Kindergarten Graduation

Kindergarten graduation was last week.  It was great!  They sang a few songs and all said what they wanted to be when they grew up.  My sweet little boy said he wants to be a knight because he wants to help the whole world. 

One Thing I Can Count On...Change

Upon arriving at work last night, I was told to go into a team meeting by someone I don't even know.  Then my coach yelled out that the team needed to finish up whatever call they were on and go into the meeting.  When we were all gathered into the middle of our pod (a grouping of cubicles), we were told that the graveyard shift was ending and we were to put in our shift bids.  We were then given a piece of paper with a list of shifts on it and were to put the shifts in order of our own personal preference.  The papers are due back today when we get to work.  For me, this was not a decision to take lightly.  The time that I work affects the whole family.  I brought the paper home and had John help me prioritize.  I am so glad that he just sat with me and helped me make my choices by using, of all things, logic.  Who would have thought to do that?

So now I will be losing my 1.00 per hour differential and I will have to find and pay for daycare.  Hopefully, I will be able to find someone who can work with us for the summer.  Hopefully, I will get my first or second choice so that I won't have to be away from my kids at horrible times of day.  Hopefully, my body can get used to sleeping at night and not in the morning so I can work said shifts.

Meet Bob and Hob

100 Push UP Challenge

I have decided to join the 100 Push Up challenge.  I found out about it on Fat Secret (a web site I have been going to to track my weight loss goals).  I am excited to do it!  I have been having a hard time making it to gym lately because of not having a car of my own that works.  John has no opposition to me stopping off at the gym on  the way home from work, but when I am driving his car, I feel like I am taking advantage of that.  I am determined to do this challenge though.  I will let you know how it goes.

I Lost My Daughter

I lost my sweet Noel today.  It was the scariest ten or fifteen minutes of my life!

Today was stake conference which means (now that I am the only parent going to church and it was how I grew up) FREE SUNDAY (no church).  I ordered a pay per view for the kids to watch and got comfy on the couch so that I could get a much needed nap.  Just before I fell asleep Noel asked if she could play outside.  I told her to stay in our yard and dozed off.  About ten minutes later John came home.  I told him Noel was playing in the front yard.  He told me that he didn't see her out there at all.  That was a bit scary, but I figured if I went outside and called for her she would come running and tell me how much fun she was having with one of the kids on the street.  No such luck.  I went inside, grabbed my jacket and some shoes, and started my real search.  There were some ladies down the street talking.  I figured that if she had wondered somewhere she would have had to have past them. They hadn't seen her, but said that they often see her at the house across the street from them.  I was starting to get more worried now.  John was in his car searching the neighborhood.  I went to that house and they hadn't seen her.  Finally, she came out of the house next door and acted like nothing was wrong.  She was just playing with her friend after all. 

I talked to her about letting us know where she is before she goes there.  I let her know that she scared me.  I am now considering setting the alarm when I am asleep so that she has to stay in.  I feel like the worst mom in the world because I don't even know what Noel is doing most of the time.

When it Rains, it Poors

That not only summerizes the weather for the last few day, it summerizes the last few weeks in my life.  I was given the exciting news that I earned a 15% bonus for both of my checks this month!  I made plans to get the pets to the vet and pay down some medical bills.  I, also, started listening to Dave Ramsey in the last month and got really excited about getting moving on his plan.  We had money still in the bank from out tax return to get some things fixed on John's car.  That is when it all started.  We end up having to come up with the money to completely pay off the car instead (long story, don't want to get into it).  Luckily he came up with a solution to take care of that by borrowing from someone else.  Since we don't like owing people money, we decided to double the payment we were paying for the car to the person we borrowed the money.  Not a bad soultion if we have to go that route.  Then, last Wednesday, my car broke down...again.  I have had the engine replace twice in that car in the last year.  It is very frustrating!  I have had to get rides from a co-worker all week because of hang up #3.  My schedule was changed for the week for a training class meaning I had to be there by 3pm on the same days that I usually work.  I had to miss Noel's talk on Sunday and cried all the way home from church after dropping the kids off with a friend (one of the best friends ever that I wouldn't be able to make this week work at all without). I have been late twice because of the reliablity of the only person I knew going to this class.  I realized Monday or Tuesday morning that our heater is not working properly.  I wasn't a huge deal until yesterday morning when the house was cold for not just me.  I got the space heater out of my bathroom and put it in the living room so that the kids could be warm.  Today, I got a call from my ride (on the last day of this class) saying that he was in detox and wouldn't be aloud to get out until sometime this evening.  Great!  Luckily there was a solution to this one.  John will come home from work early so that I can take his car (the way that I would get there had my schedule not changed anyway).  Another good thing is that the rain is calming down a bit for now.  I am hoping it will stay calmed so that I can walk Sean to school and get home fairly dry.

