Rudd Family Circus

Hodge Podge V. 66

2012-02-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Time for my weekly blog session of Hodge Podge. Someday I will get back to blogging on days other than Wednesday but I love this so it can't be missed :) Hop on over to Joyce's blog:

From This Side of the Pond to join in. In completely unrelated news my blog is alllll messed up and no matter how many times I change my text size, adjust etc it keep coming up looking all crazy. I am about to throw in the towel and start from scratch. Hmmm.... now I will be thinking of new blog names all night. Anywho on to the questions & answers which you came for :)

1. George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-Thomas Jefferson...who would you most like to meet and why?

I think it would be fascinating to meet any of them but I have always been very interested in Abraham Lincoln and his Presidency & of course Thomas Jefferson would also be amazing to talk to.

2. What's your favorite chain restaurant?

It is very hard to pick one. I really like a Chicken Pasta dish at Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden Salad and Bread Sticks of course and I really liked Ruby River Steakhouse. Oh and Baja Fresh. Oh and Panda Express. Oh how I miss them. I figure this is a great time to hone my chef skills over the next few years though :)

3. I spied this question on the Bears at Home last week and she gave me permission to
steal
borrow it.

When you look back on your life do you imagine you'll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say it was good?

I think if I am not able to go back and finish school I will regret that but other than that I think for the most part I will say it was good. There is no sense in looking longingly in the past when there is so much good to be had in the future.

4. Grapefruit-take 'em or leave 'em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?

I can do without Grapefruits. I do love orange juice and I really like the small oranges that are much easier to peel. I eat tons of those in the summer.

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?

I actually cleaned out our coat closet this week because I went to put something away and it was a mess and I could not take it a second longer. All of our closests could probably use with a good going through and reducing the amount of stuff in them.

I am waiting for uninterrupted time which probably won't happen any too soon :)

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people...who would you like to see round your table?

Sandra Bullock - I think she would be very nice, real and hilarious. Princess Kate I think she is fascinating and then Oprah because she has talked to a million people & probably has amazing stories.

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?

I would say it is about a 2 or 3 but since we are in England I need to get much much better at it which is hard to do when you drive a giant van in the land of tiny tiny cars, and tiny streets.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have joined a book club recently and soon have to pick the book I want the group to read. Talk about pressure! I have no idea what all they have read and it is a very eclectic group. So far I have narrowed it down to Mrs. Mike, The Spellman Files or Saving CeeCee HoneyCutt. Are any of these familiar to you and if not what is a book you would recommend? Thanks and have a fab week!

Lovely Hodge Podge Vol. 65

2012-02-08T02:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Lovely Hodge Podge provided to us by the fab Joyce at

From This Side of The Pond. Head over to her page and join in the fun!

Thanks again for supplying the questions Joyce, because between
my busy schedule, sick kids and mommy brain this is the only blogging I get done these days :)

1. What is something you are loving right now?

Right now I am loving the time I get to spend with my kids, even when they are being monsters (which is rare) because I know it will pass all too quickly. Plus, they are hilarious.

2. Paris, Venice, New York, and Rome are considered four of the most romantic cities in the world. Which one would you most like to visit?

Well I would like to visit them all but I think I would start with Venice.

3. Are you a romantic?

I like Romance but I don't know that I am especially romantic. I don't think of great romantic things to do for my husband and I forget our anniversary all the time. Yes I know how horrible that is. I think I am working on being more of a romantic.

4. What's your favorite love story made for the Big Screen?

I think it it is a three way tie between The Notebook, The Proposal and You've Got Mail. I love all three of those and none are really super traditional.

5. Everyone loves Pooh bear and friends...which character are you most like and why? Click here for help in answering this question.

I took the quiz and I am happy to report that I am Kanga like :)

6. What's the best chocolate something you've ever eaten?

Well currently my favorite is a delicious chocolate cake sold at the Co-Op store here that is soooooo yummy! It is chocolate cake with chocolate mousse between the layers and has chocolate frosting and chocolate shavings on top. Hmmm.... so good. I might just have to go get one right after I post this which would not be good for my diet but good for my soul :)

7. Share a favorite quote about love. I couldn't pick just one :)

Life is a flower of which love is the honey - Victor Hugo

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars, 1939, translated from French by Lewis Galantière

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~Michael Leunig

You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. ~Dr. Seuss

Before you love, learn to run through the snow leaving no footprint. ~Turkish Proverb

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I completed my first Boom Boom workout yesterday courtesy of Team BeachBody. My legs hurt so bad this morning I wanted to weep like a newborn but, I am excited to be on this path to being healthy again. I am four days soda free and sleeping more so I already feel better. Hope your week finds you healthy and happy!

Hodge Podge V 64

2012-02-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

1. It's that most wonderful time of the year...tax season! Do you complete your own returns or farm that job out to the professionals?

I farm that job out to my husband who is in charge of a tax center here. I think I have completed my own taxes only once. Math is not my thing in any form and I avoid it if it can be helped.

2. This next question comes from Kansas Bob...he posed it in his response to something I asked in an earlier Wednesday post and I asked him if I could add it to the Hodgepodge some day. Today's the day....

Which do you think has changed you more-love or pain?

Love. I think love makes us grow and while you learn from pain I don't know that you grown as a person. I am a better person all around because of the love of my family.

3. Tangerine Tango has been named color of the year for 2012. Your thoughts? Would I find this color anywhere in your house? How about in your closet? If not, will you be adding this color to your life in some way in 2012? If you're not sure what tangerine tango looks like click here.

I LOVE Tangerine Tango. Ihave some kitchen tongs in that color but I would love to add more and add it to my bedroom. It is such a bright cheery color and it seems warm to me. Especially appealing when it is really cold out :)

4. Are you a collector? What do you collect and does it get admired, used, and/or dusted regularly?

My husband will tell you I collect scrapbooking supplies that I never use..lol. I disagree. I don't collect them I am just to busy to use all my supplies currently. I collect pitchers and serving dishes. I LOVE dishes. Not wise when you move every 4 years.

5. February is National Heart Month...besides a green salad what is one tasty heart healthy dish you like to prepare?

Aren't cheerios heart healthy? If pouring cereal into a bowl does not count than I would say fruit salad?

6. When was the last time you had car trouble?

When we moved here about 8 months ago.

7. Have you been more demanding on yourself lately or less? Is that a good trend?

I think I have expected more from myself lately which is good but I have felt a lot less pressure and guilt if I don't accomplish everything on my list for that day or week. So I think it is a good trend. I am expecting myself to work out more and eat better, get more sleep and take better care of myself. When I am doing a better job of taking care of me I do a better job with everything else.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Random thought. Well here is a really random thought :) Today I went to a little village with a friend to check out a kitchen store and I found a fabulous honey spoon that has a bent handle so it will rest on the rim of the jar and drip off. My wonderful husband of course thought it was dumb which I just don't get. Men are so different in what they think is cool compared to us women folk at times that it just cracks me up. I think we will never completely understand one another and that is okay :) Have an amazing rest of the week!

Wednesday Hodge Podge V. 63

2012-01-25T05:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Wednesday Hodge Podge brought to us by Joyce at

From This Side of the Pond. Hop on over and join in after reading my answers if you are new to this. Hoping to return to more blogging soon but hey I am a busy, lazy procrastinator so this might be it for the next few weeks :)

Thanks for stopping by!

1. The NFL playoffs were held this past weekend and this year's Superbowl will feature the New York Giants versus The New England Patriots. How do you define 'patriot'?

I would define a patriot as someone who has strong feelings or is passionate about their beliefs and defending and promoting freedom of rights and their country.

2. What's something in your life right now that feels like a 'giant'?

Life feels kinda giant right now. One of my son's is having a medical issue and it just feels like we are working so hard to resolve it and no progress is being made. We are trying to determine if we should move, and the logistics of all of us getting home this summer to visit. There just seems to be a lot happening and a lot of it big things.

3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?

I remember thinking that I was so smart and that no one else understand me at all. I was so sure of what I wanted and the direction I was headed and I couldn't have been more wrong. I do miss the fearlessness I had then though.

4. Coconut-mashed potatoes-vanilla ice cream-mayonnaise...which white food would be the hardest to give up?

While I do really like mashed potatoes I can't live in a world without ice cream so that one is easy :)

5. Describe an incident or a day you remember as being the coldest you've ever experienced.

I think it would be one time when I was in college and there was sooo much snow on the ground and where I had to park was quite the hike to my first class. It was freezing and as I was walking down the sidewalk I slipped on ice and fell into the snow and was even colder. It was not great. Had to be hilarious to see though :)

6. You're hosting a brunch....what's your favorite dish to prepare and serve?

People who know me well realize I am NOT a morning person and would never host a brunch, having said that if I had to host I would serve fruit salad, muffins and quiche.

7. How do you combat negative thinking?

I like to put on some music, dance with my kids or clean. I also have started this new thing when a thought pops into my head that is negative I think "delete" and start thinking of something else immediately to get those thoughts out of my head. Mostly though just getting involved in something else so I don't have time to dwell on the negative works best for me.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I worked out for the first time in a looooong time this morning and it was on an exercise ball and in this one portion I kept falling off and my son said, "why don't you just quit?" What a great teaching moment! I told him that life is full of things that are had and you can't just give in and quit. I said I would keep going and I will do that DVD every day until I am not falling off the stability ball because you have to keep trucking. I was happy to work out and happy to have that moment with him. I think determination and resolve are so important to instill in youth. Have a great rest of the week & thanks for stopping by!

Dear Wednesday I am Not A Fan

2012-01-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Oh Wednesday let me count the ways I greatly dislike you. I would say hate but as my kids would remind me,

"We don't use that word".

I knew when I woke up it was not going to be a great day. I knew it was in large part to me staying up too late the night before and being tired but still. Come on Universe give a girl a break already.

Highlights: {or should it be lowlights?}

Being 30 minutes late to daycare and having the daycare worker be mad at me because when we did arrive they were serving lunch and kid #2 was FREAKING out and had to be torn from my arms while screaming while I tried to walk out of the room with his sibling hanging onto my other leg screaming.

Forgetting I am not suppose to eat broccoli at the lunch meeting I went to and proceeding to eat a bowl of brocolli soup. I feel super great right now.

Picking up my dog and he smells like he rolled in several things that have died. Several. Having to give him a bath which I have never done and won't be doing again. It was craptastic.

Having my youngest "help me" by taking off his poopy diaper upstairs and then coming downstairs to show me.... awesome.

Oh wednesday just go away already because I am done !!!!

Wednesday Hodge Podge Vol. 62 aka Too Tired to Think of My Own Title

2012-01-18T01:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Wednesday Hodge Podge. If you are unfamiliar with this, questions are supplied by the fabulous Joyce at From This Side of the Pond. Answer the questions, link up so people can read your answers & go read other people's answers. It is fun and nice to not have to think of your own content one day a week!

1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be?

I did not watch. If I was a contestant my talent would be .......ummm....give me a minute or 50 t think. Surely I have a talent I could list. I feel a bit like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. You mean I have to supply my own talent?

I don't sing, I use to play the piano a million years ago, I am creative so maybe painting or scrapbooking if that could count.

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake?

I currently have neither although I LOVE real plants. We have not had any in a long time with moving, etc and with little babies it has been easier not to have them. Now that my "baby" is almost three I think we are getting closer to it being safe to have plants in the house again though

3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student?

I was very quiet and shy through most of school. I especially did not want to be called on during Math. English was okay.

4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year...what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food?

I love Orange Chicken, Kung Pow Chicken, Chicken and Mushroom. I would adore to be able to get in my car right now and drive to Panda Express or something. This question will haunt me all day Joyce :)

5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle?

I think I would describe a miracle as something that is beyond human control and unexplainable. I am not sure what it would take for me to believe an event was a miracle. I do believe miracles still happen though.

6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here.

I think I would say When You Wish Upon A Star based on the list. Although Jo Jo The Dog Faced Boy is a close second. (Seriously what kind of song is that? Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy....lol)

7. I should have _____________ yesterday.

Made a grocery list yesterday because today I really don't feel like it yet my children are under the impression that not only do we require more food in this house we need a variety of food in the house. Demanding little punks :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I love making lists of things to do but I wish I was not a procrastinator on some of the things and I also wished I remembered to check my to do list everyday. That would be very helpful as I forgot to check it all of last week and yesterday so now I have an event to go to tomorrow and no sitter for a 2yr old. Joy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Parenting Fails 1, 2 and 3 and 4 and well you get the idea

2012-01-17T02:22:00.000-08:00

Well it was a weekend of Parenting Fails here at the Circus. Earlier I was thinking that it was just yesterday but as I review the weekend in my mind I realize it all started on Saturday. Hopefully you fared better.

The plan on Saturday: go to Costco and a craft store to get supplies, the workaholic had to go to work for about 30 min and a few other random errands needed to happen. First I thought Costco opened at noon for some odd reason and was open until 8pm. Nope. 9:30am to 6pm. Unfortunately this was not discovered until 3pm when we had to head to base to take care of matter there first. {Fail #1} (Side note they have weird hours here generally)
While there we did take the kids to the playground for a bit to run off some energy since it was not too horrid out. When leaving my oldest told me he had a horrible, terrible no good day. Really because if I recap your day you: slept in, played the computer for almost two hours, played with Legos, rode in the car for a few, went grocery shopping for about 20 min and then went to the playground for about 45 min, rode home and hot dogs and french fries for dinner.
So of course, being the mature rational adult I was I preceded to tell him that while his day might not have seemed perfect to him (grocery store, sitting in the car for more than 10 seconds) it was not horrible or terrible that it was actually pretty great. He said no. I then responded with, "well when you suffer through a natural even like a tsunami, earthquake, etc" then you can tell me you had a terrible horrible day until then buck up. Awesome right? {Fail #2}
After dinner the hubs left to go watch the big 49ers game with friends and I stayed here, put the kids to bed and then there was peace and quiet and I realized, I could watch ANYTHING. It was glorious. So I did. Once my movie ended (It's Kind of a Funny Story with Zach Galifianakis) I thought I would turn on the game to atleast know the score in case the hubs wanted to talk about it. The game was actually really good and it sucked me right in and I was watching and cheering (which is rare). Then came about 2:30am and I was realizing I really really needed to get to sleep. So I did.
Wake up late Sunday morning, of course instead of getting our clothes ready the night before I had not so I was rushing to do that and we were late for church by just over an hour. More groaning and complaining from the kids and stress for me. Awesomeness again. {Fail #3}

I learned long ago not to tell my kids what we were doing until we were going to do it. Why? Because plans change, play dates get canceled because kids get sick, etc. So rather than disappoint them you wait until you are 200% certain and THEN you tell them. Did we stick with that? Nope, we made the rookie mistake of telling them Sunday night that were taking them to an indoor water park. They were hyped. We were so excited that they were so excited, and so proud because we thought we had picked the perfect time to take them, etc. So the next morning I ask the hubs if he has looked up directions, how far etc. what time are we leaving, so on and so forth. No he hadn't so I thought I should. That is when we discovered the water park that my kids were sooooooooooo excited to go to was closed. Yep, CLOSED. {Fail #4}
No worries, we can still have a fantastic day.... it is almost noon we can still go somewhere. We will go swimming here at the pool. Except that when we looked that up it was now almost 12:30pm, they were eating lunch and open swimming closed at 1:35pm. {Fail #5} Two fails in the space of a mere hour. We were (or at least I was) feeling like the worlds most sucky mom).

I am happy to report that all was not lost because we were able to find a different pool and swim for just over an hour, they had a kid friendly slide, we were some of the only people there and after swimming we took them to eat at McDonald's so while we started the day as zeroes we ended it as hereos. I can't believe I just typed that it is so cheesy. Truth though, cheesy truth.

Apparently though after all our fails (I am sure there are more I did not list) my spare refrigerator was feeling left out and so it died. So that is also super awesome and the hubs has some work that will keep him busy and away for today so I am the lucky duck who gets to deal with the funky food in the garage. The silver lining to that cloud is we (and I mean me, myself and I) did at least already eat all the ice cream. I am happier and fatter due to that single fact.

So here is to the parenting failures that we all make; may yours be few and infrequent and may you be able to turn them around at least slightly so your kids can be saved for the "terrible, no good horrible days" and you can be spared from that look they give you that says, " I seriously can't believe I am stuck with you as a parent".

What is a parenting fail you recently have had or advice for dealing with them?

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-11T16:26:00.001-08:00

This is the Year of The Dragon;

I am a Dragon and I will Roar.

I will be magnified.

I will stop doing good things and do better things.

I will be brave and bold.

I will not follow I will lead.

I will be clearly defined.

I will be the best example I can be to my children.

I will laugh loud and often even if it is alone.

I will make the time to do the things that are the most important not what "needs" to be done.

I will soar to new heights.

I will act with purpose and kindness.

I am a Dragon.

KRudd

11 Jan 2012

Hodge Podge to the Rescue

2012-01-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Wednesday and the Goodness of Hodge Podge. I love that Joyce supplies weekly questions because my mommy brain is more mush than usual lately and this helps to make posting much easier. Thanks Joyce & head on over to her blog From This Side of the Pond to join in.

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-

amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

I am going to go with trickeration. It seems like such a fake annoying word & I would be super annoyed to hear that coming out of someone mouth constantly. From what I read it is being used frequently by sports commentators which would be why I have not heard it. My husband watches football and I surf Pinterest.

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

Yes I am. As I get older I handle things better though & have learned to appreciate the humor in situations more especially when it pertains to me.

3. What is your go-to snack?

Right now it is Shakeology shakes but it use to be cookies, chips whatever I could just grab out of the cupboard that was full of sugar and or empty calories.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction?

I have not been but I really want to go. I would love to hit all the museums first and then see the remainder.

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least?

I hate plank the least. I hate squat jumps the most even though they are so fantastic.

6. What's a small act of kindness you were shown that you've never forgotten?

When I was much younger I went to a church function at a house and I didn't realize we were suppose to dress in Sunday dress. (It was one of my first youth activities I had gone to) So I walked in and was in jeans and a sweater and everyone else in dresses, suits, etc. I was mortified. My teacher and then one who was hosting the party went and changed without saying anything into jeans so I would not be the only one and would feel more comfortable and not leave. It was a simple thing to do but it spoke volumes to me at a very impressionable age and I have never forgotten how she took 5 minutes to make things better for me.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

No. In High School I was always under the weight limit (ah the good old days)(oh and I am not bragging just reminiscing) & for the last 7 years I have been anemic and either pregnant or nursing so I have not. My "baby" will turn three soon though & I have no worries about being underweight so I will this year. I believe that everyone who can should atleast once a year. My husband does every few months.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My random thought is very silly. My almost three year old is just not a breakfast person and it amazes me. He does not like to eat when he gets up, is not a fan of pancakes or eggs and will sometimes begrudgingly eat cereal. Today when he wanted to eat (at 8:15am) he wanted cucumber slices, a cheese stick, yogurt raisins and crackers. Another time we were meeting friends at a restaurant for breakfast and he was adamant he wanted a hot dog and that was all he would eat. I don't get it. At least he is eating right?

