So for January, I set the goal to keep my sink shiny, ala Fly Lady. I did pretty good - maybe 85%. I learned a few things over the month.
Routine, routine, routine. If I empty the dishwasher while the kids eat breakfast, and then load it all day long, it is ready to run right after dinner. Everything goes smoothly. If I don't get it emptied, everything falls apart.
If I forget to run it after dinner, everything falls apart.
If I don't wash whatever didn't fit in the dishwasher after dinner, everything falls apart.
In writing this, it sounds like I have a pretty tenuous hold on this goal, but in reality, it actually worked pretty well. It only takes me a couple minutes to unload the dishwasher, and if I get it done before the kids are done eating breakfast, they load their own dishes. And the hand washing after dinner is usually just a couple knives and pans that aren't dishwasher friendly anyways, so it's not like it's tons of extra work.
I am going to set a goal to maintain this habit for the month of February.
For February's goal, I am going to read my scriptures every day. Lately this has been hit or miss - some days I read a lot, other days I miss completely. So, my goal for February is to read every day (family scripture time doesn't count). I'm not going to commit to an amount of reading (in minutes or chapters or pages) right now. And I haven't decided when the best time to read is yet. Mornings are crazy, my daytime schedule varies so much, and by evening I am exhausted, so I'm still thinking about what will work best. But I know that I need to pick a consistent time since I thrive on routine. I'm going to take a few days to experiment. We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!
I decided to give my blog a little face lift tonight. Why? Because my to-do list is about 8 pages long and playing around on with my blog is nowhere on that list. And because I have no free time. And because there are so many other productive things I should be doing. So why did I just spend an hour swapping out backgrounds and creating a new header and picking new colors for titles and text? I think it's because it has been so long since I've done something creative, since I've played in Photoshop, since I made something fun or new or beautiful that I had forgotten where to start. I was almost paralyzed by a blank canvas. So I allowed myself to do something silly, something unimportant, something light and fluffy.
Note: this blog post is way, way way too long. I should have split it up, but frankly, I'm too lazy. Feel free to just skim or to just look at the pictures. :D There isn't any particular order to this post. I just wrote about things as I remembered them, which makes it even longer and more ramble-y. But that's me, I guess.
So, the kids and I flew to Utah without Travis. Navigating Bush Intercontinental Airport with two kids (and my pregnant belly), three carry-ons, and three backpacks was quite the experience. We made it through security, which I had been nervous about, given all of the recent publicity (putting Jared's shoes back on was by FAR the worst part). We made it to the food court, which was a mad house. We got our food, but couldn't find a table. So we headed to our gate to sit and eat. Bush Intercontinental is HUGE. It was a loooong walk to the gate, but we made it, without losing any children or luggage. I got the kids settled, organized all the luggage, and started unloading food, only to find there were no forks in the bag. So, I smiled and started gathering everything up, getting the kids up, to walk back to the food court. Megan kept asking if she couldn't just stay at the gate. Sorry - not gonna happen. Then she asked if we could leave the suitcases. Sorry - not gonna happen. As we were putting on our backpacks, a nice young woman walked over and asked if she could go get us some forks. And I burst into tears. I'm thankful for kind strangers who were aware enough to see someone in need of help and willing to serve.
We made it to UT without any other problems (if you don't count cramming Jared, me, and my pregnant belly into a tiny airplane bathroom twice).
Even though it was ridiculously, bitterly cold while we were in Utah, we had a wonderful time. It was so GREAT to see family and friends, and to visit favorite places.
Did I mention it was cold in Utah? Actually, the first week wasn't that bad. It was chilly, but not awful. But the second week. Oh, I don't miss that kind of icy, snowy, never-get-above-freezing-temperatures-for-weeks-on-end weather.
I love spending time with my sisters, and I was lucky enough to get to see three of them on this trip. There is just something special about sisters. That was a definite highlight of the trip. And to make it even better, I got to spend time with my wonderful stepsisters and my sister-in-laws! How lucky am I?
We got to eat yummy food from some of our favorite spots in Utah. Kouing Aman from Les Madeleines is to die for. It's buttery and salty and sweet and chewy and crunchy and soft and gooey all at the same time. Seriously, if you are in downtown Salt Lake and you haven't tried it, you are missing out. Go by yourself, so you won't have to share. And go early - they sell out every morning by about 10 AM.
We bought chocolates at Idle Isle. I can't describe how much I love their chocolates. And those nut ball nugget thingies. My quarter pound box of dark chocolate English toffee didn't last nearly long enough. They ship, so everyone, please start dropping hints to Travis for what to get me for Valentine's day. So, so, so yummy.
We had pizza from Papa Murphy's. I know this isn't a local Utah thing, but the nearest one to us is in San Antonio, so it was a real treat for me. I LOVE me some artichoke hearts. Yummy-yummy-yummy!
