Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I Need Your Vote... and a Power Nap at 8:15 P.M.

First of all, I am requesting a favor from my readers.  My in-laws (the Dilleys) have been chosen as 1 out of 9 finalists to receive a home makeover worth $20,000 from Home Depot.  They could really use the help in updating their home.  Please take the time to read their story and cast your vote here: Vote for the Dilleys and click on the Gift for Good . I would also appreciate it if you would share the link with others.  Thank you all in advance!

Last night, my 3 year-old son went to sleep at 8:15 pm.  I was thrilled, as he had been staying up until midnight.  My 8 week-old stayed up til after 1 am on Monday night.  I was looking forward to a good night's sleep.  Not a great night's sleep, but at least a good night's sleep.  Fast forward to 9:30 pm, I was watching the end of the Duke vs Ohio State Basketball massacre.  I hear the pitter-patter of my son's feet running down the hallway.  I almost cried, not seriously, but I thought about it.

I tried to convince him to go back to sleep upon his arrival in the family room.  I told him he was really tired.  I told him he really had to go to sleep.  I offered him bribes.  He wasn't falling for any of my tricks.  I might have had a little more luck if there wasn't a computer turned on, which he took control of quickly.  At 10 pm, I wanted to watch "Chopped" on the Food Network.  I am a huge fan of that show... I started watching it after the birth of my 8 week-old.  I ended up watching "Wow Wow Wubbzy."   I hoped that would put him to sleep.  That was on for an hour.  I hoped to watch the next episode of "Chopped" at 11 pm.  Instead, I watched "Nihao Kai-lan,"  then I watched "Little Bill."  I completely missed both episodes of "Chopped," and he was still awake.  Oh, I forgot to mention that my baby was awake by this time too.

I switched the channel to the "Late Show with Craig Ferguson."  I never watch that, but I was hoping it would bore my 3 year-old to sleep.  Nope... at 12:30 pm, I switched to "Storage Wars."  I enjoy this show as well.  He was asleep by 12:45 am.  My baby had fallen to sleep a little after midnight.  I believe I managed to fall to sleep a little after 1 am. 

My 3 year-old woke up around 8:40 this morning.  I am not sure if this means he will be going to sleep early tonight because he will be so tired after not getting enough sleep.  Trust me, I didn't wake him up, I fully planned to sleep til at least 10 am after waking up to get my older children off to school.  I have no problem falling back to sleep these days.  I think I will be scared if he does go to sleep any earlier than 9 pm. 

I am not sure how I will sleep tonight.  We have a high wind watch, sustained winds of 45-60 mph with gusts up to 75 mph for tonight.  We have a huge pine tree right outside my apartment.  With the winds howling tonight, I will hope to get some sleep, but it isn't too promising to get a good night sleep.  So, in the end, pray for the tree to stay intact.

I did get to spend quality time with my 3 year-old last night when everyone else was sleeping, so that is the bright side. Life is good! :)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Christmas Lights at Temple Square

On Friday night, the Christmas lights at Temple Square were officially turned on for the season.  My sister told me on Friday night and I said we should go.  Fast forward about 24 hours, we were on our way to Salt Lake City.  It took a little while to get everyone ready and excited for the trip, but we did.  My sister first treated us to dinner at JB's restaurant.  I managed to eat something that didn't agree with me, but I didn't let that get in the way of a good time.

I bundled up my baby girl.  She was in her outfit, the thing I zip her in to and then put her in the car seat, and a blanket, with a little knit cap on.  I wanted to be sure she didn't get to cold.  It was in the low 30s, so it was quite frigid out there.  The rest of us had on coats, except me, who thought that it would be warm enough with a jacket on.  I was just an little wrong!

As we were walking from our van to see the Christmas lights, my youngest son kept saying, "Are we going to see the Chris-A-Mis lights?"  I thought it was really cute how he was saying it.  He definitely got a chuckle out of me.  I assured him that we were going to see them. Once we got back with his Aunt, he didn't want to hold anyone's hand except for hers.  We made it quite clear that there were too many people and that he had to hold our hands so he wouldn't get lost.  I held the baby the whole time we walked around the Square.  I wanted to be sure she was wrapped appropriately.

There were thousands of people on Temple Square.  It is quite the attraction at Christmas time.  They make it so beautiful.  I think it is beautiful without the Christmas lights, but the Christmas lights make it even more beautiful.  It is fun to hear the ooooh's and aaaaaaah's of the children when they see the lights.  It is almost like the Fourth of July!