No Chocolate is Hard

My main reason for having a goal of not eating chocolate is because I seem to be alergic to it lately.  Let's just say I have beening having problems for at least the last few month and it is just getting worse.  The thing is that even though I know this and I am grown up enough to dicipline myself when it comes to what I eat, it is still TORTURE that just about every candy has chocolate including the candy the family got from the Easter Bunny for Easter.  No matter where I go (home, work, store, etc.)  chocolate is there.  I love chocolate.  One of my favorite foods is chocolate chip cookies or even chocolate chips alone.  How could this have happen to me?  I am still in hopes that if I go without it for a while, I will be able to eat my beloved chocolate again.  It worked with milk when I was a teenager and a smaller kid.  Why not now with something that I like even more?

Goals for April

Do you remember last year when I was accually accomplishing my goals and felt on top of the world?  I am trying that again.  I am really just working on weightloss because that is what is on my mind the most.  I have 3 goals for his month.  The first one is to go the month without chocolate.  This shouldn't be too hard since I seem to be alergic to it lately in any form but instant breakfast shakes.  I think I will allow myself one of those per week so that I don't feel too deprived.  The second goal is to drink no caffinated soda for the month.  I seem to do pretty good at this as long as I remember to bring Gatorade to work along with my caffine pills (I am happy to say I am down to only 1 a shift).  The third goal that I have for myself is to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week.  I made this goal at the beginning of March then lost my card.  I now have my card and have vowed to keep it in my wallet where is is, hopefully, safe.  I measured myself yesterday and plan to do so again at the beginning of next month.  I don't think I would feel very successful if I did it more often than that.

My big goal is to fit back into my swimsuit.  Not the ugly blue one that I got when I was pregnant with Eric and just at the stage where I wouldn't fit into my regular stuff.  I mean the one I got a few years ago when John and I went to Water World. (I dont' think there was a specific occation.  Probably just a chance to get away from the kids.)  If I can do so, and look good, I will take a picture of myself and post it on my blog (I am going to have to look really good).

Finished At Last

I started making this for my nephew, Tommy, in November.  When it wasn't done by his birthday, I lost my motivation until some ladies at work heard me talk about the aligator scarf and wanted to see it.  While it sat in my bag, I was motivated to work on it during downtime at work.  Now, here it is about a month after putting it in my work bag...finished!

Eric and Sean Go To The Dentist

Eric and Sean went to the denist for the first time yesterday (we just recenty got dental insurance).  They were both nervous and excited about going.  I am happy to report that Eric has no cavities and there is nothing to worry about with his teeth right now.  Sean is a different story.  We knew before going that there was a possibility that he would have to have his front two bottom teeth pulled because the adult teeth have already come in behind them and they just got loose (another thing that got them to the dentist in the first place).  Unfortunately, he also has 2 "good sized" cavities that they are worried will ruin his adult molars if they aren't taked care of.  I kind of go a feeling this was going to be the case with him when Eric came out from getting his teeth cleaned and told us that it kind of tickled when they were doing his back teeth.  Sean just looked at him and said, "Why would they clean your back teeth?"  When I told John about this he nicely explained to Sean that brushing teeth is for them to be clean not just so they look good.  Sean seemed to be surprised by that concept. Noel and I will go next week because they will only take two members from a family per day.

A Letter From Sean

In Sean's class, they have a family journal where they write a letter to a member of the family on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Then, that family member is to write a letter back in response.  All of the letters are kept in a notebook so that at the end of the year there is a collection of these letters to keep.  Sean has been begging for a puppy in his letters for a while now.  Yesterday's was a bit different.
"Dear Mom,
I'm vvvvery ixiedid for the dentist.  But I like puppy's beder.
Love,
Sean"

Christams is Finally Over

I don't know if it has been laziness or just lack of motivation, but we finally took the Christmas stuff down.  I know it is March 13, and that means that it is almost 3 months after Chirstmas.  Thats's ok.  Maybe we just really like Christmas.

Happy 57th!

