Milius Adventures

Arrival of the Twins

2012-01-25T13:29:00.001-08:00

Introducing Landon & Alexi! They were born at 35 weeks and are just over 2 weeks old.

My water broke about 1/2 hour after leaving my baby shower. We headed to the hospital and after several hours, they had to give me pitocin to get things going. The babies were born in the operating room very early in the morning after about 12 hours of labor. Landon was head down & such an easy delivery but Alexi gave us a little more of a challenge. She was in a breach position and the doctor tried to turn her, but she refused. They went ahead and delivered her breach, bottom first - folded in half. It was a little scary since I could see her legs while still trying to push her shoulders & head out after the contraction had ended. But she was delivered just fine, thanks to an awesome doctor!

Landon was 5 lbs. 1 oz and Alexi was 5 lbs. 10oz. (5lb babies are much easier to deliver than 8+ lb babies!!!) Landon had a little bit of a hard time breathing and so he was taken straight to the NICU, but he ended up doing fine before they even got him there. They kept the babies in the NICU mostly because of precaution for being born at 35 weeks, but both babies did very well & were able to go home with me 2 days later.

We struggled a little bit with keeping them warm & getting them to gain some weight at the beginning but they are both flourishing now. They are keeping us busy with feedings every 3 hours but they still sleep A LOT but we had a lot of meals brought in for us & I've had constant help for the last couple of weeks, so I'm just hopeful that I'll be able to handle everything once the help is gone.

Between several different attempts yesterday, we were finally able to get some good pictures. Getting 2 babies awake, alert, and happy at the same time is quite a challenge!

The Twin Belly Profile Picture

2011-12-21T18:50:00.001-08:00

To say that things have been crazy busy would be an understatement. I am now almost 33 weeks pregnant with the twins. The doctors want me to go at least until 35 weeks and will induce if I get to 38 weeks. So, at minimum good case scenario, I have about 2 1/2 weeks and at max, I have 4 1/2 weeks to go. Everything is looking good right now & at our ultrasound a couple of weeks ago the babies were measuring at 3lbs 3oz and 3lbs 10oz. I feel very blessed that I haven't had to deal with any of the issues that I had an "increased risk" for, because of the twin pregnancy & being "old" (over 35 -- I turned 35 during the pregnancy).

I feel pretty miserable, pretty much all the time. I can't do too much or I start having lots of contractions. And I am pretty much ready to be done being pregnant. I say "pretty much" because when I'm not pregnant anymore, that means I'll have 2 babies to be taking care of, so that scares me a bit!

Due to popular demand, here's a picture we took tonight. People are all the time surprised when they see me & hear that I am having twins NEXT month which definitely makes me feel good. I have gained between 20 & 25 lbs depending on the day (the trick: no room in my stomach to eat very much, 2 babies sucking calories from me, sugar/chocolate give me terrible heartburn, I've been sick to my stomach a lot more this time around). I also have always carried inside (this is the closest I've ever had to a basketball-belly) which is nice for the belly but very miserable for all the organs that are being smooshed!

Evie turns 2

2011-11-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't blogged in a long time . . . too many things to do around here! But I just had to post some pictures from Evie's 2nd birthday. We celebrated a couple of days early while Grandpa & Grandma were in town.

My New Love -- Pinterest

2011-09-26T03:37:00.000-07:00

My new love is Pinterest -- thank you to my facebook friends who got me intrigued with this new tool! I've found some fun, new recipes, used it to completely design the way I'll decorate the kids' bedroom when they move in together (I was really struggling with that one), and found a lot of great inspiration there.

Its kind of a social media tool like facebook, but oh so much better, I think, because you can be so productive with it and its just a much more positive and inspiring place! Think of it as a virtual bookmark center. You have "pin boards" and you add the pictures you like (those pictures will usually link to the website they come from) so you don't forget about this recipe you want to try or that decorating idea or the hairstyle you want to try.

If you're already on Pinterest, come on over & follow me!

Ultrasound results; Its A . . . .

2011-09-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

What a fun appointment we had for the ultrasound today. The tech and the doctor that we saw are both twins. And we had about an hour & 15 minutes or so of watching the babies on the screen while they got all the measurements, laughing at silly things & having a great time. And without any doubt at all, clear as day . . . Baby A is a BOY and Baby B is a GIRL!

Of course we would've been happy with whatever we got, but I really wanted one of each -- it will make a lot of things simpler for us, including that we'll be able to double up on rooms in a couple of years instead of putting 3 kids in 1 room and 1 kid in their own room.

But the best part for me was in the first 60 seconds when we saw the heartbeats & saw them moving around to know that everyone is healthy & doing well, which means I can put my worrying to rest for a little while. Both babies have strong heartbeats in the 150's (154 & 158, I believe) and the doctor was amazed that they weigh the exact same amount (about 1/2 pound each), which he said he's never seen with twins before - usually one is a little larger than the other. And all the measurements they took looked great -- no problems so far! Baby A gave us a big huge grin that we got on a 3D picture -- it looks pretty creepy & we all had a good laugh at it! Seriously, he looked like the Joker!

Now to come up with names . . . . .

I wonder if I'll get a "basketball" belly

2011-09-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

I've never had one before, with either of my two single pregnancies. While most pregnant women get that cute basketball out in front, my babies sit very differently. They sit inside of me, widening everything and just making me look fat. Even just a few weeks ago, I had several people tell me that I didn't even look pregnant. But, I was much larger & couldn't fit into any of the clothes I was wearing pre-pregnancy . . . yup, fat!

With 2 babies, I can't imagine that they could both fit like my singles have done, so I am hoping to actually get that basketball belly this time so that I really look pregnant instead of just fat. Well, besides the fact, that its really uncomfortable to have them sit inside, crushing everything, making breathing so difficult as early as 20 weeks (which started much earlier this time).

Wish me luck!!!

Paranoid in Pregnancy

2011-09-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've wondered if its just because of my personal life experiences or if all pregnant women go through a difficult time with this. The last few nights, I've had dreams of something going wrong with the pregnancy leading up to last night's dream that was about losing both babies and left me emotionally drained this morning.

But it doesn't stop with dreaming. I think the dreams are a symptom of the way I feel all the time. Its like I have this constant fear within me that something will go wrong. And I wonder if it is magnified by the fact that its so difficult for me to get pregnant in the first place, costing thousands of dollars and lots of preparation with Invitro. Or is it due to the fact that I had a lot of problems in my first pregnancy, including 2 hospitalizations of several days each and a month of bed rest after a scare that could have resulted in a miscarriage at week 20.

So, I wonder . . . do those who get pregnant easily & those who have had no "scares" during pregnancy go through this same emotional roller coaster?

P.S. I can't wait until my ultrasound on Tuesday so that I can see these babies moving around & hear that everything is okay. It brings such comfort to actually see them alive & doing well on the screen in front of me. If I had my wish, I would have an ultrasound machine at home that I could use on a daily basis!

To find out or Not to find out . . . the sex of the babies

2011-09-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Our ultrasound is coming up in about 2 weeks. With both of my previous pregnancies, we've found out what we were going to have, but I think it would be kind of fun to be surprised this time, especially with twins! I haven't told Jeff yet, and I think he's pretty set on finding out, but I'm really waffling on this.

The other problem is that I'm a real planner, by nature. It would be very hard not to have everything completely ready when these babies come home, especially considering I'll have 2 babies to take care of when I come home on top of our 2 toddlers. And then there's the name dilemma! We'd need to come up with 2 boy names & 2 girl names if we don't know what we're having.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Should we find out at the ultrasound or be surprised?

1st Day of School

2011-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Chase had his first day of preschool last week! He is going 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours each day to a preschool that a woman does out of her home. It is a 3 year old class . . . earlier than I thought I would send my kids to preschool but I think it will be good for all of us. Chase has been asking to go to school since the beginning of the year so he was very excited.

Evie was pretty upset when Chase left & she had to stay home, but she got over it quickly & now has fun standing & waving & yelling goodbye as Chase leaves with his carpool in the morning.

That first day was very strange. We sent Chase off then went to do some errands I had planned. The errands were done in no time at all & then Evie & I stopped for doughnuts and came home. We still had about an hour and a half left until we had to get him, the house was quiet & I had nothing more planned to do. It was kind of an eerie feeling. But we got over that quickly and I have found that shopping with just one kid is so easy. I will definitely enjoy the quiet & my alone time with Evie for the next few months until the twins arrive!

Chase's first day of pre-school

Evie with her celebratory doughnut after Chase left!

The Twin Diet

2011-08-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Today's Lunch Menu: Cheetos & ice cream

Yes, I'm not doing too well at the healthy eating to keep down my chances of gestational diabetes. But sometimes you just have to eat whatever makes you not feel nauseous.

The good news? No weight gain in my first 12 weeks of pregnancy. That's never happened to me before and I think I can attribute it to two things. One: I've been too nauseous to eat consistent or large meals. Two: there are 2 babies sucking calories out of my body -- yippee!!! I definitely LOOK larger - no question about that, but I've started noticing my face getting thinner. In the past, I've always gained about 5 to 7 pounds during that first trimester, so this is a great start!

Poor Jeff is feeling bad that I can eat junk and not gain any weight, while he has to watch what he's eating. Poor guy :( However, I'm the one that's needing larger & larger clothes, so he shouldn't feel too bad!

At least they're polite about it!

2011-07-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Mom: "Chase, you're supposed to be in bed."
3 yr old Chase: "Hi Mom, nice to meet you. I like you."

Mom: "Evie, come here please."
18 month old Evie: "No thanks."

Sick Mom, laying down in her bedroom upstairs sneezes.
Evie, hanging out downstairs with Dad yells, "Bless you, Mom."