My computer went to the computer doctor over a week ago. It needed to get warranty work on the DVD player.  Since the warranty ran out yesterday, I thought I should get it done!   I am still waiting for it to get back.  When it does get back, I will be able to post some pictures that we took on this trip to Salt Lake City.  Until then, you just have to take my word for it that they sure know how to decorate Temple Square. 

On another note, my 7 year-old daughter, my sister and I had our hair done yesterday.  It turned out well for all of us.  My sister got more cut than she anticipated, but in the end, it was a good cut.  I got weighed yesterday morning and lost 1.4 pounds for a total of 10 pounds.  I am super happy about that!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Thoughts on Black Friday

Today I am thankful that I didn't go out to get any of the Black Friday Sales.  I never woke up intentionally to get  the deal, or stayed up all night, but if for some reason I was awake at a horrible time of the morning and it could help me get a good deal, I would head out. 

I remember getting pushed and bumped though when I was 37 weeks pregnant with my 3 year-old son.  I didn't like that.  I decided then that I would not go out on Black Friday until after 10 am, when most of the crowds have died down.  I have not left the house today, to be honest, I don't plan to leave it.  I can never remember anyone pepper spraying or robbing someone else when I was out there.  There are certainly crazy people in the world, and I am thankful that I have not encountered them.  I will be honest, I would like it to stay that way. 

There is no sale big enough to cause me to want to harm another person.  There is no sale big enough to cause me to want to be harmed.  I will continue to watch my television that is not plasma or HD, and I will enjoy it.  My children will continue to own a Nintendo 64, we will not be updating that console anytime soon.  I do not own a Droid phone or the latest Tablet computer.   I don't see the point in replacing any of these things... they still work, why spend money to replace it?!

I am thankful for my children who understand that we don't need the most updated technology.  I am thankful that they understand the difference between needs and wants.  Yes, they do get things they want sometimes, but I make sure that they always have the things they need.  Life is good.  We have a roof over our head, my husband has a good job, we have a healthy family.  I can't ask for much more than that!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

My 8 Year-Old is Thankful...

Today is my son's turn to say what he is thankful for.   I am going to quote him, since he doesn't want to type it out.

"My family, video games.  I am thankful for technology.  Linc (somebody from Legend of Zelda)." 

I asked him if there was anything else, he said nope.

So, that is his list for the day.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Monday, November 21, 2011

My 7 Year-Old is Thankful For...

Today it is my 7 year-old daughter's turn to state what she is thankful for.  I am going to let her write it in her own words, so here she goes...

my sister, my brothers, my roommate, music, movies, TV, victorious, pool, art, dolphins, sea animals, land animals, animals, family, friends, sun, moon, stars, school, world, fun, spelling, books, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, sports, computers, printer, money, phone, Universe, writing, crayons, markers, paint, mail, New Years Eve, thanksgiving, circus, pens, cotton candy, teddy bears, blankets, beds, home, sky, clouds, cribs, water, soda, key board, games.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

My 3 Year-Old is Thankful...

This morning I asked my 3 year-old what he is thankful for.  He said nothing.  I told my sister that would make a wonderful blog...  She then re-worded the question for my 3 year-old.  She asked him what he is happy for.  He started a list.

1. His big brother
2. His big brother playing DS with him
3. His baby sister
4. His big sister
5. His Aunt Brenda
6. His Mommy
7. His Daddy
8. Going to school
9. His bed
10. Eating and drinking
11. Mario games
12. and his family and friends in NY.

This is a pretty good list for a 3 year-old I think.  I was proud of him for being able to think of things that he is happy for.  I am sure they are not in any specific order.

I am thankful that he is a good, healthy little boy.  I am thankful for the sense of humor that he already demonstrates.  He reminds me a lot of his Uncle Jim.  I can see that he will be a lot like him as he gets older, which will make him a good man.  He has a sparkle in his eyes that I miss when he gets sick.  He is a hard little guy to punish because he will look at me with a big smile on his face and ask for one more chance.  I am thankful that he enjoys having books read to him.  I am thankful that he enjoys being with the family.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Giving Thanks

With Thanksgiving Day right around the corner, I can't help but think of all I am thankful for.  This has been quite the crazy year, to say the least.  We decided to move to Nevada and rented a Penske truck with the destination near Reno.  We would drop the Penske truck off there after we unloaded it into the house that we were planning to rent.  The day we picked up the Penske truck, we found out that the house we were going to rent was not going to work out.  They wanted 6 months of rent, up front, because neither Keith nor I, had a job lined up.  That would have about equaled the amount of a down payment to buy a house.

