I Sat. And sat. And sat.

To my few faithful readers,

I am so sorry I have neglected you this past month. I have thought of you, often, but have been on a personal hiatus from such things as blogging, putting laundry away quickly, scrubbing the kitchen floor, and other such mundane tasks. Blogging, however, does not belong in the mundane world; please don't be offended. I've simply been lazy! (There's some more refreshing honesty for you!) How do YOU get out of your slumps? I'm pretty much ready to try anything. And my family is again ready for me to try anything as well!

Another wonderful anniversary day down memory lane today; March 1, 2002. My first date with my husband. I don't think I was out of line for asking him out first; you'll recall in my previous post that he approached ME with that ridiculous pickup line.... But something inside of me changed that day and I could not get him out of my mind. So sorry to the guy who was my boyfriend at the time....but your pickup line of "Hi, I'm Brian," just didn't capture me like another I'd heard!

Jason arrived at the door, actually on time, and my roomie noticed we were under the mistletoe. (Wow - that could have been fun in the first five minutes of the date).... but he gave me a quick peck on the cheek instead and we were on our way. I thought his car was pretty nice (it was actually his roomie's), but tried not to think ill of a guy who really drove a purple Camaro! We headed off to a Grizzlie's Hockey Game where some of the Special Olympics ice skaters were performing during a period break. Let me just say - for a first date, this guy was pretty darn friendly! Already holding hands.........the mom of an athlete saw us in the elevator and asked us when we got married! I don't know how red my face turned!

That must have been an indication of how the evening would turn; I think we were both pretty hooked on each other by the end of our date. Following the hockey game, he treated me to dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory where he introduced me to their spinach tortellini. LOVE THOSE!! Of course we engaged in very witty banter and conversation the entire night, and then came the much-laughed-about-now moment of our first date. This might be entirely too much information, but I truly believe it shows how much I truly liked this guy. He excused himself to go use the little boy's room. I sat.




And sat.




And sat.




And then I sat some more.



By this point I was seriously wondering if I was going to have to call my roommate to come pick me up. "Perhaps I was a little too witty for this man," I thought. "Perhaps he left me here because he simply couldn't keep up with me!" The server checked on me a few times with a very concerned look on his face. Yes, he checked on me at least three times.

FINALLY, the man of the hour returned. This time HE had quite the red face; I was just happy I didn't have to call and wake my roomie for a rescue!! Of course we didn't talk too much about those LONG moments during our first date then....but every year when we revisit our first date, we pretty much laugh hysterically at the most-memorable moment of that blessed evening. Ok, the making out after was pretty good too (oops, did I just type that out loud?!), but the potty break was much funnier!

Thank you for letting me share!

Now on to the current happenings. I am actually cooking dinner tonight. Wanna know what we're having? The EASIEST recipe EVER. I'm not even talking about cereal; ready?

Italian Chicken

4 large chicken breasts, cut into strips.
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pkg. dry Italian Dressing mix

Place chicken into crock pot. Mix soup and dressing mix. Put soup mixture over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.


I told you! Easy! And delish. My kids even eat it without playing the "I'm-going-to-eat-a-bite-before-you" game! What? You've never played that game? Let's just say it's a standard for my almost 2-y-o at this house. With my oldest we used to give each bite the name of a family member, and that was pretty fun. "NO! Don't eat Adam!" And then "Adam" would go on a journey to the stomach. We tend to be pretty creative with getting kids to eat at our house. Even with that game, my oldest never made it on the growth chart; if there were a growth chart for 8 year old boys, I doubt he would be on it still! But I tell you what, he's got the spirit and energy of an 80th percentile kid, all the way!

I used to date a guy who was 6'7". He still is 6'7", but I don't date him anymore, in case you were confused. For those of you who think I'm taller than I am, I'm not. I am a mere 5'4". I loved what he used to tell me though, and I've thought about it a number of times since then. "You may be only 5'4", but your spirit is 6'7"!"

I know some of us may feel at times that our spirits are small and we aren't as great as the next person who can seemingly do everything, manage everything, make everything look cute or fancy, and have kids who act appropriately all the time. At those times for me, I think about my spirit - and I tell myself, "CHAR! You have a 6'7" spirit! You can do this!" And you know what? It works! "Rise to the stature of your spirit , all ye downhearted, and you will be lifted up! (Charlene 3:27) :)

Enjoy your day!

p.s. If I get 20 followers on my blog, I may do a giveaway next week! You should be SUPER excited!!!

