Random thoughts from the day as I drove to work today and back home. (It's the only true quiet time I have during the day, so I treasure it!!)
*I passed 8 police cars on my way to work this morning. Granted, I do work 16 miles from home, but come on, that's a lot!! This is not uncommon. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I pass AT LEAST one police car in my town, no matter how short the distance I drive. Pflugerville is a VERY safe town and all they've got to do is drive around giving people tickets for speeding or rolling stop signs. LOVE this place!!
*People who run out of gas on the side of the road = STUPID. I have no sympathy for a driver with an empty tank when there's a gas station around every corner. My only exception to this judgement is when you are on a road trip in the middle of somewhere USA & gas stations are 100 miles distance from each other.
*Yard Sales = My new favorite hobby. I've loved yard-saling since I was a little girl - my dad used to take us on summer Saturday mornings. I lost interest while living in Provo because they were AWFUL in that town. Now that I live elsewhere, I have taught my children to love a good yard sale and it has become a fun activity to do with the boys. I've got my route already planned for this Saturday, followed by the Ward Easter Egg hunt, then work.
*XM Radio station 58 = BEST music EVER!!! We got a free trial of XM on our van and it will be hard to give up in June...Station 58 NEVER disappoints me with their 80's & 90's country music. Reba, Willie, Wynona, Sawyer Brown, Brooks&Dunn, Tanya Tucker, Patti Loveless, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton....
*I always seem to fall in love with the "limited edition" candy bars. WWWHHYYY??? Just when I discover & fall in love, they disappear. And the company never gives you time frame of when you have to say good-bye to such goodness....it just disappears off the shelves. I've thought of building a big stash in my freezer, but I have ZERO control with candy. Examples: Peanut Butter Twix, Mint 3 Musketeers, Dark Chocolate Milky Way, Peanut Butter Snickers, Mint M&Ms...just to name a few...
*I'm in EXTREME "nesting" mode right now. I'm the personality that always has a dozen "lists" but the past 9 months have been ridiculous. I stay up until all hours of the night working to accomplish everything on my lists before baby #3 comes along. I'll make blogpost on this another day...
*President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on Sunday = A-MAZING. If you haven't read it yet, DO IT NOW. Here's the link. Enough said.
*If you gave me $1000 right now to just spend, I would probably use it all at the grocery store. I'm not just saying this because I'm pregnant and hungry all the time....no joking around. 1) Food is expensive and the main reason for why I don't cook big fancy meals with all the crazy "exotic" ingredients. 2) I LOVE to eat, and I would probably also buy lots of junk food. 3)I would buy lots of extra food to put in my food storage and also take to the food bank for others who need it.
*Jason comes home tomorrow!!! Selling season has started again, and Jason left town early this year so that he can be home longer when baby #3 arrives. He's been gone for about a month (with a short visit in the middle) and I look forward to having him home for a few weeks this time.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Pinterest February Report
Total Pins: 202
Completed Pins: 25
Completion: 12.4%
My favorite pin this month was a flower necklace I made for my little sister, Courtney. Tutorial found here.
My other favorite pin this month was this creamy tomato basil soup in the crockpot...SO YUMMY!!
Recipe can be found here.
Completed Pins: 25
Completion: 12.4%
My favorite pin this month was a flower necklace I made for my little sister, Courtney. Tutorial found here.
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| Here I am modeling the necklace before I mailed it off to the C-dawg. |
Recipe can be found here.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Side by Side pregnancies
So, today is kind of a big day for me....I am 33 weeks and 5 days along in my pregnancy. This is the exact day in pregnancy that I delivered the twins. Every day after this will be a new experience for me. In some ways, it feels like it's a first pregnancy & I'm nervous for the contractions & delivery. It's interesting to compare the two pregnancies and see similarities & differences. Here's a little recap of the twins and a comparison of pregnancies.
TWINS: born at 33wks & 5days. Delivered by C-section.
Arlo weighed 4lb 10oz. Josiah weighed 4lb 9oz.
They are fraternal twins, so each boy had a separate placenta.
Each boy stayed in the NICU for 24 days.