These are the moments that make it so much fun to be a mom!

Last day of fertility meds!

2011-07-28T07:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday marked the last day of fertility medications for me! The medication protocol has governed my life for the last 4 months and included dozens of intramuscular injections, definitely the worst part of it all. There were 2 medications given by intramuscular injection -- one dosage that was an every day shot & the other was ever 3 days. I was lucky that I had a reaction to the every day dose -- a painful welt on my hip that was as big as my hand -- so those were replaced by a different medication and the only shot I was left with was the every 3 days dose.

I would prepare by icing down my hip while Jeff got the shot ready. Then he would apologetically say, "I love you" before stabbing me with that needles (yes, the whole thing had to go in). The medication is oil based, so it was literally like injecting vegetable oil into the body -- nice & thick & painful.

Yep, that's why the end of fertility medications is a HUGE deal for me -- time to celebrate!!!

Enjoying the little things

2011-07-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Its the little things that made me happy today! I felt well enough to:

set up the blow up pool in the yard for the kids
pull some weeds
get a little housework done
go for a walk (first time in a month)
do a little grocery shopping (first time in a month)
cook dinner

I also found the BEST pants for pregnancy! They aren't maternity, but I am loving them more than my maternity pants right now & just went back to buy a 2nd pair. They are Danskin Now Relaxed Pocket Pant . . . I got them at Walmart with the exercise clothes & they were only $11! They are soooo comfy!

Just saying "no" to gestational diabetes

2011-07-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

When I went for my pre-natal appointment last week, the doctor was going over everything with me & brought up the glucose test that is done to test for gestational diabetes. She said the chances of developing gestational diabetes are much higher with twins. I told her of my past experiences. In both pregnancies, I failed the first test, but passed the 2nd one - meaning that I didn't have gestational diabetes - yea!!! But the doctor told me that since I had to take the 2nd test previously, that my chances are increased even more.

I asked about what I could do to avoid it and she talked about eating a high protein, low carbohydrate diet, using whole wheat breads, lots of fruits & veggies, etc. That definitely isn't happening right now since I have just been eating whatever won't make me too nauseous and just thinking of any kind of meat makes me gag (seriously, its happening right now just from typing this!).

Anyway, I'm hoping that I will soon be able to resume a regular diet & would love if you would share any recipes with me that would fit into this healthy way of eating for me. I do have a few really good ones that I love, but would love to introduce some great new recipes that will help me stick to this & stay away from the junk.

Note: I will not eat seafood of any kind, so no seafood recipes, please.

Finally Getting Out

2011-07-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

I think its been about a month since I've been out of the house -- other than for doctor appointments. I've just been way too sick to feel good enough to go anywhere. But this weekend I hit the 11 week mark for the pregnancy and . . . no morning sickness on Thursday!

So, I made plans for a date night/afternoon with my husband for Friday. Come Friday, I was sick again, but decided to just deal with it, so we went ahead and went out to a movie (Harry Potter) and dinner. We tried out an Italian restaurant called Armandos & it was delicious -- we'll definitely go back again!

Saturday, I felt good again & so we went out did some shopping for some trees and I was able to do some dishes, get the kids dressed & take care of a few things. (more on that in another post!)

It was so nice to get to go to church today after not having been for a while! But by the third hour I was feeling pretty nauseous again.

So, its getting better but still lingering a bit. And I'm still so tired and dealing with some pain from the trauma my organs went through with the incarcerated uterus. But how nice it was to actually get out of the house & to WANT to get out of the house. That has been the biggest struggle, I think, is that I haven't WANTED to do anything other than sit in front of the tv or take naps because I just felt so crummy. So, I am very glad to feel like I'm starting to come back to life!

Hot Dogs for Breakfast, Anyone?

2011-07-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

It takes me a while to get up & going these days. Today, I told Chase (3 yrs) I'd be down in a few minutes to get breakfast for him. When I came down a few minutes later, he was already eating . . . he got into the refrigerator and found his leftover hot dog from dinner last night.

Hot Dogs for breakfast . . . yep, I'm a good mom!

Naptime!

2011-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Naptime for our 3 year old has been a struggle for a while. If we could get him to hold still for 2 minutes, he would fall asleep, but that involved having to sit on his bed & continually telling him (very sternly) to "hold still, close your eyes, go to sleep". After our most recent trip to Arizona, we gave up and let him quietly watch cartoons during naptime. He was also going through multiple meltdowns each day & every little thing would set him off.

Last week, I managed to get him back onto a nap schedule & he was actually going down for a nap pretty easily, without crying and complaining. And the meltdowns have stopped . . . until today :( This morning, we went through major trauma over some very little things & I knew he was feeling extra tired. So, the greatest thing in the world happened when he finished eating lunch & then told me that he was a little tired so he needed to go take a little nap -- TEARS OF JOY going on around here!

Naptime tip: I put him in bed & tell him that he has 10 minutes to try to go to sleep himself otherwise I will have to come sit by him. He's usually still awake at the end of 10 minutes so then I just go sit on his bed for a few minutes until he falls asleep. I think he appreciates the opportunity to lay down by himself first because he does a lot less complaining about it now.

Twin Pregnancy: is it really a "2 for 1" deal?

2011-07-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

When the news spread through the family that we were expecting twins, I can only imagine the booming laughter that came from my brother . . . who has twins of his own! When his wife called to congratulate me, she said that my brother had told her not to be too "doom & gloom" when she talked to me! My sister-in-law is a very positive person & wasn't "doom & gloom" at all. She gave me some great advice & then told me that the thing that bothered her when she was pregnant was that everyone said it was so great because she got to get 2 babies while going through only 1 pregnancy. She said she was so glad that someone in the family would finally understand that the pregnancy with twins was double as difficult as a single pregnancy so the "2 for 1" comment wasn't very valid.

I'm definitely finding her to be right, so far. This first trimester has made me twice as nauseous and at least twice as tired (probably more) than with my other pregnancies. I've also never experienced the feeling of always being hot with my pregnancies that I hear from so many others, but this time I am definitely feeling it. I think I am also twice as emotional. Pretty funny how all of that works! I guess 2 babies, means 2 times the hormones & 2 times the effects!

Another appointment today & an ultrasound are showing that everything is going well at this point. The babies are now one on top of the other instead of side by side like they were before they shifted the uterus back into place. At 10 1/2 weeks, you can see a definite baby outline with legs, arms, body & head and they were wiggling around quite a bit today -- it was fun to see!

Meanwhile, my poor kids are spending most of their time in front of the tv these days as I struggle with the nausea and energy so much that its tough to do much of anything. Today, I did get them out in the backyard into the little playpool for a bit, but I'm paying for it tonight as the sickness seems worse. I'm so grateful to my worn out husband who comes home from work & then takes over for the evening so that I can relax. And I'm also getting excited to get closer to that 12 week mark & hopefully feeling better once that time comes!

Twin Pregnancy: 10 weeks

2011-07-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today, I feel better than I have all week. I'm still far from 100% & still nauseous, but I was able to get my kids dressed, Evie's hair done and even wash a load of dishes which is a lot more than I have done any other day this week. My head seems clearer today & I feel more motivated to not just sit or lay around. However, I've started having some similar symptoms to when I ended up with the incarcerated uterus problem. I have a regular scheduled doctor's appointment tomorrow & an ultrasound so I am hopeful that they will find that everything is still in its correct position and that the pregnancy is going as it should be at this point.

A friend brought in dinner for us on Monday (thank you, De Anne!) and Jeff has done a great job of taking care of everything & everyone, including me (this includes late-night errands to get slurpees and whatever else I NEED at the store). He even, unexpectedly, showed up at home earlier than expected yesterday which was a huge blessing since I was pretty much done. Wow, definitely so grateful for everyone taking care of me!

Incarcerated Uterus . . . yet another "rare" medical condition for me!

2011-07-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

Well, my rare medical experiences struck again yesterday! Since I've been married it seems like whenever a doctor says, "its very rare & only happens in 1 out of every ..... people", that I am that ONE!

It began a week ago when I went into my OBGYN with what I thought was a urinary tract infection. After 24 hours of antibiotics, the pain got so horrible and was constant (unlike a UTI). The on call doctor (it was Saturday) prescribed a stronger antibiotic and they thought that it could possibly a kidney stone. The pain started subsiding Sunday night and was much better all week long. But I still couldn't lay down (horrible abdominal pain) so I was sleeping sitting up & eventually bought a recliner, resigning myself to sleeping that way for the rest of the pregnancy. Other pregnancy symptoms seemed to multiply this week & my stomach was growing so quickly that I was half expecting to see 3 babies instead of just 2 when we went in for a scheduled ultrasound yesterday.

Before they even started looking at babies on the ultrasound, they noted that my bladder was hugely distended. When the doctor saw me, she drained 1 1/2 liters from my bladder (thus, the 3rd baby effect that I was having) and found that my uterus was in the wrong position. I've always been told that my uterus was tipped back but it has never caused any problems before. I guess that with the rapid growth with a twin pregnancy, it had tipped way back & and had lodged itself into the cavity that holds the bladder, bowels, etc. so it was pinching everything off. It needed to be moved, not only to stop pinching everything off, but so that it would continue to have room to grow & avoid some very serious complications later on.

The doctor tried to move it in the office. And let me tell you that having your organs repositioned inside of you is a miserable experience! When it got to the point that I couldn't stand the pain any longer, the doctor left the room. She came back about 30 minutes later after talking with several doctors & they decided to admit me to the hospital to have it done. At the hospital, the doctor who saw me admitted that no one there (including the at-risk OB specialist) had ever dealt with or even seen this condition before because it is so rare, so they were "reading up on it" to determine the best course of action. They had a full plan mapped out . . . try this, then this, then this & if none of those work, then finally surgery.