Grandma Greenland asked Travis to make appetizers for the family party on Christmas Day, so along with the stuffed mushrooms (which were amazing, by the way!), he made beef carpaccio. Basically raw steak pounded flat and served with salad and toasted baguette. I didn't try that one, so I can't tell you if it was yummy. Actually, I tried really hard to pretend that he wasn't even eating it. Ick. But, he and a couple other brave souls seemed to like it.
We actually had two wonderful dinners at Grandma and Grandpa Greenland's home. Lots of board games and kids running everywhere. It was so fun to see more of the extended family! And we got to do Christmas Crackers (thanks Uncle Kim!). How cool is that?
I got to eat at both 5 Guys Burgers and In and Out Burger. Don't shoot me, but 5 Guys really is better. Or maybe it was the company I ate with (I went to 5 Guys with my friends Wendee and Joann, who I adore, and to In and Out with Travis, who spayed me with a snow blower...)? Nah. 5 Guys is better no matter who you eat with.
We really did more than just eat. I promise. We did.
We played in the snow (okay, the kids played, I tried to avoid it/pretend it didn't exist). They helped their cousins build a snow fort and snowmen. We didn't make it sledding, but that's okay. There is always next time (did I just admit that I might some day be willing to return to a place where 30 degrees is warm? Maybe. In a few...say 5 or 10...years. Maybe.). Travis got to shovel lots of snow and play with a snow blower. I got to help scrape the car windows. And I got hit by a snowball or two and flocked with snow from the snow blower. But, I didn't take any pictures. Part of the "pretending there is no snow out there" mentality stopped me, I guess...
And Charlotte made me Navajo Tacos while we stayed at her house. So, so, so good.
Sorry - food keeps sidetracking me.
We saw the movie Tangled, which was adorable and so well done! I wasn't too sure I even wanted to see it, after Disney's lousy version of E.D. Baker's wonderful book "The Frog Princess", but it was great. The kids loved it.
We spent one weekend in Brigham City with dad and Judy. They spoke in church on Sunday, as they prepared to leave for their LDS mission in Tennessee. It was wonderful to hear them speak about missionary work and I'm so grateful for the example of service that they set for my kids. It will be hard to have them gone this year - they'll miss the baby being born and blessed, and Megan's baptism, but I know that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.
After church we had a big dinner at their house. Homemade lasagna and bread and cookies and...
Oops. Never mind.
While we were staying with them, Kristin's kids got to come and have a sleepover with Megan and Jared. It was so fun to see the cousins play together! And it was fun to see them sit with Grandpa Val while he read them stories. I guess that's where I get my flare for dramatics...
We had Mansfield family photos taken by Steve Barrus . It was an adventure to get that many people together and ready all at the same time, but I'm so glad that everyone made the effort. The pictures are nearly outdated already, since both Amy and I will be having babies this summer, but that's okay.
We had lots of great family parties. The Roberts and Spackman clans got together one night at Alison's house, where we ate too many mint brownies and slices pf pumpkin cake (they were Charlotte sized portions. Never, never let her be in charge of dishing up desert again. Some of us have to maintain our girlish figures. Oh wait.....never mind. Bring it on!)
And there I go again. I just can't help myself!
We also braved the snow and went to the Mansfield Family Christmas Party (Travis only got a little lost - it's hard to find the right church building when there is one on every. single. corner.), which was tons of fun. We played Minute to Win It games, and the kids loved every minute. It was great to spend time with the Mansfields, even if I did laugh so hard I spit water everywhere.
On Christmas Eve we had dinner at Matt and Amaris's home with Mark and Suzanne. I LOVE watching the cousins play together! It's so cool how they all get along. We had a wonderful time acting out the Christmas story, eating steak and salmon and Dunford doughnuts. Mmmmm doughnuts....
Ummm...moving on now....
On Christmas morning, the kids were so tired they slept in. I finally woke them up at 7:45 because I was too excited to wait any longer.
They were pretty excited to see the stuff that Santa left for them and to open presents. Jared got a remote control car that he LOVED driving. We kept having to remind him to come back and open the rest of the gifts.
We loved getting to spend Christmas morning with Grandma and Grandpa Mansfield.
On New Years Eve, Suzanne, Grandma Greenland, Rachelle, Amaris, Amy, and I, along with Jaida, Lexi, Megan, and Sophi went to see Ballet West's performance of "The Nutty Nutcracker". It was pretty wild, with Luke Skywalker as the prince, and Captain Jack Sparrow doing the Spanish Dance. During the intermission, I leaned over and asked Megan what she thought of all the crazy characters and funny set changes. She looked at me with a blank face and asked "What funny characters?" Everything went right over her head, but she had fun anyway. Even with all of the silliness, the dancing and the music was fabulous. After dinner, we went to the Olive Garden, where we ate too much (here I go, talking about food again! Oops!) and laughed too much (is that possible?). It was so fun to be out with the girls, especially now that some of the nieces are getting old enough to enjoy that kind of thing.
