Summer Survival Kit

This summer was quite laid back in comparison to our past few summers. Chalk it up to 'bringing home baby'. We really did do our share of relaxing and LAZING around the house getting used to our new boss:



Since today is our official LAST DAY Of SUMMER, I have been glancing back at our fleeting days and I thought I'd compile a list of things that made this summer manageable, bearable and even FUN!

Let's start with. . .
Survival Stategy #1- THE FOOD: This summer has been a HUGE "CRAVING" summer for me. Forget about pregnancy cravings. I guess these are "Postpartum Cravings". I literally could not get enough of:



Strawberries and Cool Whip on anything! Waffles, pancakes, angel food cake or just solo. Strawberries made my day this summer!



Indoor S'Mores! I went through BOXES of graham crackers this summer. Could NOT cure my s'more craving. I was always wanting s'more!



Chocolate Chip Cookies!

You know it's bad when your kids say, "Mom, you are making cookies AGAIN???" What kids complain about their mom making homemade cookies? Obviously this is my craziest craving. They started later on in the summer and have FINALLY dissipated. I went for a good two weeks straight baking cookies practically every day! I only made enough to fill one cookie sheet, never an entire batch (I was too scared I would eat them all). I never measured anything, just poured in the ingredients until the dough was the right consistency. I would eat like four or five, make the boys eat some and save the rest for Steve. One time, when the boys were gone and I got the urge to make the cookies, I took some to the neighbors so I wouldn't eat the entire dozen. I KNOW, this is wrong on so many levels!!! I tried to counter act the bad cookie craving with really healthy meals throughout the day to lessen the guilt.

Survival Stategy #2- DAILY SUMMER JOBS:

Okay, this Summer Survival tactic is one I wish I would have thought of sooner. It has made getting the boys to do their work so much easier. During the first part of the summer, I tried to continue with the usual things we did to get the boys to help out around the house (begging, pleading, reminding, bribing etc.) but I found these strategies were not working too well with me being tied up nursing Brayden so much. I felt like the kids were getting kind of lazy and I had a hard time keeping track of what they were doing for allowances (during the school year they each get $2 on Saturday if they keep up on their chores)



So, one night I typed up a list of all the things I wanted the boys to get done each day before Steve gets home. The boy who finishes all items on the list first gets to choose a reward from their jar. The rewards are things like "pick a treat at the store" or "one free hour of computer time" or "one special shoe shopping date with mom," I basically made the rewards things we already needed to get for school or things that were inexpensive/free and fun.

I cannot tell you how much this has helped my summer! Finally, the kids are motivated to get up and work without me having to bite their heads off! Plus, they have learned that doing all these jobs really isn't that hard and can be done pretty quickly. Conner has been SUPER cute about trying to "tie" with Lewis each day. He wants it to be fair and wants Lewis to earn a prize too. Lewis tends to be more distracted when it comes to getting jobs done than Conner. Conner is more like me. Once he gets going, he can't stop and actually really enjoys cleaning and organizing. Most days, both boys have been able to earn a prize from their jars.

I gotta say, I will definitely be doing this again next summer. I loved that I could actually walk into the boys' room and SEE the floor! And their extra help made my jobs a whole lot easier too!



Survival Stategy #3- BIG BROTHERS:



Before we had Brayden, people would always comment on how lucky I was going to be to have two great big brother helpers. I always agreed with their comments and looked forward to the fun Lewis and Conner would have attending to their new baby, but I had NO IDEA how truly HELPFUL and AMAZING they would be! I honestly don't know what I am going to do without them when they go off to school tomorrow? I don't know what BRAYDEN will do?!? He really loves those big brothers of his and lights up the moment they come into the room and begin to play with him. There have been several times I have left the room to attend to other things around the house and when I go back in to check on them, all three of them will be "chillin'" or hanging out in such a cute little way!





It makes me smile every time and I grab the camera to try and capture the moment! When I see these pictures, I think back to the day we found out that we were not going to get our baby girl through adoption. We went to the family services center and talked to our case worker about how to break the news to our boys. They were SOOOO excited to have TWO new babies coming to their house and we weren't sure how to tell them that it wasn't going to work out that way. We told them as we were walking out of the family services building and getting into our car. Of course, they were sad and so was Steve and I. We decided to go to Wendy's for dinner since it was just down the street and it was too late to go home and cook something. As we were eating, Steve said, "I guess it will just be the 'Three Musketeers' after all" (we had mentioned that term to the boys back in December when we found out that we were expecting another little boy). The boys seemed happier to be thinking about that idea again. Lewis piped up and said, "or we could be the Three Amigos!" and then Conner said, "or how about The Three Blind Mice?" Well, that was just about the best thing he could have said. Just the comic relief we needed after hearing our sad news, and really, since that moment-we haven't looked back. We have enjoyed every second of thinking about, preparing for, and enjoying our three sons. It has made this summer soooo special and I couldn't have survived without those two big brothers and all their help.

Survival Stategy #4- SUNNIE!!!