PREGNANCY:
With the twins I gained a total of 26lbs; and I had lost 19lbs by the time I left the hospital (in 4 days).
vs.
With THIS pregnancy I have gained the EXACT amount of weight. Don't forget that I still have 6 more weeks PLUS there's only 1 baby, instead of 2. (Which means my legs & butt are catching the extra weight this time, aaahhh!!) I'm hoping (in vain) that I'll lose a whole bunch of weight in the hospital again!!
With THIS pregnancy, I feel like the baby has stronger movements than the twins did. I'm thinking that the twins just didn't have enough room in my belly for back-flips & cart-wheels. THIS baby is certainly taking advantage of the added space - and I'm a little nervous for when he gets bigger & stronger in my belly - I may have a cracked rib!
TWINS: born at 33wks & 5days. Delivered by C-section.
Arlo weighed 4lb 10oz. Josiah weighed 4lb 9oz.
They are fraternal twins, so each boy had a separate placenta.
Each boy stayed in the NICU for 24 days.
PREGNANCY:
With the twins I gained a total of 26lbs; and I had lost 19lbs by the time I left the hospital (in 4 days).
vs.
With THIS pregnancy I have gained the EXACT amount of weight. Don't forget that I still have 6 more weeks PLUS there's only 1 baby, instead of 2. (Which means my legs & butt are catching the extra weight this time, aaahhh!!) I'm hoping (in vain) that I'll lose a whole bunch of weight in the hospital again!!
With THIS pregnancy, I feel like the baby has stronger movements than the twins did. I'm thinking that the twins just didn't have enough room in my belly for back-flips & cart-wheels. THIS baby is certainly taking advantage of the added space - and I'm a little nervous for when he gets bigger & stronger in my belly - I may have a cracked rib!
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| Left: 33wks with twins, 2009. Right: 33wks with 1 baby, 2012 |
Every day I think about how this baby is developing & I imagine what he looks like & the size of his body right now & my love for him & his personality, etc, etc... So, last night I pulled out some old photos of the twins and THIS is what they looked like on their birth-day (33wks & 5days)....So, this is something of what baby #3 looks like RIGHT NOW, inside my tummy!!! (Sometimes it's hard to imagine this little human is growing inside of me!!)
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| My sweet baby Arlo. June 9, 2009 |
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| My other sweet little baby, Josiah. June 9, 2009 |
Thursday, February 2, 2012
My Pinterest Goal -
I sort of set a goal for myself that I would try all the PINS on my Pinterest boards. I know that it's unlikely to have all of them done by the end of the year (b/c I'll add pins faster than I can accomplish them) BUT I want the website to be a serious list of projects, rather than just wishful thinking. These pins need to be worth my time - something that will improve my life, my family and my home. (A recipe to give my family dinner, a birthday gift for a friend, a easier way to keep my home clean, etc) So, here is my end of the month report:
January 2012
Total Pins: 135
Completed Pins: 12
Completion: 9%
My favorite pin that I accomplished this month: It's a tie...between the yummy green monster smoothies and the awesome flannel boards for the boys.
I've been taking some photos, so I'll be sure to get them on here soon. Don't worry, I have already started out February with more pinning and have the supplies to try out some more projects/recipes....all I need is a little more money for the supplies and time in the day.....
January 2012
Total Pins: 135
Completed Pins: 12
Completion: 9%
My favorite pin that I accomplished this month: It's a tie...between the yummy green monster smoothies and the awesome flannel boards for the boys.
I've been taking some photos, so I'll be sure to get them on here soon. Don't worry, I have already started out February with more pinning and have the supplies to try out some more projects/recipes....all I need is a little more money for the supplies and time in the day.....
Friday, January 27, 2012
2012 GOALS
Rambling.....
A few weeks ago, we welcomed a new year and like millions of others, I decided to set some goals for myself. The problem I often face is that I write my goals and don't read them often enough.Sometimes the goals are too specific and I start to waffle on them and eventually fail. FOR EXAMPLE: Every year I commit to exercising 3 times a week. I may get off track being sick/out of town and only exercise once that week, then I feel bad and somehow quit exercising completely because I can't seem to re-motivate myself.
