Liar Liar Pants on Fire

*If you are one of my kids reading this, do as I say, not as I do. Lying is never a good thing. Always tell the truth.
Two confessions for you today:

1. I hate clutter, especially paper clutter. Don't get me wrong, I don't go to other peoples houses and notice their clutter. Just mine. With school aged kids, it is an inevitable part of life. Spelling words papers, important notes, science fair project rules, upcoming book report details, field trip info, etc. Don't forget my shopping list, to-do list, and more.

2. I lie to my 5 year olds. Every day. Don't judge. In fact, you should thank me. (That's right, I am doing someone a favor. Maybe that cancels out the lie! Why didn't I think of that before?!)
Here is why: Their activity of choice, is drawing, cutting, gluing, anything that involves making something with paper for someone. Anyone, cousins, primary teachers, grandparents, siblings, friends, classmates, even people they hardly know. If I gave each of you half of what they made for you/your kids, you might have a problem with clutter, also! It's not all for other people, it is sometimes a map or just a picture they have created. Some get hung on their board, some on the walls, some on their dressers, floors and counter tops.
I do make them clean up their mess but throughout the day I go around a pick up a stray paper or two, discreetly put it in the garbage can underneath some strategically placed garbage so as not to get caught. Same thing at night after all the creating is done. Usually everything goes smoothly and no one seems to care. Every once in a while I get a "Mom, where is this paper I drew for _____?"
An example: Last week the kids and I went to visit my parents overnight. Joe was working so we thought it would be fun for each of the kids to write little notes and put them around the house for him to find. The next day when we got home the notes were left on the counter so I tossed them. When Joe got home that night he was telling them how much he loved their notes. I played dumb until one of them noticed they were gone and asked if I put them in my cedar chest (the place special papers go). I lied and told them yes.
So there you have it, I am OCD about papers and I lie to to 5 year olds.

Santa Clause

Because we have a nice friend that helps out Santa Clause this time of year when he can't be to all the places he needs to be, Santa Clause makes a stop to our house each year. It is magical to watch the faces of the two kids that still think Santa is really cool when they see him walk in the door.

Gone Fishin'

These are old pictures I discovered while going through pictures today. We took advantage of the fall weather while the kids were on break in October to go fishing at Enterprise Reservoir.
It was one of those didn't-turn-out-how-we-planned-it trips but still fun.










Check out the huge fish Braelynn caught!










There is a really nice picnic area close to the lake with fun rocks/caves to climb in and around so we took a picnic dinner with us but after we got done fishing and were starving we found out it was closed. It was getting dark quickly and we couldn't find a place to grill our hot dogs so we just headed home and had our picnic inside.





And...of course, here is Sam. Asleep. This time she had a legitimate excuse, sort of. She got stung by a wasp at our original destination (New Castle Reservoir). It was swarming with them so we quickly headed over to Enterprise reservior.

Santa Fun

Ever ran a 5k? In the cold? In a santa suit? I have. Yesterday.
Why? Because I couldn't withstand peer pressure.
I honestly didn't want to do it, but beside the fact that I hate to run and am a really really (I mean, I could almost walk as fast as I run) slow runner it was a lot of fun.
There was me, Joe, Tyler, my Dad, Brother Alma, SIL Matti, and some dear friends of ous who moved away 6 months ago, Rachael and Mike.

Think you're tired?

Sam might want to dis-own me in a few years because I put up these pictures but she will get over it!

Surprise!

My sister, Vera, is the "cool aunt". Everyone knows that. If it wasn't for the fact that I know she really does love her nieces and nephews I would think she is just trying to make us look bad.

Since she lives a long 13 hour drive from us we don't get to see her very often and we really miss her.

She flew out this last weekend and surprised the kids. They had no idea. I made up every excuse in the book as to why Tyler couldn't go to his wrestling tournament and they had to get their chores done on Friday instead of Saturday and why they couldn't have friends over, etc. Her flight got in about 9:30 Friday night so Joe and I went to go buy black thread (which I really did run out of) and pick her up. It was probably the best surprise I have ever been a part of.

It was a great weekend spent with family. My Mom and Dad came over on Saturday. It was nice to have dinner with them then a quick escape to get ice cream without kids. It is not often we get to hang out and chat with them with out kids around.

I know it was a sacrifice for her to leave her business (She is a funeral director ie. mortician and owns and runs her own funeral home. Well, two of them actually) and come spend the weekend with us. It is a memory that our kids will have forever.


These are the only two pictures I have of the surprise. My camera takes a long time to think, so by the time I took one picture it was too late to get any one's reaction. Veronica was babysitting so Vera got a picture of her when she walked in the door.
Here is handsome Tyler in his new suit that Grandma and Grandpa got him for his birthday and Vera and a few if the family.