I don't have much to say but there is a lot to do!

2012-01-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

I really have nothing great to say but since I really am trying to post more than once a week here are a few random things happening.

I am getting my hair cut tonight for the first time in months.... 8 months actually since I have been to a real live salon. Super excited... just not excited about the price tag.

I am working on my nieces baby shower which is interesting since she lives in the States and I do not but I want to help. I am so excited & so bummed I can't be there for the actual event. I was looking forward to doing her invitations and then I realized how long some of it would take me. Like to stamp 175 of something and then cut that all out...that is just ONE part of it. Yep and that is not all I get to do. I love it but think I am crazy for the design maybe. Don't worry she doesn't read my blog so I am not spoiling anything :) I will have to post pics when they are all out though because I think they are cute. I am biased though.

I also get to make cookies for the people in my husbands office tonight. Christmas Cookies. Yep you read that last sentence right. Some of them were gone when I was making them previously and well I was getting my butt kicked with a nutso to do list then as well so I was fine with doing more later. Until later came. Now I want them to have cookies but I don't feel like doing it. Sigh.

I think the story of my life is this:
Insane amount of things to accomplish, little time to complete, procrastinated as much as possible, currently freaking out and running around like a chicken without a head. All that said life is good :)

January Week One and Hodge Podge

2012-01-04T02:57:00.000-08:00

Hopefully the New Year is finding you all well and on track with where you want to be with any goals you have set. One of my many goals/resolutions is to blog on other days besides Wednesday this year :) Starting school back mid week and having an insane to do list is not conducive to having that happen but I have big hopes for next week! Enjoy the great questions supplied by Joyce and answers supplied by me below and then go over to her blog This Side of The Pond and join in!

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

Bittersweet

Eye Opening

Chaotic

2. Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared?

I do like shrimp and enjoy shrimp scampi probably the most.

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so, when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

We took down our tree last Saturday because I thought my husband might have to leave to travel and I knew I couldn't get it down myself. The rest is still up. My to do list this week is insane so I probably won't get to the remaining items until the beginning of next week. I figure as long as I get it done by the end of the month I am good :)

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?

Not a bit much to the dismay of my husband.

5. ice skating~sledding~ skiing~snowboarding...of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?

Well I do like to ski but on snow blades not long skis which I have not done in about 10 yrs. I also really like to take the boys tubing now that they are a bit older and enjoy it. Sadly we have only been able to go once and that was last year. I think I will enjoy it even more when they can bundle themselves to go out.

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.

In one of our houses that I lived in growing up we had two rooms that were side by side and connected by a closet. I would play in the closet and pretend it was a secret passage way. I was not suppose to go through the closet and enter the other room though since it was my sisters room. She was in high school and I was around 5 I think and for some odd reason she was against me in there on my own :)

7. What's a place or space that motivates you?

Well on the rare occasion I make it to the gym I am always motivated to work out more because as hard as it is when I do it I feel better. Also when I go to church I feel more at peace and then I am motivated to be more patient with my children so we can have more peace in the house.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I watched a clip today that my friend posted on Facebook about a child who had food allergies and she died from eating a peanut the first day back from holiday break. It is just heartbreaking in so many ways. As a parent of a child with food allergies it can be so scary to send them to school or really anywhere sometimes but you can't keep them in a bubble. I hope that this will be a wake up to schools across the nation about having better plans in place to prevent this happening again. I hope that it will make people want to educate themselves a little bit about food allergies and how to deal with someone who has a reaction and mostly I hope that people will realize that when we have a policy of our kids not eating anything we don't check first it is not a personal attack on you or your cooking. It can be a matter of life and death for our children.

Nearly Santa Time Hodge Podge

2011-12-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Well my slacker self is back to participate in the weekly Hodge Podge. I feel like I have been on fast forward the last few months and things are just busy and time if flying by. One of the biggest things lately has been being room mom for my oldest son's class...it is no joke. If someone tells you it is easy they are lying and you should run the other way - fast. Just kidding...kinda. It is great to be able to help but it is a lot and I wonder if part of that is because this is my first experience with it or if I just am doing too much. Either way it is kicking my butt along with Christmas. I seriously can't comprehend that Christmas is days away... days... I really could use about two months to prep. Anywho enough with the rambling and on to this weeks questions. Joyce at From This Side of The Pond has great questions each week so play along!

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are we having?

I actually just thought about Christmas dinner yesterday and luckily for me my husband thought of it also and went to the store on his way home and bought a ham. I am glad there were some left.
I think I will also make mashed potatoes and green beans, salad and have some type of fruit. It will be low key it will just be the five of us this year.

2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?

Sugar cookies. I would show you a picture of the ones I made but I actually ate them all so I have to make more today for my family. I wish I was joking but I am not.

3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies-do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim, almond, soy, full fat (Gasp!)

I like milk with chocolate things..i.e: chocolate cake, brownies, etc. We have rice, soy and 2% cow milk currently. My son is allergic to dairy so he drinks rice but I keep soy on hand because when you are cooking with it I find that soy works better for some things than rice milk does.

4. Time magazine recently named its Person of the Year for 2011. This is the person the editors believe has had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose 'The Protester'. Your thoughts? Who would you name person of the year for 2011?

I am not sure about the whole "The Protester" being person of the year. I will have to think more about that. One person I read about this year that I found to be amazing is Leymah Gbowee. She had a horrible life & she dreamed of peace and is making it happen in remarkable ways. She is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and is amazing. I urge you to take a few minutes to read about her and what she had done.

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day...when was the last time you needed a flashlight? Did you know right where to find one?

I needed a flashlight about a week ago and I did know right where to find one and even better it did have batteries in it.
Last night though the boys made a "fort" under our dining room table with blankets and they wanted a light and so we gave them a small desk lamp. Of course my 2 1/2 year old grabbed it and burned his finger so I was really really really wishing we had bought this toy lantern we saw over the weekend. I kept thinking it would be great to have and yet I didn't buy it. Lesson learned. Buy the kid lantern and do not put lamps in easy reach of two year old.

6. candy canes...yum or yuck?
I am not a huge fan and I am not sure why. I love peppermint bark and other things with peppermint in it but I don't like candy canes. Maybe I just prefer smaller doses.

7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?

Well in the past when my husband was deployed I could NOT listen to I'll Be Home For Christmas without crying. But I would say the two biggest songs that impact me would be "Mary Did you Know?" and "O Holy Night"

In Mary Did You Know I think it is powerful for obvious reasons but I love the line "Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?" That really hits me as a mom of three young boys because they did change me in the second they came into this world and for the better.

In O Holy Night I love this part:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;

Okay and I found one more that is great... {I know Joyce said one but I can't pick}

Said the king to the people everywhere

Listen to what I say

Pray for peace people everywhere

Listen to what I say

The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope you get to celebrate with family and lots of laughter and that you get a good start on your resolutions or goals for next year!

2011-12-07T03:34:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Hodge Podge Wednesday! If you are not already participating join up here at Joyce's page. She has great questions each week!

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special to make your house guests feel welcome? How long should a guest stay?

We do not have anyone coming for Christmas this year we are too far away and we had guests in September and over Thanksgiving {which was great}. I like to have company so I never mind when people come sometimes I stress over getting everything done because I have this vision of how things should be but it is all worth it.
If guest are staying for more than a day or so I like to make sure that they have a place that they can go to escape us :) So I like to have a guest bedroom for that and I always try to make sure I have a basket of stuff in the bathroom in case they have forgotten basics that has extra toothbrushes, lotion, etc.
I also try to have things on hand grocery wise that I know they enjoy. { Soda for soda drinkers, i.e}
How long should a guess stay? Hmmm... I think I would be fine with up to 8 weeks and then I might need a break for a day or so.

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week back in (Dec 5) 1905...what's your all time favorite Disney movie? Here's a list in case you're struggling...and yes, you have to pick one.

This was tough because they have made so many great movies. I picked National Treasure. When I was growing up I wanted to be an archaeologist {after I gave up my dream of being a trapeze artist :) } and I am fascinated by the idea of going on a treasure hunt and finding things.

3. What's the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?

A box of chocolate covered Macadamia Nut candies. They are so good but I bought them a day before I was going to start a three day cleanse and a 9 day health revolution. Then I felt the need to eat as many as possible before that started. Super yummy but bad choice.

4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?

In the past I rarely bought anything online for Christmas shopping because if I go early I like hunting around to find the right thing for someone. Next year I would imagine I would do 90% of it online because of where we currently live. It is easier, cheaper and more of a selection. Also easier to send things to people back home that way.

5. Amaryllis...snowdrop...poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom?

Poinsettia. My friend just made this 9ft tall Poinsettia tree for a Creche display at our church and I thought it was amazing.

6. What is one thing on your personal wish list this year? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this an actual item.

Just one? I could list a few things :) I would really really really love to get a Silhouette machine and I would like a new winter coat.

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?

Joy. I am really working on finding the joy in each and everything. Sometimes that is hard and sometimes it is easy but I want it to be more easy than hard and I more importantly want my children to seek joy.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Today I thought there was a field trip for my oldest son and I am volunteering to tag along. So I got all three kids up at 6am {after I went to bed at 1am and was up by 6 am}, got us all ready, dropped off the dog, dropped off oldest at school, took the other two to daycare on base where I dealt with their meltdowns due to being dropped off. Get over to the school and as I am walking in I see the sign that says the field trip is TOMORROW. Awesome. But I found the joy :) I walked back to my car and laughed and laughed until my face hurt & then I went and visited with a few friends for about 30 minutes before picking up the two from daycare. We will try again tomorrow :)
Further proof that I am "that kind of bear" that adventures always seem to happen to.

Thanks for stopping by! Leave me a comment so I know you were here and so I can blog hop over to you :) Cheers !!

9 Days to Change My Life

2011-12-05T00:53:00.001-08:00

So awhile back I mentioned wanting to exercise, etc. Before we had moved I knew it was past time to do something about my weight and health & I was lucky enough to have two friends who are personal trainers who gave me tips, advice and I was going to the gym half heartedly with one. We then moved and life as we knew it came to a grinding halt and we had a few months of mostly chaos. Now we are eight months after the move and I have been again feeling like I really need to take control of my health and I have been not feeling well. I have been feeling worse & more frequently since September and finally the other day I made a doctor appointment and I met with an herbalist because I woke up one morning and I was done with feeling like crap and having no energy. The same day I read on a blog about a 9 day cleanse group she was putting together and to email her if we wanted to particpate and I did. It was such a gift to read that and have that opportunity.
I cannot do this alone and I feel like I have to do something severe to get myself going.
So I am embarking on this journey to better health and I am scared and excited all at the same time. I know that by making a few simple changes I will lose weight and gain energy back and I am thrilled for that. I have 30 pounds I want to lose if I am being honest but what I am most excited about is all the other amazing things I know I will get out of this. I feel strongly that this journey is going to impact each and every aspect of my life. A ripple affect if you will into other parts of my life all because I took control and choose health over the half life I have been living.

I am excited to have energy again and not feel drained by everyday life.

I am excited to be well rested and be in a cheerier mood.

I am looking forward to the clarity and peace this will give to my mind and soul.

I am looking forward to getting to know some great women who are on this journey as well.

I am cannot wait to be a better me so I can be a better mom and wife.

I posted the following goals onto our Facebook group for this & I am going to blog about it here as well because I want to document this journey. It helps keep me inline, focused and accountable but also I want to look back at this and see where I was and where I got to be with work. It will be hard but it will be worth it.

Goals:

Body Goals:
Increase water consumption and cut out soda
Exercise 20 - 30 min six days a week
Make healthy food choices
Prep food ahead of time to make it easier and less stressful and more healthy
Sleep at least 7 hrs a night

Mind:
Read 10 min a day
Journal 10 min a day
Work on my goal of getting published 15 min a day
Craft one thing per week
Get dressed everyday
Be easier on myself
Take time for myself when my kids sleep so I focus on them when they are awake

Soul:
Love myself for me, not the me I use to be or even dream of being... the now me
Pray daily
Make God a priority not an afterthought
Make family time each day and give them my undivided attention
Make time for just me and my husband

My overall goal is to return to a healthy place where I have energy, feel happy and at peace with myself in life, while I work everyday to find joy in EVERY situation, gain knowledge and laugh much more & teach my kids that truth, light, love and laughter are what it is all about.

I'm that kind of bear...

2011-12-02T02:37:00.001-08:00

"Now," said Mrs. Brown, "you must tell us all about yourself. I'm sure you must have had lots of adventures."

"I have," said Paddington earnestly. "Things are always happening to me. I'm that sort of a bear."

I am that sort of bear. The one that crazy things happen to. Sometimes those things are not great, sometimes they are just bizarre but most of the time it is good. It isn't always easy to see the good. Much easier to identify the crazy.
I blame this entirely on my parents and I am sure my siblings would agree... we never had a chance it is in our DNA to be "that sort of bear". I remember growing up and seeing things happen or hearing the stories of funny things and people saying to them, "these things always seem to happen to you" And now my brother, sister and I are carrying on that tradition and how lucky are we? :) {I say this all very tongue in cheek in case you are not picking up my sarcasm in these typed words.}

The other day I had a comedy of errors the entire day. Anything that was suppose to work out did not. It was just crazy incident after crazy incident but as I get older and wiser, or at least older :) I am starting to appreciate the humor so much more and see the joy so much easier than I ever have.
For example we have a chocolate milk mixer. Once you are done mixing in it you simply just take off the lid and pour it out. You do not unscrew the bottom and separate the bottom from the mixing cup. Of course that is what I dd though when it was completely full and chocolate milk poured everywhere. Allllll over the cupboards and inside the cupboard and the counter and the floor and ... well you get the idea. What did I do? I just laughed and laughed. The old me would have thrown the contraption across the room and yelled.

So, while I am "that kind of bear" at least I have gotten better at dealing with it. And if you need further proof I am "that kind of bear" read this post here about all the chaos that happened when we moved. Or this one. Really any post from June that has a Day ____.

To my fellow "that sort of bears" we are in this together and for those of you who aren't take it easy on those of us who are who just can't seem to get it all together with all the crazy orbiting us:)

What? December starts tomorrow? Panic attack starting in .5 seconds....

2011-11-29T11:56:00.001-08:00

I have realized that November was slipping by at an alarming rate and today looking at the calendar and seeing it is November 30th and I guess I have to accept that December really truly is here and get moving on some Christmas stuff. Get out the decorations, make some cards, etc. This year has just flown by for me and I wish I could rewind a few months and have far more accomplished by this point in time. I feel like it snuck up on me at the same time I realized it was approaching. How does that happen? I had such amazing intentions for how prepared I was going to be and yet I am not. Not at all. Oh well there is always next year :) Hopefully you have your act far more together than me :) So instead of doing anything of my to do list I thought the best way to start my day was of course with Wednesday Hodge Podge! The list will be there later, and tomorrow and the next day. Well hopefully not the next day I need to get this crap done.
Thanks for stopping by to read my answers to the great questions Joyce has supplied for us again {you rock Joyce!} if you are not already a participant go to her page here and join in!

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so about how many will you send this year? How do you display the cards you receive? Or don't you? (gasp!)

I do send Christmas Cards but sometimes they end up being New Years cards :) Last year they went out actually in April when we were moving so I could include our new address, etc. So I am not on the ball but they will go out sometime. Last year I think I sent about 30 and this year it will probably be around the same or a few more.
I have a Metal Wreath that I display the cards on or I stand them up around my china cabinet.

2. When do kids become adults?

When do kids become adults... hmm.. are we talking age or maturity? Technically don't they become adults when they are 18? Maturity wise though I have met 20yr olds who act like they are 4 and 12yr olds who act 30. I think it varies person to person but usually once a person goes off to school and graduates or maybe even gets married and has their first child. I think that really helps snap them into adulthood if they aren't already there.

3. Does your 'beauty regimen' change with the seasons?

Yes. I change my hair color with the season and usually go a little lighter than my normal look in the winter, I change foundation and I find myself slathering on a lot more moisturizer and lotion.

4. What's something you like to eat that might cause another person to turn up their nose?

I love to make sugar cookies and I have a butter cream like icing I make with them that I love. If I have any leftover I love to dip pretzel sticks in it and eat them. It gags my husband who likes to say, "You know you are eating flavored Crisco and sugar right?" Yes but it tastes so good.

5. Gloves or mittens?

I think Gloves. I like to have the use of all my fingers/hand and with mittens I feel like I have little control.

6. What's the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth it? Queue=line but doesn't queue sound nicer?

I think one of the longest queues I stood in {besides Disneyland} was in Okinawa at the Commissary right before a typhoon and it was worth it because we were out of groceries and I didn't know when the store would re-open.

The Disneyland lines were sometimes long when we went a few years ago but it was worth it to see my kids excited faces on their first trip there.

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to in the month of December?

I like planning my goals, etc. for the next year in December. I love lists and plans and December is full of that to survive the Holiday Season and for the start of the New Year.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Yesterday was a rough day and the weather ended up being terrible by the afternoon and I was in no mood to go out in it yet we had to. I was thinking though, that for the end of November, I was lucky that yesterday was one of the worst days we have had and I am grateful for really how good the weather has been and I should not complain. Bad weather is coming and I just need to enjoy all the good days and not so great days before the real bad stuff gets here. Hoping you are enjoying a peaceful and productive day wherever you are!

How I Spent My Thanksgiving Vacation

2011-11-29T08:21:00.001-08:00

We had friends fly in from Germany and after we picked them up we headed South to visit Stonehenge.
Stonehenge really is so interesting & you have to love the varying views of how it came to be from aliens to thousands of slaves.
The boys were more interested in the radio guide tours they give you I think than the actual "rocks" which amazed me because they are OBSESSED with rocks. You don't know how many times I have found them in my washing machine or the bags and buckets we had to return to their ":natural habitat" before we moved.

You are not allowed to get super close due to vandalism etc in the past but it still is very neat. Apparently about 45 minutes away there is another set of stones in Avebury that you can actually climb on etc. We did not make it there this time though.

We then returned home the next day after a long drive. We went sight seeing around Harrogate a bit where it really is just lovely. The next day we picked up our Thanksgiving Dinner in a box. I was so excited :)

See I am very spoiled in the fact that I have only had to cook Thanksgiving Dinner once. Yes, you read that correctly once. I am ~~thirty~~ something years old and have only done it one year with assistance from my step mom and Dad and husband. {In the past my mom and Sister handled all that}So I am semi grateful that I have a tiny oven and could not realistically cook a turkey big enough for all of us. I would have been really craptastic to make a dinner and then have it be terrible with company. I believe in saving my cooking failures for my immediate family :) I did make a fruit salad though so I did put forth some effort just in case you were thinking I was entirely too slothful.