I seem to set the same goals every year - I would consider them LIFE goals that I just renew each year. Specifics for the goals are different based on the my progress the year before and the situation in my life at the time. I am reminded of a few scriptures that explain my thoughts....
"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts..." (2Nephi 28:30)
This scripture teaches me that I cannot do or be everything all at once...the Lord will help me to learn and grow according to my willingness. Growth happens a little at a time. My goals adjust to my growth.
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Ecc 3:1)
I need to accept that I can't do it all at once, all the time. For example, I no longer have countless hours to devote to my family history research. At this time in my life I feel like I CAN devote a little time each week to my personal and family journal for my posterity. I CAN also spend a little time each week to index records in familysearch.org. I PROMISE that there will be another season for me to devote countless hours to my family history research - but not right now.
So, THIS year I decided to make 1-2 word goals. Each goal represents a whole vision in my head of my self-expectations. Based on the season of my life, I will fulfill each goal to the best I can. I'd like to post these somewhere in my home so I can see them often. So, here it goes...(in no particular order)
SCRIPTURES
PRAYER
SERVICE
TESTIMONY
KAIROS TIME
FRIENDSHIP
JOURNAL
FAMILY HISTORY
EXERCISE
D.I.Y.
GARDEN
READ
PUNCTUAL
BLOG
1 YEAR SUPPLY
PHOTO ALBUMS
A few weeks ago, we welcomed a new year and like millions of others, I decided to set some goals for myself. The problem I often face is that I write my goals and don't read them often enough.Sometimes the goals are too specific and I start to waffle on them and eventually fail. FOR EXAMPLE: Every year I commit to exercising 3 times a week. I may get off track being sick/out of town and only exercise once that week, then I feel bad and somehow quit exercising completely because I can't seem to re-motivate myself.
I seem to set the same goals every year - I would consider them LIFE goals that I just renew each year. Specifics for the goals are different based on the my progress the year before and the situation in my life at the time. I am reminded of a few scriptures that explain my thoughts....
"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts..." (2Nephi 28:30)
This scripture teaches me that I cannot do or be everything all at once...the Lord will help me to learn and grow according to my willingness. Growth happens a little at a time. My goals adjust to my growth.
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Ecc 3:1)
I need to accept that I can't do it all at once, all the time. For example, I no longer have countless hours to devote to my family history research. At this time in my life I feel like I CAN devote a little time each week to my personal and family journal for my posterity. I CAN also spend a little time each week to index records in familysearch.org. I PROMISE that there will be another season for me to devote countless hours to my family history research - but not right now.
So, THIS year I decided to make 1-2 word goals. Each goal represents a whole vision in my head of my self-expectations. Based on the season of my life, I will fulfill each goal to the best I can. I'd like to post these somewhere in my home so I can see them often. So, here it goes...(in no particular order)
SCRIPTURES
PRAYER
SERVICE
TESTIMONY
KAIROS TIME
FRIENDSHIP
JOURNAL
FAMILY HISTORY
EXERCISE
D.I.Y.
GARDEN
READ
PUNCTUAL
BLOG
1 YEAR SUPPLY
PHOTO ALBUMS
Friday, January 20, 2012
LAST ONE!!
This is the LAST potty training post, I PROMISE. I said that yesterday, but I have a funny story and couldn't resist posting for everyone to get a chuckle.
So, as a new approach, I decided to give the boys some "naked time."
Yes, completely naked.
Good thing that our house has all hard floors, because I wouldn't be so bold if the house was carpeted.
11:30am - Arlo realizes that he needs to go pee so he jumps on the little potty in the family room. At that very moment, Josiah realized that he needed to pee as well but didn't have time/interest to run to the bathroom. So, in a flash he grabbed the plastic ice cream bucket, dumped out the toys and peed STANDING UP in the bucket!!! I sat there in shock, but burst out laughing when I realized everyone had avoided an accident. Good aim, boys.
Quick thinking Josiah! Let's not make this a habit though.