Birthday Boy

Note to self: I need to stock up on birthday candles. A package of candles used to last us forever but now it seems like every single birthday we are running to the neighbors asking to borrow a few candles.

Tyler turned 12 last week.

Wow.

Tyler loves to wrestle, play football and go hunting and camping, pretty much anything outside. He is always messing around with and teasing his sisters, dad, and friends.
He is a good kid who tries hard to be a good example to those around him.

It is an interesting thing watching your kids grow up. It can be trying, emotional and the hardest thing to watch them struggle and try to be patient and loving yet firm with them. Trying to find that middle ground and teach them boundaries but still give them room to figure things out on their own is hard I am learning.
Yet, it is also the most rewarding experience I have had as a parent so far. Those times when they are doing well and you can see progress in them and a little glimpse of the person they might become fills you with a mix of pride and extreme gratitude at the same time.

Happy Birthday Tyler!






He goes to wrestling practice from 5-7 and Joe left to go to work at 6 so we sang a quick happy birthday to him and had him blow out his candles on his way out the door. If I have taught my kids nothing, at least I have taught them a proper love of cheesecake. The real New York type of cheesecake. His choice this year? Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake. It was heavenly.

I hope no moms get mad at me for posting their kids' picture on my blog. I almost didn't post these pictures for that reason but these pictures just exemplify Tyler perfectly. He had some friends over to celebrate his birthday and they ended up doing a doggy pile on him.

15 and counting

Joe and I celebrated 15 years of marriage last month. I love anniversaries. I love the week leading up to our anniversary. It is fun to look back on the years, especially the times that we were dating and engaged. It really has been an incredible 15 years and I could not ask for someone I would rather spend it with.
We wanted to do something fun and different to do so we were so excited when we got the chance to go to the U of U game a few days after our anniversary (Thanks again, Alma and Matti!) It was a quick trip up to SLC and back but so, so good. It was nice to spend the day driving and chatting.





Check out our shirts that I made for the game. It was a blackout game so we needed black shirts. I bought our shirts for $4.00 each and made the rest on my Silhouette machine (how i love that little toy)!

Party Time

It is time for a little pity party, want to join? Most things in life it does no good to complain, but every once in a while it is nice to just let it all out, have a good cry and then move on.
MY TIME IS NOW.
Here is the deal. I exercise faithfully 5 days a week. An hour each time. Not just a little walk. We are talking about spinning (cycling) classes, kick-boxing classes, running, weight training, etc. I drink plenty of water and eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
Joe exercises a little, a 1-3 times a week, and eats whatever and gets plenty of soda. Yes. Carbonation and caffeine.
Joe decides it is time to loose weight. First off, I am so proud of him. He is doing awesome and working so hard. But...SO AM I, darn-it!
He pours himself a cup of milk, adds a little extra. I pour myself a cup of milk and give myself a little less. When I say a serving of this is 5 or 6 "points" he counts it as six, I count it as 5.
He looses 5 lbs a week for 3 weeks. I lose....well, not near that much.
Time for desperate measures. I decide to start running, adding in 3 extra workouts a week. Just short 25 min ones, but it should be enough to make a difference, right?!
No.
Lets just say that my rolls just really like where they live. You know what? I don't care anymore. I am healthy and I exercise. My body is strong and healthy and that is what is important.
Want to know how Joe is doing? He is doing awesome! I think he has lost 41 lbs now and I am so proud of him!
That's it for my pity party, thanks for coming!

Fall 2011

Wow, October is over already. Hmmmmm. Time to post about our Halloween activities!
Traditionally we get the kids all dressed up, take pictures, then all go as a family out to Joe's parents neighborhood trunk or treat but it just didn't happen this year. As the kids all got home from school, they kind of made plans go out with their friends, got homework done, dressed up and took off. And in the chaos of it all, I forgot to take pictures of them before they left.
Veronica didn't dress up for Halloween but dressed up on two different occasions as a pirate. I really wish I had a picture of her because she looked so cute!
Tyler was a homeless person. He and his friend made him a sign that said "will wok for candee".
Sam was a gypsy. She had so much fun planning her cute costume and it turned out cute but most of her friends had no idea what a gypsy was!
Brenna chose to be a witch and Braelynn was The Little Mermaid. It was so weird only getting those two dressed up and out trick or treating.



We made our annual trip out to the pumpkin patch. We always have a good time picking pumpkins and reminiscing about years past and the fun memories we have there. My favorite? The year that Brenna chose a rotten pumpkin first thing and carried that pumpkin around the whole time. We could not convince her to get a different one. So fun. You can read about it here.
And, as always, you have to be able to lift up your pumpkin by yourself before we can take it home.







