together and usually get along well. I thought this was a really cute pose to catch them in!

Kindergarten Registration

I am taking Luke to be registered for kindergarten, today! Up to now, I have been excited for him to go to school. Now that the reality is getting more solid, I am realizing I'm going to miss my little boy! I have been thinking that it will be nice to have just one child for part of the day. How much stuff can I get done in that time? How much easier will a trip to the grocery store be with only one child, again? I was so excited for things like that, but now... I want my little boy to stay little forever! No, I really don't. I really want him to grow up and be a wonderful man and father someday, but today, I want to freeze him right where he is: Playing with a Clone Trooper and watching Winnie the Pooh!

Neighbor Troubles

We live in a condo complex. We have a home owners association that has some very specific rules. They don't always enforce them, but they are there. So, how do we handle the new neighbors (who we think are renters--the owner doesn't really care or do much to make sure his renters obey the rules that he can get charged for being broken) who let their little rat-dog "use the facilities" all over the complex and NEVER clean it up. They also had a motorcycle parked on the public sidewalk. Who does that? It is a sidewalk. There are a lot of little kids that use it, daily. I wouldn't want that many small children near my expensive toy if it were me.

So, what do we do? Should I talk to them and ask them to put the dog on a leash and clean up after it? (Another neighbor has talked to them about the poo, but nothing has changed, yet.) Do we ask them to keep the motorcycle off of the sidewalk? I don't want to become their enemies, but I want to be able to enjoy the outdoors without having to clean up before we go out and remind my kids every time they go out to stay far away from the potentially heavy falling bike! Or, do we just report them to the HOA and get them in trouble?