I'll save you the gory details, but luckily, the first attempted method worked and when I left the hospital, I was 4 lbs lighter & my maternity clothes that were getting quite filled out were actually loose (thanks to my emptied bladder). I was also able to lay on my back & side without pain & suddenly felt a huge decrease in the pregnancy symptoms that had been increased in the last couple of weeks.

I am in bed for the weekend, laying on my stomach to keep gravity from pulling the uterus back down to that other position. They hope that after a few days of that, the uterus will have grown enough that it will be too big to get lodged in that position again. Wow! What an experience and I am so grateful that it was found now instead of later in the pregnancy when it could've caused some serious problems. I'm also grateful for all the prayers in my behalf (I know they worked) and the comfort of a priesthood blessing from my husband right before we headed to the hospital that promised me that everything would be okay.

Comfortable sleep during pregnancy??? Is that even possible?

2011-07-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

With my first 2 pregnancies, about the time I get to 7 months pregnant, I have such a hard time getting comfortable to sleep at night. I always wish that I had a recliner to sleep in, but no such luck & 2 months of pregnancy hardly seems worth the expense of a recliner, so I just suffer.

This time its going to be different! I'm just 2 months into this pregnancy & I am growing larger by the day. When I got sick last Friday (we think it might've been a kidney stone), laying down in any position became extremely painful & I've been sleeping sitting up in bed ever since. So, today I got to go & purchase my very own "congratulations/condolences on your twin pregnancy" gift - LOL!

I found the perfect chair. When I sat down in it, all of a sudden I felt a huge relief of pressure in my lower back - I hadn't even realized it was hurting! It will also make for great "putting my feet up" time as the pregnancy progresses. We also figured that it will be good to have around when the babies come & we need a 2nd rocking chair for when there are 2 of us taking care of fussy babies.

What are your suggestions for more comfortable sleep during pregnancy? Is there anything that works?

Help! 3 year old Perfectionism???

2011-07-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

After spending the weekend in bed with horrible pain (they're thinking I have/had a kidney stone), I went ahead and sent Jeff off to work today & told him I could handle things even though I'm far from 100%. Dealing with that kind of pain without the wonders of pain medications (because of being pregnant) was just plain rotten, but compared to that, I am feeling much better today.

So, I decided that in the middle of all the tv & movie time for the kids today that I would get out some big pieces of butcher paper for them to color on. Evie (my 18 month old) scribbled all over her paper, then wadded it up & wanted to throw it in the garbage! Chase (3 years old) couldn't even begin anything because he wanted to draw this or that but kept saying that he didn't know how. Its the same thing when using coloring book pages. He doesn't ever color much because he's afraid of doing it wrong.

I know that some of that attitude must be genetic (coming from ME), but I don't think that I was doing that at his age because I have all sorts of paintings, etc. that my mom saved from when I was a kid.

So, how do I get him past this perfectionism idea? I keep telling him to just try and that however he does it will be great, but it doesn't seem to work.

Expecting Twins

2011-07-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how 5 years can change everything! 5 years ago, we had been married for 8 years and were deep in the process of fertility treatments, seeing no success & getting those dreaded calls from the clinic that "no" it didn't work . . . again. At that time, there was not even a glimmer of what would be, that we would soon have 2 children & 2 more on the way . . .

It was a couple of weeks ago that we made a very nervous drive to a radiologist for an ultrasound. We had done invitro and had 2 embryos transferred . . . the same as we had done with our previous SINGLE pregnancy. We were hoping for the same results but when our first blood test results came back, the hcg number was reading twice as high as it had for the last pregnancy & the 2nd test not only doubled (which is what they want it to do) but it went from 1100 to 2900, showing a pretty big chance of twins.

So, here we were, across the country from our fertility clinic & going to a radiologist with strict provisions that they don't tell you anything . . . they report to your doctor & the doctor then gives you the results. Jeff insisted on standing where he could see the screen & when he saw the labels "A" and "B", he held up 2 fingers so I could see what was going on.

Excitement, overwhelm, and amazement! Yep, we're feeling all of those things, but mostly overwhelm and definitely gratitude that we went ahead and bought the mini van 3 years ago when we only had 1 child! At the beginning of next year, we'll have 4 children UNDER the age of 4 since our 2 new additions will most likely be born in January and our oldest won't turn 4 until February! Crazy stuff!!!

Recipe: Banana Shakes

2011-05-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed Banana Shakes along with our lunch yesterday. They were a favorite from when I was a kid, so I got this recipe from my mom. I made a 1/2 batch which gave the perfect portion size to share between the 2 kids & myself, and I used a little less sugar than called for (wasn't brave enough to do it without any sugar!).

Banana Shakes

2 bananas, sliced (or broken into pieces)
2 tsp vanilla
14 ice cubes
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Mix in blender until well blended.

Do you Love BOOKS?

2011-04-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, for those of you that love to read & have books in your home, I found a new website that I absolutely LOVE! I've been using it for a couple of months & it is soooo cool!

What you do is find the books in your home that are in great shape but you don't want anymore. You list them on this website & when someone requests a book from you, you mail it. When they receive the book then you get a "credit" to request a book from someone else. You can also purchase "credits" for like $3.45 each so you are basically buying a used book from someone else. The really fun part is that when you sign up & list 10 books, you'll get 2 FREE "credits" to get 2 books immediately. You have to pay shipping on the books that you send, but you don't have to pay anything to get a book from someone else if you're using your free "credits". Its like the BEST used bookstore out there! I've already shipped a few books off & also received several books & am loving it!

If you'd like to check it out, use this link.

What I really love about this is that I have been able to really add to my book collection & fill in a few missing books that I've wanted at such a low cost. So far, I have received 2 free books for posting 10 books that I've been willing to give to others and I've had 3 requests for my posted books --- after I spent less than $3.00 each to mail those books, I received a free book of my choice in return. I've also purchased credits from the site (1 credit for $3.45 = 1 new book) to get more books that I wanted.

YW Activity: Culture Night

2011-04-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

Our Mia Maids were in charge of the combined Young Women activity last night & we had a lot of fun. We did a culture night. We asked for volunteers to bring a food from a foreign culture, set up a display table, or give a presentation. Those that set up tables got to share what was on their table & we had a couple of our girls give great presentations on places they had visited (Panama & France) and we got to try out some delicious food!

While I was busy with other parts of the planning, my husband put together a Culture Quiz that you can download here. He gathered together some fun facts and we passed it out to the girls as a quiz. I put a list of the countries/cities that were the answers on the board for them to guess from.

Caution: he gathered this list from the internet, so while we know that EVERYTHING you read on the internet is true, use this list knowing that its not first hand knowledge but was pulled from internet sources ;)

Adventures While Dad was Away

2011-03-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Jeff was out of town for work last week so I got to handle things alone with the kids. We did pretty well . . . even managed to have some fun & definitely some unplanned adventures!

While Jeff was gone we managed to . . .

find out that our fire alarms work. This was totally not on purpose! And the sight of my cheese crisp coming out of the oven ON FIRE was crazy!
get stuck in a car wash. The car wash grabbed on to our tires & pulled us through to the first stop & then got stuck. So, we were stuck being covered in soap & having those long strips of whatever brushing over us for about 5 minutes before I called Jeff in a panic for some advice. His answer of "just drive through" seemed so simple but I didn't know what would happen or if we'd be able to make it all the way through. We did make it through, got a profuse apology when we went inside & explained what happened, got a refund for the car wash & got sent through again AFTER they fixed the conveyor belt that had gotten stuck.
find ourselves in very close proximity (within a 1/4 of a mile) of the evacuation line for a wildfire that was burning in our town. SCARY while I sat there & watched the coverage wondering if the evacuation area would be pushed further to include us & knowing it would be difficult with the two kids by myself.

But, despite it all, we made it through & definitely had a memorable time. (We're excited to have Jeff back home now!)

FHE: Bully or Superhero

2011-03-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the comments on my previous post, both on the blog & through facebook! I especially liked the suggestion that we need to teach that as members of our family, we should be each others' protectors. In that spirit, we are using a family home evening idea adapted from another blog. I'm printing out 2 pictures (one of a bully & one of a superhero) and putting them on popsicle sticks (each kid will get their own set of pictures to hold during the lesson). Then we'll talk about how we're supposed to take care of each other (like the superhero). I'm going to attach a superhero picture to a jar & each time the kids act like a superhero to each other we'll add a bean to the jar; when it gets filled up we'll go out for ice cream. With only 2 kids & them both being very small, we're going to use a small jar so we can fill it up quickly!

Click here for the lesson that inspired my adapted lesson, as well as the pictures that I'm using.

Parenting Help, Please!

2011-03-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

We're going through a difficult time here. When the new baby was brought home from the hospital (over a year ago!) there really weren't any problems with the 2 year old. Now that one year has gone by, he's having some serious problems with her . . . she takes his toys, he has to share things with her & we're just plain struggling. He even starts throwing a fit when she wakes up from a nap or wakes up in the morning (after him); he starts crying, "No, Evie's not awake!"

What to do? We've relocated a few of his toys to his bedroom (the ones that he has a really hard time sharing) so that he can play with some things by himself. We've done occasional one-on-ones - where mom takes one & dad takes the other on an errand alone. And we've given Chase a couple of grown-up jobs that he really likes.

Do I just have to wait for him to grow out of the stage or is there more that I could be doing? Help, please!

Job Charts to the Rescue!!!