Thank heavens for super awesome sister-in-laws like Sunnie! She has been a LIFE SAVER this summer! Not only has she been instrumental in helping with all of our children's birthday parties this summer, but she has also volunteered to come and get the boys on almost a DAILY basis to take them swimming or to the park or whatever. In fact, she has them right now! They went down to play in the river for their last day of summer water fun! She has a boy a few months younger than Conner and she also brings along Wyatt, another cousin the same age as Lewis. If it hadn't been for Sunnie's willingness to get the boys out in the summer sun, I don't know what I would have done. I tried taking Brayden to the pool this summer and it was a nightmare. He is too little to get in the water and it is just wayyyyy too hot to not get in. So, if it weren't for Sunnie, my boys would have missed out on some serious fun in the sun! I wish I would have sent her with the camera at least once. I have no documentation that the kids actually swam this year!



I just found this one photo! This is of the boys and their friend Andrew from Beaver Dam. They got to hang out with him and another Beaver Dam friend, Jaiden, a few times this summer. It sure is great to have such awesome friends who love my kids and want to have them over to play! These play dates added to our summer survival as well.

Survival Strategy #5- GOOD T.V.


Okay. Look close at this photo. Yes. That is Bill Cosby (being held by the baby in the car!!!) and he is one fun thing that made this summer unique. It started pretty randomly. I was feeding the baby and the boys just sort of came in to my room and started watching T.V. with me while I nursed. Since we have the most basic Dish Network package available, we get like 13 T.V. stations, not a lot of variety. The only shows on PBS that day were "baby" shows according to the boys, so I scanned the channels and found The Cosby Show. I was so excited and I convinced the boys they would like it if they just gave it a chance. We watched for a little while, but I was bugged by one thing. The commercials in between the snippets of wholesome, family, 80's entertainment were horrible! Girls dressed scantily clad and previews of shows with people between the sheets etc. Up until this summer, we rarely watched t.v. We were never around it and it usually came on after the kids were in bed, so all these "commercials" were so upsetting to me! I decided, I loved the little life lesson the boys learned from the Cosby Show that day, but could do without the more PG-13 rated commercials in between. That is when it dawned on me that I could Netflix the Cosby Show! What a fun idea! We started with the first season and watched all those episodes throughout the week when I was nursing or when I needed the boys to quiet down for the baby's nap. We even took it along on our trip to Fish Lake. Such great entertainment. The boys LOVED getting to know all the Huxtables and it has been fun revisiting the episodes with Steve. We totally grew up with this show and it is fun to share it with our boys.
Now that summer is over, we probably won't have time to finish watching the Cosby Show. There are like eight seasons! We have made it through two. Maybe next summer we will pick up where we left off. They just don't make T.V. like they used to!

Survival Strategy #6- ENJOYING THE LITTLE THINGS:


This summer, it has been about the little, every day moments that add up to one great summer! We have never been so relaxed, so content and SOOOOO sad that it is over! Here's to summer!

Random ?'s

Random ?'s

As of late, I have been putting a bit more energy into my blog and blogging in general. In doing so, I ran across a blog survey on my friend Lindsay's blog. To echo her sentiment, I was "pathetically flattered" that she would be interested in how I would fill out the survey (actually, she knows I am a sucker for peer pressure) AND, because she is such an AMAZING person, I figure the rest of my blogging friends will find it RIVETING reading as well. So, here it is. . .MY RANDOM QUESTIONS:

What is your current obsession? My new little baby is definitely my easy answer. I think about him night and day and day and night and can't seem to get enough of his baby sweetness.

What do you hate the most that everybody else seems to love? Milk. Especially when people just down a glass. It gives me the willies. I used to could handle a tiny bit of skim on my cereal (just enough to make it wet) but once I discovered soy milk, I wondered how I put up with choking down the cow's milk for so long? I just can't stand the thought of it. It is just very unpleasant to me. I am able to EAT milk when it takes on other forms, like cheese or ice cream, but very minimally. I am not a fan of dairy.

What are you wearing today? One of the only pair of pants that can house my big, cellulite infested bum and a favorite white shirt that covers my even more pathetic, flabby belly (what we put our bodies through for these little babies)!

What's for dinner? I actually cooked a WELL RECEIVED meal tonight (not easy to do with my picky Lewis ). Just a simple barbeque chicken recipe. It was pretty good I must say.

What would you eat for your last meal? Any meal prepared by my mom. She adds the love. Everything she makes is perfection! (I would LOVE for any ONE of my kids to say this about me someday. I have a LOT of work to do to get there.)