And you have to carve those pumpkins. We almost didn't have time to do it this year. It seems like the older the kids get the harder it is to find time to do things as a family.

Storytime and Show and Tell

I have wanted to post about this for a long time but it was a little too close to my heart, too personal. Try to think about this in mom-mode. About one of your kids that you know needs something but you don't have a way to provide for that need. About how fervent your prayers for that child can be and then when the answer, the sweet, sweet answer comes and you know that it was an answer to prayers and you get that knowledge re-confirmed in your heart that Heavenly Father knows and loves YOU.
That He not only cares about your needs but your wants also.
I had felt for about a year that Samantha needed something. She sort of gets "lost in the shuffle" sometimes no matter how hard we try not to let that happen. She needed to do something that she was good at, that she excelled at. That no one else in the family does. Something that she could feel good about, that could boost her self-esteem and give her a sense of pride and accomplishment. If you know Sam you know that she is very animated and bubbly and fun and energetic. She also loves to sing and is very good at it. She even takes her little sisters and teaches them to sing songs with her. They look like her backup singers. I will have to record them someday.
You may remember me posting about this singing group Brenna and Braelynn participated in last year as a part of their preschool. As soon as I saw it I knew that she needed to be a part of something like that.
Problem: Not matter what I did, how I budgeted or sacrificed or did without, there would be no way to put that in the family budget that was already stretched thin.
Fast forward about 5 months, and many prayers later I was talking to Holly one day and she mentioned that she likes to do trades! It just so happened that she needed shirts made for the costumes to match the ones she already had. It worked out perfectly. I paid for the supplies and sewed in exchange for the tuition.

Now for the show and tell. We could not find material that matched the previous color so we went with similar material but a different color. We also did not have a pattern for the shirts so I made my own pattern. I have sewn for years and have made simple patterns but never to this extent. Guess what?! I did it! I took the shirts and made a pattern, adjusting for seam allowances and different sizes. I am happy with how they turned out and am excited to see them on the girls.
Now back to sewing, I have one more to finish...

Just Another Manic...

Tuesday!
You were going to say Monday, weren't you?!

If you have kids you probably know how busy life gets when the school bell rings. Most of our busy stuff comes on Tuesday (well, Thursday sometimes but not as bad) which makes for a busy day. Let me just share if you care. If not, feel free to stop reading. I won't know.

Here's how it goes:
3:30 Grab Veronica and pick up Sam from School
3:45 drop Veronica off to violin lesson
3:50 drop Sam off to piano lessons
4:20 Pick up Sam from piano and wait until
4:45 pick up Veronica from violin
4:55 get home and wake up Joe and start family eating dinner that was waiting in the crock pot (my most used kitchen appliance)
5:25 drop Tyler off at football practice then
5:30 drop Sam off at Center Stage Music
6:00 kiss handsome hubby goodbye on his way to work
6:30 pick up Sam from Center Stage
7:00 drop off Veronica to young women's and pick up Tyler from football practice.
Rest of the evening: orchestrate spelling, homework, dinner clean up, reading, baths, bedtime, etc.
Good thing that with the exception of violin and piano we live a few minutes drive from all those activities. It is a busy day but in the end there is always a sense of accomplishment and gratitude that I have a car that runs (Well, mostly. Sometimes the speedometer doesn't work and a few other random issues.) and a healthy body that allows me to do the things I need to do

What about you? What is your busy day? Or is every day crazy-busy? I would love to hear.

Its The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I just have to say how much I love this time of year. The nights and mornings are cool and the days warm but not hot. There is the excitement of the upcoming fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving but not the rush of Christmas yet. The garden is producing so we can reap the rewards of all the hard work. It is busy trying to juggle getting it all bottled up for the winter and everything else that I was busy with before but it is worth it. Can we just bottle this up and keep it?


This is a picture of Braelynn cutting our broccoli. The kids seem to like helping pick produce out of the garden and she asked if she could do it while I was picking something else. I didn't think she would get very far but she did it all by herself and didn't miss any. Of course, she hummed a little song to herself the whole time. That is my cute Braelynn.


One Sunday morning a few weeks ago Joe was working and I was late getting home from my meeting. I came home to find Brenna had gotten herself all "ready" for church, complete with one or....ten hair bows.

Experiment: Failed

Question: How to stop nagging at kids to clean their room and the subsequent action and reaction of them "cleaning" then Mom going in and seeing everything not clean and getting frustrated.

