Baby steppin'

I am officially becoming a fly lady. Go to flylady.net Today- I am getting my shiny sink! Anyone else follow this?

If not, tell me your secrets to a clean, orderly home. :-)

Pumpkin Patch Catch Up

I need to get to bed, so I thought I would do a catch up post! I was able to go with Emily on her preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. This is a great farm with lots of animals, apple cider, mazes, and of course pumpkins!
We started off by riding the bus. Bryce was most excited about this. He couldn't get over the fact that he wasn't in a car seat! It was very cute.

The preschool is run by a high school class and each child is assigned 2 "buddies." Emily is in heaven having two teenagers listening to her every word. They are so great with her. This was a perfect program for Emily! She is loving preschool!

I am glad I was able to go with Emily on the field trip. We all had a great time and ended with yummy apple cider doughnuts.

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Soul

In order to be the person I was created to be, and the mom I want to be, I have realized the most important thing to do first is take care of me. This includes being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually strong. There are some areas that come easy for me and some that don't. As some of you know, exercise is something I enjoy and I look forward to. It is my time away and time to chat. I am working on eating healthy. I try to take time each day to read my scriptures and to write down my thoughts. I can tell what a difference this habit does for me. Emotionally, it is very important for me to connect with my kids, my husband, and other adults. Sometimes I go into my own little world, and then I realize I truly need people. Mentally, there is not always much stimulation. I enjoy working a few hours a week at the Y and answering questions about health and fitness. I especially enjoy teaching an 8 weeks to wellness class. These keep my mind active. I have been thinking a lot lately about the things I bring into my head. With my ADD, the more I fill my head with, the more easily I can be distracted and lose sight of my goals. My awesome aunt sent this forward today. Although I am not always a huge fan of forwards, this one made me think:

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.


As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family.. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped
talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)


Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.


More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?.... .. .









We just call him 'TV.'

(Note: This should be required reading for every household in America !)

He has a wife now...We call her 'Computer.'


So, I am planning to cut out as much TV as I can. When I have downtime, I am going to choose to read a book or play a game with Jeff. I will also be picky with my books. :-)

The other aspect to my physical health is getting enough sleep. So, that is my other focus.

What are everyone else's thoughts?

Family Fun- Pump it Up Style!

I am amazed that I am actually writing about something that happened today! The kids had a birthday party tonight, and for once we decided to all go together. Everyone was feeling better, so we were all ready to get some energy out. Here is the proof:

Now I am going to bed! (If you haven't read my last blog entry, please do and comment with your ideas!)

Always learning...

As I mentioned 2 days ago, I am a self-help guru! I love reading self-help books, reading blogs about productivity, and getting new ideas for how to do things better. I am sure this makes me a nerd, but I am okay with it. I love learning from other people and getting their ideas.

Here are some of my favorite productivity resources: Getting things Done by David Allen, simplemom.net, motivatedmoms.com

So, I am hear to ask the rest of you. What is your trick? What do you feel you do really well as a "home manager?" Whether you stay at home or you work away from home, you are all managing your homes. I would love to hear your secrets. Don't be shy. Now is the time to brag. Bring it on...

I will start...

I am really good at getting my laundry done because of Monday Laundry Day. :-) It is a solution I came up with about 6 years ago and I have never turned back. I do all the laundry from start to finish on Mondays and that allows me to not think about laundry the rest of the week. (Except spit up, accidents, etc...)

Happy Brithday, Emily

(It is time to do some catchup!)
Emily turned 5 on October 5th- her golden birthday! Dallin and I heart attacked her to surprise her when she woke up. We had her favorite breakfast- pancakes and her favorite dinner- egg burritos!

She was pretty excited to have preschool on her birthday and her good friend, Amelia, shares the same birthday!

She received a gift from a neighbor boy that she has a crush on.

The only thing she wanted on her birthday was to go on the boat. It was cold and got dark very quickly, but the kids had a great time. (Okay, so the moms did too- sorry Jeff didn't get a chance to ski!) This boat trip was with our next door neighbors and good friends. We are glad they joined us!

We were focusing on the family this year instead of a big friend party. Her big present was to go to Disney on Ice with the whole family. She was in heaven!

So many things that I love about Emily, but mostly I love her big heart. She never wants to see you upset, and is always offering to give part of what she has been given. She is a spunky girl with many, many questions. I hope she is always so inquisitive. She loves to make up songs and dance through the house. She is a sparkle in my life. I love you, Emmers!

Thankful for our health

I have felt very lucky that our household has stay illness-free so far. Today I am feeling a sore throat, which is the first sign for me. So, I am being a good girl and going to bed early. I hope I can beat this bug quick. Thanks for the responses on yesterday's post. I love hearing the dreams of others!