Smart Habit Saturday~My Dirty Little Secret

I am not sure if any of you know this about me, but one of my all time favorite things is to have a clean, I mean really CLEAN house. I love seeing my bed made, the kitchen counters cleared, floors vacuumed, the works. It's nirvana for me.Here's the kicker though...I downright suck at keeping my house clean. Yes it's true I am totally and completely domestically challenged.Now I know some of you Martha Stewart types are snickering about now, but stop it dang it, just stop it!I have made a pact with myself the time to change is now. I am going to find and embrace my domestic goddess inside.So, I found this blog and I loved it. Smart Habit Saturday is exactly what I need to find my own nirvana daily, not a couple times a year.If someone were to ask me if I could have any gift, anything at all, I would choose to have a maid for year. Seriously. However, that is probably not going to happen in this lifetime, so I am going to make the changes myself. One habit at a time. So check back weekly, help me stay on track, and if you are domestically challenged also, jump on the Smart Habit bandwagon with me!

So Here goes.. Baby steps ladies, baby steps

My June Habit -Wash and fold 2 loads of Laundry a day. Yep- Baby steps

(This is one mountain I have no desire to climb!)

http://laragallagher.com/blog/labels/Smart%20Habit%20Saturday.html

What Was I Thinking?

Crazy Mama~aka~Julie was offering free-yes that's right my friends- free kittens on her blog yesterday and once I saw the picture of that kitty I just had to have him!I got in touch with her and went to pick up the kitten. Isn't he super Cute? My husband wants to know what was I thinking? Silly Tony, who says I thought this out?Isn't he super cute though?

We still haven't agreed on a name yet~Any suggestions?

Getting Ready To Leave

When we were dropping off Zach and Rachelle today I was struck with such a feeling of gratitude for this wonderful ward that we are a part of. The kids in our ward are such good kids. I was so worried for my kids before we moved here, and I can now see that being here is an answer to my prayers.I might have had a hard time leaving my home and I might be having a hard time adjusting to living in the desert, but I can't deny this is where my family needs to be.

I am so excited for them to be able to a part of this fun adventure! Rachelle said she just hopes she's not eaten by a bear. I agree.

Pioneer Trek

This morning I dropped Rachelle and Zachary off at the church for the trek. Strange, but I was feeling sad seeing them go. I thought for sure I would be singing Ding dong the kids are gone the wicked kids are gone!!Hmm. interesting.I guess I really do love them!

The bishop had come over a few weeks ago and asked them if they would go. Up to that point, they were adamant they were not going to go.Well, he worked is magic, and now here they are.

It has been fun seeing them begin to get excited as they got ready. Zachary's attitude sure changed when he found out a girl he likes was also going to be coming on the trek. Oh to be young again!

Silly Boy

Here's my cutie patootie. He thought he was so funny when daddy put the glasses on his face.
Don'tcha just want to gobble him up?

52 Blessings Project~Week21

My Inlaws!

We have had some challenging health issues these past few months with family members on my husbands side. As a result I have spoken on the phone with my mother in law every 2-3 days.I have loved having regular interactions with them, keeping up on the latest happenings in every ones lives, and hearing funny stories of my father in law tinkering in his yard! Last week as we were talking, I was saying what a blessing my husband was in my life. I just love his sense of humor, his integrity, and the way he loves me and takes care of me and our children. I thought how grateful I was that my husband had such amazing parents to raise him to be the wonderful man that he has become. I can see a piece of each of them in him. I appreciate the strong sense of faith and family that was instilled in him from the very moment he was born! He is the person he is because he had such wonderful parents.

Wally and Isabel, Thank you for making me feel such a part of this wild, wonderful family! If I could have picked out grandparents for my kids or inlaws to be a part of their family, I couldn't possibly have chosen any better!

Sweet Relief!

I have to confess, I was a bit panicked a couple of days ago when the weather was so unbearably hot. I was feeling sorry for myself thinking In Colorado, the snow has just melted, and spring is probably in full swing right now. Yep, I was so unfortunate to have to be living in Arizona. Anywhere but Arizona.I just wasn't ready for the hot weather yet.
Well, today I woke up and the sky was overcast, and the temperature was only 69 degrees. Yes only 69!! wahoooo.
It got only better when the rain started! I love the rain. So..I went outside with the kids and we sat on the porch and watched the rain fall. The girls were so excited it was raining. We had to play in it for awhile.
Definitely a boost for my mood. I guess Arizona isn't so bad after all :)

Grace was Loving the Rain,Thunder not so much!

It was all fun and games until the lighting followed by the thunder began! Grace definitely does not like thunder(She reminds me of myself)Bailey on the other hand, thought it was fun to count down the thunder after we saw a lightning strike! Ahhh good times!

Sick Nasty

Today was the last day of school, so to help the kids celebrate, I let them invite some friends over and we had a bunch of snack foods, wings,chips, etc. Well, the trash was full to the brim after everyone ate, and the lid wasn't closed. I came around the corner and found Ethan having a feast eating buffalo wings from the trash can! Apparently he likes wings as much as his dad and brothers!

Rachelle's 8th Grade Graduation!

Today Was Rachelle's 8th grade graduation ceremony. I have never heard of junior high doing a graduation, but is kind of a big deal here.Strange, but what the heck!
Rach is such a funny girl. She is VERY opinionated. She likes what she likes and says what she thinks. I gotta tell you, I thought I was going to kill her shopping for a dress for this thing. After about three hours and four stores later, she finally found this dress, and she had to have it, then to make matters even worse, she wanted to wear black converse sneakers with it!
I finally gave in..I thought whatever, it's so not worth the fight. She was happy as a clam, and I have better things to do than argue with a hormonal teenager!
Rachelle...You drive me crazy, but I love you to pieces!!