What's the last thing you bought? Some address labels from Staples. They ended up being the wrong size (I was dealing with a crying child while I was in there (and NO, it was NOT my baby Brayden crying, it was CONNER) so I was a touch distracted. Kind of a funny story actually: We were in the store all of ONE minute and Lewis took off somewhere. This threw Conner into near histerics. He is TERRIFIED of getting lost or of anyone in our family being seperated. The fact that Lewis wasn't RIGHT there was just too much and he was leaking crocodile tears. Although I think this is a sweet personality trait that he worries so much about his loved ones, this incident was ridiculous and I was SO embarrassed to be dealing with a seven-year-old cryer at the store. Of course, Lewis re-appeared right before I lined up at the check-out counter but by then, the entire store was staring at us. Anyway, I grabbed the wrong, dang labels and now my birth announcements will wait ONE MORE DAY before they get put into the mail! My baby is 2 months old and I am just BARELY sending out his announcement! I am awesome:)

What are you listening to right now? Some new tunes that I added to my playlist. I have neglected the darn playlist on this blog for so long. I finally added some songs and deleted some others yesterday. It is a work in progress though. There are a lot of good songs out there. I have been taking a liking to the Natasha Beddingfield one lately so I put that for #1.

What do you think of the person that tagged you? Lindsay Grantham. . .Love her, miss her. When I read her blog, I am reminded of how much she and I are alike (although, I think she might be a tad bit offended by that staement- we do kind of think the same about a lot of things) but she pulls off life so much better than I! She is way cooler than I'll EVA be. She has got it all figured out, that girl!

If you could have a house, fully paid for, and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be? Not far from where I am right now! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE St. George and never want to leave, no matter HOW stinkin' hot it gets!

What is one of your hobbies? I'd have to say ORGANIZING. I feel like that is all I have been doing for the past few months. I had to completely re-organize my house to make room for our new little one and now I have to re-organize all of my teaching supplies in my preschool (to make room for all the CRAP I bought in the past two years for kindergarten). I know that "outside folk" must think the school districts supply all the classrooms, but really, honestly- we teachers end up forking over some big bucks to keep those classrooms ticking. I had NO idea how much I really bought until I had to bring it all home! Anyway, ORGANIZING- I love it! It's challenging to try to to make a small space function. I hate clutter. I am not a lover of junk lying around that is not being used. I love getting rid of stuff just as much (if not MORE than) as buying stuff, and organizing it all in the end makes me happy and content. I know, soooooo weird!

What are 3 things that annoy you most? I am still pretty hormonal right now, so the list of annoyances is longer than usual, but to narrow it down to the top three: 1) the never ending dust and debri that piles up day in and day out! 2) Sleep deprivation 3) Annoying sounds, like nose whistles or snoring (anything that would ADD to the sleep deprivation).

What is your favorite color? Love green, all shades!

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
I don't know if I even have one. I guess I would have to say the stretchy, comfy pants I am currently wearing.

What is your dream job? I would love to get paid to do something I love like scrapbooking, or organizing or something creative like that. I really love teaching and I love being a stay at home mom too, but I love the idea of being able to do FUN stuff and get paid to do it.

Describe your personal style. Cheap and Easy. I swear I have no style. HELP...personal shopper anyone, anyone!?

What are you going to do after this? Make myself a snack and cozy up with my current book (all the while, praying my baby stays fast asleep)!

What is your favorite "happy hour" at Sonic? I like their strawberry slushie drink. I haven't done happy hour in a long time, but I do like the drinks that have the real, fresh fruit and ice.

What inspires you? Amazing women who I can relate to but who are soooo much better than me. I think, "If they can do it, so can I!" Luckily, I have had great role models my whole life. Most of them are good friends. I can sit and chat with a group of them or just one of them and walk away ready to do better and try harder! I also love visiting blogs of more famous inspiring women. I am inspired by their lives and dedication to family.

Who was the last person you kissed? My sweet, delicious Brayden boy! Right on his neck, his favorite kissing spot (I even got giggles this time:)!

What are you currently reading? I'm in the middle of three different books. The Hunger Games (which I am not really loving yet), Enjoying the Journey, and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

What delighted you most today? Each time my baby boy drifted off to dreamland in my arms.

By what criteria do you judge a person? Speaking skills. I have a hard time with poor English. Sometimes it is hard to see past a thick southern drawl. I appreciate people who can speak well (I understand that I am not one of these people, but I ADMIRE them)!

What is on your agenda for tomorrow? More of the same, playing and organizing and loving every second of being HOME. I am hoping to take my Conner to a movie. He earned a date with is mom (lucky kid:)) and I am stoked for a dose of him plus some buttered popcorn (since I am in no hurry to rid my bum of all that cellulite)!

The rules: Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
Tag eight other people!

Laura, Jaime., Erika, Kari, Jill, Sarah S., Sarah K., Aunt Colleen

HAVE FUN!!!!!

Favorite Five for the Week

Piano Lessons Finally!- We have been on the search for almost an entire year to find somebody to teach Lewis the piano. There has been nobody that lives on our side of town and that could make our crazy schedules work, until now! We are soooo stoked about the great teacher Lewis gets to learn piano from. She is the organist in our ward and taught lessons for a long time while her kids were growing up. She is an older lady with the most fun, awesome personality and she decided to pick up a few students to teach after work a few nights a week (she works full time and could only teach lessons at night-um PERFECT for us)! Anyway, it was so fun dropping Lewis off at her house the other night and watching him settle down to the piano with her. Of course, he was stoked to come home and show off his stuff. He is a natural and is picking up fast. I spoke with his teacher at church today to find out more about their frist session and she said she really enjoyed Lewis' company and that he ia a natural (I suspected):) She said a lot of kids have trouble with timing initially, but Lewis was great. He has already been working hard on the first half of his first book and I am looking forward to some Christmas entertainment this year. He is on fire!