I had a great Thanksgiving break and loved the visit with our friends. Hoping yours was fantastic as well!

Gobble Gobble Hodge Podge

2011-11-22T14:20:00.001-08:00

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving weekend! Go to Joyce's page here and join in on the Hodge Podge goodness.

1. Let's start with something controversial...dressing or stuffing? What's it called at your house and what's included in your recipe...cornbread? oysters? sausage? chestnuts?

We call it stuffing and I put apples in mine.

2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

My sister maybe. And Sandra Bullock... lol... that is a whole other funny story

3. When were you last inside an airport?

Saturday.

4. What is one side dish that absolutely must be included in a turkey dinner?

It is a tie between rolls and a fruit salad we have each year.

5. What Christmas song do you dread hearing?

Any song of the holiday Chipmunks album my husband plays.

6. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money 'in a tin cup' that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

If someone approaches I try to give money or if I see someone with a "tin cup". I heard about having McDonald's gift certificates on hand instead of cash to give them and that is not a bad idea. I also saw this idea on Pinterest which I think is great.

7. Share a favorite Thanksgiving memory. If you live in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving share a favorite memory associated with food.

Favorite Thanksgiving memory is a tough one. I just love to spend time with family and friends laughing which I usually get to do so there are too many great ones to pick from. How lucky am I?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I am not cooking this year. Our ovens are too small so we bought a dinner but I look forward to having the extra time to spend with my kids and our company. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you !!!!

Leave me a comment please it is one of my only chances to talk to other grown ups :)

Enough about me... let's talk about me in Vol 53 of Hodge Podge

2011-11-16T08:27:00.001-08:00

YAY! I actually posted in between Hodge Podge posts! It is a miracle, particularly in this super busy time for me. My To Do list is NUTSO this week (or month, or life) but when it is all done it will be great and I can enjoy Thanksgiving with my family.
Completely random note here, my husband changed our search engine or main page that opens when you open up the internet. I was sooooo annoyed initially because did he expect me to remember all the web pages I went to or what? How can I read my daily stories and funnies and find craft stuff that must be created? Does he not realize how many bookmarks I have? So then he suggested something silly like, "just import them" and I thought sure right after I teleport myself to the beach. I am NOT tech savy. But he imported it all for me and I was grateful. He then suggested I take the time to go through all my bookmarks and delete some.... seriously did he see how many there are? He should know me better than that and realize it is not gonna happen anytime soon. Alright enough about me... let's talk more about me but in Hodge Podge :)
If you have yet to participate in one of the question sessions please go here to Joyce's page after you read my answers and join in!

1. What song reminds you of a specific time in your life and what is it about this song that makes you remember?

What is with the tough questions this week Joyce? :) Alright there are soooooo many songs that take me back to a moment but one that I heard very recently {which was strange} was Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm by the Crash Test Dummies. I was in High School and we had driven to a different city to shop and we were looking at Singles in a music store and decided to buy it on a fluke. My best friend and I thought it was hilarious and strange so we played it alot. Then at cheer leading we would get our megaphones and sing it. We thought we were hilarious. We were not. If I saw/heard a teenager doing that today I would think they were being so annoying most likely. I would probably laugh too knowing that someday they will look back and laugh at what goofballs they are.

2. What's something you've given up on?

Having a perfect house all the time. It is tidy but it won't be perfect and that is ok because my kids and enjoying life are the priority. Not the dust. It is a recent discovery so I still struggle with guilt over not having it all perfect.

3. What's something you'll never give up on?

Chocolate. In all seriousness though, I would say my faith in God's plan...even when I don't understand or like what is happening I believe there is a reason and it will work out. Also I will never give up on my family.

4. If you had to cook something from scratch in the next hour what would it be?

Adobo Chickeni if we are talking a meal/real food and chocolate chip cookies if I can make what I want to eat :)

5. Have you started Christmas shopping? Decorating? Listening to Christmas music?

I've not started Christmas shopping which is unfortunate in some ways because I don't want to be running around like a loon at the last minute. Luckily my husband is more on the ball than me this year so he did pick up a few things when he was in the States recently.

I REFUSE to start decorating until after Thanksgiving for a few reasons.
1) I think you should celebrate one Holiday at a time... ONE
2) I know my 2yr old and dog will destroy everything so why rush the destruction and
3) I am lazy so I don't even want to think about dragging all the totes out and trying to figure out where to put the stuff in our new place. Talk to me December 1st about decorating.

Holiday music ... ahh another hot topic. I use to really not like Christmas music, I know what a freak, but I blame my anti-Christmas attitude on working retail for the holidays for a few years and hearing the same songs over and over and over and over and over again {Harry Connick Jr. & the Chipmunks} and dealing with people who get crazy. Over the last 4 years my cold frozen Grinch like heart has started to thaw and I really enjoy Christmas music again. But, not until after Thanksgiving is over. December 1st people - December 1st !

6. What do you know about your parent's wedding?

I know my mom maid her wedding dress and the two bridesmaids dresses which were gorgeous and it was small and in Las Vegas. I have a photo album of it but that is about it. I will have to ask my Dad for more information. Also I know they were very in love... so really what more is there to know? :)

7. I can't believe I___________________

I can't believe that I didn't go to bed until 2:30am, was back up at 6:30am, was gone most of the day with my kids and dog and will be up really late again tonight and yet I am not totally exhausted or cranky. Really I just can't believe I am so sleep deprived and not in a rotten mood. No sleep = major bad mood usually.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I just found out yesterday that my niece is expecting a baby boy {their 1st} in April and I am soooo thrilled for her. I have already been gathering baby shower ideas, etc and now I know what she is having I can start shopping. I can hardly contain my excitement. Baby stuff is all so cute I will really have to exercise some will power so I do not buy everything I see. I am thinking of all the advice I want to give her that she may or may not use :) What is the best advice you have been given on children?

I would love to hear from you so leave me a comment! It is one of my only chances to talk to other adults so come on :)

Dance, Sing and Have Fun

2011-11-15T01:17:00.001-08:00

I have no wise words today or time to type them but I wanted to post something a bit more chipper after the last one :) My kids are hilarious and are cracking me up this week with all their silly. One of my favorite things to do is put on music and we all dance... after I close the curtains so the neighbors are not scared by our crazy. So turn this up and dance and have fun today and enjoy! I wish you a day full of fun and a to do list with all the important things checked off. Cheers !

This is not a happy funny post

2011-11-14T02:54:00.001-08:00

So you have been warned. This is not a feel good happy post. It isn't a post that isn't suppose to be funny yet is. This is a my heart is a little broken post.
Last week was a little rough for me for a variety of reasons and I really didn't talk about but this morning it weighs heavy on my mind. Isn't this one of the purposes of my blog? So I can write and then talk about things that are happening, that make me happy or sad? I like the act of typing it out and working through some of these thoughts and feelings. I like the fact that no one will instantly say something in response because maybe I do not want to hear your words. Maybe I expect everyone to feel as emotional as I do which is not a reality. Neither right or wrong everyone feels and deals with things in their own way. Blog comments are easier to bear sometimes you can read them at your leisure and not have to deal with the person on the other end of them looking at you. So if this post is too heavy for you I apologize. Skip it and move on to a happier more sarcastic normal me post. I don't mind in the least but I have to talk about this and I choose to do that here. I am a venter and this is the best place for me to vent.

November 10th was my moms birthday. She passed away in 2006 while I was living in Japan. She had been ill but I was not prepared for that phone call. I was so angry that she was gone before I even knew what was happening and I felt robbed of saying goodbye. I had talked to her the Saturday before but it was such a short conversation. I told her happy news that we were expecting another baby, that we had just received orders to move to Idaho which was much closer to home. It was not enough.
I miss her everyday. Did we have the perfect relationship? No. We fought and disagreed and annoyed one another just like everyone else but we were really really close. Things are just not the same without her and I realize that she is better off. She was so sick & her quality of life was diminished every single day and she was miserable. It makes it easier when I think of it that way but selfishly I want her here. When it is 9am here and everyone else that I would call is sleeping and I want someone to talk to I get mad and sad that I can't call her because she would be up.

Also on November 10th is the day I lost one of my babies in 2007. My husband was deployed and I had two toddlers at home. I found out I was pregnant two days after he left. We were surprised but so excited. A few days later I was in the hospital calling my friend to leave work to come pick up my boys, calling my sister and asking her to drop everything and drive up because I was going to have surgery, calling my husband to tell him what had happened. I felt like such a failure. I realize that it was completely out of my hands but in that moment I racked my brain trying to figure out what I had done to cause this. I was devastated. The night I got home from my hospital the boys got the stomach flu and it was a nasty one. All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed and ignore the world but I couldn't because there were two little boys who were puking their guts out who needed mommy. I remember thinking, "You've got to be freaking kidding me with this... how much more do I need thrown at me? I can't do this."
Yes I realized then and now that my life was really good, even in that bleak speck of time others had it so much worse than me but it does not mean that the pain I was feeling was not justified or that it was no hard for me. Looking back now the boys getting sick was such a blessing even though that is not what I thought at the time. I would have climbed into bed and not climbed out for awhile had I the choice. I could have easily let the depression swallow me. But that was not an option. I had two little ones to take care of and I had to get up and do it. Life moves on every minute whether we want it to or not. I also see that not finding out I was pregnant sooner {which is rare for me} and losing it so fast was a blessing. I was truly devastated and I miss that baby all the time but had it gone on longer and I become even more attached it would have been so much worse. I can't fathom the pain that other people have felt that have had miscarriages later in pregnancy, or have delivered a stillborn or had a child die sometime in childhood. I don't know how they survive .... but they do. Does that mean their pain is more than mine or mine less because my baby was only 10 - 12 weeks old rather than 9 months... no I don't think so. Just different.

In 2008 and 2009 I am pretty sure I did my best to not talk to anyone or do much of anything but be depressed on that day. 2010 I don't remember. This year though I decided it needed to be different.

On Thursday I got up and thought I will not wallow. I will live because I am here and that is what I am meant to do. I showered, I got dressed up. I made sure I played with my kids and was in a good mood all day. It was not easy but it was important.
I think it is good to reflect and remember but do not wallow. Do not let despair and grief swallow you whole because there is so much to be done here and now. So remember but do something positive, help someone out do a good deed or just go have a really great day. So much laughter and joy are just waiting for us in life we just have to grab it. So go out there folks and grab life and shake all the fun and laughter you can out of it. Forget your laundry and chores and just go seek out some joy. You will not look back and say wow I am so happy my house was always spotless but my kids watched too much tv. Nope. Truly living and learning is what it is about not how little dust you have :)

The crazy a party brings to crafty mom

2011-11-14T02:13:00.001-08:00

Well I thought I would finally blog a tiny bit about the big birthday party. You can catch more here if you want more on the crafty side of things.

See problem number one is I am a procrastinator and reluctant to admit that. So I one day I realized that we needed to quickly come up with a theme for this birthday party and being the good mother that I am I gave my son choices. Looking back I see this was a mistake. I should have just picked something and done it all to make my life easier but I couldn't. I wanted him to be involved. Good mommy won over bad mommy.
So I pulled up some various ideas online and we had semi decided on an eyeball/monster theme. Super I will order the stuff so it will be here on time so we can get crackin on this. Because while I am sure there are lots of places that sell a fabulous variety of party supplies here I have yet to find it. AND, even if I did find it I am not super excited to pack up the two kids and dog, go downtown, pray it is not pouring rain, pay to park and then hike the two miles to the store. Keep track of kids in store and pray that super destructor boy does not in fact destroy store while in it. Also pray that dog is not eating inside of car because he is "bored".Anywho enough of that rant. So we were at a different base that has a larger selection of party stuff and my husband {whom I adore} said why don't you just get something here instead. Sigh. I had already crafted in my head all the stuff for the other party but what he said made sense plus my son saw Star Wars stuff so I never had a chance. Of course they did not have enough Star Wars goody bags or plates so I had to supplement which I found annoying which is why I wanted to order in the first place. One click shopping.
So finally we had a theme and a few supplies.
I had rented the Pavilion which is basically a giant long building with a cement floor. It includes a bouncy castle and a barbecue so I figured it was perfect for 7yr old boys. Indoor which is huge here this time of year, plenty of room to run like maniacs and we could grill hot dogs which my son loves and lives on {much to my dismay}. Was that enough? Nope not for mom. What would we do at this party? We needed games, crafts, activities and a schedule. My husband thought I was nuts. Looking back he was right.
I logged onto Pinterest which I adore and think is the devil because of the genius ideas I find while it sucks all my time away. I found quite a few ideas but I just couldn't decide and reading all these ideas was taking time and life was happening in the meantime. Halloween and all the chaos surrounding that and our three trick or treating outings. I was a busy woman and remember the whole procrastinating thing....
So we get to the day prior to the party and what did I do all day long? I cleaned my house and did laundry. Not ONE thing party related because that my friends would have made wayyyyy to much sense. That night there was a party thing we went to on base. Guy Fawkes night or something like that.... my ignorance on this subject is causing my mom to roll in her grave even as I type. We got home about 8:30pm and by the time we got the kids in bed and I started stuff it was just after 9pm. Not a good sign.
My husband was on light saber duty. He cut all the tube things I had bought in half and completed one. Then decided that the kids would rather decorate their own and he went to bed. He is smart and right about the kids. So it was just me and lots of ideas and little time.
So I baked the cake so it could cool, I made the pasta salad, I started getting out serving dishes trying to decide which ones I wanted to schlep all the way to base and which ones they were least likely to break. Then I started making my food tags, then I gathered all the food that did not require refrigeration. I typed up a schedule for myself and made a map of the food table -yes I am that ridiculous and geeky. Gathered the Star Wars guys I was using for the cake and washed them. Plotted my obstacle course.
At about 2 am I was thinking what am I doing this is crazy and then I remembered the goody bags. Oh those goody bags were the bane of my existence for this party... I just had zero ideas of what to put in them. Zero. I made some labels and attached them with my sticker maker to sandwich baggies that said "Endor Trail Mix" and I cut some scraps up that I had leftover from my food signs and made bookmarks and then added the words "Dream Big" to them. I decided a bookmark, snack and light saber was good enough for treat bags. I went to bed around 3:30am because I am sooo brilliant.
Up at 7am the next day and we left the house at 9:30....party was suppose to start at 11am. Of course we had stops on the way. We had to grab some more tape on the way for the light sabers, grab ice and then the stuff to make the Endor Trail Mix since the idea had not come to me until 2am the day of the party. Oh and candles and a lighter because I had forgot those. Got all that and got there about 10:20 to start setting up. Hauled everything in, set up tables and chairs, set up the bouncy castle and started to set out food when people started showing up. I was not excited. They were on time I was running behind. I wanted to have everything in place before people came and look like I had it under control and that I was together when clearly I am not.
I never did get the obstacle course set up, I would have liked to made a backdrop for the food table and have had things on different levels to add more visual interest but it didn't happen. Oh well. I wanted to make my hair look like Princess Lei's also but that didn't happen. I wanted to spray paint the water bottles gold and in my wildest dreams I had wanted to find material and sew 20 Jedi robes for the kids attending but none of it happened and it was ok.
The kids were happy to bounce, them make their light saber, then bounce and attack one another. We ate, they bounced some more and then we played musical chairs to Star Wars music (thank you itunes!) and freeze dance. We opened presents and had cake. Although visually to me it was one of the worst cakes I had ever made {and Ben had actually got into it earlier when no one was looking and ate part of the "dark side" with his bare hands} it was tasty.
I learned that I need to let go of these crazy ideas sometimes. Simple is good. I was reminded that if I want to go crazy with all this I need to not procrastinate. I asked my son if he was happy with it and he said yes and at the end of the day THAT is all that mattered.

Hodge Podge Vol. 52... pretend like I blogged about the BDay party also.

2011-11-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

Well I had great expectations of myself to blog about this birthday party we had but I am not motivated and have to many things happening to get that done. My son's teacher is retiring next week due to an emergency and so we are trying to come up with several last minute things for her, trying to finish prepping my house for guests, and normal life. When did things get so busy? I guess always :)

Again Joyce and Hodge Podge to the rescue so I have something to type up that requires little of me. It is fun and I greatly appreciate it Joyce :) After reading my answers go to her page here to link up. Great fun !!

1. Of all the tools and gadgets you own which do you most enjoy using?

I would say in the kitchen I love my Pampered Chef food chopper and then I also love to use my Cricut to cut vinyl. I am looking at getting a Silhouette machine though because I love the options it has. I think that will be my favorite.

2. When (if ever) is impatience a virtue?

I am not sure. I am not a very patient person and that generally is not a good thing.

3. What temperature do you keep your thermostat set to in winter? Do you have another way to heat your house besides a furnace of some type?

Well we are on Celsius here so it is on 25 at night which is about 77 Fahrenheit but that is a little warm so I will probably try to get it around 72. We only have radiator heating but it works well. And lots of blankets :)

4. Do/did you have a close relationship with any of your grandparents?

I was very close to two of my Grandmothers and one Grandfather and I miss them dearly. I use to go fishing with my Grandpa a lot and spend the night with both of my Grandmas frequently. My other Grandparents I really did not know. My Dad's father passed away before I was even born and my Dad's mom I only met once.

5. When did you last have a family portrait taken?

We had one taken last fall and I will get more done in the spring. Prior to that one though it had been a few years.

6. What does the word patriotism mean to you?

Well the online definition of it is: love for or devotion to one's country

To me I think it is to be proud of where you come from, stand for freedom and taking care of our country and supporting the military.

7. Do you like to play cards and if so, what's your favorite card game?

I love to play cards and my favorite is Canasta. Most of my family plays so I love when we are all together and can have a mini tournament :) Recently I learned how to play Hearts and that was fun as well.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Well I was going to go on a whole rant about people protesting at military funerals since my mind is on military stuff after question 7 but I don't feel like standing on my soap box. Instead I will tell you that I am super excited about Thanksgiving for three very different reasons: 1) we have friends visiting and they are bringing their new gorgeous baby.. yes ! 2) I don't have to cook, our oven is so small we ordered dinner from somewhere... yes! 3) Sarah and I get to go see Breaking Dawn ...even yesser !!

Ramblings

2011-11-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Well I did survive the party {barely} but I will do a post about that tomorrow with pics in the meantime I will share some thoughts that are rattling around my brain.

I bought soap to wash clothes with on Nov 1st. The bottle says it has 28 washes in it... I poured out the last few drops last night into the washer. Did I seriously wash 28 loads of laundry in 6 days? It is possible considering I have three boys and my washer is the size of a Barbie washer but still...really? What really kills me is the price of it. It is usually 12 pounds a bottle which depending on the exchange rate is anywhere from $15 to $20 dollars which is really not helping in the whole plan to reduce my grocery budget.