Experiment: Let kids' rooms get as messy as they want. If they left something in "My Space" ie, living room, bathroom, kitchen, my bedroom it would be deposited in that child's room.
Mom would do laundry on designated day and wash only what was in the hamper.

Hypothesis: They would get tired of the mess and learn to clean on their own.

Analysis: After two weeks, rooms could not be walked in without endangering ones self. Mom and Dad loose patience and ordered not only rooms cleaned and vacuumed but dressers, shelves, storage baskets, etc cleaned out.
Children would hurry and only pick up dirty clothes when they saw Mom starting laundry.

Conclusion: Possibly needed more than 2 weeks for the experiment to be complete. Charts with a positive or negative consequence might be beneficial. Designate a day or two a week as a day to have room cleaned and vacuumed is a possibility.

Further exploration: It is better to let children have rooms how they want or to insist that it be relatively clean?

Eye See You

Every time we take Veronica in for an eye appointment the same thing happens: Dr chats with her for a while, looks at her charts and says "Oh, wow, I forgot how 'incredible' your prescription was", does the exam, and gives us the bad news: its gotten worse.
At least its not as bad as the summer before she went to kindergarten and the subsequent year. It involved an eye patch, appointments every 6-8 weeks and then an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) instead of an optometrist.
Fast forward a few years. Last year the good news was that her prescription had stayed the same but she had developed an astigmatism. Just a slight one, not bad enough to warrant the extra expense of weighted contacts.
This year, like most years, we were prepared. She had complained more and more of not being able to see and having more frequent "Veronica moments". Again her power had not changed much but the astigmatism was really bad. However, we are grateful for weighted contacts so she can see and not have to wear glasses and insurance that helps with part of it.
I wonder sometimes how bad it will get. Only once since she started wearing glasses at age three have her eyes stayed about the same.

It Always Fits

I love my home.
It is small (like 7 people in 1100 sq feet small).
It is (usually) clean and (mostly) tidy.
It is perfect for us and holds so many memories.
Everything fits ok...unless there is a change that we have to make somewhere.
Last week we finally replaced or 10 yr old, huge, falling apart more each day computer desk. I had been on the search for THE perfect desk since the first of July.
It had to have storage and since it sits in the living room it had to be smaller than the previous one and look nice (as nice as a computer desk can look).
Oh, and don't forget there is a budget involved.
I found it! It was perfect! A computer desk armoire! With doors that close! Perfect for my issues with clutter.
It came! 3 parts were either broken or the wrong color. Called company. Waited. And waited. New parts came! 2 of 3 parts were still wrong. Returned desk and looked at the ugly falling apart too big for the room desk for 2 more months.
Finally had enough. Told husband that we were not coming home from St. George until we had a new desk in our car.
Settled on one. Not a ton of storage but it would work.
Put it together and in the process of putting everything away and getting rid of non-necessities realized that everything was just not going to fit. Have a meltdown. Wait and explorer every option for a few hours. Finally figure it out! It fits and living room still looks nice.
The End

All Gone

While most of the kids started school a few weeks ago, I put off posting about back to school until all of the kids were in school
During back to school week, I realized how incredibly busy having 5 kids in 4 different schools could be.
Veronica entered high school this year and with that started Success Academy. It is an accelerated program where she will have her associates degree by the time she finishes high school. She goes for half the day at the college and then the other half at the high school. I have to admit, I worry about that on all different levels. The biggest one is that I want her to have fun in this time in her life and to have fond memories of it and not remember being stressed out and too busy to enjoy it. We tried to make sure she made this decision on her own and not from pressure from others. Of course, after a while I started to doubt myself and wonder if it was the right thing for her to have done this and of course, Joe stepped in and was my voice of reason. We have to trust her judgment, be supportive, and help her where we can. She would most likely be bored in high school, etc.
Tyler started middle school this year with his usual trepidation and not excited about it. He is really liking it. More than he expected.
Samantha started 5th grade and is doing well.
Brenna and Braelynn started kindergarten today. It is a new phase of life for me. I have always been home taking care of kids. I have struggled the last few weeks with feeling like it is ok to be home without them for a few hours. For some reason I always feel like I need to be busy, accomplishing things. For years I have battled being busy and productive which is when I feel the happiest but also taking time to be still, which I believe is important. Just because of my personality, I am sure I will still be busy and productive but now without kids at home the whole time.
I love this time of year because I love the excitement of all the things my kids will learn and do, especially when they reach a new stage, kindergarten, middle school, high school. They will learn much, meet new friends, have difficulties and hopefully learn from those things.
I included a picture of our cousins that get to come hang out with us before school every day and Brenna is the one in the pink/grey shirt and Braelynn is the one posing. She is incapable of taking a picture, especially by herself, without posing!