Election Day!It was soooo much fun to share election day with our boys this year. Having them both be old enough to understand the process and make formative opinions was something I wasn't expecting but was pleasently surprised by. A brilliant teacher at our school (Lewis' teacher actually) set up a mock election for our students to participate in. She even registered the children to vote(she thought of every detail). She set up this bulletin board in our school that showed all the candidates, both local and national, and posted results of the election through our mock votes as well as the real deal so we could see the comparisons. She taught the children in her class about the candidates and their different platforms and encouraged the other teachers to do the same in their classrooms before the kids voted (I'll admit, we did not get far in kindergarten-we are still trying to figure out the difference between Mrs. Peterson and Mr. Peterson - I am still being called Mr. Peterson in this late date in the year). Anyway, through this mock election experience, the kids were able to learn all about the elephants and the donkeys (and what they stand for), how voting effects our country and most importantly that every vote counts! In our house, we were all unanimously McCain, but overall, Obama won the mock election at our school. It was fun to see the boys get passionate about "their" candidate and tell why they supported him. Lewis blew me away with his growing political mind. He is already surpassing me in knowledge and this scares me! I thought I had a few more years before he realized that really, I don't know much. Anyhow, we really had a fun election day this year, and although our first choice did not pan out, we still live in a great nation!

THURSDAY NIGHT- Usually, this is our busiest, craziest day. A couple weeks ago, I posted "a day in our lives" and it was a pretty busy Tuesday, but seriously, that day doesn't hold a candle to what our Thursdays are usually like! I think it is so funny that every thing gets scheduled for Thursday nights these days? I guess it is a good night for most families? Usually our Thursday involves needing to call in some extra help from friends and neighbors to make it all pan out-but this week was different! Steve usually has meetings on Thursdays leaving me to run ragged getting the kids to and fro. Everything seems to start at the same time and on opposite ends of town. Luckily, this night-Steve was home! He ended up droppping Lewis off at scouts and taking Conner to his football game. Leaving me to only have to pick Lewis up from scouts and take him to his football practice. THAT is do-able! We actually were able to eat dinner as a family around the dinner table! It was GREAT! I know this seems so lame, but for me, it was a nice change.

Primary Program- Our primary put on their annual sacrament meeting program today and it was such a good one! I have been the CTR 6 teacher for almost three years now (and I hope they keep me there forever. . .I LOVE IT) and I gotta say, this has been my favorite since I've been in the primary. The theme for this year, "I am a Child of God" was presented in such a cute, special way. The kids knew the songs really well too and I think that makes a difference. Their voices were just awesome! Lewis actually had a chance to give a talk in our program and I gotta say, he was very impressive! He spoke very clear and loud and even made EYE contact from time to time! Who taught him that? Actually, he has been surprising us a LOT lately with his little hidden talents. He was in charge of our Family Home Evening lesson this week and all we did was give him his scout book and showed him the page he was supposed to present to us. The lesson was on "Cooperation". He was a NATURAL at teaching the concept and THEN, he came up with a little game to go with it. He actually came up with little scenerios and we had to guess if it was an example of cooperation or not. Steve and I about died at how cute this lesson was and we were left scratching our heads as to how our son became this great little presenter/teacher?

DAY OFF- The best part of our week is that we have a three day weekend this week! So, more fun to be had tomorrow! Here's to a great week next week too:)

Look What I Just Stumbled Upon. . .

TASTEBOOK

Blogging is so great. How else do people discover all the great stuff out there on the internet? I guess I am just not "with it" enough to realize stuff like this might exist and go out and look for it. I just stumbled upon this great website today as I was venturing away from my normal blogs. This one came from an especially cute blog here. My mind is now racing with the endless gift possibilities and getting my disaster of a recipe drawer organized!

What we've been up to lately. . .

It has been AGES since I have done a post! My camera is full of pictures, I just have been lazy as can be about getting things updated on here. Thanks to my awesome husband for doing a new post and buying me even a few more days! I actually have an appointment this morning and had to get a substitute so I am blissfully home right now with nothing better to do (well, I could be folding laundry. . .) than peek on blogs and get mine caught up! So, here's what we have been up to lately. . .behind the scenes!