After dinner, we had a family party at Rachelle and Jon's home. Food, games (have you tried Blink? It's intended for 7 year olds, but I had a blast playing it! Hmmm...maybe that says something about my game playing skills?) We all stayed up watching "Despicable Me" (which was cute) until midnight.
My kids usually go to bed at 7, but they made it all the way to midnight. I was impressed! Not so impressed when they were ornery as bears the next day, but still.
Games! I haven't told you about Rook! So, I am not the best game player. Especially strategy games. Travis LOVES games like Portico and Settlers of Catan but they make my brain hurt, just trying to read through the rules. And games that put you on the spot like Pictionary and Cranium don't rank very high for me either. So usually I just hang back and stay out of the way. But last year I discovered Canasta (which I am pretty awesome at, if I do say so myself) and this year I rediscovered Rook. Grandma Mansfield and I totally rocked at Rook. I should have taken a picture of our score card. The one where we played to 500, and still managed to win by 750 points (Travis and Grandpa a wee bit on the wrong side of zero at the end of that game...). Yup. It's true.
Look at that! 5 paragraphs without talking about food. Amazing!
We went to lunch at IKEA one day with Mark and Suzanne. It's Megan's favorite place to go for lunch. And then we went to South Towne Mall.
The kids and Grandpa and Grandma rode the carousel and the train, played at Dino Land, threw pennies in the fountain, and got cookies at Mrs. Fields Cookies. I got a peanut butter dream bar - cookie crumb crust, peanut butter center, dark chocolate layer on top. So. Good.
Oops. I tried. Really I did.
We also went to Temple Square with Mark and Suzanne. That was Megan's one request while we were there, and I'm so glad she suggested it. It was cold, but beautiful. The lights are so pretty and there is just something special about spending time at the temple. It was totally worth braving the cold.
After we were done, we went to IHOP for hot cocoa. It was about 10 PM, but Megan took one look at the menu and promptly ordered herself a full dinner...err, breakfast. And she ate the whole thing. It was pretty funny.
I think my favorite part of the whole trip was watching Megan and Jared play with their cousins and spending time with the Grandparents.
For the flight home, I was so grateful to have Travis with us. He had been upgraded to First Class, and he kindly gave me his seat (he SOOO owed me after the snow blower incident). He sat in the back of the plane with the kids and I rode in front, had a hot breakfast served to me (omelet, biscuits, fruit, yogurt...) and read a book for three hours without interruption. What a life!
It was so nice to walk out of the airport, take our coats off, climb in the van and turn on the A/C, and to come home and put on my flip flops.
Monday, January 24, 2011
I have a love/hate relationship with Monday nights. On the one hand, I love and look forward to Family Home Evening. I love putting everything else aside, getting off line, turning off the TV, ignoring the phone, and just concentrating on our family for a little while. I love the sweet lessons teaching gospel principles or scripture stories the kids come up with. I love the crazy activities they want to do. I love the yummy treats that are always involved.
But on the other hand, on normal nights my kids are in bed by 7 PM. I am not capable of being a nice parent any longer than that. Starting at about 6:45, they are pajamaed, scriptured, tooth-brushed, sung to, and by 7, they are in bed with the lights off. Even if they aren't asleep, they know that it's time to leave mom alone. But FHE throws a giant monkey wrench into all of that. Between homework and dinner, we don't start FHE until 6:30 (on a good night). And then it's an internal battle - do I rush them along, so they can be in bed by at least 7:30? Do I relax and let them stay up until 8 (or later), knowing that at least one of them will have a melt-down and I'll lose my temper and the happy family-bonding-mood will be destroyed?
What's a mother to do? How do you make it work? What's most important?
And most importantly, where is the chocolate? It's late and they are finally in bed and I need some post-FHE therapy...
Today was a really good day. Dinner was so peaceful, both kids just sat and ate and chatted. They didn't complain or whine or fight. And it wasn't even a particularly "kid friendly" meal - teriyaki grilled salmon, rice, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and fabulous red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. They told us all about their lessons from Primary, and about their new teachers. They listened while we talked about our day.
After dinner, they cleared the table and then went and put their pajamas on and brushed their teeth. And then Megan sat and read stories to Jared. At bedtime, they read scriptures and said prayers and hugged and kissed us. And went to bed. And didn't get up again. And didn't ask for drinks of water.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? Where are my children? Are these small alien clones that swapped places with my kids for the evening? Are these the same two kids that I wrote THIS about?
I'm just kidding. I know they are my children. My wonderful, sweet children. They are getting older, more independent. And it is wonderful. There were days (and months and years) that I wondered if we would ever get here, but we did. And for one day at least, it's a wonderful place to be.