If my mom were still with us, she would be 57 today! (I can't believe I almost forgot!)

Eric's Walk Home

When I was getting ready to get Sean and Noel lunch, Eric walked through the door with a proud grin on his face, lunch bag in hand.  "You forgot to pack my lunch," he informed me. (I don't usually make his luch because I am sleeping.  I barely wake up for family prayer before John and Eric leave in the morning.)  I smiled at him and ask him if he was feeling well, if he school had tried to call me, and if they knew he had left.  He was feeling just fine (perhaps more than fine since he was so proud of himself for pulling off his escape).  The school had not called and did not even know he was gone.  I let him know he was going back when I took Sean to school and called to let the school know where he was (they didn't realize he was missing yet).  When I took him back to school, Eric broke down into tears.  "I don't want to have to go to school after I escape," he sobbed.  I really wanted to just pick him up in my arms and tell him that he could stay home and nap with me and Noel, but I knew that would just make him want to do it again.  It broke my heart to leave my little boy crying in the office while the pincipal tried to talk to him and get him back to class. 

When I picked up the boys from school, Eric's teacher appologized and explained what had happened.  It seems Eric got into the luch room, looked in his lunch bag, and realized there was nothing in there.  A bit surprised and upset, he asked the lunch teacher if he could go back to the class to look in backpack to see if the food had fallen out.  Upon realizing there was nothing there he decided to go to his main source of food, home.  He put on his coat and walked the few blocks home with his proof that there was no lunch.  His teacher had dropped off the class and gone into the teachers' lounge to eat her own lunch, so she had no idea what was going on.  The lunch room teacher didn't even realize he hadn't come back. 

Eric has now been told by his teacher and me that it wasn't safe for him to do that (of course it didn't sink in when I told him).  Hopefully, he will not do that again.  Hopefully, his lunch will be made in the morning or he will accept the alternative of the school's food after today.  Thankfully he got here safely and was able to get a lunch.

Some Courtesy Please

I seem to arive at church late most weeks.  Today I was actually there in time to have heard the callings and releases.  That is if there wasn't a group of people from the other ward (which gets out about a half hour before ours starts) sitting in the foyer talking and laughing loudly.  I would have gone in to the chappel, but on the way I realizes the boys had not actually washed their faces after lunch so I had to wait for them to come out of the bathroom.  This group was not only loud while I was trying to hear who the new Primary President was, but also during the sacrament hymn and the first sacrament prayer.  It was only after I was trying to hush and calm down my, now out of the bathroom, boys that they even realized that I may be trying to participate in my own church services the best I could that they quieted down.  I get that their bishop's office if right off the foyer.  I realized after someone came out of said office that at least one family was waiting for them.  I think it would have only been polite, however, if they had be a bit quieter so that I could get the most out of my experience there as I could.  I would also like to add that it was mostly the adult making so much noise, and my kids would have been in a lot of trouble if they had been so loud inside any building, especially the church.  HELLO!  You are all not only in the same room, but sitting together.  There is no need to be THAT loud!

Quitting Soda

When going through my diet changes since I started working, it became obvious that my main problem is the amount of soda I drink at work.  At first it was just to stay awake, but now it is more out of habit.  My doctor suggested that may be the main change that I need to make.  I agreed that was probably a good idea.  Yesterday, I drank the last Pespsi in the house.  That means that today is my first soda free day.  We'll see how it goes.  I do have "Stay Awake" pills in my work backback if I find myself getting tired at work.  Hopefully the call volume, Gatorade, and water keep me going while at work.  Who knows, maybe I will wind down after work a bit better if I can stay away from the soda and caffine pills.

Eric's Scout Cake

All I did was write the words on it.  Apparently frosting is just not easy to write with.  It used to day Bear on one side and Wolf on the other.

Knitting

I do still knit, just not as often as I used to.  I have been trying to make an aligator scarf for my nephew, Tommy, since November.  It was supposed to be done for his birthday (November 22, just like Noel), but it didn't get done in time.  I, then, promised that it would be done by Christmas, but I didn't really work on it.  Now, here it is the last week in February and it is not even half way done.  I really need to set aside a time to do this.  I have other things that I want to make, including stuff for myself.  I am so busy between work, housework, schoolwork, kids, and hubby that I don't know when I will have the time to work on it, but I will have to figure it out.  Maybe I can actually sit and relax sometime...

