Today

Still tired. Still overwhelmed.

I have more to do than hours in the day. I don't even know where to begin. Drained.

Home

I am home. Home is good.

We came home from my Mom's house on Saturday. It is always nice to go away and always nicer to come back home!

Today I am tired. Mentally and physically tired. I am trying to psyche myself up for a really busy, productive month. August is a busy month(which isn't?) Football starts, school prep starts, we need to play as much as possible because winter is coming, etc. etc. etc.!

I actually had thoughts about Christmas today. Thinking that California would be a nice place to spend it! What do you think?

Well, nothing profound or terribly informational today!!

When Did I become an expert?

There are people that are really, really smart. Those people that know how to do all things possible on computers, digital photography, photoshop,etc. I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! I am quite computer illiterate. Just ask Lara. I am always asking her how to do things on my blog!

Well, today I spent a couple of hours updating my Mother's Ipod. Yes, my Mom has an ipod! However, she is even more terrified of computers than I am! So, when I convinced her that she would enjoy an ipod, I guess that it became an unwritten rule that I would take care of the programming needed on it! So, somehow, I am now an expert! That is laughable! I have a friend in the student ward (LDS church congregation) who is really a techno geek(said in the nicest way possible) . When I discovered his love of his Ipod I started to ask him questions. So, I have learned a few things.

When I was in High School I was like most kids. I wondered why we had to take algebra, chemistry etc. I now understand! Knowledge is Power! The most important thing that I have learned is that I don't have to know everything, I just have to know how to find the answers! So, I find the people that know the answers! Thanks, Nate!

Now if I could just get my Mom to take the digital camera out of the case and use it! It won't blow up! Be brave, take a chance! You can do it, I know you can!

Life in a Small Town

Life in a small town. Some people can hardly imagine living in a small town. I am so glad that I did grow up in a small town. Today my two boys and a cousin walked downtown(two blocks) and went to the "Fountain." These types of places used to exist all across the country. They are few and far between now. This fountain comes complete with mixed sodas, milkshakes in the fancy glassess with the extra given to you in the mixing glass. They have all sorts of meals and such. Just walking in and looking at the high counter with the tall round stools makes my heart jump. It is the same as it has been for YEARS! Sometimes change is good. Other times it is nice to have things that just stay the same!

You Know You are the Momma

You know that you are the Momma when your seven year old yells to you "I need help" you go in and she is sick-both ends! You also know that you are the Momma when you are at YOUR Momma's and you still have to clean said child, tub, floor,rugs,toilet. Then the sick one say's "you are going to have to throw my jammies away, they are downstairs." As you go downstairs to check out that mess your 10 year old say's "there is a problem in the bathroom!"

Yeah, we are having fun on our vacation!

Let's Have a Parade!

We have been playing hard these last few days!

In my home town we have a huge celebration around the 24th of July. It is in honor of the Mormon Pioneers that entered into the Salt Lake City valley on that date. Well, our little town has a great celebration. There is a great parade that all the different congregations enter a float into. These floats are every bit as good as the huge parade in Salt Lake.



It has been a tradition my entire life to watch this parade. I have carried the front banner, been on a truck for a baseball team(girls team in a boys league-that was an experience!) I have marched in full band uniform with full hat-playing the trombone (that was hot).I have helped on floats and helped with concessions and been to many rodeos. We have watched the parade from my brother's house, my Uncles house, my brother's in laws business, my best friends business and from numerous street curbs and now from my own front yard(ok,technically I don't live here anymore). I watch the parade now, after being gone away for as long as I lived in this town and still feel connected. I see people on the floats that I have known my entire life. I see people walking after the parade that have been part of my life. People that I love. There is something special about growing up in a small town. There is history. It doesn't seem like my summer is complete if I miss the parade.




This year we were so lucky because the parade route went directly in front of my Mom's house! How great is that? Super great! We had almost 100 people in our yard. Family, friends, friends of friends. It was wonderful.

The little kids got lots of candy(their favorite part of the parade) and we got to visit and just enjoy the celebration.



I am a person that loves tradition. I love that my little hometown still has a parade. I love that the wards(church congregations) all work so hard to make such neat floats. I love that LOTS of family from all around different states get together to celebrate. I love that my children have been able to have this parade become tradition for them.