The pickup line that changed the world!

Beaver, Utah. Have you ever heard of it? Driven past it? Gotten some grub at The Garden of Eatin'? Yeah, pretty much a hole in Central Utah along I-15.

However, my visit to Beaver on February 1, 2002, forever changed my life. At that time I was the public relations director for Special Olympics Utah, and the Winter Games were held in this little town. (Let me just put in a plug for Special Olympics! Oh, how I miss those athletes who grab hold of your heart! Oh, how I miss those immediate friends I made. Go! Volunteer!!)

Anyway....there I was, photographing the Unified volleyball games. Unified Sports consists of one "peer" athlete (called a Unified Partner) for one Special Olympics athlete; bowling, basketball, volleyball and bocce are Unified Sports, to name a few. Following one particular game, I noticed one of the Unified players walking towards me looking.... let's see.....cool. Yes, he looked all "cool" and very sure of himself. As he got closer, he pulled out his "guns" (fingers) and said this line that forever changed me...."Hey! Need somebody handsome in those pictures?"

If I had been at the top of my game that day, I definitely would have said, "Why yes! Thank you for asking! I think I'll choose that tall guy over there!" But no...............I had no idea what to say, as I pondered on the fact that someone really cute had just approached me with a PICK-UP LINE!!!! I caved. I took about 30 pictures of him during his next game...we danced together that night at the athletes' Victory Dance.... And that pickup line changed my life.

This picture was taken the day we met....can you tell we were destined for each other?



I couldn't seem to get this guy out of my head. Obviously he was a good man. Who else would volunteer for Special Olympics?

Long story short, one month later to the day (March 1, 2002) we had our first date. I invited him. Two months later May 11, 2002 we were engaged, and six months to the day after we met, we were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.

As we just passed this 10-year meeting milestone, I wanted to share some things that help us find joy in our marriage and our childhood-raising journey together! They are not listed in order of importance, simply order of thought process!

• LAUGH OFTEN AND DAILY. I still remember my first attempt at a turkey dinner. New to the whole turkey thing, I slightly overlooked the part of the cooking instructions that said cook x number of minutes "per pound." My first turkey was finally ready around 11 p.m. at night. We still laugh about that one!
• COOK TOGETHER. Magic happens in the kitchen!
• PRAY TOGETHER. Can't stress that one nearly enough. Whatever your religion or beliefs, prayer can never hurt!
• GO ON ADVENTURES. Our adventures of late are adventures to the kitchen table to play a game and eat a quick bowl of cereal after the kids have gone to bed! But it counts!
• FLIRT WITH EACH OTHER. Took the kids to Wendy's the other night. Girls sat at one table, and boys were at another. I can't tell you how awesome it was for my honey to "check me out" with his boys. Made me feel like a school girl again, and honestly, it felt pretty good!
• BE THE FIRST TO SAY SORRY, EVEN IF IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT AND YOU BOTH KNOW IT! That needs no further explanation!
• BE SLOW TO BE OFFENDED. It's pretty easy to get offended, especially by your spouse. When you choose, however, to take the road less traveled and refrain from getting offended...wonderful things happen. Hearts are softened. Love abounds!
• BE INTIMATE! Even a small touch can go a long way and be remembered for a long time.
• LOVE LOVE LOVE!!
• FORGIVE, FORGIVE, FORGIVE! (that includes forgiving yourself too!)

So, my sweet pick-up-line guy, thank you for being confident (and thinking my glasses were cool) and approaching me with your guns blazing!

I'm also happy to report that I am still a mother and that my kids love me! So much, in fact, that I was just brought to a restaurant in the toy room and was treated to some cake crumbles, a jam & cheese sandwich with the jam on TOP of the sandwich and a Capri Sun. "Mom, this is for you, because you've been so nice to us lately!" THAT, my friends, is the sound of success. I enjoyed EVERY delicious, sticky bite!

Super Spy!

Though this is just phase 1 in a life-long journey (or at least 18 more years or so...), I gotta say - woohoo! So glad I checked out the itinerary and packed the right gear!