Yesterday I had a huge list of things to do but I didn't feel like accomplishing it so I worked on my blog. I found a really cute background that I wanted on a site.... couldn't get it to work. I spent like 30 to 45 min on this. No big deal I will find another one I thought. So I did and I liked it even better. Couldn't get it to work. Spend another 45 minutes at least trying to get it to work because I liked it that much. Tried and tried and tried and read the stupid instructions a bunch of times and I was getting angrier and angrier and frustrated because I have changed this before and should I really be struggling this much with it? Finally I gave up. It was not what I wanted for a background but it was a nice solid color, and I had changed my fonts, rearranged my page elements etc and I could live with it. I asked my husband if he would try for me since he is much more technologically advanced them me. So he did and he couldn't get it to work. I was super grateful for his help {another 45 min of time sucked away} but when he was done it was a color and template I did not like... so I changed it again to the current one which is fine but not me. It drives me nuts. This must be why people pay people to do this for them and if I was still working I so would.

My kids are hilarious. I wish I was better at writing down all the funny stuff they say because I forget so much of it and it is priceless. Yesterday my 5yr old and 7y old were playing and I was listening to them and happy that they were getting along so well. I heard the 5yr old say, "Why are they called boobie traps anyway? Do they look like boobies?" and then laughter erupted. I had to go into the other room and laugh and then I wondered what does he think boobies are and was slightly panicked. I am sure they will be super happy in the future when they read this and realize I have shared it with the world.

We stumbled upon these books in the library here:

They are pretty cute. They are very quick to read and basic which is nice when I am reading and too tired to read a lengthy or wordy book to the boys at bedtime. They do not use proper English so the boys like them because they sound a little silly and I think they are funny because they have Eddie Vedder and David Hasselhoff in them. I recommend them if you have kids under 7 because you will both laugh. Check them out at Amazon. {Purely my opinion I do not have any contract with the author or Amazon }

I am off to finish some craft projects, upload some pictures and feed the children. They weirdly insist on eating 5 - 6 times a day everyday. It is nuts. Enjoy your day!

Halloween & Hodge Podge

2011-11-02T01:37:00.000-07:00

Did you survive Halloween? We went trick or treating three times and I forgot the kids costumes on the last one, the big one, actual Halloween. Epic fail. We were 20 minutes from our house with 10 minutes before the festivities began when I realized this. There was no going back. I was not happy, my kids were even less happy.
So I told everyone that my kids were dressed up as "Model Well Behaved Children" which I found quite witty and my kids just looked angry. With this outing they received the most candy that had so far. I was excited to see so many chocolate items in my oldest sons bag; he is allergic to milk and so I get all those.
No worries he still has enough crap left to rot his brain and teeth after I take my stash.
I don't want to buy candy for myself for a few reasons 1) it is expensive 2) it is not good for you and 3) I am suppose to be starting a diet this week. I rationalize though that we are getting ready to start the Halloween to Holiday Death Spiral and all the candy will help me maintain my sanity. Weak I know. Enough about the pros and cons of excess Halloween Candy let's get to this week's Hodge Podge session. Join in on the fun by going to Joyce's page here.

1. Who taught you how to cook?

Well my mom some and my Grandma slightly. My dad reminded me recently that my mom tried to teach me more but I replied, "I don't need to learn how to cook because I will marry someone rich and have a personal chef". Aren't 16yr olds super genius in their thinking?
I will say that my friends over the last 6 years have really influenced my cooking and pushed me to be better and I am grateful to them for all their ideas and shared recipes. My goal is to be the one who everyone wants to go eat dinner at their house because it is always sooooo good. I think my meals now are good but not amazing.

2. Have you been told you think too much? Are too much of a perfectionist? Are too sensitive? Were they right?

I would probably say yes to all three but that does not thrill me to admit. I do over think things to much and I spend so much time thinking that I stress myself out and miss out.
I am too much of a perfectionist but not always... usually on projects or things I am making, or at work. So what takes someone 10 min might take me 20 because I want it to be really great not just done and okay.
Yes I am far too sensitive at times and tend to take things to personally which is a bad combo with the whole over thinking thing.

3. As a child did you have a favorite blanket or toy? Tell about it.

I don't remember having a favorite. I remember having Strawberry Shortcake dolls that I loved and carried with me everywhere for a summer but I don't think I had a single item that I always had to have. Two of my sons do though.

4. What 'institution' do you have the most faith in?
Marriage & family. If you have a strong family you send strong people out into the world. I truly believe what we do is soooo important and make an impact on the future.

5. Chrysanthemums-pansies-burning bush-ornamental cabbage...your favorite in an autumn garden?
I think Chrysanthemums... not sure.

6. What superpower do the kids in your neighborhood seem to posses?
Since we are new here I really don't know our neighborhood kids and I am not sure there are many at all. I think we live in an area where there are mostly older people and if there are kid they are of the teenage variety.

7. Are you a fan of the cranberry?
Yes. I like to drink CranApple drinks and I am looking forward to making a cranberry pear pie for Thanksgiving.

8. Insert your own random thought here:

I am prepping for my son's birthday party this weekend and I am nervous about having the combination of three girls, 11 boys, light sabers and a huge building with a concrete floor to run in. Also I feel guilty for all the work I put into this when my other son who had a birthday at the beginning of the month only had a small family party at home. In my defense he does not go to school and we are new here so he has no friends. My oldest though went to two weeks of school last year here and then has gone to school this year so he has people to invite. Guilt either way though if you do it you feel bad for the other kid, if you don't you feel bad for the kid you are doing it for. Wish me luck because I am sure it will be chaos !

Like and Dislikes

2011-10-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

So there are some things I am loving and not loving this week.

I love fall/winter time so I can make yummy soups but I dislike schlepping my kids about in the cold, rain and snow. It blows.

{I fear this is what the inside of my car will look like by the time we are all loaded}

I love that I have three boys who are so fun.... until I have to clean three bathrooms used by the boys. I feel for you mammas who have all girls and having to get them ready, do their hair, etc. I don't have that to deal with but everytime I clean those bathrooms I think two things, 1) I need to hire a maid and 2) Girl mommas are lucky in the bathroom cleaning department.
On a semi related note we had to change the toilet seat again in the boys bathroom... I think that is number 4 and we have been here 6 months. In their defense the first one was broken when we moved in but the other three... just what do they do in there?

I love Pinterest and all the amazing ideas I am finding but I dislike the giant time suck it can be.

I love that I finally got my craft room done ... well 99.9% done and I love that I have lots of things I want to finish and make. I dislike that I have so many unfinished projects to hurry and get done. I really needed to be more on the ball.

I love that I have a second refrigerator so I can actually fit more than a carton of eggs, container of milk and one pack of lunchmeat in it. I dislike unpacking groceries into two and trying to remember what I put where.

I love that in my new super cold fridge that when I get a Pepsi out to drink it is actually so cold that there are bits of slushy ice in it.....cannot think of a disklike for that ...lol....

I love that I have an opportunity to get published as a writer {other than on blogger} and I dislike that I am chicken enough I might not take the opportunity.

How are things shaping up for you this week? What are some of your likes and dislikes?

Nifty 50 it is... I have no clever title of my own this week

2011-10-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy reading other people's answers to these great questions each week so join in the fun by heading over to Joyce's page here after you read mine and play along.

1. What gives you goosebumps?

I am not sure what gives me goosebumps but I am very easily scared to the delight of my husband and children so now that they have the excuse of Halloween that are loving jumping out and yelling "Boo" at every opportunity to terrify me. They are quite amused whereas I am not.

2. Halloween-are you a lover or a hater? Okay, that sounds harsh...Halloween-yay or nay?

I think I am neither. I enjoy Halloween in that I like to decorate for different things and I like that my kids enjoy dressing up, especially when they use their imaginations to come up with costumes but it is not my favorite. I don't hate it either so I guess I lean towards loving...lol

3. Can you respect someone you do not trust, and can you trust someone you do not respect?

Tricky question. I am not sure. I don't know that I could respect someone I did not trust and I really don't think I would trust someone who I have no respect for. I know of a situation where there was a very difficult relationship between a mother and daughter and the daughter said she had to respect her mother because she had given birth to her but since that was about all she had done she did not love her. Not sure where trust fits in there.
4. Apples or oranges? Yes, you have to choose

Apples all the way. In apple pie and maybe with some vanilla ice cream on there :)

5. What is something you wish was in your town? (shop, restaurant, attraction, etc)

While I really enjoy where we are living I do long for some of the comforts of the States. I would adore a Baja Fresh, Target, Olive Garden, and Hobby Lobby. Oh and Archivers.

6. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer?

Ice packs.

7. Are you at all superstitious?

Not really. I mean why walk under a ladder if you don't have to but I have done it. I do believe in the saying, "Don't go borrowing trouble" though.

8. Insert your own random thought here

I am really struggling with accomplishing all I want to in a day. There never seems to be enough time to get done just the daily stuff, let alone play with my kids as much as I want or get my craft projects done or work on my writing or blog.
I would love to revamp my blog but I don't have the time or really the knowledge to do it. So what are your best time managment tips and if you have someone who has re-done your blog for you who was it?

Volume 49 of Hodge Podge Blog Saving Questions

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by to read the Hodge Podge answers... because you know that is the most I am blogging these days :)
I am so grateful to Joyce for having this for us all to particapate in. It is great fun! You can go to Joyce's page here and join in the fun!

1. How do you typically react in a sudden, extreme, pressure-filled crisis? Would we want you nearby in an emergency?

I am surprisingly calm in crisis. I jump in and do what needs to be done & am fine. Afterwards I break down.
Example: Once I got the call that my mom was in the hospital and not doing well and I needed to come home asap. I drove 4 hours and when I got there I found out she had been life flighted and they didn't think she would make it. I drove to my parents house, loaded up what I knew my dad and mom would need, drove 4 more hours to where they had flown her and handled everything that needed to be done calm as can be. Made phone calls, took care of my Dad, etc. The next day I was at breakfast with my cousins and I picked up the sugar box they have on the table {filled with all the packets} and I threw all the packets in the air and then layed my head down and cried.
Example 2: Once my good friend and I stumbled onto a train cash immediately after it happened. We jumped in and were helping people off, seperating people who needed to be seen but were not the most seriously hurt, etc. It was fine in the moment. Afterwards I puked.
So long story short I can be your pillar of strength in the crisis but afterwards I am going to need about 20 min. to freak out in some way then I will be fine again.

2. Caramel apple-caramel sundae-caramel corn-caramel macchiato...of the four, which caramel treat would you choose?

I choose caramel sundae. Yum!

3. Is there such a thing as destiny? Explain.

I think that we all have a reason for being here, something we need to learn or maybe even accomplish but I don't think that our life is completely mapped out and set in stone for us. I think we make our destiny.

4. What's your favorite piece of furniture? I'm referring to something currently in your possession as opposed to something on your wish list.

My current favorite is my new bedroom furniture because it makes my room more relaxing and elegant and I have been waiting a long time to get it.

5. Wednesday night marks the start of the 2011 Baseball World Series. Did you know? Do you care? Will you be watching? Ever been to a professional baseball game? If you're not an American do you find the title 'World Series' annoying or amusing?

I was not aware it was starting. My husbands main sport is football & my boys are not really old enough for baseball yet which honestly I am pretty excited about. I went to billions of baseball games for my nephew & when I was in high school and I don't mind it but it is not my favorite sport either and sometimes I just get sported out.

6. One sound that takes me back to my childhood is :

The sound of jets flying.

7. On average, once you've linked your hodgepodge post to mine how many other participant blogs do you visit? Do you ever come back to the Hodgepodge later in the day or even the day after to read posts?

Well I always read anyone who has commented on mine and I try to read 5 to 10 more after that. I do come back and read later on because my time in the computer is usually for only 10 - 20 min. stretches at a time. So I come post, come back later to see who else has posted and read some of those, then I will go back after someone has commented on mine and read theirs.

8. Insert your own random thought here:

I was reminded of this by Joyce's title. Here in England a big saying is, "Keep Calm and Carry On" which I love but I saw one the other day that cracked me up and it said, "Sod It and Get Angry" I think I need one of each on canvas to hang in my house...maybe I will hang them according to mood and then when my husband walks in the door he will instantly know how the day went according to the sign :)

Where is the line?

2011-10-19T05:35:00.000-07:00

I took one of my kids to the doctor the other day for a hearing exam. We've been having issues with him for awhile with him not seeming to hear us. We ask him to do something and it is either "what, what, whaaaaaaat?" a million times or he acts as if no one has spoken and goes on about his business.
The funny thing to me though it is not constant. Sometimes he seems to hear just fine especially when dessert is mentioned :) But, there are times when he just doesn't hear what we are saying and he was getting really upset and I was getting frustrated. While weighing the decision of whether or not to call and make an appointment I started thinking back realizing that other people have mentioned it. So I felt justified in taking him to the doctor because surely if other people have mentioned it then I am more than just a paranoid mom right?
So I took him and currently he seems fine. Which is fantastic but then the other edge of the sword gets you and you think so he is just intentionaly ignoring me? Not so fantastic.
According to the doctor though a very common thing in children is fluid building up on the ears and when that happens they do not hear right... it is like cotton being stuffed in their ears & other than not hearing you there are no clear symptoms like pain, etc. I was hugely relieved when he mentioned this because it made me feel less like a crazy mom. So we follow up in a few months and if he has a bad day I take him in.
It raised a few questions in my mind though. Where is the line? You know the line that is there between being paranoid and having a legitimate concern. Do others have to weigh in before it is enough "evidence" to do something about the problem. What do you think?

Hodge Podge Vol 48 or Wednesday the only day I now blog

2011-10-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Hodge Podge and apparently the only time I ever blog. After you have read my brilliant answers hop over to Joyce's page here and join up. It is great fun and if nothing else gives you a break from having to come up with somethign to write about today :)

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed?

I have been selected twice. Each time was at the beginning of an International Move. The first time I was excused before appearing and the second time I had to sit through half a day. I think that it could be very interesting to be part of the process but the problem with it for me is time constraints and the instability of that. You could be there a day or a week... I found it difficult to have to "maybe" arrange childcare for two toddlers for an unknown amount of time and hours.

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very) how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer.

Hmmm... I wish I was a 10 that would rock. I would give myself a 3. I can follow basic directions for things like putting together furniture, etc. If I am shown how to do something I usually understand much better but if I had to rip apart an engine and rebuild it I would be jacked.

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash...of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable?

Pumpkin pie doesn't count? I suppose I will settle for butternut squash. Actually all joking aside my mom used to make this squash recipe where she baked it with bacon and maple syrup and it was delicious !! I have not attempted it yet but this might be the year it makes a comeback at the Thanksgiving table.

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity?

I think you have to get up and do something. If it is something simple like do dishes I think that anytime you get up and use energy for something other than those energy sucking wallowing thoughts it is a good thing. Helping others is a great way. I think everyone at times has the right to self pity... like 30 min max and then it is time to snap out of it and move on. Again here goes my favorite quote, "You can't roll your sleeves up and wring your hands at the same time."

5. Do you enjoy classical music?

I think I always found classical music relaxing and now I am learning to appreciate it and enjoy it. I worked with someone who said they had "Classical Sundays" and the ONLY music allowed to be played on that day was classical. I like that idea of having one day where it is only that and might adapt it myself. {Side note: his son is now a classical musician}

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month?

I love to read as does the majority of my family. My dad once said that if we were reading a good book the house good burn down around me, my mom or my sister and we would never notice. My husband is the same way.
I just got the book, The Help, which I want to read prior to seeing the movie and found a new author Tracy Kiely that I like. She has two more books out that I want to pick up{She writes murder mysteries and likes Jane Austen a lot} I do have a certain list but I have big plans to find more to add to one.

7. What is your idea of 'cute' ?

Cute can be such an open ended word. I think "cute" is in the eye of the beholder but I would say babies are always cute.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My husband and I are going to start a weight loss program together. He had the idea of blogging about it to motivate us. In theory great idea... in reality I am not sure. Also while I would like to be healthy and in shape again I dread the whole weight loss extravaganza that we are about to embark on. The end result will be great and well worth it... it is the points between that and the beginning that worry me.

Hodge Podge vol 47

2011-10-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

1. What's your favorite meal to serve on a chilly autumn evening?

My favorite meal is soup and homemade bread. The type of soup varies depending on my mood.

2. Are you a creature of habit? Explain.

Yes I am. When I find something at a restaraunt I really like I stick with it. I order the same thing each and everytime I go to Macoroni Grill, Olive Garden, etc. Also once I learn the way to someone's house, etc. I generally go that way each time unless I am forced to take a detour. It is a little ridiculous seeming now that I am typing it out.

3. What food product (no longer readily available) do you remember and miss from days gone by?

Hmmm...about 15 years ago there was this cake in a box that was chocolate and had a glaze you could put on it....that is all I recall other than I devoured a whole one once after I made it because everyone was taking naps. It was delicous.

4. What's something you've lost that you've never been able to find? Any theories as to what happened?

The only thing that comes to mind is our DVD player remote which we have only had for about 4 months and it has been gone for I think two of them. It seemed to disappear the weekend we had two small children who are two here.... I try not to think to much about what they might have done with it.

5. Zoo~circus~ carnival...your favorite?

Let's go with circus since I use to have a dream of being in the trapeze act. Hey it was a long time ago but I would still try it out :)

6. What song makes you feel instantly happy?

Music can be so powerful. I don't know if I can narrow it down to just one song. I really like "Who's Got Your Money" by Tina Parol and "Your Love" by Brandon Heath. Really just music on generally makes me happier.

7. To what extent are you an argumentative person?

I am not argumentative at all. I detest confrontation and even when something really really bothers me I RARELY say something. Also, my husband is VERY argumentative which I blame on working in the legal field so I figure one of us is enough :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We have had my Dad and Step Mom here for 5 weeks and it has been a really good visit. We have seen cool things and my Dad has totally spoiled me by taking my oldest down to the bus stop each morning so I could not have to take all three of them. I will really miss them but it will be good to get back to our routine and I worry that they are bored with us.

Please join up at Joyce's page here.

Company + me mia on blogging

2011-10-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

I've been missing for a few weeks {worse than usual} because we have company in town and have been out and about seeing Castles and all that jazz. I will be back with regular posts soon but I had to do hodge podge atleast this week.

It's Wednesday Q & A Time

2011-09-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

After you check my answers to this weeks questions head over to Joyce's page here and join in !!

1. What is one piece of advice you would give a 'just turning' 21- year old adult?

Slow down and learn. You think you know so much, but you don't. You think everything needs to happen now, it doesn't.

2. Besides cooler weather (or warmer weather, depending on your hemisphere) what is one thing you are looking forward to this fall?

I look forward to sweaters & boots. I love boots and luckily for me the English seem to share my obsession with boots because I would say over 75% of women I see have them on nearly all the time.

3. What sound lulls you to sleep?

Falling rain is my favorite but usually it is my husband and dog snoring.

4. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency 'kit' and/or disaster plan in place?

Well I am working on 72 hour kits but I always have extra food on hand and I am working on having much more done. Better to be safe than sorry. I found a good site where you gather things slowly. For example in your long term storage maybe you are gathering rice this month and in your short term an extra set of clothes for everyone. I think it helps to break it down and make it simple. If you want to check out the site go here.

5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging? Or has it?

Well I started it on a total lark. I guess it has changed as I know am taking it seriously and I wonder about what I really want to blog about... do I want to use one blog to talk about my adorable family & our trips etc and vent and rant about all the crazy thoughts I have and the chaos of the world? I don't know. I just know I want to write every day even if it is crap.

6. What's something you've recently learned to do on the computer?

Nothing but I plan on taking some classes very soon.

7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

Hmmm...I think pictures can be soooooo telling and yet there are these pictures that have you longing for the story and words that go with them.

8. Insert your own random here.

I never use to be huge into decorating. I blame this on my mother and sister who LOVE to put things on their walls. My husbands and I's first "real" apartment had nothing on the walls for three years besids a calendar. I had pictures in frames on tables, etc just not on the walls. Now I can not get stuff up fast enough or enough up and we have been here a short time. Funny how we evolve even in simple/random ways.

Random and Surly

2011-09-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

I was looking through pictures of a recent jaunt that we went on and found the above picture. It was totally random to find this hand in the gardens and at the particular time I was frustrated with the day. Kind of like today so I thought it was the perfect photo for my mood. I just have a lot of random thoughts running through my cranky mind tonight. I can't believe I have a first grader, an almost kindergardner and almost three year old. I know everyone is saying similiar things with all the back to school happening but sometimes I have to just stop and stare in awe at my children and how grown up they are becoming which is such a blessing and curse at the same time. Sometimes I just stop and stare because they act like crazy howler monkeys. I am frustrated that we have had giant winds all day that are destroying my rose bush outside. I really wanted my company that arrives tomorrow to see it... it is not looking good. I wish I was tech savy but alas I am not and I am really wondering how to do a simple thing like change the stinkin font so I each and every post does not look the same... because it makes me nuts. Also my layout is all wonky and I am to lazy and untalented to figure it out. I could ask Bill for help but I sometimes get angry when he can do stuff in 2 seconds that it would take me a week and 80 tries to do. I wish that I was not a procrastinator because then I would not have been shlepping 4 comforters and two kids around the laundry mat and base today in the howling wind and needle like rain. Heaven forbid I get things done a second before the company actually arrives and I am rested... oh no I like to scramble and be dashing and look like trash when they show up. I LOVE skype, especially when the connection is good but I miss talking on the phone... it is hard for me to sit and talk. I don't do still well. I am wishing we had not been so hasty with things when my mom passed. There was an overwhelming amount of stuff to accomplish in such a short time, we were in a grief fog and now there is stuff I want that is long gone. I wish that my son did not have food allergies so he could eat what everyone else did. While on the subject of cooking I really wish I was an amazing cook, not just one who is acceptable. I wish my dog was less of a nut job. I wish the hubby was here to do the bedtime routine with above mentioned howler monkeys because I am not feelin it. I am reading a great poetry book right now called She Walks in Beauty and I found this one that is so appropriate for my surly mood this week: Grown Up Edna St. Vincent Millay Was it for this I uttered prayers, And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs, That now, domestic as a plate, I should retire at half-past eight?

Volume 42 of the blog saving Hodge Podgeness

2011-08-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

1. Do you think the world became a more dangerous place on September 11, 2001 or did we just become more aware of the danger? How has your own life changed as a result of that day?

I think that we did become more acutely aware of dangers but also I think it did become more dangerous. I think there are always dangers out there and many we are generally unaware but I feel like the meanness of the world got turned up a notch or two that day. Maybe it is like a type of ripple affect. x does this to y, y reacts and does this to x and z. z retaliates and then c figures out they there is a whole world of mayhem they had not considered before. Maybe it just seems that way because we were all blissfully ignorant to the majority of evil lurking. Thanks to the media saturation there is no ignorance about the world for the most part these days which is both bad and good to me.

2. Did you think your parents were too strict when you were growing up? How about in hindsight?

I am sure there were times when I felt like they were too strict but I even then I knew that for the most part I had it pretty easy and looking back now I wish they had been stricter in some ways.

3. Share one random but candid fact about yourself.

When I was very young my goal in life was to become an actress and then be on Circus of the Stars as a trapeze artist.

4. Would your nearest and dearest describe you as simple or far too complicated?

I think complicated but I could be wrong.

5. What is your favorite stadium or carnival food?

I don't think I have ever had stadium food so I will go with funnel cake.

6. Tornado, hurricane, earthquake...how many of these natural disasters have you experienced? Which event do you think would be the scariest?

I have been in a hurricane and a slight earthquake. I find them all equally scary and unpleasant at this point.

7. Labor Day weekend is approaching so a work related question seems appropriate. Growing up, did your parents assign you regular chores? Were you paid for doing those chores? If you're a parent do you assign chores to your own children? Why or why not?

I had several chores I suppose growing up but not because they were assigned but because my mother was very ill, my dad was usually gone at work and if something needed to get done I had to do it. I was doing my own laundry by 7.
I do have my children do chores and as they get older I add more. I do not pay them for basic things like making their bed, etc. I feel like they are part of this family and live in this house and help make messes so they need to learn to help clean them up. If they do extra things though like volunteer to help with yard work or sometimes when I spring clean I will have them draw chores out of a jar that they can get paid for.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I really really wanted to do another post before Hodge Podge so I was posting more than once a week but it did not happen. I could blame it on lots of things, first week back at school, preparing for our first big visit from family, crazy day yesterday etc but I think it boils down to the fact I am getting lazy. I don't like that.

You can join in by linking up at Joyce's page here.

If only Joyce supplied titles with the questions...

2011-08-24T02:34:00.000-07:00

So I have not blogged in a bit and now I am getting out two posts in one day. It is like I forget about it and then once I start typing I remember, "oh ya I love to talk and typing is kinda like talking and hey don't you want to be a writer anyway so why aren't you writing everyday" and then I only stop blogging because my kids find it unnecessary for me to spend more than 5 min. on the computer. Of course if they won't to use it heaven forbid I stick with the 30 minutes of playtime rule.

Anywho enough of the mindless rambles let's get to the questions. It's Hodge Podge time!

1. What is something that bothers you if its not done perfectly?

Well everything. I am a bit of a control freak and have a tendency to just do it myself rather than delegate but then I had kids. Three of them who don't allow me to be perfect anymore and while at times I look around and see things "un-perfect" and it drives me nuts I like to think that I have mellowed out and realized that there is more to life.

2. Do you think a 6th sense exists? Explain.

Yes. I think that we do have an "intuition", and whenever I listen to that "still small voice" or go with a feeling I have it helps me and has kept me and my family out of harms way. I think mothers especially have this gift or maybe we just have to hone and use it more.

3. Do you say your goodbyes slowly, quickly, or not at all?

I usually pretend the goodbye is not happening. For example when we just moved I wrote cards to my dear friends, gave them to them and then just said "see ya" and gave them a hug like I would be seeing them in a few days. There are some people that I missed seeing but I have cards here for them which I really need to get mailed. I find it easier to not say "goodbye" but just treat it as "see you later" which hopefully will turn out.
I think one of the worst goodbyes I have ever done was saying goodbye to my sister a few months ago while I sat bawling in her car and then called her a stupid hooker for having a job so she couldn't just come with me. Not one of my finer moments but I was heartbroken and couldn't pretend it wasn't happening when she had been helping me pack up.

4. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being hot hot hot, what level of spice do you like in your food? What is your favorite spicy dish?

I am not huge into super spice. I like a little kick but the emphasis on little. Maybe a 3 or 4...maybe maybe a 5. Pathetic I know. My favorite spicy ... hmm... a good salsa I think.

5. What is one of your all time favorite commercial jingles?

I can't think of a single one which is nuts because I sadly watch a lot of TV.

6. Plane, train, boat or auto...your preferred method of travel?

I like the speed of planes but the freedom traveling by car gives you.

7. What is something you take for granted?

How close my family and best friends were before we left. I wish I would have made a lot more time to spend with them.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

There is a great quote that I love which is: "You can't roll your sleeves up while you wring your hands." I love that. I try and live by that. Terrible things happen, sad things occur but rather than wallow, take your moment and then roll your sleeves up, get to work and move on. Much easier said than done though.

You can join up here at Joyce's page it is great fun!

Live from unprepared Hermitville

2011-08-24T02:17:00.000-07:00

Well I am doing a craptastic job of blogging as of late. Last week I missed doing Hodge Podge (which usually guarantees one day of blogging) and anything else in the blog sphere because we had company in town and we were running around visiting parks, castles (I have photographic proof above), eating too many sweets, etc. The week before though I have no excuse to give or pictures to share.

So company came and left and now we are preparing for another visit. So I am frantically trying to finish hanging pictures and unpack the last few boxes we have because you can hide that you are not done for a week from good friends but I am pretty sure in the 5 weeks he is going to be here my Dad might stroll into the garage and wonder what the heck I have been doing with my time when it looks like such a train wreck.

Also mid last week it dawned on me that school was starting soon. Too soon. We are woefully unprepared . England is not the ideal place when you are a hermit procrastinator. Not only is my son not starting with his new backpack that I very recently ordered (typed while I hang my head in shame) but we had to buy clothes and shoes with no black sole which was no easy feat. I am still missing the canvas bag that I am to label and put them in but oh well. Luckily for me the library has given us like 8 canvas bags to take home our many books in each week so I think I am about to re-purpose one of those. Lucky for me he is only in 1st grade and hopefully won't care that I have reduced, reused and recycled to get him school supplies because I am slacker. I am a classic procrastinator and so I am accustom to letting things go to long but then I can run out to a plethora of stores and grab what I need. Oh how I miss thee Target, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Archivers, Old Navy, the list goes on and on. Let's not even get into the restaurants.

So not only am I a procrastinator but I am turning into a hermit here. It is hard to take three kids downtown with you to wander store by store and find things. Especially when one of them is a strong willed two year old. I don't know where to go, parking my van is a pain and it is just more expensive here. Now, while I have just been ranting about it let me assure that I love it here. Aside from lack of Olive Garden and Target and friends it rocks. It is beautiful here which I really can't say enough & there is lots to do but I am not out doing any of it.
I was talking {and by talking I mean whining} to one of my friends recently and I told her I was so bored and why wasn't she awake when I was, it was cruel that it would be breakfast time here and 3am there so we couldn't chat. And she said how could you be bored you just moved to England. Well said and excellent point.

So I am signing off for now so I can go finish the mass gathering of school supplies which really considering I have until Monday the kid should be lucky I am on top of this today and not Sunday night :) Then we are off to explore something even if I have to drag my kids away from the TV and toys kicking and screaming and I am sure by the end I will want to scream. I am excited about adding more cool pictures to my England album though for sure.

It's HodgePodge Time

2011-08-09T01:15:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness it is HodgePodge time or else my blog would still be stuck in the writing rut I seem to be in. Here goes :)

1. If you could work for any one government agency which would you choose and why?

Well when I was younger, much, MUCH younger my goal was to join the Air Force and work at Area 51 and learn all about the aliens they had there. Then I graduated Junior High and my dad told me I would never make it past basic training. Currently I think that working maybe with the FBI on "cold cases" would be very interesting. I have an affinity for Nancy Drew that I have never outgrown.

2. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

I do not excel at forgiveness. I can forgive my kids anything even though when the same things continue over and over again I am frustrated but the rest of the world not so much. I am a bit of a grudge holder and I hold onto the hurt of what happened. It is one of my big goals of the year to work on forgiving quickly and absolutely.

3. What is your favorite meatless supper?

I have three boys and a husband I am not sure meatless suppers are allowed in my house. I do really love a salad with spinach leaves, craisins, almonds, feta cheese and a vinaigrette dressing. Super yumo! And if I am feeling to lazy for that cereal.

4. Wednesday August 10th is National Lazy Day...will you be celebrating? If so, tell us how so we can be lazy too.

Well last night after I put the howler monkeys to bed I got a jump start on National Lazy Day by laying on the couch, eating oreos, drinking Diet Pepsi and watching bad TV until 2am. This morning however my presence was requested at an oil change appointment. So we dropped off the dog, dropped off the car, walked across base to a playgroup, walked out into a rain storm, walked to get lunch, walked back across base to get my car. Went to the library, BX, Shopette, Thrift Store, Commisary pick up the dog and home. Wow I am exhausted just typing that... glad I got some lazy in last night. Maybe it should be a monthly lazy day with supplied nannies for moms... hmmmm...

5. As a child did you have any special back to school traditions and if so, what were they? If you're a parent did you carry on those traditions with your own children?

I have no recollections of back to school traditions and this is only my second year of taking a child to school so I have not really established any of our own. I took his picture on the first day last year and will probably do the same this year. Other than that I have no ideas yet.

6. Write a summer tongue twister.

Well while we were wilting out in the rain today we came up with the following little ditty,
"The rain drained my brain and now we are soggy and groggy" If I try to think of a summer theme I came up with: Instead of Beach Blanket Bingo Babies Beach Blanket Bounce. I know I am super fabulous with twister and lyrics. I should open the Grammys.

7. Would you be interested in observing a surgery or do you turn away when the nurse brings out the needle?

I would not observe a surgery and I do not watch shots or blood draws. When I have been involved in emergency situations in the past (example when my child fell off a porch and cracked his head open as a toddler or when the other fell into a fire pit and burned his hands) I am able to be calm for the duration and can handle anything and fall apart later.
On a semi random note once when I was having my blood drawn the guy asked me if I needed to lay down and I told him no I was always that pale. Stellar moment in time let me tell you.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have a favorite quote, "You can't roll your sleeves up and wring your hands at the same time." I like that a lot and try to live that way. Buck up and move past whatever is happening. You are allowed to feel sad, etc but you can't wallow and do nothing. You have to move forward. Lately though I am not "wringing my hands" but I am thinking "crap I have a lot to do I better sit on the couch , watch Dating in the Dark, eat some oreos and think about it more." No bueno folks. No bueno.

Join up by going to Joyce's page here

Wednesday HodgePodge

2011-08-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

So I found this cool thing on someone else's blog and thought I would try it this week. It is called Wednesday HodgePodge & I figure anything that helps give my brain a break and yet provokes thought at the same time is golden. Here goes.

1) Favorite Song Lyric:

Hmmm. I love about a million songs but the one stuck in my head now is "My universe will never be the same, I'm glad you came."
I am slightly embarassed that it is a Hanson song (pointed out to me by my hubbie no less) but it reminds me of all the amazing people I have in my life and all the friends I am really missing right now since moving.

2) Last time someone yelled at you:

I am sure my kids have yelled at me more recent than this but the incident that sticks out in my mind is when we were moving. We were in my hometown driving down the street and someone speeds up and starts honking at us and so I roll down my window and she yells, "Hey that was a school zone" So I look at the spedometer and we are going 18 in a 15. Yes we were speeding and I don't condone it but 3 miles.. but how fast did she have to crank her speed up to catch us? Oh and by the way... it is a block long and school wasn't even in session.

3) Money, fame, happiness - are they mutually exclusive?

While I think happiness does not depend or equal money I think that many people think they can purchase happiness with money. A quick lift of happy when you buy a new pair of shoes, etc. But lastning happiness ... no. I think you can be happy without out money or fame. How's that for a rambling unclear answer :)

4) What is your favorite dish to prepare for family and friends that doesn't require turning on the stove, oven or an outdoor grill?

Initial thought was ice cream. One because it is my favorite and two I couldn't think of anything you could prepare without cooking. Now typing though I think salad or chips and salsa.

5) The 1st week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. What is one thing you could do this week to simplify your life? Will you do it?

To simplify my life I could just not stress as much as I normally do. Mellow out and just let things happen. Not overthink everything and try to do too much.
Will I do it? Probably not.

6) On a scale of 1 - 10 (with 10 being 100% and 1 being not at all) how tuned in are you to your country's national political scene?

Growing up my mom was VERY involved in politics and we traveled to Republican Conventions etc. Then I completely got away from it in college. I have been slowly easing my way back into things. So I use to be a 8 or 9... now I am at a 3.

7) What are your final parting words to the month of July?

Oh July I wish I could have enjoyed your weather more instead of unpacking boxes.

8) My own random thought

I was looking at the calendar and was thinking, "Yay it's August, oh crap it's August." I have zero school clothes for my children and yesterday afternoon they each had one pair of jeans that did not have holes or stains. After our park outing that is down to zero. I just don't want to deal with it though.. ordering online, hoping it fits, driving 20 min back to base with three kids to return it if it doesn't. I am too lazy for all that. Maybe I will bribe my sister with doing it for me and mailing it to me. (Insert evil cackle here)

Thanks Joyce that was fun! If you want to play go here to Joyces page:
http://joyce-fromthissideofthepond.blogspot.com/

Wonky and Wonderful

2011-07-28T06:30:00.001-07:00

Here are two of the wacky things in my new house. First up we have the downstairs bathroom sink - the one used the most. The first time I asked one of the kids to wash their hands in that sink they just stared at it. Then I just stared at it.
We are use to sinks that just have a handle you lift to turn on I think they were caught off cards by the whole twist for on thing. Next fun new feature is the lack of warm water option you have to be quick enough not to burn your hands or freeze them on the cold side when washing up. At least the hot water is on the left like we are use to on this one... upstairs the faucets all have hot water on the right. Opposite of what they were taught. Great.

Second is the oven dial. It has numbers. Numbers that I had no clue on how to decipher for at least a week and a half or so of living here and the purchase of an oven thermometer. I mean seriously... why put the number seven if it corresponds to a temperature... just put the temperature. Puzzling. I am lazy I don't like the look at my recipe and find the temperature... then find the piece of paper with my "cheat code" for cooking and match the number with the right temperature and then wait to see according to the thermometer if that is even right. Get ready to add on an easy extra 30m minutes to cooking anything with the secret codes and warm up time.

I find a few other things wonky as well. Examples: my bathroom light is turned on by a pull string, my fridge is tiny (reminiscent of door room fridges tiny) there is not an outlet in any bathroom and they are seriously committed to the roundabout which frustrates me when I drive and the GPS says "take second exit" and I am thinking it is not an exit I am just driving straight once I get around this blasted circle.
Some of these things have taken getting used to.

On the flip side of that it is gorgeous. Our first few weeks here we would be driving or walking and saying, "That would be a great picture" "Or that" "Or over there" and then I realized I could just point the camera in any freakin direction and have amazing photos. Really it is just beautiful. The people are really nice even when I am dumb and have no clue what I am doing. For example the garbage man who comes in and takes all 80 of my garbage bags down to the curb for me ever week when I forget to do it the night before and never get up early enough to do it the actual day. And he leaves me new garbage bags. Seriously he takes my trash and leaves me bags? This rocks !!!