Catch up day!

Woa Nellie! What a busy three days! I am now trying to catch up on laundry that hasn't been done and trying to get us ready to go to Grandma's house!

Tuesday I spent the day at the amusement park with 6 children. Amazingly, we did great! We didn't have any meltdowns, bickering of any kind. It was hot, hot, hot! I hung out in kiddie land and enjoyed watching the little guy. He is just getting so big. He holds his arms up now as he goes around on the rides--so cute! There are a couple of newer rides that adults can ride on with the kids, the littler ones have to have an adult-so, I went. They are the type that take you up high and drop you. These were my kind of rides. They were high enough and they dropped just fast enough to feel it but not FEEL it. Little guy just giggled and giggled!

Wednesday I spent the entire day with my very best friend for her birthday. We went to the brand new IKEA store! It was an amazing store. Quite an experience. Unlike any other store I have ever been in. So many possibilities! I came out with cork bulletin boards and a darling hot pink swivel desk chair for the Big girls desk project.

We then went to this great little shopping spot that has all these old homes that they have relocated there. Guess what? I found my bed! I have been looking for a headboard for years. I actually purchased one a year ago and then called and told them not to bring it. I knew it wasn't what I wanted. When I saw this bed I knew it was the one! Luckily for me, it was a fabulous price as well! 1/2 of what I was going to pay on the one I didn't want! So, I bought it. I won't have it for awhile, it is being made. I am hoping that I can get my room painted before it comes and find a new bedspread to go on it!!! This is major for me.

Better get to packing! I am so excited to just relax a bit. My Mom has the most heavenly porch in the entire world. It is certainly a slice of heaven. We sit on it as much as possible. We also will be swimming at the river which is only a block away. We will also be playing with the boat on the reservoir! The big parade is on Saturday and that is a great tradition. This year the route has been adjusted due to construction so it is going directly in front of Mom's house! Yeah! we don't have to go anywhere!

Here are pictures that shows one really nice thing about having such an age difference in kids!

Crazy day ahead!

It is 9:00 am and all the people under 15 are still asleep! We are headed to the amusement park today. I am the only adult going with 6 children. Yes, I realize that I am crazy. I truly would not be heartbroken if I never went again. However, I also realize that if you are under 15 you really think that it is so much fun and you just can't get enough of being buckled into things that throw you around, hang you upside down, shoot water at you and make you really dizzy.

I will be the one in the kiddie land with the 2 year old. Luckily, all the children going are old enough to go on all the BIG rides and they are also old enough to go with the 3 big kids.

Wish me luck!

Let me off for a minute!

I am tired! I have had one of those weekends that is very busy and this week is going to be more of the same! We have a cousin with us from Idaho so we will be doing some fun things-however, it is a bit nutty! Today we started out the day leaving home at 8:30 headed to an All-star baseball game. It was the longest game in history! Then I dropped off 3 kids at a pool with my sister and then drove my #3 child 1/2 way to Grandma's house(120 miles), met Grandma. Then drove back, of course! That was just today! Hope that you are having calm, calm days!

Let's get Productive!

34 Ways to Boost Productivity
In light of yesterday's post and my desire to organize my mind and my closet, this post from Personal Development for Smart People, seems to be exactly what I need to help me stay on track...I especially love #33! :)
34 rules to boost your productivity:

1.Super Slow. Commit yourself to working on a particularly hideous project for just one session a week, 15-30 minutes total. Declutter one small shelf. Purge 10 clothing items you don’t need. 2.Write a few paragraphs. Then stop.
3.Dailies. Schedule a specific time each day for working on a particular task or habit. One hour a day could leave you with a finished book, or a profitable internet business a year later.
4.Add-ons. Tack a task you want to habitualize onto one of your existing habits. Water the plants after you eat lunch. Send thank-you notes after you check email.
5.Plug-ins. Inject one task into the middle of another. Read while eating lunch. Return phone calls while commuting. Listen to podcasts while grocery shopping.
6.Gratitude. When someone does you a good turn, send a thank-you card. That’s a real card, not an e-card. This is rare and memorable, and the people you thank will be eager to bring you more opportunities.
7.Training. Train up your skill in various productivity habits. Get your typing speed to at least 60wpm, if not 90. Learn to speed-read or PhotoRead. Develop your communication skills.
8.Software. Take advantage of productivity software to boost your effectiveness. Lifehacker recommends new items every week.
9.Zone out. Enter the zone of peak creativity, and watch your output soar.
10.Denial. Just say no to non-critical requests for your time.
11.Recapture. Reclaim other people’s poor time usage for yourself. Visualize your goals during dull speeches. Write out your grocery list during pointless meetings.
12.Mastermind. Run your problem past someone else, preferably a group of people. Invite all the advice, feedback, and constructive criticism you can handle.
13.Twenty. Take a piece of paper, number 1-20, and don’t stop until you’ve listed 20 creative ideas for improving your productivity.
14.Challenger. Deliberately make the task harder. Challenging tasks are more engaging than boring ones. Compose an original poem for your next blog post.
15.Asylum. Complete an otherwise tedious task in an unusual or crazy manner to keep it interesting. Make phone calls using pretend foreign accents. Fill out government paperwork in crayon.
16.Music. Experiment to discover how music may boost your productivity. Try fast-paced music for email, classical or new age for project work, and total silence for high-concentration creative work.
17. Estimate how long a task will take to complete. Then start a timer, and push yourself to complete it in half that time.
18.Pay it forward. When an undesirable task is delegated to you, re-delegate it to someone else.
19.Bouncer. When a seemingly pointless task is delegated to you, bounce it back to the person who assigned it to you, and challenge them to justify its operational necessity.
20.Opt-out. Quit clubs, projects, and subscriptions that consume more of your time than they’re worth.
21.Decaffeinate. Say no to drugs, suffer through the withdrawal period, and let your natural creative self re-emerge.
22.Triage. Save the lives of your important projects by killing those that are going to die anyway.
23.Conscious procrastination. Delay non-critical tasks as long as you possibly can. Many of them will die on you and won’t need to be done at all.
24.TV-free. Turn off the TV especially the news, and recapture many usable hours.
25.Timer. Time all your tasks for an entire day, preferably a week. Even the act of measuring itself can boost your productivity, not to mention what you learn about your real time usage.
26.Valor. Pick the one item on your task list that scares you the most. Muster all the courage you can, and tackle it immediately.
27.Nonconformist. Run errands at unpopular times to avoid crowds. Shop just before stores close or shortly after they open. Take advantage of 24-hour outlets if you’re a vampire.
28.Agoraphobia. Shop online whenever possible. Get the best selection, consult reviews, and purchase items within minutes.
29.Reminder. Add birthday and holiday reminders to your calendar a month or two ahead of their actual dates. Buy gifts then instead of at the last minute.
30.Do it now! Recite this phrase over and over until you’re so sick of it that you cave in and get to work.
31.Inspiration. Read inspiring books and articles, listen to audio programs, and attend seminars to keep absorbing inspiring new ideas (as well as to refresh yourself on the old ones).
32.Gym rat. Exercise daily. Boost your metabolism, concentration, and mental clarity in 30 minutes a day.
33.Lovey dovey. Romantic love will spur you on to greater heights, if for no other reason than to persuade your partner you aren’t such a loser after all.
34.Troll hunt. Banish the negative trolls from your life, and associate only with positive, happy, and successful people. Mindsets are contagious. Show loyalty to your potential, not to your pity posse.

Slow Down

When did this happen? My little angel baby has crossed over. He isn't a baby anymore. He is all boy.

I watched him yesterday. He runs and skips like a big boy. He wants to play with the big kids. He can tell me most things that he wants.

This is my last baby, he is also the last grandbaby on my side of the family. So,as he leaves his babyhood I have a twinge of sadness. He has been such a little joy. We didn't expect this bundle of sweetness.

So little one, please slow down a little. Momma isn't ready for you to be all grown up yet!

As I looked out my kitchen window this morning I noticed just how beautiful my flower bed is. It is an overcast day so the color of the flowers is so much stronger than in the bright sun.
I spent two hours outside weeding-I have the dreaded morning glory in a section of my garden. It is like a wayward child. It takes up so much energy that some of the other children get left out a bit. I work in this one section more than anywhere else.
Did you know that morning glory seeds stay viable in the dirt for 50 years? That is the reason that we can't really seem to get rid of it. The roots can also stretch for 50 feet. Doesn't that encourage you?