2011-02-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

We've really been struggling lately with recently turned 3 year old, Chase. Seems he's just now hitting the "terrible two's". The first problem that cropped up was refusing to eat, especially breakfast. And then there have been lots of "no's" being yelled. I don't know about you, but a toddler yelling "no" to my face really gets my blood boiling.

The issue isn't completely resolved but last week we introduced a job chart and it has worked miracles. Chase gets to put a sticker next to each item after he completes it and he loves to get those things done so he can mark them off the list. His job chart includes -
Morning: making his bed, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth, reading scriptures, and unloading the dishwasher (with a little help from mom)
Evening: cleaning up the toys, brushing his teeth, saying his prayers

He is loving having something to be responsible & especially loves unloading the dishwasher & I have been amazed at how great he is doing. On only the 2nd day, he knew where just about everything went as he unloaded.

I used some super cute graphics found here.

More Toddler Book Recommendations

2011-02-13T14:53:00.001-08:00

We're getting lots of books from the library & a lot of times they turn out to be ones we read just once. But we've recently found some winners that Chase wants to read over & over again. Here's our recommendations:

Dr. Seuss's ABC
Frog & Toad series by Arnold Lobel
Harold & the Purple Crayon series by Crockett Johnson
Chicka Chicka 123 by Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson, Lois Ehlert
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

ENJOY!

FHE: The Sabbath Day

2011-02-06T19:48:00.001-08:00

Thought we'd have a short little lesson on the Sabbath day for family home evening on Monday. Chase is really talking about the days of the week these days & loves to go to church on Sunday but always asks to go to the store while we're on our way to church!

I'm going to print out some pictures of places & things: church, store, playground, Jesus, man with a briefcase (to represent going to work), etc. and we'll talk about what we do on Sunday & what we don't do on Sunday and that we should do things that help us to think about Jesus.

I also stole this idea from a blog a while back & made it my own. I put together these shelves that we're going to hang in their rooms. On Saturday night, we'll hang their church clothes up on the hooks & put their shoes on the shelf to make sure we have everything ready for Sunday without any scrambling on Sunday morning. The shelves were purchased at Hobby Lobby during their 50% off sale - still about $25 each. I just added pictures of the kids in their Sunday clothes, pictures of Christ, and vinyl lettering with a cute paper background.

Family Home Evening: Gratitude Lesson

2011-01-11T13:17:00.001-08:00

Last night's Family Home Evening was on gratitude. We talked about how when someone does something nice for us its important to say "thank you". Then we talked about all the nice presents that were received for Christmas and that it was so important to say "thank you" for all those nice things we received. We took pictures of the kid with the presents they got from their grandparents (each picture was with what they got from one set of grandparents) and then this morning I used walmart.com to make thank you cards that have the pictures on them. When they're ready, we'll write a thank you message inside, help the kids to sign them & send them off to the grandparents. Here's the pictures we took - and yes, the puppy was a gift of sorts from grandparents. Not exactly a Christmas gift, but we were given a puppy from my parents' recent litter and got to bring her home after our Christmas visit.

Baby Shower Gift: Growth Chart

2010-12-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

I just made my own version of this totally cute idea that I found a few months ago. It went over great at the baby shower and I am now making a couple more for my recently born nephews & will make one for each of my kids.

(By the way, if you visit the link for the site where this idea was originally posted . . . I'm sorry! Its an awesome site & you'll probably see so many projects that you'll want to do that you won't even have time to do them all!!!)

Anyway, I wanted a cute poem to attach to it, but couldn't find any that I liked, so I made up my own. You're welcome to use it if you try this out for a gift:

Right now you are a little one

So tiny and so sweet.

And soon you will be running ‘round

On tiny little feet.

The big events the birthdays too

Recorded here by height,

To show your progress as you grow

In knowledge and in might.

The years will pass so quickly

as I mark them on this “wall”.

And I will love you more each day

As you grow big and tall.

I’ll cherish ev’ry memory

And teach you all that’s right.

And thank Him for each moment

That I get to hold you tight.

-- Kim Milius

Great Toddler Christmas Book

2010-12-11T20:48:00.001-08:00

When I was at Deseret Book the other day, a children's Christmas book caught my eye . . . cute cover & it was on SALE! With Chase's love for books, I bought it to add to our collection, hoping it would be as cute as it looked. This is definitely a new favorite! Adorable illustrations & a very cute story about the beginning of Santa where he used penguins instead of reindeer (boy, was that a mistake!) and the people were all scared of this guy that was going to invade their houses in the middle of the night. Santa's First Flight by Sam Beeson is a definite MUST for your toddler's library!

Book Recommendations: toddler

2010-12-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

We've been getting lots of books from the library lately. Thank you so much to friends who gave me some recommendations & I've also been taking them from the books that the library & Little Monkey Bizness uses for their storytimes. Here's some of our favorites so far (for my 2 1/2 year old):

The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli
Easy to read Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
Peanut Butter & Jellyfishes by Brian P. Cleary
We're Going on a Bear Hunt retold by Michael Rosen
Ping Pong Pig by Caroline Jayne Church

Hooked on Phonics Review

2010-12-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

So, I ventured out to do some Black Friday shopping, including a stop at Borders bookstore. I had a 50% off coupon & ended up buying a Hooked on Phonics set - even though I didn't go there with that intention. I decided it was a good enough deal to go ahead and give it a try.

Chase has known his letters since he was 20 months old. Its just something he's always had a fascination with & his favorite song is ABC's. I've been trying to teach him the letter sounds but he hasn't picked up on it at all.

He LOVES this program (pre-K, level 1) and I'm sure we will be investing in more before too long. We've done 2 formal lessons - rhyming & the letter A. And he loved all parts of it, the lesson, worksheet, computer game, and the dvd. Even on the days when we don't do a lesson, I still put on the dvd for him & he watches all of it. And he's really picking up on what sounds the letters make. Today, I asked him what sound an "s" makes (since he was really singing along with that song earlier) and he was able to tell me.

I would definitely recommend this program to anyone with young children; they've made it so fun & entertaining that kids really enjoy doing the lessons. In fact, Chase begs to do them each day & wants to do them several times a day . . . I'm just not organized enough to keep up with him right now!

Sneezing is Dangerous!

2010-11-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

This morning, the sore back I had last night turned terrible after a sneeze. I was bent over washing my hands in the sink when the sneeze hit & left me unable to straighten up. I finally made it to where I could lay down & then had to call Jeff and ask him to come home from work to take care of me (and the kids). I'm still in horrible pain from throwing my back out . . . yes, due to a sneeze!

But that's really not the worst of it. When I was pregnant with my first child, I sneezed one morning while sitting in bed. It resulted in a trip to the emergency room, several days in the hospital, and a month of bedrest due to the placenta having torn away from the uterus!

Is it just me? Do I have extremely violent sneezes or is it just old age creeping up on me? Or do these kinds of things happen to other people too?

P90X Review . . . day 15 . . .

2010-11-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight was one of the worst workouts . . . no, let me be honest, it was THE WORST workout so far. It was the "core" workout. You'd think that our 3rd time around with it (we're just starting week 3!!!) would be easier, but I think it was harder & after only a few push-ups (which I HAD been getting much better at) my shoulder started bothering me. I've had problems with bursitis on & off for years & the pain kicked in really bad tonight. I did what I could but all push-up kinds of things were out. By the end of the workout, I had a twinge in my lower back as well & now it is killing me.

Okay, lets just move on, right? At least we get to do a different workout tomorrow night . . . and its cardio which is one of my favorites.

On a positive note . . . TONS OF ENERGY LATELY! I know its due to the workouts, vitamins & healthier eating -- love the way I feel during the day!

P90X Review . . . days 12, 13 & 14

2010-11-14T12:27:00.001-08:00

I was sick on Friday & Jeff has been battling a back injury, so we decided to take the day off from our workout. But we got back to it on Saturday & it felt great . . . I'm so addicted to this stuff! My favorite workouts so far are the Cardio & Kenpo workouts. Overall, this week was so much easier than the first which shows how much we've improved in just 1 week. Also, the routines that were so confusing in the Kenpo workout the first time around came pretty easily the 2nd time doing it. I was actually able to do the entire workout (I sat out the X Jumping Jacks) and am so proud of myself for it!

We have a friend from high school that is following these posts & he reminded me how important the food aspect of this was, so we are trying our best . . . thanks, Farnsworth!

The first week, I had a 4 pound loss & then a one pound gain & no loss this week. It has been discouraging for me because I have a long way to go & want to see quick results for my efforts. Jeff had to remind me that gaining at the beginning means I'm gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat and that in a couple of weeks the losses will start to show up. I know he's right - that's been my experience my whole life (although usuallly, I gain about 5 to 7 pounds right off with a new exercise plan, so a 3 pound loss is pretty good for me!). Its just hard to be patient!

Our Very First Pets . . . and a Fishy Problem

2010-11-12T09:31:00.001-08:00

First, the problem . . . because I'm hoping someone out there will have a solution for me: Despite a new, larger fish tank with a larger filter, the water in the fish tank is murky after only 1 day! Any experienced fish owners out there have a solution for us?

Now, on with the story:
After being married for nearly 13 years, we finally got our first pets! A friend called & was trying to get rid of the goldfish that her kids got a year ago since they weren't taking care of them anymore or even excited to have them. I agreed to take them (on a trial basis), feeling like maybe we could actually take care of pets since we now have a house & have managed to keep our 2 kids alive & well!

After a 2 week trial period, we decided to keep them. The only problem was that we were having to clean out the tank every couple of days, despite the filter. So, Jeff set out to the store yesterday & came back with a larger tank & larger filter & some pretty things to go inside (of course, he didn't call them "pretty"). It was at this point that I realized he had grown to like the fish even though he had given me a pretty incredulous look when he came home & saw them that first day. I also realized that it was a great time to pitch an idea!