I've said it before and I will say it again leaving amazing friends and family hurts. A little part of my heart gets left in each place we live and I am a wreck when we go but I think there is a purpose to being here and I look forward to all the opportunities we are afforded here. Even if it means wonky hand washing.

There Will Be Ketchup

2011-07-27T02:42:00.001-07:00

The picture holds the three key items that MUST be present at all times in my house.

Item #1 Syrup. Not just for breakfast peeps. My kids will dip just about anything in either syrup or ketchup. "What darling you don't like the roast I spent hours creating a rub for and cooking? By all means drown it in sugar and eat away."

Item #2 Diet Soda. Usually Diet Pepsi but the store was out so I got Diet Coke. I refer to this as "mommy juice" and so my 2 1/2 year old calls all soda "mommy juice". If my husband happens to grab a can Ben will say, "Hey that is mommy's juice not yours!" I find this hilarious. Don't judge me on soda okay it helps keep my sanity and we all have to do what we have to do to survive motherhood in my mind.

Item #3 Ketchup. I firmly believe ketchup should be used for only french fries, hamburgers and hot dogs. My kids feel otherwise. They will dip anything in it... either to hide the taste of whatever I have cooked (the ingrates) or for fun to see how things tasts.
Example: " I wonder what strawberries and ketchup taste like." Dips strawberry in ketchup, eats it and cackles with laughter. They all move onto "what would cucumber taste like in ketchup?" Mom dry heaves and leaves table. *

I understand that my kids have an unrefined palette at 6, 4 and 2 and maybe don't realize life exsists beyond chicken nuggets, hot dogs and turkey sandwiches but really. Must you use it for everything? I find it slightly insulting to the chef.
Also it gags me to watch them eat. The hubs came home the other night and asked why I was standing in the kitchen eating my food. Really? Have you met your children and watched them during a meal. It is often a nightmare.

So I am off to the store because we are out of item #2 which is a travesty in my mind and if I have to survive any more meals with these crazies I am gonna need a surplus.

*Actual event.

6794.74...Wow

2011-06-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

So the total amount of miles traveled in chaos is {drum roll please}:
6794.74.
Can you believe we covered that much ground in such a short time? I can't. Not only is hard to imagine we traveled so far I can't believe that we all made it seemingly unscathed and still liking one another. There were some moments when I wondered if that would be the case.
So we were understandbly tired upon arrival and DONE with driving anywhere. I was actually grateful that I didn't have a car initially because I could walk or better yet just lay on the couch and not move.
The second day we were here our sponsor's wife took me around Harrogate to show me where some key things were and to the grocery store. We went to Asda (which is the UK version of Walmart) and there I made a fool of myself on day 2. I know a few of you are NOT suprised by this news at all. I had a really hard time with my ears on the flight from Amsterdamn to Leeds, it was extremely painful and I could not get my ears to pop. I was not hearing very well and the checker apparently asked me if I needed bags and I said no. I have no idea what I thought she was asking me. Not only could I not hear she also had a thick accent* that I was struggling with. So I stood there smiling at her while all my belongs that I was buying piled up at the end of the checkstand. So as I pay she gives me a look like I am crazy and proceeds to bag all my groceries for me. So I learned that not only do they not bag your groceries for you, they only give you bags to put them in if you ask for them. They are very into bringing your own shopping bags. I felt like an idiot. Oh well not the first time and surely not the last :)
Harrogate though really is lovely. I think I keep saying that and people will get tired of hearing it but it is beautiful here. I believe you get sent to every place for a reason & I look forward to the next few years here.
As much as I love it there are a few quirky things about the houses here. I find them quirky atleast...I will take some photos tonight and post them tomorrow that way I can spice up the blog in some way besides my terrible paint drawings. Until then

*Just because they speak English does not mean you understand it all. They have different words for things, different expressions and sometimes the accents kill me. I had a repairman here one day and I got one out of every 5 words if I was lucky.

Day 9 ..or 1000

2011-06-21T03:02:00.000-07:00

It felt like it had been about a 1000 days that we had been on the road but according to my calendar it had been a mere nine. When we landed in Amsterdamn Bill and I were so tired. While our children slept on the flight we did not so we had been up for over 24 hrs at this point. I don't remember all the details of the day obviously.

We were wandering the airport and we saw a place for the kids to play, a mini indoor playground so we stopped there and took turns watching/playing with the kids. On Bill's turn I think he actually did play with the kids... me I just watched them and made sure Benji didn't fall to his death from all the crap he kept climbing.

Finally we decided we should go find something to eat before we headed to our gate. I am wondering now if we decided it was time to go or if I had just had it with other kids and needed a coke to wake me up before I slipped into a sleep coma. Either way we were off to the other end of the airport to the restaraunt area.
The restaraunt area was upstairs and since we had the stroller the stairs were not an option. So I spotted an elevator and as we walked up the doors opened and people got off. The doors close and I am looking at it and I cannot find the button to open it anywhere. I know it works, people just got off of it. I stand there for about 5 minutes just staring at it and finally this girl who has been waiting behind us walks around me and pushes the button. Pushes the button immediately because she is not an exhausted person with mommy brain so she knows right where it is like some elevator ninja. The button was on the INSIDE of the door frame and low, like Benjamin could stand and reach it... I would have to bend down to hit it. It was not in the usual place which maybe is difficult to get from my toddler like drawing above. Ridiculous. I felt like a total genius next to the elevator ninja who also looked well rested and fashionable. I did not like her. Good looking and smart, yes that was us. World travelers extraordinaire.
Finally we were upstairs and we got McDonalds for the kids. Again. I don't know what I ate... maybe pizza I just remember drinking a really big coke that cost a lot of money. It was quite expensive to eat there. I want to say it was about $35 for us to eat and it was not a lot of food. {While eating I saw this Yotel... I think it is some weird version of a hotel... not sure but very curious if anyone knows.} It seems like there was some snafu clearing security again but I don't really remember so it must not have been that big of a deal.

We got on the next flight and headed for Leeds. I think Bill and I were passed out about 2 seconds into that flight. We buckled the kids, handed them their DS's, PS whatevers and were out. Slept for about 40 min. and then landed at Leeds airport. The plane was a smaller one so we had to disembark on the tarmac and then ride a shuttle to get to the building. I think the kids were amused by this. I was not.
We went into customs and Bill started filling out all the forms. Our entire flight leaves customs before we do. Another flight comes and we are done with forms and get in line. Part of the problem was we could not find a paper we supposedly needed to get into the country so we were a bit panicked about that. We get in line behind this couple and they are at the customs window for 30 minutes. Of course it is the ONLY window open for non UK passport holders. So the entire flight they had been on passes through customs as well and we are waiting on them. So 2 flights went through customs before us. We finally make it through, rush out to get our luggage and go to find our sponsor and taxi driver. They were getting ready to leave because they thought we weren't on the flight.Luckily they had not.

Get loaded into the taxi and the kids pass out. Arrive at our apartment and start loading stuff in. We had 8 suitcases U think it was, three carseats, a dog kennel, a stroller and us. And 2 1/2 flights of stairs to go up to get that all into our apartment. Lay the kids down. The company that had picked up Finely for us was suppose to deliever him the next day and they called and said they were downstairs now with him. He was slightly hyper. Bill and the sponsor left to go see where the bus stop was and to go get a few groceries. I turned on the tv to try and catch some of the royal wedding & log into the computer to email the family to tell them we arrived safely. I woke up a few minutes later because Benjamin was climbing on me and trying to type on the laptop which he couldn't do since my face was on the keyboard. When Bill got back we went for a walk to keep everyone awake so we could have an early bedtime and try to start getting adjusted to the time change.

All in all the day was not horrid. The elevator thing was crazy & the customs thing maddening but we had made it. We were here finally after all the chaos and it really is a beautiful place to be.

Day 8 - Departure Day

2011-06-14T02:12:00.000-07:00

Departure Day Plan: Get up early, go have breakfast, get to airport early, check in and make a few calls before flight, eat lunch and board in a leisurely fashion. Get ready to read a long post on how that did NOT happen.

We woke up early, got the kids up and moving & left the hotel. We then headed towards the airport figuring we would find a place to eat close to it and we needed a post office to mail one last thing that we realized probably would not be good in our luggage. We called my sister who was at work and asked her to map quest a post office in Seattle because our GPS was not working right...again. She gives us the address to one and we head there. It takes 20 - 25 minutes to get to it. It is a block from our hotel... we could have asked the front desk where the closest one was and walked there faster and easier. Of course. Bill was driving but he hops out to go mail this car stereo we are lugging around and since it is downtown Seattle there is not parking right there so I do the other half of the Chinese fire drill & run around to the drivers side and hope in our ginormous excursion XL we have and spend the next 20 minutes or so circling the block. It was fun. When Bill first got in to the post office it was empty so he figured it would be quick ... ah but the fates had other plans for us just like all the other days. When he completed all his paperwork and looked up there was about 30people in the post office. So what could have been a quick walk and easy process ends up costing us about an hour.
We head back towards the airport again and need to get gas. We take an exit and there is not a single car in sight. Fill up on gas and I run in to the store to get some chips or something because we are starving, I see no McDonald's and it is clear that we are not going to eat before the airport now. Go to pull out of the parking lot and it is like someone opened a flood gate and there are cars everywhere. We are stuck waiting to pull out for 10 minutes.
Finally get to the airport. Take the wrong lane to get to the car rental return area and have to circle out and then back in. Pull in and are trying to quickly unload all our luggage and the kids. Guy tries to overcharge us (by a lot) for the rental car for gas. We had JUST filled it up. Fix that and head to the elevators. We each have a luggage cart full & Greydon is pushing Benjamin in the stroller. Get to the elevator bank and 2 of the 6 elevators are open. A huge group of obnoxious kids runs past us and hops in one and it closes. An older couple is getting into the other and they offer it up which was super nice but we would not fit with them so we say, "go ahead another one will be opening." And they close. And 10 minutes goes by and nothing. No elevators are opening at all. A line is forming behind us. 5 more minutes go by and still nothing. 5 more minutes and "ding" ONE elevator opens and in it is a guy with a huge dog kennel and luggage cart. 5 more minutes nothing. Then the same elevator with dog guy opens and closes. By this time everyone behind us in line has left for the stairs that can take the stairs. 25 minutes AFTER we try to get on an elevator finally opens and we rush on. After we board the other 5 elevators open at the same time EMPTY. Bill and I just look at each other.
Head to ticketing. Try to self check in and it doesn't work. Go wait in line for about 30 min to get checked in. Head for security & that takes forever. Of course they do additional screening on us. We are trying to hurry and get to our gate. We arrived at the airport at 11am... our plane leaves at 2:30pm. By the time we get through security and get to our gate it is about 2:00pm. While Bill checks us in at the gate I wait in line with all boys to get something to eat at a snack counter (all we have had to eat so far is some convenience store chips and who knows when they are feeding us on the plane). I get hot dogs for the boys a hamburger and chicken sandwich for us. Run over to Bill and he tells me we have to board now. I had no time to even call anyone. We board, one of the last people on and they close the doors right after. Barely made our flight.

Flight departs and Bill and I finally feel like we can kinda relax. We made it & got Finely gone. An hour into the flight someone collapses on the plane. Now let me say that the person is fine and I am very happy that they are fine...but my first initial thought was selfish and I was thinking, "really, seriously something else is happening to us? if this flight has to be re-routed to another airport and we miss our connecting flight I am going to be so pissed!" Yes I realize how cold and selfish that was but I could not take anything else happening. Not one more thing.
The flight went pretty well. I was really proud of the boys and how good they all did. Our flight was about 10 hrs I think. I don't really remember the exact amount and by the time we landed in Amsterdam we had been up for over 24hrs so all I could focus on was putting one foot in front of the other and taking care of the boys while not falling asleep.

This concludes today's story I will finish tomorrow. To recap we had another crazy day, almost missed our flight, drove around in circles (again) in Seattle and flew 4847 miles.

Day 7 Run around Washington like a chicken without a head day

2011-06-13T01:03:00.001-07:00

Here is a direct quote from my journal that day. "Day prior to flight & with each passing moment I just can't wait to get on the plane. Seattle has wrecked us."

We were up at 6am and on the road by 7:15am that morning. Drove from Seattle to Olympia to drop me off at the endodontist for my root canal. Bill headed off (this time to Tacoma) with all three boys and the dog to clean out the car (vacuum, etc.) and drop it off at the port. Apparently most of that went well, until Benji had explosive diarrhea that involved getting poop all over the office chair at the port. Then the rental guy was over 30 minutes late with our rental car. Bill drives back up to Olympia and picks me up so we can go to the airport to drop off Finley for his flight. No one has had lunch and there is no time for lunch ....we have a quickly approaching deadline for when we have to have Finley there and we have to drive back up to Seattle.

Get to the air cargo place 15 minutes late & Bill heads in to get Finley settled. I am expecting this to take 30 minutes at the most. It is now about 2:40pm. According to the website we had as long as Finley's head did not touch the top of the kennel it was fine for flight, however they said he needed three inches space between his head and the top of the kennel. Great. It took about 30 minutes to discover this - meanwhile I am in the car where the kids are crying we have eaten all the snacks I could find in the diaper bag which consisted of some fruit snacks and stale pretzels. Finely is whining. My mouth is finally not numb from my root canal and I am not in immense pain and can eat so I am starving as well. Bill comes out and we head to the closest pet store we can find. In the store Bill is trying to hurry and find the right size kennel with not a lot of luck. We drive trying to find another store and end up back where we started. It has started to POUR rain. There of course is hilarity and chaos involved in Bill buying the two giant kennels he got but it is much funnier when Bill tells it then when I type this portion.
The kennels were not cheap & we ended up leaving our kennel that was perfectly fine & $70 there for them to donate or throw away. We rush back to the airport to get Finley on the flight and they are trying to cancel his flight because he needs to be down on the tarmac and we are still in the air cargo office. Oh and his flight is significantly more now because of the larger kennel. It was nuts.
Finally at 6pm... we have been there for three hours we finally get him sent. We return the kennel we didn't need to the pet store and Bill gets the same idiot checker he had the first time... he was super excited about that.
We wanted to take the kids to the Rain Forest Cafe to eat since they had such a long day as kind of a treat. Greydon and Dylan both really like it there. There was one close by luckily and we had made reservations for 6:15. By 6:30pm we were seated and right by the monkeys so Greydon and Dylan were so excited. Benjamin on the other hand took one look at them and started crying, then they started moving and making noise & he lost it. Started screaming and put his head down on the table and would NOT look up for anything. He would not eat even though he was super hungry. So we all quickly ate, I drank 3 sodas as quick as I could (I needed them!) and we booked out of there with his food to go. The day was not shaping up well.
Headed back to the hotel, took the kids up to the pool for a little bit and then put them to bad and started to repack our bags. Finally about 1am we headed to bed ourselves. It had been a long day. We drove 183.28 miles just between cities and then I am guessing about 30 miles around Seattle that day. So Amber when or if you read this now you know the full details of why we couldn't meet up :(

Day 6: Salem to Seattle

2011-06-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

We left Salem the morning of the 26th and drove to Centralia Washington 136.64 miles away. The plan was to go to the vet & finish Finley's flight paperwork, medicine, etc and then head to Seattle to sight see and visit friends. The best made plans though...
We drove through McDonald's (again) and discovered their oatmeal is quite good. I was grateful for it because I hadn't eaten a lot in the last 24 hours since most food requires chewing and I was in too much pain for that.
At the vet in Centralia I decided enough was enough so I asked for a phone book to look for a dentist and the receptionist recommended a dentist who was just down the street, I called them and they said they would fit me in.
The dentist took xrays, looked at my teeth for about 30 seconds and then said "You need a root canal so we need to get that scheduled." I said, "we are leaving the country in two days to move so can it be done today?" He said, "You might not be getting on that plane." My options were not looking good. Luckily he was able to call an endodontist he knows in Olympia and he was able to schedule me for an emergency root canal for the next day. I was so excited to walk out and deliver this news to Bill (insert heavy sarcasm and sigh here). I remembered though that my niece had a brother who was a dentist so I called her to get some advice and she called him and he actually was a endodontist and he said to give him a call with any questions I had... so I was able to get a second opinion via phone which was great. Thanks Kelsey and Stu!!
So after getting all that scheduled and figured out we finally head to Seattle. Traffic is a nightmare, I am in increasing pain & everyone is sick of being in the car. We were staying in the Sheraton in downtown Seattle... I did not realize this until we pulled up in front of it. It is a beautiful hotel and I would love to stay there sometime without my kids and dog :) I felt like a country bumkin though as we unloaded onto a baggage cart with our tons of mismatched luggage and we all just looked awful - everyone in the lobby had one smart looking bad and were very polished. It was about 8:30 by the time we got all checked in and made it up to our room and then we realized we had to feed the kids and Finely probably needed to go the restroom which could not happen in front of our posh hotel so we loaded back into the car and headed out.
We had a mission of three things: food, potty for Finley and then we needed a few things for the flight for Finley so we needed Walmart or something. We start driving and our GPS stops working just as Bill takes this exit that happens to be a long bridge headed in the exact opposite direction we need. About 20 min or so later we turn around and head back the way we came, having no idea where we are or how to get back to our hotel or where to go... GPS still not working. I am ready to cry again, the kids are falling asleep but complaining about being hungry, Finley is whining and Bill was about to lose it. GPS kicks back on. We type in Walmart and drive to where it says...there is a car dealership there. We try another Walmart address... again nothing where it should be. Bill is really starting to get a little testy and we still need to eat. Its about 9:30,10:00 at night now. We pull into the next parking lot we see so Finely can get out on this tiny patch of grass we have found & we can calm down. I think we were at our breaking points. The day should have been simple and fun and instead it was drama and running around until all hours of the night. We loaded Finley back up into the car and drove to the nearest McDonald's, got food and headed back to the hotel.
Once back at the hotel we had to figure out the next day. Due to my emergency root canal we had to re-plan our day. We had on the schedule drop off van at the port, pick up rental car, drop of Finley for his flight and repack suitcases. Add in root canal. And of course these events were happening in THREE different cities - now add root canal in a FOURTH city. Good times people good times.
Salem, Or to Centralia Wa 136.64 miles
Centralia to Seattle Wa 84.68 miles

Day 5 - A bit of calm before the storm

2011-06-09T01:07:00.000-07:00

April 25th leave Westwood CA headed to Salem, OR. Stopped in Ashland to eat lunch. Parked downtown, walked around a bit, found a cool restaurant in a basement that the boys really liked. The monkeys were extremely well behaved during lunch & we even had comments from two separate people about how good they were... I loved it truth be told. You work really hard with your kids & sometimes you wonder if they are getting any of it and so when it is confirmed it is a slice of heaven but anywho...
Bill left to go get Finley so we could walk him while the boys finished eating.
So we were ready to go the outing had been a success but then everyone need to wash hands and go to the restroom. I let Dylan and and Greydon go in by themselves while I stood outside the door because it was a closet bathroom with just a toilet and a sink...and of course they came out after locking the door and shutting it so no one else could get into the men's. Fabulous. I told the waitress, apologizing profusely and left after the busboy said he would get it open.
We met Bill and Finely outside and walked along the river back to the car and it was so nice. I really thought it was a cool town and I wished we had spent the night there but we pressed onto to Salem.
Salem was no bueno. Bueno = good for you non-multi lingual peeps out there :) We got there late and there was no place to eat other than McDonald's which we did not want to do so we ran into a grocery store and got some lunchables. Everyone was really tired and irritable, Dylan was not feeling well at all, Benjamin sounded terrible & I was in so much pain with my tooth/ear/jaw thing that I hadn't been able to eat since lunch. We finally arrived at the hotel around 10pm and five minutes after walking in Dylan started projectile vomiting. Super. I started to cry, the boys were crying. Poor Bill.. so now he has multiple crying people and a pile of puke and a hyper dog to deal with. Sometimes I think he really is a saint for dealing with some of the situations we put him in. So once everyone had stopped crying and cleaned up we crashed wishing for a better day tomorrow. Ah but if wishes were horses....
Westwood to Salem 433.07 miles

What day is it?