Clean Rooms

Anyone who has been to my house knows that my kids are slobs and don't keep their rooms clean.  Yes, I know if they had better parents, maybe this wouldn't be so.  Last week I went into the boys' room with them and sat on their floor to "motivate" them to clean (meaning I picked stuff up and they took them out of my hand before said stuff was thrown away).  This week was Noel's turn, or at least her room's turn.  Since the boys were caught jumping around on her furnature they got the oppurtunity to help.  Now both rooms are clean.  If fact they were both vacuumed!

(Just ignore the aweful colors of the rooms.)

(Of course Noel was already getting stuff out before I could get any pictures.)

Buying Groceries Online

A few weeks ago I decided to try buying groceries online because I didn't have a car at the time I regularly went shopping, and I did't have the time to go shopping when a car was accessable (at least not the time for the big grocery shopping I do every two weeks).  I remembered Tara talking about how nice it was to have the groceries delivered from King Soopers and thought I would give it a try.  I sat down at my computer that afternoon and ordered everything on my list.  It was great!  I may have accidently ordered things that were just a bit off (smaller or bigger size than usual), but overall it was a good experience.  The best part was that I didn't get a bunch of stuff not on the list that just looked yummy.  This week I did the same thing (my car is still being worked on).  I did better at actually ordering the items that I actually wanted, and got it done in about 20 minutes (how many people can say they did their grocery shopping in 20 minutes).  The groceries were delivered the next day.  It was great!  My only complaint was that my darling four and six year olds didn't tell me the lady was there delivering, and I slept through the delivery.  I am going to have to remind them to wake me before they answer the door.

Noel's Haircut

Just when I thought all of the scissors were out of Noel's reach, she decided to prove me wrong.

Luckily the nice lady at Cost Cutters was able to fix her hair and make it cute.

Better Than Christmas

This year parent-teacher conferences have been fun (or at least a proud moment for Mom and Dad).

Sean is testing way above were he should be by the end of the year.  We were told that him and a few other kids are starting on the second grade no excuse list because they have mastered the first grade list already (that is marked in the "Word List" category).  That was the most exciting one to me.  Probably because that was the one that he had excelled so incredibly far on.  No one can tell me this boy isn't smart!

While not surprised that Eric was smart, we did find out that when it comes to the DRA test, Eric has tested as high up as allowed because from this point he would have to take the fourth grade test.  That test is a bit different and scored different.  His teacher said that they will try it at the end of the year, but told us that his score probably won't go much over 40 because of the difficulty of the test.  That is fine with me.  He is in second grade and ready for fourth when it comes to reading.  I can't complain!  We were told about the problems he is having in math, but they see to be more speed related than anything else.  He is my boy after all!

Ponytail Evolution

When Noel was born, she didn't really have enough hair to put a ponytail in, but I did put a little bow in the front for her blessing (it is a bit hard to see, I know).

When she was 7 months old, she finally had enough hair for me to put a bit of a ponytail with that bow.  She rarely went anywhere without one, and she left it alone.

I was so excited when she had enough hair for two ponytails about a year later!

By the time she was two, she had started to take them out.  On some rare occations I would acctually get a picutre with some kind of ponytail in there.

By her fourth birthday, she mostly would just put a comb through her hair and leave it at that.  I would get her hair put up in some way for church, but it wouldn't last through primary.  Sometimes she would get into the hair stuff and put baretts in, but not much more than that.

She has now decided that she will now do her own ponytails (yes, this is how it was done on Sunday too).

What Do You Do on a Warm February Afternoon?

Get your Lightsabers out of course!

Down to One Car and a Motorcycle

This time last year we had 4 cars (three of which were running) and a motorcycle. If one car broke down we had a spare. That was great! Over the summer John sold his Explorer. (I can't find a picture of it.) We were then down to 3 cars (two of which were running) and a motorcycle.

I really wanted to get my old car running again so that I didn't have to spend so much on gas with the van (not to mention the fact that the van hadn't run in the winter for a few years and my back up was now gone). After working for a few months, we were able to get a new engine put in my car and I didn't have to drive the van that was on its last leg anymore.

Two months later my car started to burn oil (let me tell you how excited that did NOT make me feel). The decision was made to get the van running well enough so that I could drive that to work while my car was being fixed. After getting my van back, I drove it for about a week before it decided that it wasn't going to hold antifreeze anymore. The diagnosis was a blown gasket (oh, joy). We decided to let the mechanic junk it and put the money towards fixing the car. (It is a lot harder to find pictures when you actually want to.)