Quick Trip Up North to meet with a couple about adoption. Sweetest kids EVER. What a trial they are facing. They are definitely in our prayers and we are turning this one over to the man upstairs. We will see what will be. While we were up that way, we visited with Sandi, Steve's youngest sister and her family and went out to eat for my birthday. It was a RELAXING and fun weekend and a good break away from our crazy lives. These are the only pictures I took on this trip. The boys were being so cute. We were at Cafe Rio and they had finished their meals and the adults were still talking and eating. Instead of being little pests, they cozied up together by the window and kept themselves entertained just talking and people watching I guess. I thought they looked so sweet, I snapped this picture-of course, it is blurry-Conner trying to get away before I could snap the pic). I tried to get another one (Lewis trying to keep Conner contained-love it) but the moment had passed. Oh well, these pictures will trigger the memory of their cuteness!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I have a pretty cute mom. She and I have birthdays within days of each other. It has always been fun to have close birthdays. This year we went out to dinner at Iggy's and then went to her house for cake after. She had a great birthday, spoiled by her coworkers and husband and as I was leaving, her visiting teacher dropped off a huge bouquet of balloons AND flowers! I thought that was sooo nice! I've never gone that ALL out for my V.T. ladies! It was inspirational! Seriously. Makes me want to be better at remembering and acknowledging people's birthdays. As a side note, thanks to all my awesome friends, family, neighbors, ward members, co workers, blogging pals- SO many of you who wished me a HB too! It really is so nice! Especially as you get older and really don't want to celebrate that fact!~ Anyway. . .HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a great mom! You are the best!

CORN MAZE 2008! Laura started this tradition clear back in 2001, I think! I did not attend the first few, but we have been to as many as we have been able to. This year it was Laura and her boys and Tiffany and her family plus ours. Every year the Staheli family adds something new and fun to their farm festivities. We had fun doing the usual, playing in the corn and sliding down the slides, riding the fun little farm swings, practicing our roping skills and petting the animals. Then we loaded up on the truck and headed out to the maze. This year we made it through in record time! Of course, the highlight for me is the food. I enjoyed the corn chowder, caramel dipped apples and hot chocolate. This is a favorite fall tradition and nobody seems to tire of it!

GIRL'S WEEKEND!!!! I actually was able to break away and make it this year. Every year, a bunch of gals from high school and college days start emailing about plans for the girl's weekend! It is exciting the planning and scheming, knowing we will have some time away to relax and catch up. We have been to various places but Vegas is always a winner! This year, I could only make it for one day since Steve's high school reunion conflicted with the whole weekend plans. Luckily, another friend was in the same boat so we just rode back together and it was fun. However, I don't EVEN want to hear about all the fun that was had after we left! This year, it was all about relaxing and eating! We have learned from trips past that we really don't need to plan a whole lot. Just chilling in the hotel room or hanging out around a big noisy dinner table is all we need! We shopped at the cute new Town Square and hung out in the "V.I.P." lounge at the hotel (thanks Kenny for the sweet hook up!) after several restaurant stops- P.F. Changs, California Pizza Kitchen and Cheesecake Factory. We chatted well into the night and relaxed our little fannies off. Some might look at our "Vegas" get away as a little dull, but getting together with all these great gals is never a dull moment!

The shopping. . .

The "lounging". . .

The eating and NON STOP fun. . .

(K girlfriends, I obviously didn't get the best girls weekend photos. Please share the love through emailing all you got!)

FLAG FOOTBALL SEASON in full swing! I'm really proud of our boys this year. They are both smokin' up the fields each week. Conner is the amazing touchdown king and Lewis is a flag pulling maniac! I tried to snap some photos at Conner's last game. I could never get him when he was actually making the touch downs. One week, we were sitting right at the end zone and he came running along victoriously-it would have been the PERFECT picture! Of course, I didn't have my camera that time. Oh well, I am not worried. He is amazingly fast and I'm sure I'll get the photo op again! I really want to catch the memory of him turning to us, after he's made the touch down, and give us the thumbs up! It is awesome! I need to bring my camera to Lewis' game this week too. I don't have any pictures of him in uniform yet. They both just look so cute with their huge jerseys and those flags! Anyway, we have been getting quite a bit of football in lately. Good times!


SO. . .That is where we have been lately. Hopefully, once Halloween is over (um carnival etc.) I can get back to my regular blogging regimen!

When it Rains, It Pours! Or is it. . . Raindrops on Roses?

I saw a cute post on Tanja's blog and I think it is just the therapy I need for this awful Monday I am having. (To give you a little idea, here are a couple of the top annoyances: broken dryer and a chipped tooth-AWESOME)! So, to RE-FOCUS my attention to happier things, here are a few of my favorite FALL things that are taking my mind off the inevitable (and expensive) cruelties of life!

I love driving up to the house and seeing the Fall colors on the door!

My favorite fall scent. . ."Autumn Walk" candle by Gold Canyon
(Kristin, you don't still sell these do you?)

Crisp, clean, fresh air, day and night! I love that the windows can be open all the time now!

A stocked pantry thanks to the Harmons Case Lot Sale (every Fall and Spring):)
Dinner is served thanks to Signature Suppers baby! This place was invented for families like ours! I've been going crazy since we used up our last meal a few weeks back. Thank heavens I've got some meals in the freezer again:)

I have been LOVING this salad dressing lately. Nothing fancy or super terrific about it, I just love that it is all natural and tastes soooo delish!