My parents breed miniature Dachshunds and they're so cute that I've always wanted one, even though I'm not an "inside pet" kind of person & would require it to be outside. We've never lived somewhere that would accommodate an outside pet, so it was out of the question. Soooo, it was finally time that he might say "YES" to a dog, so I asked! He did say yes & in fact told me to call my mom right away & "reserve" one of their newest litter . . . a female dapple dachshund. Oh, she's just adorable & it will be so much fun to bring her home either at Christmas or later in the spring!

P90X Review . . . day 11 . . . burned out on food

2010-11-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Its only been 11 days & I'm burned out on limited food choices. We ate out for both lunch & dinner today, though we did stick with the eating out choices listed in the back of the food plan. I don't know how strict I'll be from here but going to try to at least stick with the premise of the meal plan: higher protein, very limited carbs. The amazing thing is that I've been able to get rid of the junk food without really craving it because there are so many good foods that I can eat with this plan, so its been really good to get that stuff out of my system. I'm just hoping I can limit it during the holidays when it there will be lots of it around!

P90X Review . . . day 10 . . . unofficial measurements

2010-11-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

So, you're not really supposed to measure again after just 10 days, but we were feeling rather great after our workout tonight. Jeff measured just his biceps & had gained 1/4 to 1/2 inch . . . sweet!!! And I measured just my waist & have lost 1 inch!!!

We are feeling great, loving the workouts & surprised at how much more we can do than when we did the same workout last week!

P90X Review . . . day 9 . . . the addictions

2010-11-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get addicted to these workouts! Yes, that's a great thing! I get so excited when its time to start the workout, even though I know its going to be soooo hard & I love the way I feel when its all over, even though I know that after I've been sitting for a while it will be hard to get up!

Last night was the 2nd time with the Cardio dvd. I think its my favorite. It takes "routines" from several of the workouts so you're really mixing it up. My favorite part is the Plyometrics --- such fun moves! Very intense too, though. I don't know that I could do a whole workout of just that which is good since it hasn't been one that we're supposed to do yet.

The jumping jacks are still so tough for me, but I was able to do virtually everything else. I think I'm going to start doing jumping jacks every morning . . . as many as I can, gradually building up to where they are easier for me.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #26

2010-11-09T07:01:00.001-08:00

Invest in some great music cd's that your kids will love. We have a few but were listening to the same things over & over again. So, we stopped by Target to check out their selection the other day & found some great Disney cd's. The one we ended up getting was music from the cartoon Phineas & Ferb - even my husband is excited to listen to this in the car since this is a cartoon he & Chase enjoy watching together. The kids & I had fun jamming out to this cd during breakfast today & I know we'll have fun listening to it while we're out driving around.

Some other music we really like: Primary Colors by Inside Out and I Have a Song for You by Brite Music

I think we'll pick up a couple more Disney cd's maybe the Imagination Movers or even some Disney classics in the next couple of months. I love the spirit that good music brings into our home!

P90X Review . . . day 8 . . . the "childbirth theory"

2010-11-09T06:44:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm back, which means I decided to stick it out. I felt terrible yesterday . . . lost my voice, sore throat, head cold that just left me feeling "icky". But I figured I'd "do my best & forget the rest" when we turned on the dvd for last night's workout. It was a repeat of last Monday's workout & I was amazed at how much more I could do (even feeling like I did) than I did last week.

So, here's my thinking. The premise of this workout is that you do a different dvd workout each day so your muscles don't get used to the same thing & you are continually building strength. I call it the "childbirth theory": when you give birth, you forget over time how painful it was so that you'll be willing to do it again & when you're in the middle of it again you suddenly remember that it really was like that the first time. So, last week we did our first workout & it was so hard but as the week went by it seemed like every workout was harder than the one before it & I forgot how hard that first one was. Coming back to it a week later, I realize that it was every bit as hard as the others we did through the week but I had just forgotten. If I had had to repeat that same first workout every day, I probably wouldn't have kept with it for a week, but having a week to "forget" about it, made me willing to do it again!

P90X Journey . . . Days 6 & 7

2010-11-08T05:14:00.001-08:00

The Kenpo X routine on Saturday was fun but tough -- of course, this is P90X, so everything has to be tough! Sunday was supposed to be "rest & stretch". There's a "stretch" dvd that we put on but when we saw that it was 57 minutes long we decided that we weren't going to do it since we really try to keep Sundays as a day apart from the rest of the week & a 57 minute workout - even if it was "just" stretching - just didn't seem to fit for us.

The real difficult thing right now is that I've been fighting off a cold so I just am not working at full strength. And we've had sick kids that are up & down all night (last night I was up 6 times between the 2 kids). So, when I weighed in this morning & found myself up 1 pound since Saturday I was discouraged & just ready to forget it. So, my first official weigh in comes at 3 pounds down in our first week. And you'll know by whether I post tomorrow morning or not if I found the strength to keep going . . .

P90X Journey . . . day 5

2010-11-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

"Date Night" last night was spent working out while the kids slept! It was legs, back & abs last night & I can't tell you how many times I saw what we were supposed to do next & said, "you've got to be kidding me!" I mean, really . . . one legged wall squats???!!!!

Despite the hard workouts, I feel pretty good when I'm done. My lower back has been sore but a little bit of painatrate cream eases some of that pain. And by the next day I'm sore but not so sore that I can't move.

And the best news of all was found on the scale this morning . . . I've lost 4 pounds since Monday!!! I found out my sister's husband did P90X in the past & he lost 8 pounds his first week -- I was sure I wouldn't have similar results, but my first weekly weigh-in won't officially be until Monday morning so if I can keep it up & have a great weekend . . . who knows?

Our P90X Journey . . . day 4

2010-11-04T21:06:00.001-07:00

I've done yoga before, but tonight's yoga workout was KILLER! I think its been the toughest workout so far. Really hard & even though I was pushing through my feet were cramping up and I had to take several breaks. This workout was an hour & a half long & the repeated yoga combination over & over again felt like it was lasting an eternity. About halfway through, they switched to some different poses that did more balance work, so I was grateful for that!

Really started having some carb cravings today! The diet plan that I'm on only allows for 1 carb serving a day and as I fix meals for the kids, its really hard not to give in & enjoy what they're eating. I love my bread, potatoes, and especially pasta! I'm sticking pretty closely to the diet stuff, but probably not eating the right # of servings of veggies & proteins. Life is so busy that its hard for me to keep track . . . so my next project needs to be coming up with a good chart that is easy to mark.

P90X Journey . . . day 3

2010-11-04T06:45:00.001-07:00

Last night's workout was arms & shoulders. I've had bursitis in my shoulder on & off for years so I have to carefully build my strength here. I did lighter weight & sometimes just the motion with no weight or bands at all. Felt my shoulder popping from time to time & just didn't want to re-injur to the point that I wouldn't be able to do anything. Amazingly I'm not having problems this morning so I must've done something right even though I definitely didn't get as hard of a workout last night. However, the ab ripper workout that went with it was definitely a killer -- I've never done (or I guess I should say "attempted") such a hard ab routine in my life.

I've decided to go with a protein shake for breakfast each morning. It doesn't taste too bad when mixed with bananas and fruit & is definitely better than eggs every morning since I'm not a big egg person. And I LOVE that turkey bacon is on the list of approved proteins! Honestly, I could be happy eating 12 pieces of turkey bacon a day to fulfill my protein requirement --- but I'm trying to be a little more diverse than that & only eat a couple pieces a day :)

P90X Journey . . . day 2

2010-11-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Last night was our day 2 workout . . . we're doing the lean program so it was cardio time. Even though I was sore throughout the day, I was looking forward to the workout. I was able to do more of it than the first workout & it was fun, though very intense. It was also a little bit shorter (maybe 10 min or so) than the first workout which was great since I didn't get home until later in the evening.

Did our shopping for the Fat Shredder meal plan on Monday night. I remember hearing somewhere that when you go shopping, 90% of what you get should be from the outer edge of the store with only grabbing a few things from the inner aisles. Well, for the first time ever, that really is what my grocery shopping experience was. Tons of the fresh stuff with only a couple things from the "inside" aisles. As we prepared Jeff's lunch & snacks to take to work, he was skeptical and thinking that he would be hungry during the day but he came home saying, "that was a LOT of food".

Our Journey with P90X . . . day 1

2010-11-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we started out the year great . . . I lost all my baby weight & then some & then all sorts of stuff hit including my husband being gone on business for 2 months and some health problems. Fast forward to now & all of that weight I lost at the beginning of the year is back. Ugh! We've been working for several weeks to try to get back into shape but we've been half hearted about it & have experienced ZERO results.

So, while we were trying to figure out how we could both fit in workouts with busy schedules & 2 little kids, my sweet husband came up with a brilliant & sadistic idea. He had seen the commercials on tv for P90X and said we should do it together. I was thrilled with an idea that we could fit in (doing it in our own home after the kids go to bed) to our lives & even though I hadn't seen the commercials I went ahead and agreed.

OUCH! I should've seen what I was getting myself into before I agreed! Seriously, though, its a really tough workout & eating plan (which we're going to be pretty good with but allow a little leeway -- since we are of course doing this through the holidays). But I like the philosphy of "do your best & forget the rest". Day 1 of the workout was crazy intense & I definitely couldn't do all of it, but I did what I could which was more than I thought I could (if you can follow that). I was definitely sore afterwards but also felt good . . . & more of the same today. Even though I'm very sore, I am definitely looking forward to tonight's workout & to our results 90 days from now on January 28th . . . we'll keep you posted!!!