Now, here I am. John and I have to share his mustang (which only has 4 instead of 5 seat belts). My car is at the mechanic's. My van is gone for good. The Explorer was sold to some poor kid that didn't know what he was getting into, and poor John had to ride his motorcycle to work today because his battery died. When my car gets fixed, his will go in for a tune up. Until both cars are done, we will be sharing one car. that means that I have to walk to take Sean to school and pick up the boys in the afternoon (something I didn't mind when I wasn't sleeping most of the day and when it was warmer outside). Hopefully, we will have two cars that run very well by this time next month. (I can hope, right?)

(Hey! The van and Explorer in the background!)

Racing Stripe

My wonderful son decided that my car needed a racing stripe a couple of weeks ago.  I haven't washed my car yet because I wanted to blog about it.  Yes, that is mud.  The day the stripe was put on my car it went from bumper to bumper.  I even had to squirt the windshild and run the wipers to see out the windshild to go to work.  I like to promote creativity, but this may be a bit too much creativity on Eric's part.  You may not be able to tell, but the mud is caked on the top.  I guess it is a good thing that this car is so old.  (For those of you who knew me back then, yes, this is my high school car.)

So Proud!

Eric was baptized yesterday (and I got pictures to prove it)!

His Uncle Asher got to have the honor of baptizing him.

Our family was all there.

So were Gandma and Grandpa Crumpley.

The proud baptized boy.

The Wrong Way

I am really not doing very good at this. I snack most of the time I am at work. Not the best, I know. Last time I got snacks on the way to work, I tried to get some more healthy snacks. I know it is still not good to snack the whole time, but maybe with them being a bit healthier it will help. Who knows? All I know is that I am not mentally ready to do as good at this as I was last spring. I wish I was because I am fatter than I have ever been in my life. It is so depressing to know that, and a bit embarrassing to admit.

Last Week

Last week proved to be more difficult than I had planned.

Monday was Martin Luther King Day. That means the boys had no school. The good part: all of the kids watched PBS until 12:30 allowing me to sleep until then. Then bad part: I didn't get to sleep after that time. I was a tired mama.

Tuesday wasn't too bad. At least nothing sticks out in my mind from that day.

Wednesday, Eric and Sean each had an awards ceremony. Eric's was at 8:45am (meaning I got about a hour and a half of sleep before creeping into the shower). Sean's was at 2pm (because he isn't in school in the morning). I slept as much as I could between allowing time for making lunch and getting Sean to school. Going to see my boys get awards was fun, and I want to support them when I can. Since I didn't have to work that night, I knew that I could sacrifice a few hours of sleep to see them get their awards. The difficult part came between the awards. Poor Eric threw up in class around 10:45. He was sent to the nurses office. The school then tried to call me. My cell phone had been not working great because I washed it REALLY well in my pants pocket the week before. The house phone was also not working for some reason. There was not a way for them to get a hold of me even if I wasn't too out of it to answer the phone (I usually do answer the phone in case of things like this). They ended up calling John at work, and he tried to get a hold of me through email, voice mail, Yahoo messenger, and any other way he could think of. In the mean time, Sean's teacher tried to waive me down as I dropped off Sean, but I was too out of it to notice. John was finally able to get off of work and rescue our sweet, sick boy from the health room at school. Eric ended up waiting for someone to pick him up for 3 hours. Poor boy!

Thursday went by with no big problems. Eric got to go to his first pack meeting. He had a lot of fun and was actually good for most of the time we were there.