The last 2 days I've been playing super spy. I should find someone to make me a cape or something. Anyone? Anyone? (confession time - I don't sew.) But anyway....I've been spying on my kids. And it has been FUN! Right now I spy Little L dig (yes, literally dig) in our toy room for treasures. He is so immersed; talking to himself, making faces, creating the occasional sound effect of a machine gun, street sweeper, whatever he finds. Last night I spied Little M pull out all the books from his bookshelf and read to himself. This little boy, as you already know, is an animal lover. He will spend at least half an hour looking at his animal books and making all the corresponding sounds. We have yet to figure out what a camel says, so if you know, please let me know!

After school yesterday I spied Big Girl get Little M out of his crib after nap time. I didn't know they had such a system down, but she even requested his help to pull the side of the crib back up when he was free. Yes, I still have a drop-side crib. I don't plan to change that anytime soon.

Late last night, I spied my 8 year old sad. He seems to carry such weight on his little shoulders sometimes; it truly breaks my heart. His class at school is, shall we say, interesting? Yep, that'll do. Not the nicest or most-respectful group; even mother struggled when she threw an awesome Halloween party in that room. I seriously doubted whether or not to return for another party, but when you're one of two moms who comes to help............. He complains often he doesn't have a lot of friends and kids are mean to him. This coming from the boy who, at age 2, had all the kids on the playground organized and ready to play pirates! Also the boy who announced, probably the same day, that he had a girlfriend that he met at the park. Hmmm.....I had a few boyfriends from parks too. Genetic? :) We had a good heart to heart. So grateful am I that I will take the time to listen.

I have spied, too, a change in my family. I can't take full credit, but mothers make a home! It's not even Mother's Day, but I wanted to give you moms a huge SHOUT OUT for being moms!! My favorite quote on mothers comes from David O. McKay, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

"The noblest calling in
the world is that of mother. True motherhood is the
most beautiful of all
arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a
masterpiece or who can write a book that will influence millions deserves the plaudits and
admiration of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of
healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will be exerting an influence throughout the ages long after painting shall have faded, and
books and statues shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give."

Moms, you are INCREDIBLE!!! (and go spy on your kids, would ya?)

I'm a MAN! I just can't do it!

This new mother kicked some major booty yesterday! Day one was a smashing success!!!!! I was busy folding laundry and cleaning up the living room after the kids were all asleep, and my husband looked at me in wonder and awe (ok, maybe not so much, but a little hyperbole never hurt anyone!) and said this: "I'm a MAN! I just can't do it!" (Meaning, he could not bend down to pick up one toy or book and HAD to hit the sack.)

I do have to give my man a little credit, however, for he puts up with 29 5th graders each day, and I think by the end of the day his exhaustion is just as real as mine. I don't tell him that, it might go to his head, but he really does so much for me and for our family. I'm so lucky to have him!

Anyway, back to day ONE. As I mentioned, it was great! The bigs got home from school, where the mother finally had a snack ready. They ate. They were happy. The bigs played with the littles. Daddy cooked my prepped dinner while I gave another piano lesson, we ate (well, most of us ate), then Family Night with my confession of failing as a mother and vowing to do better. I encouraged all the family to be their best selves, and for about 2 minutes, the actually listened! My best self is not being like Sarah or Suzie; it's being ME! I find myself so often looking at other mommy blogs and seeing perfect houses with perfect decor, tons of homemade crafts and scrapbooks, little projects for the kids, a constantly organized pantry, a clean toy room, etc., etc., and it gets me down. I cannot be them, for I am not. Neither are YOU, dear reader! So my advice today, is to be the best YOU. It really really works! My good friend has a quote on her blog that I LOVE. Here it is!

"You have within you, right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you!"

Isn't that so simply wonderful?!

After our little Family Night lesson, we watched Old Yeller, which we had just finished reading as a family and had the aforementioned scones for dessert.

We stopped the movie with 10 minutes remaining, the kids brushed their teeth and did their business in a record amount of time, finished the movie, said our prayers and went to bed. Seriously? An AWESOME day! (If you haven't read Old Yeller to your kids, do it!)

This morning, the bigs were ready to leave for school at 8 a.m. with daddy (they go to the school where he teaches), and I'm happy, no, ECSTATIC to report that they still loved their mother when they left for school!