FHE: "boo-ing" our neighbors

2010-10-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

We'll be starting the treats going in our neighborhood for Family Home Evening tomorrow night. I love doing these kinds of things & we'll pick out 2 houses to get things started & hope that they'll keep it going. We're new to the neighborhood, so I'm not sure . . . but they seem pretty friendly & I can definitely see them getting into this. Here's the link where I got the printables for this idea . . . soooo cute!

FHE Lesson: Rules & Commandments

2010-10-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm really liking the Family Home Evening Resource Book sections of each lesson for adapting for younger children. Really, I'm pretty much following that but having to come up with my own pictures. I'm not drawing them myself, just finding them out on the web. Feel free to use what I've put together for your own family, if it will work for you. This is taken from lesson 2 (page 9-10) of the Family Home Evening Resource Book

Lesson on Rules/Commandments

FHE Lesson: Families

2010-10-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

I continue to struggle with holding a meaningful, regular Family Home Evening for a 2 1/2 year old & 10 month old! But I know it is important and so I've continued searching for ideas. Last night, I went to the Family Home Evening Resource Book that has been sitting on a shelf for years. I discovered that each lesson gives an adaptation for use with younger children. So, with that in mind, I put together tonight's FHE lesson.

Lesson on Families

We'll also be making ice cream for an activity/dessert. You can do the "bag" ice cream or do it in coffee cans. We have a bunch of baby formula cans that I plan to use, so its an experiment, but we'll see how it goes! To make it, just double bag the mixed ingredients (see ingredients here) -- use freezer bags & make sure all the excess air is out of each bag. Put bags into the formula can and fill up with ice & some rock salt. Duct tape the lid on and then roll it back & forth for quite a while until ice cream is firm. Note: it doesn't get REAL firm but the fun of this is making it, not getting gourmet ice cream out of it! In fact, ours turned out more like milkshakes & we just poured them into cups & drank them.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #25

2010-10-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Save an empty box and have some fun with it! I used my incredible artistic talent (NOT!) to turn a box into a car that Chase could sit in and drive around the house.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #24

2010-10-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

loves trains! We had fun making our own train, just lining up the kitchen chairs, trading places so we each got to sit on every part of the train and making choo-choo noises.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #23

2010-09-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dance in the rain!!! We had an afternoon rain storm that was the perfect way to have some fun. Chase likes to get out in the rain but likes to have company ;) So, I had to ignore the fact that it was messing up my hair & just enjoy like I did when I was a kid. I remember skipping up and down my grandma's driveway with my cousins, out in the pouring down rain, while we sang a favorite family song -- those were great times!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #22

2010-09-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Rice Krispie treats are ALWAYS a good idea! Chase liked watching them being made but also got into the fun with patting them into the pan. We used a small bowl of water to dip our hands into to keep them from sticking. If you use generic rice krispies like we did, you might need the recipe . . . here it is.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #21

2010-09-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

The dollar store can be a treasure trove of great activities! I found a horseshoe set that we had fun playing with. Chase didn't quite get the finesse of the sport, but he sure had fun with his new horseshoes, even if it meant dropping them directly over the top of the peg.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #20

2010-09-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Let their imagination "take charge". I know I used to be imaginative, but I certainly don't have the imagination that my 2 year old does. He invented a new game that he calls . . . Football Hoops. So, we spent time indulging his imagination & throwing the football in the basketball hoop!

And on another day, he decided he wanted to make a snowman -- only possible since the middle ball is a squishy, bean-bag type ball. We had fun building snowmen & singing Once There Was a Snowman.

Let's make a difference with the Prayer Child Foundation!

2010-09-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

I have a goal to donate $100 or more to the Prayer Child Foundation this week to help kids & their families with pricey medical expenses who really need our help! So, I decided to do a fundraiser of sorts & I greatly appreciate all of you who are able to help . . .

Purchase a Candles for Kids THIS WEEK & . . . 100% of Gold Canyon's profits go to benefit children in need (this is ALWAYS the case with these candles) but as a BONUS, I will personally donate $5 for each candle that is purchased! Order through me or my website . . . either will work! Fragrance options include: Apple of My Eye, No More Sniffles (my favorite!), Baby Magic, & Baby Powder.

Note: in case you're not familiar with Candles for Kids . . . they're not a candle for kids to burn, it is simply a line of our candles where 100% of the profits benefit the Prayer Child Foundation to be donated to children in need, mostly children with expensive medical conditions

Order through the website: www.gottahavecandles.com
Order through me: 720-746-9235

I would love you to pieces if you passed this one to your friends so they can help out as well!

Family Outings . . . #1

2010-09-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

We always try to do a fun family outing at least once a month. Its not always easy to fit it in, but we can usually set aside one weekend a month to do something fun with the family. Here's the first of my posts of a fun family outing.

We enjoyed a trip out to Red Rocks a couple of weeks ago. We tried to hike, but it was a little too difficult with a 2 year old. So, we turned around and just took the walk up to the amphitheater which was quite a workout in itself! Red Rocks is an incredible amphitheater built in the middle of these beautiful red rock formations. I would love to go to a concert there sometime, but for now, we just enjoyed the view with the family! We have this great backpack/babycarrier that makes it easier for taking Evie along on these things & surprisingly, Chase was able to do the walk all the way up to the amphitheater & back.

(We were stupid not to get a picture of the actual amphitheater. This is a just a picture of the rocks by the parking lot where we were parked! Guess we'll have to go another time to get some better pictures!)

My $60 Lesson on "how to wash dishes"

2010-09-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

I've been washing dishes for YEARS now . . . you'd think I would know what I was doing! Last week, my dishwasher started pouring water & suds out the front of it. I promptly turned it off, cleaned up the mess & called the home warranty to get it fixed. One week later, the repairman showed up to fix my broken dishwasher. He listens to what happened & said, "You used dish soap instead of dishwasher detergent." I was adamant that I didn't do that but he proceeded to tell me that the only possible way to have suds is with regular dish soap.

He went on to ask if I wash the dishes with dish soap before putting them in the dishwasher. Well, of course! That's how my mom taught me to do it . . . you don't put dishes in the dishwasher without washing them first! Well, apparently if there is even a little bit of the dish soap residue on the dishes when you put them in the dishwasher, it can cause out of control suds during the washing cycle which will then proceed to pour out of your dishwasher!

The answer: don't wash your dishes with dish soap before putting them in the dishwasher! If you do & have suds all over the place, pour a small amount (1/4 cup or so) of cooking oil into the water in the bottom of the dishwasher & start it up again. The oil will cut the suds & help them to wash out!!!

I'm just amazed that after all these years of doing dishes the exact same way there is all of a sudden a problem . . . but after a $60 service call fee, I've learned my lesson!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #19

2010-09-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Cook together! Pick a day when you don't have to rush through making dinner & get the kids involved. At the very least, they can watch & Chase had a great time doing just that. He was fascinated as I added things & mixed them up. He stood on a chair and watched the whole process & it was surprisingly easier than me trying to keep him out of my way!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #18

2010-09-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

Take a walk. As simple as it sounds, I believe that this is one of the best ways to spend your time with your children of ANY age! That's probably because when I was in high school my mom & I would go walking every evening together. I really think its one of the main reasons that we stayed good friends all through those difficult teenage years. So that even when there were disagreements & I was being a snotty teenager we had a strong relationship to fall back on. I love my mom & am so grateful for that time we had together. Even today when one of us is visiting the other, we try to get out & go for walks -- weather permitting!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #17

2010-09-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

TURN UP THE MUSIC & DANCE!!! I was tired out but Chase was still asking for more music -- you can never go wrong by taking some time out to dance around the house to some upbeat music that you love!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #16

2010-09-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

When Dad has a day off of work & gets involved, prepare for something a lot more fun & creative! This one was too hard to explain with words so I had to capture video of it. And it was so much fun that even I took a turn, loved it & wanted another turn! Chase wanted to wake Evie up from her nap for a turn, but we had to tell him that she was too little for this one.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #15

2010-09-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

No pictures this time . . . there was too much action to capture it in a picture, but boy did we have fun teaching Chase how to play TAG! We did this one as a family & Jeff & I even had fun chasing each other around. Evie enjoyed watching everyone run around after each other & we even got her in on the action when Chase decided to "tag" her. So she got to "run" after him us in the stroller. Anyway, a simple and easy way to add some fun to the day . . . with a game of tag.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #14

2010-09-03T15:40:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'll admit it, I guess I'm a bit uptight with my kids . . . wanting things to be perfect & not allowing them to be a "kid" as much as I should. Its something I'm really working on but it probably comes partly from being a first time mom.

I'm learning a lot from MY mom. When we were recently visiting with my parents, my mom had a bunch of the grandkids over at the same time & when we got back we found out how much Chase loved playing Connect Four . . . well, at least putting the checkers in the slots & watching them drop out the bottom. Its not something I ever would've thought of doing since Chase is obviously too young to play as the game is intended.

So, this week, we lightened up a bit and let Chase play with a game from our game closet. Since he LOVES letters, he had so much fun playing with the little cubed letters from the boggle game and we had fun shaking it up and watching him get so excited as the letters fell into place.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #13

2010-09-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

Work together!!! I know a lot of times I tend to just want the kids out of my way while I'm cleaning so I can just get it done quickly & right. But from time to time, I get Chase working along side me & he just loves it and its good time for us to spend together too. Yesterday, we mopped the floor on hands & knees together. I use a chemical free cleaner (Gold Canyon Homeology floor cleaner -- shameless plug, I know, but its such great stuff it deserves a shameless plug!!!) so Chase could use it & even get to spray it without me being concerned at all.