Friday, I decided to go work out in the morning because Sean wanted to play in the play-place there. We went grocery shopping after, getting something Sean and Noel could eat in the car on the way home so that Sean could get to school on time. Then, I had my doctor appointment. That was the WORST experience I have ever had at a doctor's office! I am not just saying that because I am used to Kaiser getting me in and out either. I had an appointment set for 1:25 for a thyroid check as a new patient. I got to the office at 1:10 and waited for 5 minutes before I could even check in. I didn't think that was a big deal. They were busy at the front desk setting appointments for other patients. After checking in, I filled out all of the necessary paper work for new patients and then waited for 20 minutes to be called back (no big deal, right). By the time the nurse was done with checking my blood pressure, weight, pulse, and re-asking the family history and allergy questions I had already answered on the papers I had filled out, it was a little before 2:00 (again, not a huge deal). Then, I sat in the room with a bored 4 year-old until 2:40. At that point, I decided that I really couldn't wait any longer because I needed to be back in Lochbuie to pick up my boys by 3:20 (it takes about 30 minutes to get to Lochbuie from just about everywhere I go). The nurse freaked out and begged me to stay for just a bit and the doctor would be right in. I told her I only had 5 minutes at the most before I needed to leave to pick up my boys. I told her I needed to get back to Brighton (more people know where Brighton is than Lochbuie). She just told me that I should be able to make it (she obviously didn't really understand where I was heading). The doctor came in and apologized and said that she wouldn't charge me to come back, but she wanted to take my blood before I left. By this point I was so frustrated, but it doesn't take very long for someone to take just a little bit of blood. Right? Wrong! When the nurse passes it on to someone else, and they have a hard time finding your veins (thank you Dad for the small veins, by the way), it takes another 5 to 10 minutes. When I got back into the car, my alarm on my IPod was going off (it is set for 3 on weekdays so I can make sure Noel and I are up to get them). My poor boys ended up sitting at the school for about 10 or 15 minutes after they got out of school until I was able to come get them. I couldn't even call anyone to get them for me because of the well-washed phone. I was tired before I went to the doctor's office. I was exhausted by the time I got the boys home. Then I had to make dinner and go to work (it is hard to work a 6pm to 2:30am shift after a day like that).

Satuday wasn't too bad. A friend from work was baptized, so I had to get up earlier than I would have liked, but it was for a good cause. When I got home from the baptism, I had to spend the rest of my day doing the homework I didn't get done over the week. That meant no nap for me. Again, I went in for a 6pm shift very sleepy.

Sunday, the kids decided to play loudly in the hall around 8 or 8:30. Eventually, John made them play in their room and closed our bedroom door. I got up close to 10:00 and got myself and the kids ready for church. We got there late meaning another Sacrament Meeting spent in the foyer. Eric got a car out (yes I am one of THOSE moms) and played on the floor. Noticing that the knees on his pants were getting thin, I told him not to scoot on his knees too much. He of course didn't listen, and ended up tearing holes in the knees of his pants (that is after Sean spilled jelly on his chruch clothes and having to wear jeans). I was so glad to send them to primary and get some peace and quiet for a bit. I don't know if Relief Society gets out late every week or if primary get out early (I'm voting on Relief Society getting out late), but Eric always seems to find his way into the gym to play before I get out and plays (he has been told not to play in the gym on Sudays). This time he had taken his shoes off and thown one up and got it stuck up high. Luckily, Melissa (my firend) was able to get her husband and a few other ment to get a ladder and get it down. I got home, watched John play his PS3 game a bit and decided to lay down until it was time to make dinner. Noel decided afer I had been sleeping for only 20 minutes that she was "starving." After letting myself wake up a bit, I made dinner. She ate maybe 10 bites before she decided she was full. Then, I got ready for work very exhausted mentally and physically from the week, and headed out for my 8:30pm to 5:00am shift.

So far, today has gone better. I can only hope that the rest of the week will follow.

Starting Out Slow

Last year, I really pushed myself hard to lose weight.  I changed a lot all at once.  It was hard to keep up with.  This year I am starting off a bit slower.  I am starting to work out again (see last post), and I started adding more water to my intake last week.  I am also starting to eat less junk.  Now that is not to say that I don't still eat junk.  I do.  I just eat less of it.  There is no way I can completely take it out of my diet. I would miss it too much.  I am just being a bit smarter about it.  When I get these things to a point where they are regular, I will do something else to help me lose weight.  I really would like to be able to fit back in my swim suit by the summer.  That is my main weight goal.

My Trip to the Gym

My sweet mother-in-law gave John and I a one month gym membership for Christmas because I thought that it may help me with my depression.  I went for the first time today.  It was GREAT!  I don't know why I waited so long to go. 

I didn't do a whole lot because I felt a bit out of place on the wights (I haven't been to a gym since I was 20, and the machines have changed a bit).  I did go on the treadmill for about 20 minutes, the weights for about 10 minutes, and then the eliptical for about 20 minutes.  I felt awesome when I was done.  I would have stayed longer, but I had to go pick up my boys from school.

I plan to go back tomorrow afternoon and try to talk John into going on Saturday.  Then membership includes childcare, so we can go as a family (kind of)!

I am so glad that I get to finally do something about my weight again.  Hopefully, with working again, I will be motivated to eat better as well.