Speaking of food, I have a strange Fall craving. It is Cream of Wheat. I don't know why, but as the weather cools down, nothing sounds more satisfying, as a late night snack, than a yummy bowl of this stuff with a little butter, sugar and a pinch of salt! I know, weird!

Planning for the upcoming Halloween festivities! I love helping the kids decide what they want to be for the big day and this year, I get to be in charge of the Halloween Carnival too! Luckily, I live next door to the clone of Martha Stewart and she is helping me with her sketches and ideas and genius. I love having these fun thoughts bouncing around in my brain!

Some good, mindless reading to sink into after the kids go to bed, which is earlier now because it gets darker sooner! YEAH!
I LOVE FALL!!!!

So, this has been pretty helpful. Aside from the fact that I keep running my tongue over my chipped tooth and I keep looking over at the mountain of laundry that won't be getting dry anytime soon, these favorite things of mine are balancing out the day. Here's to a happier Tuesday, tomorrow!

Our Faves This Week, in a Nutshell!

5. Survival of the Fittest- I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing how terribly busy we are! I swear that is all I have been writing about lately. Wish I could say I was exaggerating or that it is slowing down, but it still isn't! Luckily our bodies are starting to adjust to the faster pace of school life and we aren't feeling quite as drained as we have been. So, this week, I am just grateful for this! Grateful that my job is getting easier, the kids are adjusting and becoming more capable, Lewis is complaining LESS about all his homework, Conner is finally falling asleep at a decent hour (he is our night owl) and Steve seems less stressed with his responsibilities. Things are less chaotic all the way around and it feels great! PHEW!

4. Kitchen Closed!- Well, it's official. We finally did what I didn't think was possible. . .we ate out EVERY night this week! Um, we didn't plan for this to happen, it just happened. Am I ashamed of myself? A little bit, but really we had late nights every night this week. The only home cooked meal we could have feasibly enjoyed otherwise would have been chicken nuggets or something else that could be popped in the micro. Anyway, here's how it all went down. Monday, we tried the new "Players Sports Grill" for the first time. It seemed like a fun "Family Night" sort of meal and it was just right there on the way home for us, we couldn't resist. It was really good, inexpensive too. They are gonna have to raise the prices I think, we got a TON of food (really fancy and delish too) for not a lot of dough. We'll definitely be going back. Then, Tuesday, Lewis and I had a few mucho important errands to run and Conner stayed with dad at the school, so they ate left over Player's food and Lewis and I grabbed some Wendy's while we flew all over town. Wednesday we did Wendy's AGAIN (let's just say Conner wasn't too thrilled that Lewis got a kid's meal without him). Thursday, another crazy errand day plus Cub Scouts and Bajio was just right there, so I used our free meal coupons and got us some great food on the cheap. Friday was leftover day! Can you believe that?! Kitchen was closed all week! I'll definitely have to step it up this next week.

3. No "Waste" of Time- I'll spare you the gory details, but Lewis' scout troop took an interesting field trip out to the city sewer/water plant. Since it was on our way home from school, we met the troop there and Conner wanted to stay and see where all the "business" goes. I tell ya, you gotta have a TOUGH stomach to handle walking around this place, let alone work there. It is a crazy process. I had never really thought about how the whole process worked before. I mean, I know you flush and it all goes to some place, I just never realized it ALLLLL went to ONE big place-at once! Also, I didn't know that waste eating bugs are bread and kept thriving and they are the first step in the purification process. Did you know that? They take a trip around this HUGE lazy river type thing (that is MEGA deep) and they just eat away like it's a huge buffet. Anyway, I said I'd spare ya the gory details and here I am dishing it all out. Trust me, it is gross. I think I was better off not knowing. I do have a greater appreciation for the municipal water system and the people that keep it going though. It is a multi million dollar establishment and it runs very well. I couldn't believe how clean the water looked from the first step to the last. I am, however, going to be even MORE freakish than I already was about what water I will drink. Gotta say, I did NOT need to be more paranoid about that. But, this was an interesting field trip, very informative and the kids learned a lot.

2. Eagle Scout Project- We love that this kid wanted to do his Eagle project at our little school. It needs some TLC and the kids are going to be stoked when they see the new makeover that was done on the Eagle playground. First he got templates to paint 4 square and hop-scotch courts (he and his crew painted 6 of each to be exact). Second, he installed a tether ball pole with adjoining rope and ball. Next, lines were burned and drawn out on the soccer field. Finally, he made sure that new nets on the basketball hoops were installed. It looks awesome and they seemed to get it done in no time! What a cool kid!