Even at any age, most kids enjoy doing some kind of work whether its getting them involved in the gardening or helping out with special projects. When my mom had different jobs with our church I loved helping her colate packets she was using for teaching or putting together other things.

The summer that I turned 12, we were each given one job for each day of the week . . . these were different kinds of chores that the typical things you'd give kids to do. I still remember that Monday was my day to bake bread & I love that I got to spend time with my mom learning how to do it & that it was a skill that was passed on to me. Anyway, the point is . . . spend some time working together!!!

Family Home Evening: Obedience

2010-08-30T20:47:00.001-07:00

You can't do much of a Family Home Evening lesson with a 2 year old & an 8 month old, but we're giving it our best shot! Tonight we talked about obedience ie. when mom & dad say to do something or to stop doing something, do what you're told! Yes, he's only 2 but hopefully he got the message at least a little bit.

To re-inforce the concept, we played red light - green light using some laminated signs that I made. We got the whole family involved & Evie had a blast being rolled in the stroller. Both kids were laughing & having a great time & it was just plain FUN!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #12

2010-08-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well, this one might sound a bit strange & came about totally by being spontaneous. Chase had a mouse pad that he was putting on his head & then letting drop to the floor. So, I showed him how to put it on his head and try to keep it there by balancing it & holding very still. Then we took turns putting it on our heads & I showed him how I could walk & keep it on my head which he was very impressed by ;) It might sound silly but I remember doing this kind of thing with books when I was older & having fun with it, so it might be just a fun little activity for any age.

YW Activity: Make Your Own Spa

2010-08-26T20:27:00.001-07:00

We did a fun activity this week with our church youth group -- a make-your-own spa. The girls got to make & enjoy as many of these treatments as they wanted to/had time for. Then, they got to take home the list of recipes & a few sachet envelopes with the milk bath recipe in them to enjoy at home. Here's the list of recipes we used:

Make-Your-Own Spa

Creamy Oatmeal Facial Cleanser

½ cup oatmeal

2 Tbs. heavy cream or milk

Grind oatmeal into a flour using a blender. Mix with cream & smooth over face. Rinse well.

Facial Steam

Boil a pot full of water. Boil for a minute or two then remove from heat. Cover & let steep for 5 minutes – if using herbs. (If desired, add citrus fruit slices &/or herbs after boiling)

Pore Cleaning Strips

1 Tbs. knox unflavored gelatin

1 ½ Tbs. milk

Mix 2 ingredients and microwave for 10 seconds until slightly warm. Apply with a clean cosmetic brush to nose & chin area (avoid delicate eye area). Rinse brush immediately. Allow mixture on face to dry for 10 to 15 minutes to form a stiff film. Peel off film.

Sweet Oil Scrub

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar

Mix ingredients in a bowl. Apply to skin in a circular motion for a minute or 2. Rinse with a warm cloth and water. The cleanser will feel greasy but after you rinse and pat dry, skin with be super silky soft! Also great to remove eye makeup!!

Foot Spa

7 cups water

2 cups milk

½ cup sugar

2 Tbs. lotion

Mix the water & milk and heat on stovetop to as hot as your feet can take. Mix the sugar and lotion in a separate bowl. Put the milk mixture in large bowl and soak your feet for at least 10 minutes. Massage the sugar and lotion mixture in your feet to exfoliate. Rinse with clear water & pat dry. Apply some additional lotion to your soft feet.

Hand Treatment

2 Tbs. oil (baby, vegetable, olive)

3 Tbs. sugar

Mix together, rub into hands & then rinse with warm water.

Oatmeal Milk Bath

1 cup corn starch

2 cups powdered milk

½ cup baking soda (increase if you have hard water)

½ cup finely ground oatmeal

Process oatmeal in blender until finely ground. Add powdered milk & process until well mixed. Pour into a bowl, add corn starch and baking soda, mixing all ingredients very well. Add 3 Tbs (or more, if you like) to your next bath to soothe your soul and soften your skin.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #11

2010-08-25T03:28:00.000-07:00

Breakfast around here is usually a very laid back deal . . . cold cereal is pretty fancy for us! But today we had a special breakfast with Chase's favorite: Swedish pancakes! You should've seen his face light up when I told him we were going to have pancakes for breakfast. He sat in his chair waiting (impatiently) the whole time I was making them until he got his first one which he gobbled up quickly!

Something Fun Every Day . . . getting caught up!

2010-08-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

We took a HUGE break due to illness and traveling for my Gold Canyon convention & my youngest sisters' wedding. But now that we're back, I thought I'd share some ideas that we've used in the last month or two (how long has it been?). There will be more to come, but at least this is something for now:

Chase's favorite thing in the world is letters since his very first fit in the store when he saw a bag of foam bath letters when he was 16 months old. I found magnetic letters at Target in their $1 bins & just couldn't resist. So, we bought up 4 packages and got a white board to stick them to. Yes, its the new favorite toy around our house & we play with it together by me spelling out words & sounding them out for him.

The park is always a great option when the weather is good. Chase LOVES to go to the park & I don't take him nearly as often as he'd like. But once in a while, he gets to enjoy it!

I tried my very best to make things a little better while I was sick. Chase took one end of the couch & I took another, sharing the blanket. It didn't last all that long, but the little while that it did last was very nice. We spent a lot of time watching cartoons, too!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #9

2010-07-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

Those lazy days of summer! That was our theme today. Just laid a blanket out in the backyard & all of us laid down & enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Teachable Moments: We talked about all the nature around us . . . the sky, birds, grass, tress, flowers, etc.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #8

2010-07-15T06:10:00.001-07:00

Grab some blue painter's tape & make giant shapes on the carpet. Even though Chase knows his shapes, he still loves pointing them out & was thrilled with this activity. We jumped "inside" and "outside" each shape & jumped from one shape to the next & then he just ran back & forth over the top of them. I got Chase's "this is fun" seal of approval on this one as well!

Teaching Moment: work on shape names and inside & outside concepts

Something Fun Posts

2010-07-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who have passed ideas on to me -- I'm really looking forward to using a lot of them now & as the kids get older.

Tonight I made a quick trip to the dollar store & cleaned up! I got a bunch of stuff that will be great for our fun activities . . . things that won't take a lot of prep & will be perfect to use on busy days.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #7

2010-07-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

Cheap & easy! I got out a couple of sheets of blank paper & we colored them then folded them into paper airplanes & let them fly! Okay, so they didn't really fly . . . could've had something to do with the fact that I don't know how to fold a paper airplane & that a 2 year old was the one throwing them. Doesn't really matter because it was just plain fun! Chase got to stand on a chair & throw them into the sunken family room while I retrieved them. He said over & over again, "this is fun!" but the real laughs started when I started trying to catch the airplanes after he threw them. He got laughing so hard he just about fell off the chair!

Teachable Moments: While coloring the paper, we talked about colors and drew & named shapes & letters, too.

Family Pics

2010-07-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

We had some real professional pictures done a couple months back & just loved working with Barb Subia - a sweet woman that I met through a networking event! Just thought we'd share some of the pictures.

Something Fun Every Day . . . #6

2010-07-12T18:11:00.001-07:00

We built a fort today! Nothing spectacular - just a blanket draped over the kitchen table. But it was fun climbing inside with books & a flashlight for storytime.

Teaching Moment: duh, reading!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #5

2010-07-12T18:07:00.001-07:00

I'm late in posting, but last week we went to McDonalds for lunch. Chase is too small for the play area at the local McDonalds, but we had fun eating a cheeseburger & ice cream cone & just getting out of the house.

Teaching Moment: worked on the "top" & "bottom" concepts as I tried to teach him to eat the ice cream cone from the top. He understood the concept, but still wanted to eat from the bottom, as you can see the half eaten cone in this picture. BIG MESS, but still so fun!

Something Fun Every Day . . . #4

2010-07-08T17:11:00.001-07:00

Okay, for this one, gather up all the balls in the house & an empty laundry hamper. Then go outside & PLAY! We set the hamper right side up to use as a basketball hoop & on its side to use as a soccer goal & just kicked & tossed balls around the yard for a while.

Teaching Moment: co-ordination skills, sports basics - throw the ball into the basketball hoop, kick the ball into the soccer goal

Something Fun, Every Day . . . #3

2010-07-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

Today's fun was a real treat for Chase. We sat down together & watched a movie with his favorite treats . . . popcorn & fruit snacks. When he watches tv, its usually while I'm working on making dinner or taking care of something else that I need him to be distracted from. So, he loved that I actually sat down on the couch next to him for a movie today.

Teaching Moment: the "movie" we watched was a living scriptures video about the 10 commandments

Supplies: move & treats!

Something Fun, Every Day . . . #2

2010-07-06T09:14:00.001-07:00

Today's fun was gardening. I know my kiddo doesn't like to get his hands dirty . . . loud pleadings of "hands clean, hands clean" when his hands are dirty are heard on a daily basis around here. But somehow, I thought this would be different. Nope! He did one handful of dirt & then was done & wanting those hands cleaned, but he loved the watering, bringing me the large & small pots & bringing me the flowers upon request of their color.

Teaching Moment: colors (of flowers), large & small (if using different sized pots or flowers)

Supplies: gardening supplies - plants, pots, potting soil & watering can

Time Needed: 30 to 45 minutes (depending on how many plants you do)

Something Fun, Every Day . . . #1

2010-07-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today we had a water balloon fight. Well, it was supposed to be a water balloon fight, but with Chase's first exposure water balloons he didn't even give me time to explain that we throw them to each other but instead just pulled them out of the bucket as fast as possible & threw them at the ground at his feet. So, our bucket of water balloons only lasted about 60 seconds. Afterwards, I put the sprinklers on & we ran through them together.

