Something about having to go on a "Road Trip"...

It just sets me into a panic! Tomorrow afternoon Robyn has a follow-up appointment in Boise at her Surgeon's office, and there is, as usual, so much to get done between now and then! Other than the usual, laundry, dishes, cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms, the cleaning out of all the containers that have accumulated in the fridge full of leftovers, the house in general, there is the list of things to take that has to be made, the packing, of the essentials for four of us, the "treat/essentials" for the two little ones. You know those, the toys and blankets and pajamas that they cannot live without for even one moment. I have gotten a bit smarter in my old-er age and they each have a backpack that they know is just for their special things.
You would think that going to Boise wouldn't be such a big thing, but it is. Boise is a two-hour drive, one way, and Robyn's appointment is at 4 p.m. So, the plan is to spend the night afterwards at my parents house 45 minute by car further west of Boise. And, because I am such a wonderful daughter, we are going to pick up dinner, probably Chinese, somewhere along the way so that they do not have to cook for all of us. The fun part about getting ready today is that on top of all of that, my Dad's birthday was Sunday and Robyn decided that Grandpa needs a Chocolate Cake with Sprinkles on top, so that they can sing the "Happy Cake" song to him. So I will be making the cake this a.m. and they can add the sprinkles later on. Did I mention that I had to go to Walmart last night to get the cake fixings, and incidentally spent way too much money on other things that looked so good, because I went there hungry...oh, well such is life I guess. So, that is why I feel that the picture above is going to be me about an hour from now...

Busy Week...

The week has practically flown by, and I even asked more than once what day it was. At the beginning of the week, I was able to order a Bountiful Basket, and as usual, I was not disappointed. I always tell myself that if I have any extra money when I place my order, I will buy an "extra", but as usual, there was none but that was perfectly okay. Saturday morning when I went to pick everything up, I ended up with cabbage, oranges, apples, blueberries, onions, red and green peppers, baby red potatoes, green beans, grapefruit, tomatoes, romaine lettuce and asparagus, all for $16.50. And not just one or two of each, I ended up with four onions, and nine peppers, and six apples, and five oranges. It never fails to surprise what is in the baskets. There is always something new and exciting. So that they would not go to waste, I cut up and bagged and incidentally froze the peppers, and onions to cook with later, my plan with at least some are philly sandwiches, and stir-fry. I made blueberry muffins Saturday night, no surprise there, but I am still searching for a cabbage recipe, not including coleslaw or steamed cabbage or cabbage rolls. We have done those before and want to try something new, so I am on the hunt for a different recipe. Plus, with Bountiful Baskets, the encourage volunteering at the site, and as usual, I did. It is great to see friends there and meet new people too. At the same time we are there, there is even a Zumba class occupying the same space, so it is quite energetic in the gym of the elementary school, not to mention loud...but certainly fun!
To keep you posted, my habits are forming. I only missed one day last week, as far as reading my scriptures, and I actually missed it. So, to make up for the unintentional "day off" I read at least twice as much the next day. As far as the body makeover, I like many others do well and stay focused earlier in the day than in the afternoon/evening. I think that it has to do with the fact that I have more self control, energy and focus earlier in the day, and less at night after running around after two kids under five all day. So, that will be what I will focus my energy towards this coming week. Plus, one thing I noticed. 100-ounces of water isn't too hard once you get into a routine. I drink from smaller glasses more often instead of a huge container. It helps me to feel accomplishment each time I finish one, and as for the excercise part, that is more challenging to complete, but I am finding different things to do. Like, Saturday, I volunteered at my Bountiful Baskets site, and that counted, I walk out to the mail box a few times a week, which is a good distance from the back door, I vacuumed for 30 minutes one day, and will again today, among other things. So, the exercise is there, I just need to remain on course.

Starting to Form a Habit!