2011-06-08T01:39:00.000-07:00

I interrupt the thrilling tale of travel with a different post. Someone asked Bill today at work how long we had been married. So he said "9 years this month... oh crap we missed it." So he called me to pretend like he remembered and to bust me for not remembering. I totally had spaced it (as he had). Our anniversary was 9 days ago... yes you read that correctly 9. I asked him where he was taking me for dinner and he asked where I was taking him since I forgot. I told him that we had both forgotten and since he was reminded and then called he was obviously the one with the plan.
In our defense our actual anniversary was the day we received our shipment of household goods so we were a little busy. I do wonder though had someone not asked a simple question at work how long would it have been before one of us remembered?
This is sadly not the first time we have forgotten... I see that as a sign that we are too busy or maybe it is because we have to anniversaries and so I remember the first one but we celebrate the second one so it is confusing. Feeling very disorganized in Harrogate.
It has been an adventure filled 9 years. We have lived in 5 different places in 9 years, had kids, got a dog and had lots of ups and a few downs. I love you babe and I look forward to many more years together :) Who knows maybe I will even beat you to remembering next year :)

Day 2

2011-06-08T00:51:00.000-07:00

Well I already told part of day two...since day two started in Ely. When we left Ely in the afternoon we headed to Reno, Nevada. Ely to Reno is 320.43 miles. We arrived there late, checked into our room, ate McDonalds for dinner (which sadly would become a staple on this trip) and slept. We woke the next morning and went to Walmart to grab a few things & to Costco to get a giant super yummy chocolate cake to share with Bill's family. Then we headed to Westwood, California which was 119.41 miles away. Finley was super excited to be at a house with a yard where he could actually run & be with other dogs. The cats who live there were not as excited about Finley being there as he was.

We were able to spend a few days and have a good visit with Bill's family. While Dylan was pretty sick, Benji got sick and I was sick there it was still nice to have a few days out of the car and relaxing and visiting.

We also had our butterfly project with us. Greydon's Kindergarden class were going to have catepillars and watch them transorm to butterflies & then they were going to release them. Well, since he were leaving he would have missed that. So Bill being the overachieving great Dad that he is ordered some online and so we could do the project as well.

So to recap we have been traveling in a van packed FULL with three kids, a dog, some caterpillars now in cocoons (that are really fragile) and two parents who were suffereing from bouts of tiredness, frustration and stress. Oh and now half of us are sick. Good times.

Bill and Krista's Excellent/Not So Excellant Adventure: Day 1

2011-06-07T02:06:00.000-07:00

We left Mt. Home on April 19th. We ended up leaving much later than we had wanted due to a postal problem. We had boxes to mail... stuff that either the movers had missed, I had missed whatever. 13 boxes that had to be taped shut, addressed, custom forms filled out & then taken in and mailed. I spent over an hour just taping, addressing, etc and I was still not done. Bill came to help. I was stressed trying to get us gone & he was a little stressed so we were super friendly to each other in the parking lot..lol
Anyway we finally are basically done so he starts hauling all the packages into the post office (which is really small) so we can finally mail them. Discover that they are not taking debit cards and so we need cash. Bill leaves to get cash and comes back empty handed because all the atms on base are not working. Great. Load all the boxes back into the van which is loaded in the back I can't see out the back window and now with all the boxes in the passenger seat I can't see out that window either. Drive to town and take our circus act into the post office there. Finally get that done. Bill and I are so happy this whole time...and so are the kids and the dog. Go to our good friends house to drop off Bill's car that they are nice enough to sell for us. Spend a little time there, go to leave and we forget the dog in the backyard. About a block away they call and remind us about our dog... go back and get him. (Thanks Jerry!!)
Finally get ready to drive to Ely around 5pm. We were suppose to leave around 1pm... Bill is super thrilled. Drive 339.23 miles, arrive late and get to our hotel to discover the room that we had booked we couldn't have because they didn't account for our dog - even though I asked about a room for pets several times on the phone. So we put our kids back in the car, drove and found another hotel room and crashed because it was late and we were done.
Next morning we got up and did the following:
- had breakfast with Pop and Nanna and my Aunt Peggy
- got yelled at by some random woman for supposedly speeding in a school zone...of course in order to yell at us she had to speed up to 18 so I guess it was the pot calling the kettle black
- put flowers, a tacky/cute pink flamingo yard stick thing and a coke on my moms grave
- visited two of dear friends for about 5 min. each
I feel like we packed a lot into the short short time we were there. And really we should have know how this trip would go with its auspicious start but we are optimists so I counted it as a rough start... should have know better.

Harrogate

2011-06-06T02:35:00.001-07:00

We are now here in Harrogate... actually have been for just over a month now. I truly was wondering if we were going to make it here since our journey was full of insanity. But we did make it and it is beautiful. Life has been busy and then when it wasn't busy and I had time to blog, etc. we had no internet. Boo :(

But we are hooked up again with technology which is fabulous! Of course we got our internet the day before we got all of our stuff so I am back to no time because I have a ZILLION boxes to unpack. Bill has too much stuff.

So soon I will be updating on the chaos of travel..I know you are looking forward to it! Stay tuned for crazy because it is coming :)

Brandon Heath Your Love

2011-03-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

Brandon Heath - I'm Not Who I Was

2011-03-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Mormon Singer Alex Boye

2011-03-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Songs I Love

2011-03-17T11:57:00.001-07:00

Here are some songs I love these days. Enjoy :)

Matthew West - My Own Little World (Slideshow With Lyrics)

2011-03-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

Fireproof music video {The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets}

2011-03-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Sanctus Real - Lead Me

2011-03-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Casting Crowns - Blessed Redeemer [With Lyrics]

2011-03-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

Resurrection - Nicol Sponberg

2011-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Stale Bread and Contradictions

2011-03-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

I have not been blogging... in case you hadn't noticed. HA
I have nothing and everything going on all at once. I am not working anymore at the theater... which makes me sad and happy all at the same time.
We are going through all our stuff deciding what is "worthy" enough to make the trip with us to England. The problem with that is I think everything we have is fantastic and should go... and then reality kicks me in the head and I sigh and start sorting again. {Yes Bill you read that right I have actually been sorting and doing things... all though it looks as though no progress has been made}
Moving overseas is so thrilling and I cannot wait to travel and see some of the sights we will be able to see but as time gets closer I wish I had 30 or 60 more days to go see all the things I should have gone to see three years ago that are close by, 30 more days to go see friends and family that I want to see but have not been able to. More time to go eat at all the restaraunts I will miss for the next four years, more time to work out and stick with it so I can go buy a new wardrobe before leaving. I can't wait to be gone and done with all this and yet each day closer breaks my heart a little more that I am indeed leaving...
I will most likely be crying the first half of the flight to be leaving such amazing friends and my dear family and I know that it is not forever... that we can still talk and all that but change is hard. The only thing going for me to keep my emotions in check is the fact we leave at a craptastic hour, I most likely will not have had soda and I will have to be fake cheery for my confused kiddos.
I know that they have restaraunts and shops in England... even in the tiny semi remote place we are moving to. But I don't know which ones to go to there... here I do. I am a creature of habit. Ridiculously so...Once I find a path to take to someone house I will not alter it... I have driven the same way to Walmart for 4 years now... even though there is different routes... I drive the same way to the library, I order the same meal every time I go to Macaroni Grill - why because it is my favorite and it is so good.
I know I will make friends in England and the ones that I have here will still be my friend but I suck at it. It takes me a LONG time to make friends.
Typing all this out makes me think that I am a semi boring whiner...lol.. So maybe I need some shaking up and apparently that is just what life has in store for us. So while my blog posting is as stale as day old bread these days I hope to have some really great stuff come spring :)

Leaving on a jet plane

2011-02-09T07:02:00.001-08:00

So I got the call today that we have been waiting for... the one I wasn't expecting until next week.

It's offical we are headed to England.

I was so relieved that we had an answer and then I was excited because the opportunity it gives us as a family is tremendous. I am sad because I have an amazing group of friends here, my family is close, and the kids have great friends that none of us want to leave.

I start thinking of castles to go see, EuroDisney, traveling to Ireland, Italy wherever liked I have always dreamed and am happy.
Then, I asked how long the flight was....part of it is over 9 hours. Thats the second leg (whuck?) and we have a layover for the ENTIRE day in Amsterdamn. And I have three little boys ... under 6 and I was back to not so excited again.
I am not a Trekkie but why someone has not come up with a teleporter by now so we can beam wherever by now is beyond me. Get on it people !!

Benjamin Makai

2011-02-09T06:49:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Benjamin Makai who is two today! I cannot believe that two years ago today I was holding your tiny body in my arms & now you are running and jumping and becoming your own little man with a definitive personality. While getting you into this world was not an easy journey I am so happy and thankful that you are here! You are loved much by all monkey !!

Approx 79 days

2011-02-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

Well today we got our port call date... of course we still don't have orders so who knows if I am getting on a plane that day BUT if I am that is about 79 days away. 79 days...WHAT? So as I look around my house and see all this stuff that I have to decide is going with me I am panicked & excited and lazy all at once.
I really am tempted to let people just come "shop" in my house carry out whatever and then thats less to move. I will let you know if I decide to do that :)

Housework Thank You and I'm Sorry

2011-01-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a friend lastnight about how you can't ever get it all done. There will not be a day in the near future where all my laundry is done & put away, house clean, dinner cooked, all of us looking presentable, etc. It is just not gonna happen. The fact that doesn't happen often REALLY stresses me out... I try not to let it bother me. I get there are seasons to life and I am not in the season of a clean house all the time - I fondly remember those days when I was but still it bothers me.
So I asked her how she managed to stay mellow and not let it get her down and she said this is what I told my husband long ago and what I believe.
If you come home and the house is a total mess I want you to say, "Thank you for playing with our kids and taking care of them so well all day. That is what is MOST important." For those days you come home and everything is in order say, "I am sorry you had to ignore our kids today and take care of the house"
It really made me think all night long. I think that is how I need to look at it. If I get stuff done, fantastic but it can not be my main goal these days. Because I have three little boys who are amazing and deserve better from me. So I had to share but I am off the computer so I can go play some Mario Party 8 with my kids.

Me vs Jesus

2011-01-12T23:15:00.000-08:00

One of my children out of the blue one day announced the following: "I don't like Jesus, Jesus is mean" After picking my jaw up off the floor we had a long talk about how nice Jesus actually is. Apparently he is on the BFF bandwagon with him now according to our latest conversations.
I was making lunch the other day and started to put chips on his plate. The same chips HE always eats. ALWAYS. He snarled his chip preference to me and I said, "hello I made you 4 years ago, I make your lunch daily and buy the groceries I think I know which chips you all want."
His reply "you didn't make me Jesus did." I had no comment. I just grabbed another Diet Pepsi out of the fridge and cracked open what I refer to as "mommy juice".
Today one of the drawers was stuck on their dresser and I was attempting to unstick it. He told me, "You have to pull and then push that lock thing down mom" And being the ever patient non-sarcastic mom that I am I replied with, "I know I made this dresser." And he the witty little boy he is replied with, "No you didn't. Jesus makes everything so he made it."
And I replied with: "Jesus made trees. Someone cut down the trees to make wood. Someone took wood and said, hey lets cut these boards up to make a dresser, they cut the pieces and put them all in a box. I went to the store and bought the box which Dad carried into our living room & we proceeded to put together said dresser. So I guess it was a group effort. Jesus, Dad AND Mom." Then I had to get more mommy juice.

It's Not Like She Made It....

2011-01-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the hubs came home with the flu & I had a two hour pain session at the dentist so when it came time for dinner nobody was feeling it. Except perhaps our three starving children.
I decided I could maybe slurp some soup down & of course had none. So then I decided to go to the commisary.. except it was Monday. So that left the shopette... for you non military types it would be like going to a 7-Eleven to grocery shop.. but smaller.
There I found a microwavable Campbells Chunky Chicken Soup.. for $3. It was not large. I bought two because the kids had decided they also wanted soup. Looking back I should have known that was crap but I was drugged at the time (remember dentist appointment from earlier - I reqeuested extra pain meds at onset of appointment) Came home, heated the soup up, made sandwiches and peeled a banana, put it on plates in front of them. It took much coaxing to get Dylan to even attempt the soup "what are these green things?" "what is the white stuff that isn't noodles?" (Say this in an extremely whiny voice when reading for full effect)
15 minutes later he announces, "Who made this yummy dinner?" And I lit up because yes he was excited about dinner and even GASP eating it. Then chimes in child number one, "It's not like she made it." Excuse me but what did you just have the nerve to utter?
Now that Benjamin is almost two I have more time on my hands and energy for meal planning and I have been trying all kinds of recipes and cooking all kinds of great meals none of which they appreciate whatsoever. So after the day I had had, I thought they were lucky for microwave soup and a banana. Apparently not everyone felt this way.

And the Holidays are Over....

2011-01-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well the holidays are over and I can honestly say while I enjoyed them I am glad it is done. I just had trouble getting into the full spirit this year of things. I kept thinking we are moving... I don't need more to pack up or go through... lets not buy any presents. But of course I wanted presents so that wasn't going to work...
And then there was the tree. We starting decorating it at 9pm on a Sunday night before Bill headed off on a trip... about 20 minutes later I was done. We put the kids to bed and I had the best of intentions of finishing it later. It never happened... what did happen was a pathetic tree. I will have to post pics of that tomorrow. I was seriously embarrassed when my friends and family saw it. But then I reminded myself it wasn't about the tree or the presents... none of that is the reason for the season right. As the boys are getting older I look forward to teaching them that it is not about the presents but about his presence.

So as January begins I get ready to start the crazy crazy part of my life to get ready to move overseas. I am overwhelmed at what all there is to be accomplished, I am exited to go and so so so sad to be moving away from dear friends and my family. Looking at castles is going to be amazing though !!

Alright enough rambling I need to get my kids dressed it is 9:30 after all.

Things I Never Thought I would have to say to my kids

2010-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the random things I have said to atleast one of my children at some point in their lives. Keep in mind the oldest is a mere 6 years old.

- No you cannot ride your brother like a horse

-No you cannot ride the puppy like a horse

-Take the plunger off your head

-Do not eat food you find under the table

-Do not eat food you find under car seats in the van

-No I don't want to look at your poop

-Yes if you dip your apples and green beans in ketchup to eat them I migh tpuke because that is gross

-We do not throw dog food all over the living room

-You cannot sit in the dogs food or water bowl

-No we are not having Halloween candy for breakfast

And many more gems to come I am sure!

Tis the Season To Be Busy

2010-12-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

Here was my schedule today.

6:30 am wake up
8:15 am drop kid off at school (He was suppose to be there at 8)
8:30 Dog to dog spot for day
9:00 Walmart trip for bananas, a binder and black spray paint
9:30 Appointment back on base(which i forgot about and missed
10:00 Appointment number two(which I was only at for 15 min because I had to go get kid #2 from school)
10:45 Went to the thrift store for 20 minutes
11:05 Went home for 40 min to feed all three kids
11:45 Took another kid to school... froze standing outside
12:20ish Came home and attempted to eat lunch, do dishes, laundry, work on my business and play with my kids
2:40 Pick up kid from school along with two others
3:15 Should have headed to story hour but decided I was too tired for chasing Benji through the library (and the other librians probably were thankful I skipped a week becuase of said chasing)
4:00 Made cupcakes for my child who insists he has never had a cupcake (which is a total fabrication!)
5:00 Ran cupcakes to a friend in exchange for some yummy homemade chicken nuggets
5:15 Went to pick up the dog
5:55 Came home - Woke all three kid who were asleep in car
Spent 15 minutes trying to calm down cranky tired kids and get them to eat
6:20ish Ate dinner, realized I forgot basekball practice
7:00 Cleaned up from dinner
8:00 Found a last minute babysitter so I could go to work this weekend
8:15 Cleaned playroom with kids and played the duck game
8:40ish Pajamas and Brushed Teeth
8:50ish Read 6 book to lunatic kids (yes I know they are up too late)
9:20iah Spent over 30 min attempting to get Benji to stay in his bed and sleep
Luckily he finally was tired enough to stop climbing out
10 something Talked to my husband to say goodnight via Verizon
10:45 Freaked out when I realized how close to Christmas it is and completely unprepared I am
11pm Came downstairs, looked at my kitchen and decided computer time was more important and fun than cleaning
11:49 Ate ice cream and went to bed and tried not to think about all the things on my list I never even got to

Every boy needs a dog (or so they say)....but not every mom

2010-09-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Meet Finley the newest addition to our family and often the bane of my existence. We picked him up when he was 11 weeks old... that was the last weekend in July if my memory is correct. While the men of the house are for the most part loving this puppy and adoring him - me not so much.
I am not a morning person or a huge dog person... really even a pet person for that matter. I dislike having to wake up early to walk him, I don't like being jumped on or having to keep everything picked up. It drives me insane dealing with him and my children who all want to play together and then get upset when someone plays too rough. It is a lot of additional work and stress for me while we are in this training/adjustment period.
The second week in August though the responsibility of caring for Finley fell solely on me. I had to walk him twice a day for 5 days...that first morning I was not happy to be getting up and I muttered all the way down the steps, all the way off the porch and half way around the block. When I stopped muttered and complaining about what a stupid dog he was, how early i t was, etc and realized I was alone with my thoughts and it was quiet and the weather was beautiful I did the unthinkable... I started to enjoy myself. I actually enjoyed walking Finley by the end of the week and I decided maybe we wouldn't be best friends but maybe he was not the miserable mutt I had thought he was.
There was a moment a few days after we got him that we had to decided whether or not he was staying. And there was a huge part of me that wanted to say get him out of here. It would have been so easy but I wanted to give it a little time and try and I am proud of myself for that because it was not easy to agree to get him or to agree to keeping him amidst all of the chaos he was causing. Keep him we did and keep him we will. Even though the chaos will continue and I will be frustrated. It is worth it to see the smile on my family's faces.