Someone remind me of all this next time I want to run away and join the circus.
Yup! You heard it here first. We are officially having a baby. Not a mermaid, not a unicorn, not a puppy. A human baby.
The kids have been kind of funny about the whole thing. We've had some interesting conversations.
Megan: If the doctor doesn't tell you if the baby is a boy or a girl, will we have to wait until it's hair grows to know? If it's hair grows long, we'll know it's a girl, if it stays short, we'll know it's a boy. But that might take a really long time. How will we know what to name it?
Umm...I think we better sit down and have a little talk, she and I..
Jared (praying the other night): Please let momma be pregnant with a girl baby or a boy baby. Please don't let her be pregnant with a mermaid. It can be a girl or a boy but please don't make it a mermaid.
Megan told him that she hoped it was a mermaid, and that if it was, it would have to sleep in the bathtub forever and he wouldn't get to take a bath, he'd only get to take showers.
Here are the feet - no mermaid tail to be seen anywhere.
So, now everyone can rest easy. We are having a baby. Due date is still June 2, but hopefully it will come a little earlier than that. The doctor said everything looks perfectly normal, and that the baby is measuring about 13 ounces right now, which is right where it should be.
We had family photos taken while we were in Utah. We couldn't pass up the opportunity, since the whole family was together.Thanks to Mark and Suzanne for making all of the arrangements!
Wow! I am just a little behind! I should be planning Valentine's Day posts, and I'm stuck in November! Ack! Be patient with me!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, even though Megan was sick. My sister and her family came from San Antonio and some good friends from our church came over for dinner. There is NOTHING better at Thanksgiving than to be surrounded by family and friends (although good food ranks pretty high as well!).
Travis brined the turkey, and stuffed it with fruit and herbs. Everyone said it was fabulous. It looked really pretty. We had mashed potatoes (made with way too much butter and cream....so, so, so yummy!), stuffing, salad, jello, rolls, sweet potato casserole (so yummy, Amy!) and green bean casserole, cranberries....followed by pies and cookies and cranberry-vanilla sorbet. I'm amazed I can still walk after eating all of that!
What a wonderful day, to remember just how very blessed we are.
Better late than never, right? December passed me by in a flash and I never got this posted.
We really want to wish all of our wonderful family and friends a very, very merry Christmas. We love you all and are so blessed to have you in our lives!
(My favorite part of this is when Jared sings, "Good tithings we bring to you and your kids" :D)
I struggle with making resolutions. It seems that I always end up with a long list of things I know I should be doing, things I want to be doing. I start out strong in January, but by February, it's become a list of things I feel guilty about not doing, and by May, it's just another piece of clutter on my desk/pin board that I don't even notice any more.
Last year, I decided to set goals I would actually keep - to eat more chocolate and to gain 5 pounds. I did great and I am tempted to take that route again, but I know that that's a cope-out. I am better than that. So, this year I am going to try a few new things. First, no long list. I'm keeping it short. Second, I'm not going to try for a whole year. I'll take it one month at a time. Or maybe one week at a time. We'll see. Third, when life gets crazy (and you KNOW it will), I'm not going to give up. I'm just going to start where I'm at and take it from there.
This month, starting now, my January goal is to keep my kitchen sink shiny, just like Fly Lady teaches. I was doing sooooo good with this in the summer and fall, right up until I started having morning sickness and then Megan got sick. It all fell apart after that. So, from now until the end of January, I resolve to keep my sink shiny. That's it. That's all I plan to do. Wish me luck!
8 degrees is too cold. 10 degrees is too cold. So is 20 degrees. When you start thinking 30 degrees feels nice, you know something is wrong. Some important part of your brain has frozen solid.
Laundry never stops, even on vacation.
Flying First Class, while eating a hot breakfast and reading a book, all without kids, is worth getting flocked by a snow blower.
Five Guys is better than In and Out.
I like to sleep on rock hard, flat pillows not soft, fluffy, squishy pillows.
Even though it's made for 7 year-olds, Blink is just as much fun for grownups to play as it is for kids. Maybe more so.
Christmas decorations wait until you put them away. They never magically disappear. The Christmas Clean-Up fairy is a myth.
The kids actually will sleep in...if you let them stay up late enough, for enough nights in a row.
A stay-at-home mom who never seems to be home. A scrapbooker who hates scissors and glue. Life is a paradox, but that's what keeps it interesting, right?
I love teaching digital scrapbooking classes at Scrap Girls! If you are thinking about trying digital scrapbooking, jump on in - the water is great!
I Create
I Am
Oprah Winfrey said, "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." I'm trying to take more time to praise and to celebrate, rather than just survive.
I Listen to
If you haven't tried www.pandora.com, check it out. It's the coolest thing ever!