So, as a new approach, I decided to give the boys some "naked time."
Yes, completely naked.
Good thing that our house has all hard floors, because I wouldn't be so bold if the house was carpeted.
11:30am - Arlo realizes that he needs to go pee so he jumps on the little potty in the family room. At that very moment, Josiah realized that he needed to pee as well but didn't have time/interest to run to the bathroom. So, in a flash he grabbed the plastic ice cream bucket, dumped out the toys and peed STANDING UP in the bucket!!! I sat there in shock, but burst out laughing when I realized everyone had avoided an accident. Good aim, boys.
Quick thinking Josiah! Let's not make this a habit though.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
New Strategy
Day 3 was the same 'ole as Day 1 & 2 - lots of accidents, another load of underwear in the washing machine, disinfectant spray & paper towels, movie watching, blah blah blah...
Today was Day 4 - (see above note about Day 3)
So, bedtime is a new challenge because they see trips to the bathroom as a great excuse to delay bedtime.... and boy do they use that trick a lot. Back & forth to the bathroom multiple times and you KNOW that one boy can't go without the other boy following....ugh. It tries my patience at the end of the day.
I think that Josiah will be ready for the "real world" by the time I head to back to work on Monday (in other words, it won't be a total disaster at day care.) He had 1 accident today, but I think he just got caught up playing with his friends that came over.
I need a new strategy for Arlo - he's just not making any progress & he'll be wearing diapers to college if things don't change. So, I pulled out my original potty training book and have been doing some reading - the idea is that you center the training around the child's personality. So, we took the quiz and it turns out that Arlo scored highest in the IMPULSIVE CHILD category - surprise, surprise, right?? So, I'm reading that chapter of the book and we'll start all over tomorrow with a new strategy.
For anyone who knows my children, you'll know that this defines Arlo's personality exactly: (book excerpt)
So, I know that potty training isn't the most exciting topic to read about - so thank you for bearing with me. I use this blog as a "journal" of sorts for my personal/family records. I promise this will be the last long post about P.T....back to all the other "exciting" parts of my life. =)
Today was Day 4 - (see above note about Day 3)
So, bedtime is a new challenge because they see trips to the bathroom as a great excuse to delay bedtime.... and boy do they use that trick a lot. Back & forth to the bathroom multiple times and you KNOW that one boy can't go without the other boy following....ugh. It tries my patience at the end of the day.
I think that Josiah will be ready for the "real world" by the time I head to back to work on Monday (in other words, it won't be a total disaster at day care.) He had 1 accident today, but I think he just got caught up playing with his friends that came over.
I need a new strategy for Arlo - he's just not making any progress & he'll be wearing diapers to college if things don't change. So, I pulled out my original potty training book and have been doing some reading - the idea is that you center the training around the child's personality. So, we took the quiz and it turns out that Arlo scored highest in the IMPULSIVE CHILD category - surprise, surprise, right?? So, I'm reading that chapter of the book and we'll start all over tomorrow with a new strategy.
For anyone who knows my children, you'll know that this defines Arlo's personality exactly: (book excerpt)
"Impulsive children are the ones who are into everything, jump from one ambitious activity to another and never seem to tire. You may easily spot the parents of an impulsive child - they're usually sweaty from nonstop running. Impulsive children are energetic and active...they seldom or never sit still....Bodily risk-takers, they're the ones who climb all over the furniture...These are the kids for whom safety latches were invented...They are easily excitable and anticipate everything as a great adventure. Being typically happy children, they recover quickly from being upset and are usually adaptable. They easily interact with familiar and unfamiliar people or situations. For the impulsive child, every day is a new day and he lives for the moment" (Stress-free Potty Training, By Sara Au and Peter Stavinoha)
So, I know that potty training isn't the most exciting topic to read about - so thank you for bearing with me. I use this blog as a "journal" of sorts for my personal/family records. I promise this will be the last long post about P.T....back to all the other "exciting" parts of my life. =)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
DAY 2 = POOP
Let's back up to last night....I decided to camp out on the floor between the boys' toddler beds - just in case someone woke up and needed help to the bathroom. It was a pretty miserable night for me...sleeping on the floor with a huge pregnant belly combined with anxiety over the boys wetting their beds and a sinus infection. I got NO sleep; I woke up every hour. BUT, in the end, the boys both woke up with DRY beds!!! SUCCESSFUL NIGHT!