This past week has been a both a challenge and a reward for me. I am starting to form a habit, well two actually. First off, I have begun, again, the "Six-Week Body Makeover." Albeit with a few tweeks, because of health concerns with Hypoglycemia, but more importantly, my second one is that I am in the process of reading the Book of Mormon, from start to finish, and sadly after being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints since I was 21 years old, this is actually the first time reading from beginning to end without skipping parts or reading it hodge podge. That saddens me.
I do have some good news to report, I have done this for five days now, and counting, but the fun moment came when I was sitting in Gospel Doctrine class on Sunday and I had actually read the lesson, on my own in my daily readings, and KNEW what was being talked about BEFORE it was discussed. That was a wonderful moment! Our Stake President is challenging every one to read the Book of Mormon for at least 20 minutes a day, but I am challenging myself to read 3-4 chapters each day, and so far so good. I hope to be completed by this summer and begin again, and challenge myself the second time to get the reading completed by the end of the year. But, one step and one day at a time. I do not want to get overwelmed, and discouraged.
As for the Body Makeover process, I refuse to have a scale in our home, so I am gauging my progress on what clothes feel loose and what smaller clothes fit. I am looking forward to the warmer weather so that I we can change up the routine a bit though. And, I do say "we" because my two little girls "get" to participate in the exercising whether they want to or not because where Mommy goes, they go too!

Got an Unexpected Call Yesterday...

The call was from my sister. My Step Sister actually. We have not been close in many years, and that has been difficult for both of us. You might think that an event or something that was said happened, then offense was taken, but neither is the case. There was just misunderstanding on both sides, and we never took the time until last year to verify with each other. We both made promises to not let that get in the way of our relationship, but life has a way of getting in the way. I miss her, and think of her often, but each time I wanted to call, it was either too late in the day, or too early, or I was on my way to some appointment, so calling was impossible. It turns out that it has been that way for her too. I have a busy family of five, and she has an extremely busy family of seven, and so life just does get in the way. Tough our call was maybe 15 minutes long, it was really nice to catch upwith her, however brief.

Only checked it Two or Maybe Three...

Okay, cutting Facebook out of my day cold turkey has been really difficult! I have checked on things two or three times, which is actually good considering how many times I would look at the site before. But, I just thought that I would share what I have actually accomplished since I stopped obsessing so much!
I have had extra time to, read stories to the kids, many, many stories. I have spent more time working on crafts, gotten a lot more laundry accomplished, had more than one conversation, of substance with my husband, and fed them really nice, but more time consuming meals. To which there have been no complaints. There is something to this lack of Facebook thing, and I might be onto something. I hope that it continues!

Taking a Break!

Have you ever needed one of those, well I do and I have decided to take a break from facebook. Just to see what I can otherwise accomplish, see who will miss me, and just catch my breath from all the drama that is after all, facebook! I will not be completely out of touch with everyone, most of my "friends" are actually family, and they can call me or better yet, come over to my house, and some of the friends also have a phone number to call. There will be some friends who I will miss, but it will only be for a short while, so it will make it nice to "catch up" and read their posts when I return. I am playing one of the games on facebook, and that will be okay to leave for a while. I tell myself that it is no big deal to leave it, after all, it will still be there when I return, it is only a game.
What will I do with my time then...I plan to spend time with my kids, read them stories, talk to them, make a nice dinner, have a conversation with my husband, bake some cookies, take a drive, read a book, or even take a nap...what it was that I could have been doing instead of staring at facebook. Eventually though, Facebook will once again wiggle it's way back into my day, but hopefully only in small batches. I saw earlier somewhere that it takes 21 days to form a habit. I shall see if I can make it that long, and also if that holds true!

So Much to Be Thankful For!

I am so thankful for my wonderful little family, each and every day. Even when they try my patience to the brink, I am thankful for them! I am thankful for my teenager, for the motivation she has been for me, for the help she has given me, and for the kick in the pants she was for me. I am thankful for my sweet and caring husband, for the miracle he is for me, for the friend and love he is, and for the patience he shows to me. For my Robyn, I am thankful for the miracle that she is, the strength she shows, and shares with us every day. For my dear sweet ray of sunshine Anna, I am so thankful for you. You are always ready with a hug, and a sloppy wet kiss whenever I need one, and your smile and happiness are infectious throughout everyone. I am thankful for the Gospel, that came in to my life just at the right time. I do not know what I would have done if my life had turned out differently. There are daily trials that I face, but they are welcomed, and I know that with my little family and with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I can face anything and everything!