I just love taking pictures of flowers. They are just so close to heaven. I think that it must be Heavenly Fathers compensation for us being removed from the garden of Eden.

I hope you have a beautiful day!

Try try try!

We went to the lake tonight. It was perfectly smooth water, the temperature was lovely. We swam and the big girl tried to slolum ski. She was so determined! I know that the next time she will be right up and going around the lake. Me on the other hand, I tried waterskiing. I haven't tried in about 8 years. I did NOT get up. It was embarassing. Little Missy tried and really did better than expected.

All in all a very nice evening. It actually helped get me out of my little funk.

Carageenan

For those of you that actually read this blog-skip this if you don't want to read me discussing my stomach problems. My sweet hubby is one of those!



Remember when I wrote about sorbitol? Well, I have also discovered another additive that makes me sick. The reason I am writing this is because it may help someone else.



The product is called CARAGEENAN. It is taken from Irish moss, boiled down and is a gelatin type substance. It is used in dairy products. Many people that think they have lactose intolerance but may actually have an intolerance to Carageenan. It is used to make things thick and creamy.



I had been having a good week, no stomach issues. Then I ate a Fat Boy ice cream sandwich. A few hours later my cramping and bowel problems started. I knew that I hadn't eaten anything except that Fat Boy. I also remembered having problems a week earlier after eating a Fat Boy at a party. I got the label out and it was basically Whole milk, sugar and carageenan. A bell went off in my head. I did some research and sure enough it can cause problems.



Now, move forward another week. Another good week with barely any problems(had a diet coke, a bit of a stomach ache-dang it, I won't be having that anymore). So today after swimming lessons I took the little girls for an ice cream cone. Four hours later the stomach cramping and bowel started. I was at the grocery store tonight. I looked at almost every type of ice cream treat available and all of them had Carageenan in them. The only ice cream that doesn't is Bryer's All Natural. You have to make sure it says All Natural because they have others that do have it.



So, if you have problems with ice cream, chocolate milk etc. perhaps it is the Carageenan.

Different perspective

Have you ever walked around and thought "what a mess?" and then stopped and really looked at what the mess was? I did this yesterday. We were getting stuff off the lawn to mow and I noticed that #3 had every lawn chair and beach towel we owned out. My first reaction was "what a mess" then I looked at it. She had made herself mac/cheese and ramen noodles! Yes, the bowls were still there. However, I decided that I needed to stop and just look at her creation. She and her cousin and made a tent and had a picnic in it. I then walked in the house to hear the jetted tub-that is always scary! They were having a bubble party. Bubbles were everywhere. Sometimes I am not happy about this-on this day I tried to see the fun!

So, let's slow down a bit and look at a few of our "messes" a little bit differently today!

Days that We Hope For

A Very Good Day!

We all went to the lake yesterday and it was one of those days that you wish came around more often. We got on the water and the kids all had a ball! They played TOGETHER, which lately seems like a miracle! We just hung out on the boat, got in the water, pulled the tube, waterskiied. It was a good thing!

Then suddenly a summer thunderbumper came up! It was terrible. The waves got big, the rain was pounding. We weren't quite sure what to do. After we were beat trying to drive in the waves we decided it would be better to just wait it out. We were hit by a HUGE wave! It brought so much water into the boat, everything was soaked. The poor dog was terrified! She found a little cubby up under the steering wheel-I didn't even know that it was there! The storm lightened up and we were able to wait a bit and then get the boat out.

It was a really good day!

Here we go again!

We are going to attempt to use our boat again! It has been repaired again--it had to have a complete new motor.

So we are going to load up the boat and the Suburban and head to the lake. Wish us luck!

We spent yesterday afternoon at a funeral for our dear neighbor. He was 91 years old! It was a very nice funeral. 91 years, imagine the changes that have happened in his lifetime.

After the funeral we headed for the amusement park. We spent a couple hours at the waterpark and then hit the rides.

All in all a good(but tiring) day!

Are you a born worker?