On to Day 2 of Potty Training...
Total accidents: 11 (Arlo-9, Josiah-2)
Successful pee pees in potty: 8 ( Arlo-0, Josiah-8)
Josiah has POOPED in the POTTY!!! Guess who gets an ice cream cone from McDonalds? I was going to take a picture to send to Jason, but Arlo got excited and flushed the toilet too fast. Overall, he had a great day (as you can see by the numbers above.) He seems to anticipate the pee before it comes out and sometimes takes himself to the potty. He's still had a few accidents, but one happened the last 15 minutes of his nap (yes, I was there checking their pants every 15 minutes even during naptime!)
Arlo is a mystery to me. Here's how his day went:
After 5 accidents this morning I took the little potty seat into the family room. I gave him another 8oz of juice and he sat there for 90 minutes watching a movie - no pee. I put him down for a 2 hour nap, no pee. When he woke up he was back on the toilet for another 30 minutes, no pee. Finally I took him outside to play in the yard with nothing but a shirt & shoes - no pee. (Next time I won't be taking him out at 4pm - it seems that's when all the school buses & minivans full of carpool kids drive by my house!!!) Please ignore the pant-less child in my yard. I gave up and we went to run a QUICK errand at a friend's house and what do you think happened? He had an accident at her house. 5 1/2 hours of no pee and he decides to have an accident there? Oh and then after dinner, he pooped on the kitchen floor. Arlo is quite the personality - it doesn't seem to upset him when he has accidents - he apologizes and we have a little talk, but he stays in the BEST mood ever. His positive attitude is so admirable. I continue to be patient with him because he's so sweet and I know that they are just accidents. He'll figure it out.
So, after 2 days of potty training, we have used an entire roll of paper towels to clean up messes & our disinfectant spray is worth it's weight in gold.
BTW - does it count as an accident or success if they pee in the bathtub??
On to Day 2 of Potty Training...
Total accidents: 11 (Arlo-9, Josiah-2)
Successful pee pees in potty: 8 ( Arlo-0, Josiah-8)
Josiah has POOPED in the POTTY!!! Guess who gets an ice cream cone from McDonalds? I was going to take a picture to send to Jason, but Arlo got excited and flushed the toilet too fast. Overall, he had a great day (as you can see by the numbers above.) He seems to anticipate the pee before it comes out and sometimes takes himself to the potty. He's still had a few accidents, but one happened the last 15 minutes of his nap (yes, I was there checking their pants every 15 minutes even during naptime!)
Arlo is a mystery to me. Here's how his day went:
After 5 accidents this morning I took the little potty seat into the family room. I gave him another 8oz of juice and he sat there for 90 minutes watching a movie - no pee. I put him down for a 2 hour nap, no pee. When he woke up he was back on the toilet for another 30 minutes, no pee. Finally I took him outside to play in the yard with nothing but a shirt & shoes - no pee. (Next time I won't be taking him out at 4pm - it seems that's when all the school buses & minivans full of carpool kids drive by my house!!!) Please ignore the pant-less child in my yard. I gave up and we went to run a QUICK errand at a friend's house and what do you think happened? He had an accident at her house. 5 1/2 hours of no pee and he decides to have an accident there? Oh and then after dinner, he pooped on the kitchen floor. Arlo is quite the personality - it doesn't seem to upset him when he has accidents - he apologizes and we have a little talk, but he stays in the BEST mood ever. His positive attitude is so admirable. I continue to be patient with him because he's so sweet and I know that they are just accidents. He'll figure it out.
So, after 2 days of potty training, we have used an entire roll of paper towels to clean up messes & our disinfectant spray is worth it's weight in gold.
BTW - does it count as an accident or success if they pee in the bathtub??
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| Arlo |
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