Can He Really Be 8?

I was told when I was getting close to my tenth wedding anniversary that it made me sound old to hear that I had been married tthat long (for those of you who don't know I was only 20 when I got married).  I got to thinking today, does it make me sound old to say I have an 8 year-old then?  I do have an 8 year-old now.

Eric turned 8 on Sunday.  He got a dual-bladed light saber, jammies, Antz, scriptures with his name on them, a scripture case with a compass, and scout stuff.  Eight is an exciting age.  He gets to be baptized and start scouts all in the same month.

He gets to start scouts tonight!

Eric will be baptized January 30.  I'll get some pictures posted of that when it happens (knowing me at least with in the month of it happening).

Ideas Needed

I am writing an essay for school bout husband and wives sharing household responsilities.  It needs to be 2 or 3 pages long.  I have almost 2 pages.  I nees some idea on how to extend it a bit.  It is due tomorrow, so quick responses would be nice.  Here is what I have so far:

Household chores have to be done. Traditionally, women were the ones doing all the chores around the house such as making dinner, washing clothes and dishes, and nurturing the children while the men went to work and provided financially for the family. Now, many women are going to work to help provide for the family as well as the men. This makes it harder for women to do the work around the house as well. Therefore, husbands and wives should take an equal share in all household responsibilities.


With more than one person doing the work around the house, one partner won’t feel more overburdened than the other. Both husband and wife can feel more productive and have equal personal responsibilities. While not every day will husband and wife have the same amount of work to do around the house such as washing dishes, doing laundry, picking up and dropping off kids, and making dinner;”the bottom line is that sharing these responsibilities also means sharing a certain way of thinking about chores as a whole.” (Sharing Responsibliities Around the House, 2007)

Dividing this burden can help a couple grow closer together. The cleaner and more orgainized the house is, the less chaos and tension is felt in the home. When deciding who is going to do what, good communication is very important. Arthur Lee suggests, “Discuss these (things) together, but do not make it confrontational.” (Lee, 2009) Lee, also, suggests making charts and lists while including even the youngest of family members in doing things like emptying the dishwasher or taking out the trash. Another good way to divide the chores would be on a lottery basis. All chores could be put in a jar and pulled out at a specific time to dictate who does what. Of course the best way would be for each person to see something that needs to be done and just do it. According to Gregg Hall, “Not only does sharing these responsibilities prevent resentment but it also gives the couple an opportunity to work as a team which strengthens their bond.” (Hall, 2006)

Allocating liabilities around the house will help with equality in the home. When the husband and wife both work, they are away from home about the same amount of time. That means they are also home for about the same amount of time. Therefore the division of work should not be gender based. “While married couples in many inadvertent ways continue to live life with certain tasks being associated with male or female; they now have to introduce thoughts into their mental make-up that makes the picture of mom in a gown hanging laundry with clips a thing of the past!” (Lee, 2009) No longer should only the wife do the dishes and laundry. As well, no longer should the husband be the only one to be doing household repairs. By having an attitude that the chores are not gender based, the couple would be more likely to help each other out when the burdens get to be too heavy.

When carrying an equal burden that means there is more time to have fun together as a couple. When chores are done faster, there is more time to go out to movies, parks, and restaurants. There is also more time to play games together and spend time together at home.

In today’s world both men and women work, meaning they share the responsibilities of providing for the family. They should also share in other obligations around the house as well. When husbands and wives work together, there are many benefits such as less resentment towards each other, less stress, less chaos around the house, and more time to spend together.

 

References

Hall, G. (2006, July 21). How Talking And Sharing Responsibilities Makes For A Happier Marriage. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from Enzine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Talking-And-Sharing-Responsibilities-Makes-For-A-Happier-Marriage&id=249078

Lee, A. (2009). How to Share Household Responsibilities with a Spouse. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from eHow.com: http://www.ehow.com/how_2305854_share-household-responsibilities-spouse.html

Sharing Responsibliities Around the House. (2007). Retrieved December 21, 2009, from Professor's House: http://www.professorshouse.com/family/relationships/sharing-responsibilities-around-the-house.aspx

Snag

On Monday, I was sick.  For some reason I couldn't stand or even sit for very long.  Needless to say, I spent most of my day and night lieing down either in bed or on the couch.  That means no laundry was done.