Did I do anything "big" to deserve this change? No! I just changed a few little things, it didn't cost me a penny or much time, but it worked! Now Little L is upstairs quietly playing on a road I created on the kitchen floor out of painter's tape (I saw the idea here http://buggieandjellybean.blogspot.com/2011/10/thinking-outside-kitchen-floor.html, but mine is much more simple, and so is my kitchen!) and Little M is playing quietly in the toy room. Sure, I let them watch too much TV this morning, but I got the rare shower out of it, and an extra 20 minutes of TV really isn't going to hurt so much in the long run, especially with a mother in the house!

***DISCLAIMER***

I fully realize these 2 days were not perfect, but they were BETTER! And I know it may all fall apart at any second, but for now, it's working and I'm happy to share that with you!

The journey begins...

I've debated with three people about doing a more frequent blog than my family blog, which I updated almost two years ago. All three of my co-debaters seem to agree that I might have something good to say about being a SAHM (stay-at-home mom, for those of you, who like me, are in the dark as to modern acronyms), with a bit of humor, sarcasm and downright honesty. So, with those three (me, myself and I! hehe!), I begin a journey fo find more joy in my parenting journey and hope you will enjoy the trip with us/me!

As I sent my two oldest kids to school today, both scowling and furious at their mother, I realized something needed to change. No amount of prodding is going to make them hurry faster on a Monday morning. No amount of yelling (believe me, I've tried!) is going to make my little girl like the way I do her hair today, even though she loved it just yesterday.

The change, my friends, has got to be with me. Sure, I've tried to shake things up, switch around the routine, chore charts, stickers, etc., etc., but something ain't working, and I honestly think the something is me! Takes someone ready for a change to admit that, eh?! After the "big" kids (8 & 6) were safely at school and peace again reigned in the minivan, I tried something with my two "little" kids (almost 4 & almost 2) still at home. Today I acted like a mother instead of a crazed woman who hardly has any hair left because she's pulled it all out in a violent act of frustration towards her children. And you know what? It's worked!

Day 1 with the little ones has been a GOOD day! After giving a morning piano lesson, we took a trip to the local animal shelter - not to find a pet, NO THANK YOU! - but to find out how to complain about my new neighbor's dog who chose to bark all night long (really, ALL NIGHT!), and to visit a good while with the cats behind the glass wall. Do the boys love cats? Yep! Did they think I was pretty awesome for letting them look at them for so long? Yep! Was it easy for me? Yes! I finally cajoled my 2 year old out, M, of the shelter by promising that we'd go look at some horses.

Upon our journey home and as the garage door was opening, that same 2 year old started freaking out, throwing toys and doing his now-famous horse sound - aka raspberry blowing with his lips. Of course he was upset with me; I'd promised him horses and lied. It would have been really easy (well, kind of easy) to just deal with his screaming and tell him we'd see them another time. But no, today I was being a mother. So we went to see some horses.

My nephew is dating a girl who lives quite close to us, and her family has horses. I've met the girl only once (cute girl, btw!), and she said we could come anytime to visit her horses. I got brave. I pulled up to her house, full well knowing she was at school, and rang the doorbell. Complete strangers at the door, but her mom welcomed me and my two darling boys back to see the horses. Little M was in heaven. He had no desire whatsoever to pet the gargantuan creatures, but his eyes lit up as he watched the horses eat apples out of my new friend's hand. My big boy, L, was overjoyed as well and reluctant, but ok, to leave. Somehow we left with an invitation to come back anytime we needed to see horses, and most importantly, without any screaming or fit throwing. I had kept my promise, and I think I might have been a hero, if only just for a minute!

Lunch, the ever healthy dinosaur chicken nuggets and frozen peas. For some reason, frozen peas are a hit at my house! I fought it for quite some time, but as that mother today, I figured, what the heck! Frozen or cooked, they're PEAS and they still count as a veggie! And you know what? M & L ate EVERY ONE. Another success! Lesson noted: it does not always have to be MY way.

My attempt at homemade bread today left it flat and unyielding; so we're having for dinner what everyone should do with less-than-appealing bread dough - we're making scones! I've never made scones for my kids. Why don't I make horrible dough more often?! Then airplanes on mom's legs - the most excercise I've had for months - then nap and quiet playtime.

So far, a really awesome day. The before-school morning left much to be desired, but that desire turned into a real desire to make a change - by definition, the act or instance of making or becoming different. I feel confident enough from a good day with the littles that the bigs may just have something different upon their arrival home from school - a mother! Wish me luck!