What do we do when temperatures reach 108 degrees in May?

We swim of course!

It was so warm today, and so we all went swimming to cool off. The pool felt wonderful. Even Ethan loved it.

I was wondering how hot is was, so I logged on to the internet and checked. Yes my friends~108 degrees~ and it's only May. I keep chanting, it's not so bad in Arizona, it's not so bad in Arizona...

Summer is here!

52 Blessing Project ~Week 20

Today I am thankful for...being selfish!

Yup- you read that right! Being selfish.

Today I went to the gym and after I finished working out, I went in the sauna then in the jacuzzi. It felt so luxurious reading a magazine and soaking in the jacuzzi. I got to thinking about being a mom. The Joys and the frustrations. We are the most overworked, underpaid profession in history!We are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It begins from the time our baby's are born until the time they leave the nest.I think as moms we have a perception of how we should be and don't always acknowledge all the good we do. I thought of my journey the past two months and thought of how things are changing. I am changing...Slowly, but changing..As a mother I had become angry and frustrated an awful lot. I felt as if I just wasn't being a good mother.I was so tired of being sick and tired.I felt as if I had somehow lost a part of myself in the process of being a mother.I had become my greatest critic.Something had to change... I was not going to allow myself to do that anymore.

For the first time in a long, long time, I have been making time for me, and I am loving it!
As I mentioned before, in a previous post, I had signed up for the gym. I have started eating right and even started getting a manicure and pedicure! Lord have mercy...I love getting a pedicure! It has been a long time since I have taken away time and money just for me! It feels sooo good to be away from the daily frustrations, and relax.Erma Bombeck once said

"The easiest part of being a mother is giving birth. The hardest part is showing up for it each day."I have found that taking time for me has made showing up much easier..and for that I am very very grateful!

Happy Mother's Day!

A mother’s nurturing love arouses in children, from their earliest days on earth, an awakening of the memories of love and goodness they experienced in their premortal existence. Because our mothers love us, we learn, or more accurately remember, that God also loves us.

-M. Russell Ballard

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mom's out there! I feel so grateful to be a mom. It brings the greatest frustrations, but also the greatest joys. I wouldn't trade being a mother for anything in the world. I am truly blessed.

For All Mothers~~This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at soccer games instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see my goal?" They could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick children in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Meyer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."This is for all the mothers of Kosovo who fled in the night and can't find their children. This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see and for the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes and for all the mothers who don't.What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?The jolt that takes you from sleeping to dread, from bed to crib at 2 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?Is it the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident, a baby dying?I think so.So this is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.This is for reading "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then reading it again, "Just one more time".This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired two year old who wants ice cream before dinner.This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started to school and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. For all the mothers who bite their lips (sometimes until they bleed) when their 14 year olds dyed their hair green.This is for all the mothers who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won't stop.This is for all mothers who show at work with spit-up in their hair and milkstains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.This is for mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home or are grown.This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves.This is for all the mothers whose children have gone astray and who can't find words to reach them.This is for all the mothers who sent their child to school with a stomach ache, assuring that they would be just FINE once they got there, only to get a call from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up right away.This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go.For working moms and stay-at-home moms. Single mothers and married mothers.Mothers with money and mothers without.This is for you, so hang in there. The world would be a terrible place without the love of mothers everywhere. You make it a more civil, caring and safe place for the precious children in our world....Author Unknown

Mother's Day Gift

For mother's Day Tony and the kids bought me this mom's taxi. It cracks me up. As you
can see, the bumper stickers on the car read no whining and help me!
The mom's look on her face is so funny. I think it is the same one on mine...yikes...
The best part of this is the song it plays...vacation's all I ever wanted, vacation had to get away, vacation's meant to be spent alone...My husband put a sticker on it that says have a great trip to utah, Escape. See...Tony is sending me to Corrine's!!! Yeah ! She is my best friend in Utah, and I get to go with NO KIDS!!! Just a girl's time out. I can't wait. Play the video below and see how cute this van is! Tony you are a funny guy, and I love you to pieces.
PS By Tony- We also got flowers and other cute things!!!

52 Weeks of Blessings Week # 19-My Hannah Girl

This past week Hannah was upset and crying because we wouldn't let her friend stay over and informed Tony and I she never gets to do anything, and we treat her differently than the other (older) kids. I of course told her how silly she was being, gave her a kiss,and sent her on her way.A little later I was thinking about this and about Hannah. I decided I don't think we show her enough how much we really love her. Being the middle child, I think Hannah sometimes gets lost in the mix. She is such a sweet, good girl.

I spoke with Tony and we decided to take Hannah out for a special day with just Tony,Hannah and I. We went to Lunch and to the movies. We went to see Nim's Island. It was so fun. We called it the Spoil Hannah day. Zach and Rachelle wanted to know why we were doing this, and we told them because she is special, and we wanted to show her this. Hannah of course, loved this!

Every morning Hannah comes into my room and gets Ethan for me. She plays with him and feeds him a bottle so I can get a little more sleep. She is so good with him and he LOVES her. If she comes into a room and walks past him, he will cry and carry on until she acknowledges him.

We call her his little mama.

If I am having a bad day, she makes it a point to kiss me, hug me and tell me how much she loves me. She will say I am sorry you are having a bad day.

I know I can count on her to help with her brothers and sister, and I know I can count on her to brighten my day. I am so grateful for Hannah.What would I do without my sweet Hannah?

The 52 Blessings Project~

Once a week post a photo of something you are most grateful for. This gives us a chance to reflect on the good things we have learned from or that have made us better in our everyday lives or things we just enjoy! I think everyone needs to be more grateful for what they have now instead of always thinking about what we want! This is one of the things we can do to be more gracious people. It will be like a photo gratitude journal.