Tuesday I was feeling better, but I had a killer headache and no energy.  I ended up sleeping all day again.  I did eventually get the energy to get one load of laundry going and go to work, but not enough laundry to make up for my illness on Monday.

Wednesday I did get two loads done (yay me).  I have figured that is about how much needs to be done daily in my house.  (Who ever said that one load a day will do didn't have very many kids.)

I guess what I am saying is, despite my efforts I think I will come up short on my goal this week.  I have yet to fold anything that I have washed since Saturday when I made this goal, so I have already failed in that aspect.  Hopefully, I will get the motivation up today and tomorrow to make up for what I have lacked the rest of the week.

Phone Manners?

I know that I am slightly stealing this idea from Tera, but I feel I must remind people that not only do they need manners while in the check out. They also need to have some consideration when on the phone. This is my list of reminders for the not-so-phone-savvy folks out there:

1. Turn your TV down. You are talking to a real person on the other line. I get that you are trying to watch TV. I work in the TV business. I don't want to have it blaring in my ears however (especially if it is one of those pay-per-views).

2. If the baby/toddler is crying, either go to another room or wait to call. I do get that children, especially babies, cry. I am a mom to three children myself. They are loud. If you are calling to trouble shoot you can't hear me, I can't heard you, and my ears are hurting in the process. Calling while they are crying is not going to get something fixed any faster. In fact, I may get more frazzled and lose my train of thought. That will just make the torture last longer for me, you, and the little one in the background.

3. Don't carry on other conversations while on the phone. It is just plain rude!

4. Follow instructions. If you are calling me because something doesn't work, it is my job to do trouble shooting before I can send out a replacement or tech. Don't keep me on the phone for 20 minutes telling you to push the same button if you are just going the push whatever button you want especially if you have already decided that because I am a woman I don't know what I am talking about anyway.

5. Watch you language! I am not calling you at 2 am because I "forgot" to pay my bill for two months now I don't have service. You are calling me for that reason. I am not calling you every name in the book. I would like it if you would not call me those names. I am a real person with real feelings. I may be on the verge of tears by the time I get off the call, and the next customer doesn't deserve that either.

6. Don't eat on the phone. I get irritated when my kids eat too close to my ears. Why would I want to hear some slobby adult eat?

7. Don't use the bathroom while on the phone. I know we all have to go, and it is a natural function. Please, use the bathroom, then call.

8. If you want answers, be quiet long enough to get them. I am not allowed to interrupt you. Don't go on and on about every problem you can think of and then get mad that I am not resolving your issues or answering your questions. Shut up for even 1 minute so that I can do something it.

9. I DO NOT work for a phone sex line! If you call expecting that, you will be transferred to my supervisor. He is a man. He doesn't put up with his agents being treated that way.

10. Hang up the phone when we are done. I don't want to hear your fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend/children. I have handle time goal that I need to meet. Waiting the required 2 minutes of dead air raises my handle time, therefore reducing my chances of getting a bonus. I know that sounds selfish, but deal with it.

11. Speaker phone sucks! I know it makes things more convent for you, but it also picks up other noises, so I can't hear you as well.

I really do like my job. It is fulfilling most of the time. If people calling in would realize that the person on the other line deserves some of the common courtesies that all other people get, it would be even more enjoyable.

Now for my disclaimer so I don't get fired.

This doesn't reflect the views of Dish Network or its employees.

Goals

I realized while showering today (the best place to think) that I need some goals.  Not just because it is a new year, but because I really like working towards goals.  It makes me feel like I am accomplishing something.  I would like to make some kind of weight loss goal, but that takes a lot of determination.  I don't know if I want to put that much work into it.  (Is that pathetic or what?)  I do have some financial goals, but that is a bit to personal to blog about.  I am accomplishing my school goals (A's in all my classes).  My work goals are too boring to blog about.  I guess that leaves me with cleaning goals.  My goal for this next week will be to get caught up on laundry (washing and folding).  I want to get through the week without my kids asking where their underwear are and not having to seach a big pile of clothes in the living room to find them.

Christmas Pictures (better late than never)

OK. I know I have been really bad about blogging lately. It is almost like the more I tweet, the less I blog. Sorry. I will try to do better. 
Now for what you really want to see:

Christmas morning was exciting.

Not just for the kids.

A Dora scoot and a Dora helmet.  What more could a 4 year-old ask for?

Of course a red Hot Wheels scooter is a bit more exciting to an almost 8 year-old boy.

The blue one puts a smile on the face of the other boy.