1. A Relaxing Weekend- We had no real agenda, no time frame. It was nice. On Saturday, the boys played with their cousins and went swimming in the afternoon with Steve and I finished organizing the preschool files for Marcy (she is the friend of mine who has been teaching my preschool for me while I've been fulfilling my kindergarten responsibilities. She does a great job and I'm so glad she was willing to take on the challenge). Saturday night we got to watch Sunnie and Quincy's little ones and as a trade, Sunnie (homemaker extraordinaire') provided us with dinner! We totally had it made (one more night to keep the kitchen closed) and those kids of theirs were a blast!
Sunday was great today. I was little ornery this morning with trying to get ready and out the door by 9. I don't know why this is such a challenge. We manage to be out the door by 7:30 the rest of the week? Anyway, it was great to have all the negativity washed away as I listened to the wonderful messages and sang the hymns. I was especially touched by the fifth and sixth verse of "Come Follow Me." We usually only sing verses 1-4. I don't remember ever singing the fifth and sixth, but it was just the reminder that I needed and I know I'll keep it with me as I face another challenging week. It says;

We must the onward path pursue
As wider fields expand to view,
And follow him unceasingly,
Whate'er our lot or sphere may be.
For thrones, dominions, kingdoms, pow'rs,
And glory great and bliss are ours,
If we throughout eternity,
Obey his words, "Come follow me."

Ahhh. Isn't that great? And, to cap off a fabulous Sunday, we had our fun neighbors over for some peach cobbler and some laughs. Oh, life is good! Hope next week brings more fun and less stress- to you too!

Four is for

the FOUR new experiences we had this week. Our town has been growing like crazy this past couple of years and there are a few new hot spots around that we haven't been home to try yet, until this week. Also, I got to experience some real live court room drama for the first time! Here's a run down of each event.

Jumpin' Jacks- A giant warehouse full of inflatable bounce houses and foam flooring where kids can run around and jump 'til their hearts' content while the parents chill on couches around the perimeter. We went on a Tuesday when they have the buy one get one free deal, which is a good thing seeings how I'd probably never go there if I had to pay full price. It was fun but a little hot and smelly and I figured my kids could have almost as much fun for free at McDonalds. Actually though, my kids got QUITE the workout at this place! They were running around like wild dogs and both had bright red faces dripping with sweat- a sure sign that fun is being had. They had some friends they were playing hide and seek with and honestly, they would have stayed even longer if I'd have let them. We stayed for about three hours and the kids slept like babies that night. Maybe it IS worth the full price? Overall, I'd give it about 3 stars (out of five) maybe higher if I didn't feel like I had to hose them down before they could set foot in my house after getting so sweaty and filthy!.

New Rec. Center- A giant building that boasts a huge aquatic center, gymnasiums, weight rooms, rock climbing wall etc. We had the free trial week pass but honestly, I don't think we will even go back to use our remaining days. After this experience I was reminded of all the reasons why I HATE PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS! I went for the sake of my kids. Actually though, THEY were the ones who asked to leave. I think it is just too big and LOUD and crowded, there wasn't even a chair left to put my stuff on. It wasn't relaxing. Lewis was bugged at how loooong he had to stand in line for the water slide and then he claimed it didn't go very fast. He wondered why they ripped down the old pool (that had the ultra cool high dive and looked JUST like the pool on the Sandlot). I wondered that too. They don't make pools like that anymore. It had such NOSTALGIA. This place, I don't know. Conner LOVED the lazy river (and actually, I liked it too) but there wasn't much else to love. It was hot and steamy in there and full of people. I honestly couldn't even find my kids the first twenty minutes we were there. I resorted to having to follow Conner around (even though he's a pretty good swimmer) but it was the only way I could relax. After only a couple of hours, my kids were done and I was done and as we walked out, I remembered why I hate public pools; the slimy bathroom floors with the showers and the naked people (hello-it's still a PUBLIC place)! And the noise and the people staring at you and just all of the junk! I'd much rather swim in a nice, outdoor pool with fresh air, less people and a place to sit back and actually SEE my kids enjoy it. So, this new Rec. Center is only gonna get one lousy star from me.

Signature Suppers- A building set up like a professional kitchen with work stations where you can put together meals for your family. It gets rid of a LOT of middle men (like thinking about what to fix, making a grocery list, shopping and getting all the stuff out and measured etc.)! I made 12 meals in a little over one hour and I had a BLAST while doing it! This is definitely going to be a huge life saver for me this year. My goal is to get started with freezing the meals from Kim's store and then eventually, learn the ropes well enough that I can do it for myself at home once a month. This is for sure one of those experiences that you need to try out for yourself. I heard mixed reviews. Some people saying it's too pricey and others raving! I am more on the raving side. My schedule (once school starts again) makes it hard to even GET to the store, let alone get there with an actual list of ingredients to make real meals. Then, when did I seriously have time to actually prepare these meals? I'd say once a week, sometimes less! I honestly threw out more spoiled ingredients than I care to admit last year because I just couldn't do it! I don't want to rely on roasted chicken and pizza nights again this year. Having all of it pre bought and organized and ready to prepare at that cute little kitchen is JUST what I need! I am finally excited about cooking again. I give this place 4 stars!