Remember Smart Habit Saturday? Well, here is a little update. My children were not thrilled but they did get their jobs done! We have had a fairly good week. I have been trying to just have more follow through with them. This sounds easy but is not! I believe that there are people that are just born workers. Then there are the majority of people that are taught to work. As adults we are workers because we have to get things done. We may learn to enjoy the feelings of work and also the end result. My best friend has 4 children as do I. She has one of those children that is a born worker. He is only nine and he will set his alarm so that he can get up and go do jobs/chores with his dad. He is naturally more organized than the others. Her other three are like mine. They are going to have to be taught to be workers. Why is this?

Images from a Great Day!

Just a few more images from a really great day!

Don't the two men in their straw hats crack you up?

I am so glad that I get to have all these people in my life. I am also glad that I get to have a camera!!!

Fun Times!

WOW! What a great day we had!

We went out to the lake with my sister and her family. We had eight kids and four parents. It was a fun day. Lots of water, sun and fun. What could be better?

Here are a few pictures.

Happy 4th of July

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I hope that you all get to play and enjoy the day! We are headed out to the lake with my sister and family. It should be a fun filled sunny day!

This is the mess I created in my basement while trying to get the storage room ready to be
transformed into a utility room!






This is my "garden of potential" or as Hubby calls it "the weed patch" It has needed some love for 2 1/2 years! I am going to get the weeds cut down! Then maybe I can start to make it have more than just potential. Anyone have any ideas?

The list shortens!

There is a man in my basement! He is cutting holes for a dryer vent!! Yeah, one more thing crossed off of my list!!

Hidden

Sorbitol is hidden in the darndest things! I was feeling good yesterday and then my sick stomach happened. I was trying and trying to think what I ate. I started doing research for Celiac disease.
This morning I was pouring little guy some Malt o Meal Strawberry coated mini wheats and the ingredients list popped out at me. There it was--Sorbitol. I had had a bowl of this yesterday. I am amazed at how many products it is in!

Sixteen Minutes!

I have posted before about how I have a serious problem. I need to go to a 12 step self help program. This problem causes so many difficulties in my life.

I am here to admit it----I AM A PROCRASTINATOR!

There I said it. I will hopefully be miraculously cured of all future problems with this debilitating disease.

I have made one small step towards a cure. The other night I came home from a party in which I took six children. Lucky for me, I didn't have to plan, decorate, mow, cook or clean for this party! However, it was late when we got home and I was about to walk out of the kitchen. I looked at the sink full of dirty dishes and almost left them there until morning. I STOPPED MYSELF! I decided to use a Flylady technique and time myself. I set my timer for 10 minutes. I unloaded the clean dishes and then loaded the stinky dishes in 9:28! I was so proud of myself. I then reset the timer for cleaning off the counter. It took me 6:00! So basically, I spent 16minutes Saturday night and I woke up to a clean kitchen. I have been working on this Smart Habit forever. I have talked about my counter more than once.

Have I mastered this habit? I don't think so. I think that it will be a constant struggle throughout my life. However, I know that if I can just think of things in short snippets of time I am more successful. 16 minutes, that is all it took!

I am going to have a vinyl word saying printed "JUST DO IT" It isn't just a theme for Nike. It is a theme for life!

I am crossing things off of my list!

Do you have a list of things that just eat at you? Those projects that you want to do but somehow take forever to accomplish? Well, I have talked about my list for a long time. My sweet hubby helped me yesterday and we almost finished the desk in the Big Girl's bedroom! We only had three finishing nails so we couldn't put the front molding up. She was so excited that she actually spent an hour with her friend and REALLY cleaned her bedroom. They made a huge difference! I am planning to get the rest of the supplies tomorrow so that we can finish it up and also so that we can install the desk in the Big Boy's bedroom. I have to get some more wood for the shelves and then we can mount those too.

After we spent the morning working on the desk I started the HUGE project of cleaning the furnace/storage room so that I can have my washer/dryer moved down there. I actually made an appointment with a cement cutter! We purchased the vent hose, the vent, the clamps!!!! I still have quite a bit of stuff to go through--I made a huge mess. Isn't it crazy that to fix a mess you often make another mess? However, I feel like I have actually made some progress on that huge list-it just makes me feel better!

(I can't figure out how to repost it here so check out the link--just skim to the bottom for the full list--I will also post pictures later!)