A Few Things

2010-07-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Lately no time or ambition to blog.... I am a slacker I know. So here are some random items that I am too lazy to blog about individually.

Greydons friend that he ADORED just moved. We went to the park together the day before she left... he played with her for maybe 10 minutes and that got distracted with the guys and collecting sticks and so when it was time to go he was hearbroken because they didn't play the whole time together. Ah young love.

The boys have been in swim lessons. The first day Dylan refused to get into the water and semi freaked out which was unusual because he loves the water, and jumps in the pool with his floaties on etc. But he is not a fan of strangers or new situations. So yesterday we tried again to get him in the water and he reluctantly got in and was very hesitant and shy... that didn't last long though because before the end of the 30 minute lesson he decided he didn't want to wait for his turn to swim with the teacher so he dove off his step and tried to swim out to her.

Apparently Greydon or the both of them I am not sure which have figured out how to work the remote just enough to be dangerous and to order movies now on Dish. Luckily it was just The Princess and the Frog that got ordered and not some crazy HBO show.

Benjamin has discovred how to open doors. Not fun. He got into my scrapbooking stuff and was coloring his legs with markers, he gets all our shoes out and leaves them all over the place and tries to escape outside. He thinks he is as big as his brothers which clearly I know he is not.

Also if there was an Olympic Event for synchronized pooping my boys would wind gold hands down each time. I don't know if I should be relieved that they do it all at once or irritated.

I am having a party here tomorrow night and my house is FAR from ready but what I am I doing? I am blogging. I do my best work under pressure filled time limits though... or so I tell Bill when I running around like an angry chicken without a head.

Thats all the random ramblings for now folks.

Bad Hair Days

2010-06-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

So I was at Walmart today and I saw my hair dresser in the next checkout and I was getting ready to yell hello to her and then I realized ...today was a crazy hair day (again) and I was too embarrassed to say hello. So I actually ducked down so she couldn't see me until she left. Sad huh? In my defense I was on my way to get a spray tan.(surprise Bill if you are reading this) and so I had not even combed my hair just put it in a ponytail and went on my merry way.
I keep running into her when I look AWFUL and I wonder if she wonders if I actually use any of the techniques that she shows me, if I ever actually comb and style my hair. I do....it use to be a quite frequent occurence but these days well I am ashamed to say it is a once a week if I am lucky kinda thing. I do comb it... I am not a total slacker but that is as far as it goes. I have dreams of having beautifully coiffed hair on a daily basis but unless Ken Paeves or the like decided to move in next door and style my hair for free daily out of pity I guess I am out of luck. So Ms. B the next time you see me I hope that my hair is done so I don't have to duck and not say hello because I really wanted to chat :)

The Pepsi Challenge

2010-06-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

So I keep planning on quitting soda and even my children have mentioned it might be a good idea. It is sad that my 31/2 and 4 1/2 yr old feel the need to give me health advice but oh well. The plan is simple, quit drinking and or buying any soda. It sounds simple, would be fantastic but it is not going well.
The first attempt I had my last soda early in the evening and was fine until I took the kids shopping at the commisary and at 11am the next morning as I was walking towards the checkout wondering what I had done to deserve the behavior they were displaying I picked up a twelve pack and within the hour was drinking soda again.
Attempt number two I lasted a little longer until about 2pm the next day.
Attempt number three was yesterday and then I realized who was I kidding it is just not happening yet.

No crummy crummies

2010-06-23T14:43:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I mentioned facing a crummy crummy or something eloquent like that. Well, I am happy and relieved to report I don't have to face it. Apparently I should have full discussions with my husband PRIOR to posting.
The husband came home for lunch and after he left called and said, "oh ya I forgot to tell you about the 365 day to Afghan" I just sat there silently thinking lots of things. Most of them I shouldn't post. But after a few minutes of silence I said, "well it isn't something I would choose to have you do but if you want to or need to go I support you in that." and then our call ended and alllllllllllllllllll afternoon I thought about that and all through work and then finally at 10:00 last night when I got to ask him about he said, "I thought you knew I was kidding about going... "
Well no I wasn't sure he was kidding at the time... I hoped but I wasn't sure. And then the small childish part of me that has been rearing its head all week wanted to go punch him in the face for making me stress all day.

Random thoughts

2010-06-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts:

Yesterday was a bad day. Kids not listening, I was cranky, we all fed off each other and very nearly imploded.

Their Father came home and rescued us all.

Dylan called me a stupid ugly girl and I am still not over it. (Yes I realize he is the three year old not me)

I have to go to work tonight and I do not want to. This happens nearly every time I go to work these days. I feel guilty for going, I am sad because I don't want to miss time away and yet getting to talk to adults and using my brain for different tasks is nice. I really enjoy my job most of the time. But the work vs not work mental struggle is getting old.

Military life has so many great things, some crummy things. I am being faced with one of the crummy crummies possibly.

I wish I had more time and knowledge to get this blog to look how I would like it to...

I really really wish I could go back to school. Why did I quit again? Oh ya because I was young and super stupid.

Alright enough random rambling.

5 Going on 55

2010-06-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Greydon graduated from preschool and I am astounded as to how grown up he is getting. He has always been an old soul but it seems like he was a baby so recently and now he will be starting kindergarten... it does not seem possible. I have even been considering home schooling for many reasons
1) we do not excel at getting up in the morning or arriving anywhere on time
2)sometimes I wonder about the quality and quantity of what they are learning in public schools
3)I am a germ freak and it seems easier to keep him in a bubble here at home .... I am sure I have more reasons. And then, the little angel says things like this:

"Are you almost done in here because I am trying to concentrate on my color pattern and you are bothering me."
I find myself thinking how beautiful it will be when he is in kindergarten and someone else gets to enjoy some of these delightful comments he makes.

A Few More Things

2010-06-09T21:34:00.001-07:00

Also Greydon graduated from preschool & no I have not posted pictures of it anywhere. I am a lazy slacker. But hopefully soon I will get some up and for those of you awaiting with baited breath the full story of what the heck happend to Dylans hands that will be coming soon also. I will make sure to post pictures of that and by that I mean his poor mummy wrapped hands not the actual wounds. No sense in you dry heaving like I do daily.

Mostly Snore

2010-06-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

I find it hilarious that my last posting was titled Roar of A Snoar... because my blog is mostly Snore these days or possible always. I have a new goal of posting every day and I think a lot of those posts will also be "snores" but I will keep at it.
When I was taking one of my English classes way back when at Weber State I remember my teacher told me that I had flashes of brilliance in my writing but if I wanted those flashes to be anything besides flashes I would have to work at it every day. Never mind how many years ago that was and I would think it would be obvious that I have not been working on it daily. I was thinking what kind of an example am I to my boys when I tell them that they can be anything if they work hard and go for it when I just dream about my dream of writing. One of those do as I say not as I do situations that I often find myself in as a parent and I LOATHE it. So I am going to work on my dream here in this blog and for the 5 of you who read it I beg of you to stick with me for awhile and see if I can get some of those flashes of brilliance back :) Be forwarned it might take awhile.

Book review Friday

2010-04-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

As we approach summer and the madness that will surely ensue I am glad for the summer reading program here on base. It forces me and my children to sit. To take a few minutes to relax and to read... not to run or rush but just sit and be still. I savor those moments. Here is a book that we have read TONS. I think we check it out about every month from the library so you would think we would just buy it but no..lol.
So go check it out, take the chance to just sit with your kids and read.

It's Been A While

2010-04-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

Between the daily chaos and struggling to decide what to write about I have been away for awhile. Hopefully I have found more time and hopefully I have found my voice. So stay tuned for updates soon.

Faith

2010-01-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

We all have times of trial... times where it seems like the sun will never shine but I think the true test is how you deal with it. I do not always deal well with trial and have been working on that. I have been lucky to have lots of strong women in my life to draw inspiriation from and to learn from. I found out about a woman named Natalie who is going through a huge trial with her family and her testimony and outlook is amazing and she has strengthened my testimony. I feel what she recently wrote is so powerful I had to share it. So I copied this from her blog which is: www.natalienortonphoto.com Thank you to Natalie for sharing and thank you to all the amazing women in my life who constantly teach me and astound me with their strength.

I want to make this very clear:
my son died
because God called him home.
For a while,
Gavin was kept alive by a merciful God
in response to the faith and love of countless hearts
the.world.over.
The moments surrounding his death
are far too sacred to share in full.
However, I feel that those of you who were
praying fervently for my sweet son
deserve to know
why God didn't answer our prayers of faith.
There was a point at which the fight was really "on".
His little body was literally head to head with Death himself.
Thinking about it,
aside from making me want to vomit,
reminds me VIVIDLY of the strength of my son's spirit.
His spirit was SO MUCH LARGER
than his tiny mortal self.
Suddenly I came to this horrifying realization:
I was keeping him here on Earth.

It was my faith, coupled with yours,
and his sweet daddy's. . .
oh, his sweet wonderful daddy.
It was our faith that was keeping
Gavin's beautiful, pure, PERFECT spirit
here in this fallen world.
. . . and I knew I had to let him go.
I was terrified.

Yet, in that moment,
I became keenly aware of my inherent strength
as a literal spirit daughter of God.

In that moment,
my faith in Him
translated into faith in myself,
and with all the courage in a mommy's very soul:
I leaned over his bed,
kissed his puffy, ice cold cheeks,
my loving tears rolling across that tiny chest. . .
wherein lay his perfect heart. . .
his perfect, dying heart.
I took his tiny fingers in mine.
Those fingers I had held and counted a billion times over. . .
and I told him it was alright to stop fighting.
I told his heart,
it was alright to stop beating.

It was time to go.Tears were shed,
promises made,
and moments later, my little angel in the flesh,
was returned from my arms
to His from whence he came.
And the Spirit of God shone around us in that
little room.
And we knew,
WE KNOW,
the separation is only temporary.

We will hold our boy again.

When the time came,
we squared our shoulders
and hand in hand we carried our broken souls. . .
away.

I still don't know how I left that room,
how I handed his tiny body to the nurse. . .
and left.

Left that room,
that hospital,
that state in it's entirety.

Only in and through the grace and power of God. . .
who has remained at our side.

God does hear our prayers of faith
. . . and true faith requires our ultimate submission to,
and trust in, His perfect will.

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend (Mosiah 4:9).
Believe these things.
I sure do.

Meeting Ree the Pioneer Woman

2010-01-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I traveled to Salt Lake to visit my family and to go to a book signing for Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman. She has a blog that I ready & once I found out she was having a signing for her new cookbook I decided I needed to go. I think Bill thought I was crazy, my family probably thought I was crazy but I was determined to go.
One of my niece's volunteered to watch Greydon and Dylan and another one volunteered to go with me. We arrived at this TINY bookstore in Salt Lake that bless their hearts had no idea how popular Ree was and were ill prepared for the mass of people that showed and the chaos that ensued. Kara and I were there for HOURS...
While most people thought we were nuts and Benjamin was less than thrilled we had a good time hanging out and visiting. And, how cute is Kara's hair??
So check out Rees blog at www.thepioneerwoman.com

Cute Picture of the Boys

2010-01-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

So apparently I am terrible at keeping up this blog. In my defense we are super busy & we don't have terribly exciting lives but still I could atleast post a picture right? :) I will try and do better. Here is a cute picture of the boys that was taken around Halloween. They are all doing great and growing too quickly.

Vegas/Reno

2009-09-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

After Disney we headed to Vegas to meet up with Missy and her two girls. Missy's husband Mike (Bill's brother) is deployed and I thought it was great she drove up to meet us and then traveled with us all the way to Reno. In Vegas we took the kids to a childrens museum which was a lot of fun. They had a dress up area which I was not happy about (being a germ freak) but the kids were already grabbing costumes pulling them on before I had much of a chance to say no. Greydon of course was a ninja batman doing his cool moves and Dylan well Mickey was the obvious choice.
In Reno we met up with Bill's parents and it was great to lounge around the hotel for a few days and just swim and visit and not rush anywhere. All the kids had sunglasses so we could not resist getting a group shot.

Another Disney Pic

2009-09-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

We don't have lots of fabulous pics to really share of our trip. Most of the time we were just too busy and I didn't think about it and then we started the trip with a dead camera battery. You'd think that would be something I checked before we left but apparently NO.... I felt like the biggest idiot and was so mad but luckily Kara and Peter offered their camera along with their babysitting and child assist skills :) Thanks again guys !!
One of the reasons I love this pictures is that it was the end of day one and Dylan was done. They were hot and tired, tired of walking, etc. and he had just started to cry and we turned a corner and saw Lightning who is one of his very favorites and suddenly he was happy again and the day ended on smiles which I love.

Disneyland

2009-09-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Alright it has been a really long time since I updated this blog. I keep intending to get it done & then life interupts all my good intentions and plans :) So we went to Disneyland a few months ago and had an amazing time. The boys had such looks of joy the whole time we were there it was great. I was nervous about how it would be with Benjamin who was a mere 3 1/2 months old at the time but he was great. To help us out we had my neice and her husband go with us and it made the trip much easier and we had a lot of fun with them. I loved seeing the kids excited about the rides and the characters. It was a great time and I highly recommend going if you can.

A dinner time miracle

2009-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well I had a mini miracle occur at dinner time the other night and just had to brag about it ... I know no one likes a boastful buddy (I tell that to my kids all the time) but I had to share my joy. My kids ate and actually asked for more pork chops at dinner the other night!! I was stunned and ecstastic. Getting them to eat even grilled chicken is such work and I throw porkchops at them all the time and they will never eat them and yet... TA DAH clean plates. The children that I had been convinced would live only on chicken nuggets. ham sandwiches, hot dogs and oatmeal. So I have high hopes for getting them to eat (willingly being the key) even more real dinner food. :)

Thank goodness for miltary haircut regulations

2009-04-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

So my husband gave the boys haircuts yesterday which they were in desperate need of and I was glad to have him do it and not pay someone at the BX for a haircut I would ultimately end up despising.
Dylan wanted a regular hair cut so he got buzzed. I was busy and not paying attention when he got to Greydon who now has ANOTHER MOHAWK !!!!!!!! Yes I realize he is four and it is just hair so who cares. In order for a mohawk hair cut to look decent it has to be styled every day which is difficult on school days... these are the days that if I actually shower before dropping of the boys I am impressed (as are the kids teachers ...lol) But now I have an extra step... style Greydons hair and he is VERY peticular about how it looks. YAY thank you Bill.
I have decided that Bill is secretly obsessed with mohawks and wants one so I guess I should be thankful he is in the military and has regulations as to how he wears his hair otherwise he would have one too. That might be the first thing he does when he retires.

The Longest Day

2009-04-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

One day last week Greydon had the longest day ever. (His words) He went to school and it was a beautiful day out so they played outside and did not take naps, they I picked them up, ran some errands and came home to get ready for soccer. He had fallen asleep in the car but I woke him up, got him in the house and told him to sit on the steps while I grabbed his soccer stuff and I would get him dressed. When I came back into the room he was passed out and I had to take a picture it was hilarious. So I woke him up again and he was so upset... "mom I had the longest day I just want to sleep" to which I replied, "sorry buddy you have soccer it is the last practice we are going." So I got him dressed got all three kids there and we were half hour early. Luckily I had juice and scooby bones so I distracted them with that and got him sugared up so he would have energy to do something at soccer. By the end of soccer he was so tired he wasn't even running after the ball he would just stand by the goal with his arms up yelling, "I am open guys" He was wiped out !!! And at the end of practice we found out surprise you have another full week of soccer. Joy.

Another family photo

2009-04-20T09:37:00.001-07:00

This photo is of my dad, his wife (Karen), her daughter Annette and her husband Robert and there two kids Anna and John

Family Pictures

2009-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

When we took this group picture there were four people taking the picture so we were all looking different ways at different times and the kids were so tired and hungry. Still cute though.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

We had a busy but fun Easter Weekend. The entire family came up so we could spend Easter, my birthday and bless Benjamin in church. Family started to arrive Friday night, the rest Saturday morning/afternoon. Sunday morning was crazy because we had to feed everyone, get ready and get to church by 11am which is a struggle just when it is us let alone twenty of us. So we woke the boys up and sent them out to do a quick egg hunt right away because they were so excited and we didn't want them to have to wait until later. Later there would have been no time really since right when we got home from church we made dinner, we all ate, visited for a few and everyone headed back home. Everyone else's easter egg hunt pics show their kids dressed up really cute. The boys had seriously JUST woken up and they are in pajamas (non matching oh well) but again I am trying to be more of a relaxed mother who worries less about the details and just focus on the fact that they had a great time hunting eggs.

Motorcycles

2009-04-20T09:13:00.001-07:00

So one day several months ago my brother calls. This is our conversation. "how old are the boys again?" "Four and two...why?" "Huh -- maybe I should have waited a few years to buy them one then" "Buy them what?" "The motorcycle I picked up today" "You bought WHAT for my kids?!!"
Now of course I did not want to offend him so after my "you bought what" explosion I told him how cool I thought it was and how much I appreciate it. (Which I truly do appreciate his extreme generosity) but the overprotective side of me is thinking are you out of your mind? But he has always rode motorcycles, my dad always did and Bill wants one so it almost seems natural that the boys would get one.
He brought it up over Easter and they boys were not too sure at first, then they loved it and then we turned it on. Once they heard the engine both were not too excited but we talked Greydon into getting onto it and he went for a quick ride just down the street and back and he loved it. Dylan (much to my surprise) wanted nothing to do with it. I was really glad that atleast one of them showed interest since he hauled it here from Texas. Now Aunt Karyn wants to get them a bunch of motorcycle gear. She has a great connection with work though so my kids will likely be all decked out very soon. Again I appreciate it so much but people they are FOUR and TWO !! Can't they just play with blocks still ? lol

Mohawks

2009-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

I believe I have already ranted about the whole mohawk episode enough so I will try not to say too much now :) The boys were not cooperating when I attempted to get a shot of both of them with it so this is what I have. Of course I realized Easter morning that I really wanted to shave their heads before we left for church because their mohawks have grown out so they actually look worse than originally but there was no time... (big sigh) so my kids are looking less then stellar in all the Easter photos but oh well. You only live once and they are still adorable even if their hair is a little funky

Rudd Family Circus

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Long lay the world in sin and error pining.Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

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Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;

Said the king to the people everywhere

Listen to what I say

Pray for peace people everywhere

Listen to what I say

The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light