Night Court- All I'm gonna say is I had to plead guilty with an explanation (and a dang good one I might add) and the judge dismissed the case. I had the unfortunate bad luck of being pulled over in our new car before we had the plates switched to our own. We had a hard time getting the title to the car and the DMV would not let us have temporary plates until the old owner sent the stuff. It was a long, sorted ordeal that had nothing to do with us and everything to do with the banks and the Honda people. Anyway, my luck would have it that I get pulled over on the DAY the stuff finally comes in the mail (not the next day after we finally got our own plates-murphy's law)! It turns out though, we are not the only people who did not know that it is BETTER to remove the plates altogether and drive around with NOTHING than to drive under someone's old plates. Seriously, if THAT is better, why didn't someone fill us in? We would have done it! Anyway, this is the lesson we learned from this experience. Plus, I got to have my first court room experience which, BTW, was JUST like the show Night Court that used to be on T.V. forever ago. The bailiff even looked just like that tall bald guy from the show (I think his name was Bull) and when he was rifling through my purse, he accidentally flung a bag of m&ms through the air. It was funny. I told him he could have all the ones that fell on the floor.

Three is for

THREE people I don't see enough of came to visit this week!

My oldest sister, Kristin, and two of her kids had a funeral to go to and so we got to see them for a bit. We went to the funeral with them but also sat around and visited, ate a great meal at my mom's (including her summertime favorite-Watermelon Ice-Cream, see pics and recipe below) and did some shopping. This is the first time in a long time that both of my sisters have lived super far away from us. It is good when they can come back and visit but when they do, it makes me realize that we don't see near enough of them.

Watermelon Ice-Cream

My mom got this recipe from a Tupperware party wayyyy back in the day. It requires some putting together but it is totally worth it. We have begged my mom to make it at least once every summer for as long as I can remember. You must try it, it is divine! Here's what you do:


Buy one quart of lime sherbet, one quart of strawberry ice-cream and one package of mini chocolate chips. Let both ice creams soften in their cartons. You'll need two nesting bowls. Spread the softened lime sherbet inside the large bowl making a green layer around the edge of the bowl as much as possible. Let it harden a bit in the freezer but not too much. when it is hard enough to allow the small bowl to rest on top of the green layer without sinking to the bottom of the large bowl, set the small bowl inside and place it back in the freezer until it is hard. While it is in the freezer, empty the strawberry ice-cream into a large bowl and stir in the mini chocolate chips. Then, take the larger bowl from the freezer and remove the small bowl from it. Fill the empty cavity with the strawberry ice-cream mixture and put it back in the freezer until it is set.

When you're ready to serve it, take it out of the freezer and soak the bowl in hot water to loosen the green layer from the sides. Turn the bowl over onto a cutting board so the "half melon" is resting flat. Now you're ready to slice it and eat it! The mix of the tart lime with the creamy, chocolaty strawberry ice-cream is so surprising and delicious!

It is a definite family favorite! Good stuff:)

The Little Things

It's the little things that make life so great isn't it!?! I have been slacking on my blogging lately (I am completely immersed in an online class right now) and I have not been keeping track of my favorite things of the week. So, thinking back today and looking through my camera for pictures, I realized, the things I am most grateful for lately are the little things. The little things that I am able to squeeze into (or out of) the craziness of life. Whoever said teachers get the summer off has never been a teacher! Yea, you don't have the classroom full of kids to TEACH, but you can't stop being a teacher! I have already been to curriculum mapping, reading conference, an online class, and tomorrow I am starting another class! Not to mention summer school that I promised some friends I would do and then, by the time that is over, I will get to go set up my classroom and prepare for the new school year! YEP, I better start appreciating the little things! The things that have been making this summer so sweet! With so much going on this month, it would be easy to get caught up in the big things and forget that it's really the little things that make life worth living. Here's my list of little things so far this summer:

Relaxing with Steve on one of our "away" trips.

Seeing Conner walk around the house with this t-shirt on (it says kiss me). Umm, he wrote it himself with an orange highlighter! Oh, and he did it while looking in the mirror so it is completely reversed! LOVE IT!

Lewis willingly offering to help put away groceries and clean out the fridge.

Hearing the boys giggle through the door as they try to go to sleep.

Staying in a NICE hotel with all the little extras!

 

Conner snuggling up to me during a movie and covering us with a blanket. He is such a cuddle bug! Hope he never outgrows it!

Having friends to "hang" with at any given moment!

Knowing my boys have good friends too!

 

The new fish bowl for our fish, Finny Von Finnegan! He races around that thing like nobody's business, and it looks good on our console table.

Knowing that Grandpa is out of the hospital and on the mend!

 

Catching up with old friends while Steve took the boys to the fathers and sons camp out.

Seeing Lewis so excited to be in scouts!

Recently hearing Conner say, "Mom, I will make a good big brother."

 

Finding little things like this around the house, proof that I have a funny little boy in my life!

Seeing the kids home safe and sound after being away from us for an entire week!

Listening to Lewis read behind me as I wrote a paper for my class. I love that he wanted to be with me!

Partaking in yummy food prepared by loved ones who actually know how to cook with LOVE!

Watching (and re watching) clips like this from "So You Think You Can Dance"

Finding pictures like this on my camera!

Yep! Summer has been good to me so far. I just need to focus on these little things and not worry so much about the drudgeries of the inevitable! Time goes by too fast!