Teaching Moment: As we filled up the water balloons, I let Chase pick out which balloon we would fill up next & he would tell me the color. (I believe that almost every activity has the potential for teaching moments!)

Cost: $2.50 for bag of water balloons -- enough that they can be used several different times.

Time Needed: 1/2 hour (including time to fill up balloons)

Something Fun, Every Day

2010-07-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

Being a mom was something that I longed for for years & paid thousands of dollars out in fertility to accomplish. And yet, there are too many days when I find myself not enjoying it. I think that being "older" when I had that first child has made me less fun or maybe I just am not naturally that way. I'm not big on getting on the floor & playing with my 2 year old and often can't think of anything fun to do & could easily see a whole day go by with just letting my toddler play by himself, watch tv, & playing while I sit in the room with him.

This is not the kind of life I want for my kiddo & not the way I want him to remember his years growing up. So, I am resolving to do SOMETHING FUN, EVERY DAY. In an effort to keep me accountable, I'm going to try to post here at least 5 times a week to share what we're doing. And if you have any great ideas to share, I'd love to hear them . . . PLEASE!!!!

Let someone else do the dishes!

2010-07-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

How terrible am I? So much to do tonight, but I know I have a babysitter coming tomorrow . . . one who washes dishes for me, so I am leaving those in the sink for her & taking care of other things instead.

Thank heavens for good babysitters who love my kids & give me a much needed break from time to time. Even if the break is to go to the dr.'s office or run errands, its still a break!

Father's Day Gift Idea

2010-06-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hopefully Jeff doesn't take a look at the blog until after he opens his father's day present . . . otherwise, I just ruined his surprise!

Anyway, my husband is one of those that just loves to show off his kids & always has pictures on hand at work to show everyone. So, I've been looking for one of those frames that stands up & has the frame on the outside & then you can flip through other pictures behind it. I've been looking at every gift giving time of the year for the last couple of years & have never been able to find one, even though they used to be available everywhere a few years ago.

I finally found one at Target this year & was so excited to include a family picture on the outside & pictures of kids on the inside . . . I just know he's going to love it! Yea, Target!!!!

Have You Seen My Monkey Video Yet?

2010-06-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

So, I'm in a contest & would love your help to win . . . I need your votes on my cute monkey video -- well, it features just part of the footage from our interaction with a monkey in Kenya a couple of years ago.

Here's how it goes . . . I need "like" votes on youtube. If you don't have a youtube account, you can easily sign up for one in order to vote. The prizes are a BIG deal as I could win an apple ipad or $400 in free products. So I would SOOOOOO LOVE YOUR HELP!

Once you vote, pass the link along to your friends and ask for them to vote too! I can't tell you how much I'd appreciate it! YOU'RE THE BEST!!!

Here's the link . . . enjoy the video!

Crafty?

2010-06-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

My cousin's wife is awesome . . . especially when it comes to "craftiness"! She's doing a blog where she's sharing some great ideas that I know you'll just love! You really ought to check it out by clicking HERE. And then try your hand at her GIVEAWAY by helping to spread the word!

Fruit Smoothie - single serving

2010-05-25T05:14:00.001-07:00

I bought a bunch of strawberries really cheap this year, washed & cut up & then put them in the freezer. Here's what I'm going to do with them:

1/2 cup berries
1 Tbs. orange juice concentrate
1 Tbs. sugar
3/4 cup milk

Put everything in the blender & mix it up until no berry chunks remain. If its too thick, just add extra milk a little at a time.

Adventures On Hold

2010-05-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

Our adventures around here have been on "hold", waiting for the weather to warm up. Oh, we have a few warm days here & there & when it snows (in mid-May) the snow is melted by later that day or the next day, but come on here . . . I've had my new double jogging stroller for a full week & haven't been able to take the kids out for a walk yet!

Yesterday, I took the kids over to Little Monkey Bizness -- Chase loves that place, basically an indoor playground. But I need some other ideas of what to do when the weather isn't great. Anyone got some fun indoor ideas for me?

Facebook Page

2010-05-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm having so much fun talking "candles" & "fragrance" over on my business facebook page! Would love to have you stop by & "like" my page, "share" it with your friends, or make a comment! You can find me on facebook by clicking here.

The Curse of the Playgroup!

2010-05-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to go to a playgroup for months now (in fact, since the beginning of the year). Every time there is one scheduled & I put it in my plan for the day, one or more of our household gets sick. I was all excited today because I had been sick over the weekend but was feeling better by yesterday afternoon so I figured we could make it to the playgroup (for the very first time) this morning. But as I went to pull Chase out of his high chair after breakfast this morning, he felt very warm to me. Low & behold . . . he has a fever over 100 degrees. So, no playgroup for us again :(

It really is too bad because Chase LOVES to play with other kids & would have so much fun with something like this. Not to mention that it would allow for some adult interaction for me during the day. Well, we'll make it one of these days!

All the Messy Details . . . time for a new vacuum!

2010-05-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

I knew it was time for a new vacuum, but I had been putting it off. I bought my Kenmore not too long ago (just a couple of years) and thought I should be able to get more use out of it even though I knew it just wasn't getting the job done.

Today, it completely died on me as I finished up vacuuming. So, I asked my great facebook friends for their suggestions & the responses overwhelmingly pointed toward getting a Dyson this time around. I figured I'd head out later tonight, but this afternoon I had a little accident that involved 2 small glass candle holders that dropped & hit into each other as they hit the carpeted floor & both shattered. The only way to clean it up would be with the vacuum.

So, we headed out & got our new Dyson vacuum cleaner. It did a great job of cleaning up the mess & then (after emptying the canister completely from that mess) I went ahead and vacuumed over the areas I had vacuumed with my old vacuum cleaner just this morning. So you're aware of how small the space is, keep in mind that I only went as far as the cord would go . . . I never switched outlets & this is what it pulled up:

I guess its no wonder that I've been sick since we moved into this place if I've been breathing all of this stuff in constantly. It will be interesting to see if I get over all this sickness now!

Needless to say . . . I LOVE MY DYSON!

Getting Started in Colorado!

2010-04-21T11:41:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to have my first Gold Canyon home party in Colorado to get my business up & running here. I've had a few individual orders before now, but to have a home party is really what gets things up & running. It was so much fun, nice to get out & meet some new people, and it really was a great start to build a local business here since I met new people who will also be holding future parties for me & continuing to help me build my business. A HUGE thank you to those who attended & to my host, Nicole!

Strange but True!

2010-04-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Our 4 month old Evie showed evidence of teething last Saturday and over the week we've seen 1 tooth come to the surface the other (both bottom middle teeth) is still working its way out. Today, I noticed something strange in her mouth . . . another tooth . . . way in the back where a molar should be and as I looked closer there also is a red inflamed spot where probably a canine should be. For a 4 month old; are you kidding me?!!!

She's been so good for all that she must be feeling. There have been occasional inconsolable times but even tonight as I was feeling around in her mouth she was laughing so hard like it was tickling her. What a joy she is . . . even if she is a bit strange!

Surviving (& Enjoying) a 14 hour car ride with the kids!

2010-04-12T11:32:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a trip to Arizona! It is so nice to be within driving distance . . . yes 14 hours is do-able & actually enjoyable for us! We've done the trip a couple of times & I've learned a few things on organizing the car ride that might be helpful for someone else, so I thought I'd share:

I use several re-usable shopping bags to organize things that we need to have available during the car ride.
Pack spare clothes (for everyone, adults included!) that are easy to access -- one set of clothes for adults, several for each kid!
Pack a bag of cleaning supplies: kitchen washcloth & towel, paper towels, baby wipes, plastic trash bags, and cleaner for the upholstery & stain remover (I bring an all-purpose cleaner that can be used for both clothing stains & upholstery)
Pack a diaper changing bag - several (more than you think you'll need) diapers, wipes, changing pad
Pack a snack bag -- this is not the time for me to think about nutrition, instead I think about what will keep the kids happy & what will make it fun for them. I like to use the snack cups with the lids that the kids can put their hands right through to avoid big spills. Some of our favorite snacks are fruit snacks & mini marshmallows.
A bag of new (cheap) books & toys or pull out some small toys that you've put away. The key here is to have it be novel items that they don't play with every day.
Jeff used a diaper box, sealed up and then cut about an 8inchx8inch hole in the top corner to use for trash. He put it between the 2 front seats for easy access. Ours also is the "stand" for our dvd player since we don't have a built-in one.
What did they do before DVD's? We get a few favorite cartoons to play for the kids as we drive. If you don't have a built-in dvd player, get a portable one; that's what we use!
If you're stopping overnight somewhere before reaching your final destination, pack a bag (make sure its easily accessible) with the stuff you'll need for just that one night so when you stop you only have to bring in one bag along with a bag of your toiletries.
Bring along baby medications, just in case. Our 4 month old started teething along the way & we were glad we had packed the infant tylenol as a "just in case".
Keep a gallon jug of water handy to pass around drinks.

Remember that sitting in a car for hours on end is difficult for kids, so try to be patient & have some fun along the way. When we make stops, my husband will take our 2 year old to walk around the store or run around in a grassy area at a rest stop while I feed the baby. We'll also make a quick stop for ice cream or pick up a cheap new toy at a gas station store. When we make a stop for gas or something else where we're not feeding the baby, I do a quick re-organize of things . . . filling sippy cups for the next leg of the trip, getting snacks ready, cleaning up any trash, etc.

Our kids do travel really well, but with a 2 year old and 4 month old, any trip can be tough. Staying organized & prepared has been the key to my sanity!