At this time, I knew I was pregnant.  I had given birth to my first two children in Ogden UT.  I knew that I loved the midwife that I had seen during those pregnancies.  I had wanted her to deliver all my children, but my third was born in NY.  That was fine, I had a wonderful doctor there.  If I were still in NY, I would have had him deliver my fourth baby as well.  I think he is the best OB/GYN in the area.  So, when the house didn't work out, I told my husband that we might as well move back to UT, so my midwife could deliver this baby as well.  So, the day that we were leaving, we decided that our final destination would be UT instead of NV.

We loaded up our children and off we went.  My 3 year-old rode with my husband and I, my 7 year-old (6 at the time) rode with my sister, and my 8 year-old rode with his Grandpa.  This was pretty much for the duration of the trip.  I had purchased a Nintendo DS for each of them, so they would have something to do on their trip.  That made the trip much better for all of us.

Upon arrival in UT, we stayed with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  They were kind enough to let us stay for a few days while we found and secured a place to stay.  We found a place quickly, because I knew that my father would be leaving in a few days, and I didn't want him to worry about where we would live.  The night before Dad left, I was in tears.  I knew that it would be a while before I would see him again.

I found a job quickly and started working with a wonderful bunch of women (and a man).  They quickly became good friends of mine.  It made my life better to have met them.  It was an extra bonus to be able to make some money while my husband looked for work.  I had initially planned to only work until he found a job, but I enjoyed going to work and the people I worked with.  I worked until 9 days before I had my baby. My sister now works there in my place.  I was blessed with a supervisor that understood when I wasn't feeling well, and tried to make me comfortable even during the worst time of my Pemphigoid Gestationis.  She is a wonderful woman and I am blessed to have her as a friend.

I am thankful today that we have a place to live and my husband has a job.  I am thankful that I was able to have my daughter here in UT, I am not sure I would have been diagnosed correctly if I had still been in NY.  I was misdiagnosed when I was pregnant with my 3 year-old, since it is such a rare condition.  I am thankful that my children attend a good school and have good teachers.  I am thankful that my 3 year-old was able to start preschool.  He loves it!  I am thankful for the friends that I have made here. I am thankful for a healthy family.  I am thankful that my husband found some money today that he had thought he lost on our move. The only thing that I miss is my friends and family in NY.  If I could move them all here, this would be the perfect place to live.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Getting Ready For Thanksgiving

Today was the first day I went out to start the Thanksgiving shopping.  It is going to just be the people that live here that will be eating.  I am used to huge gatherings where I bring some stuff to Mom's house to help with the festivities.  I got a 15.77 pound turkey.  We enjoy leftovers and look forward to making turkey sandwiches.  I wonder how it is to freeze turkey and eat it later, we may find out!  There are only going to be 6 of us eating.

I bought 2 boxes of garlic mashed potatoes and 2 boxes of Turkey Stove Top Stuffing.  I figure that I might as well make it easy on myself.  I also bought a bag of cranberries, because I was taught how to make cranberry sauce in my 1st grade class and made it yearly, until my son was in 1st grade.  I let him make it that year, and then my daughter was in 1st grade the following year and both of them made it.  I am passing the mantle on to them and my daughter reminded me she needs to make it, so we bought the cranberries.  I always enjoy my mom's giblet gravy, but I have no clue how to make it, so we will have a Thanksgiving without gravy, I believe.

I need to see what kind of pie my husband wants for Thanksgiving because I am only going to buy one.  I don't want to have a couple pies, because I know I will help eat both of them, I would rather just eat one.  I can tend to be gluttonous at times.  I am hoping that knowing that I have to weigh-in at Weight Watchers a couple days later will keep me on track.  I don't like gaining weight at weigh-ins, who does, right?

My husband volunteered to work on Thanksgiving day.  He gets out of work relatively early, so we will be having Thanksgiving for dinner instead of lunch like we always did. It is okay though, he will be earning holiday pay and he will be home for dinner which is good!


My children are looking forward to Thanksgiving because they get several days off.  My son is excited that he won't have to go to choir.  He liked it for the first couple of weeks, now he isn't a big fan of it.  After their Christmas production, he will no longer attend.  My daughter loves to sing.  She wants to be a professional singer... or a background singer.  Those are both things I never aspired to. 

My baby is crying so I am going to end this.  Have a good night!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Running For The First Time Since Finding Out I Was Pregnant

My baby turned 6 weeks-old yesterday.  With that, I was permitted to start exercising.  I guess I thought that meant that I could attempt to kill myself in a 10 minute time-span.  I decided that I would take it easy...set the treadmill for 10 minutes and run the whole time to see how far I could go.  I kept the treadmill between 4.9 mph and 5.5 mph, to take it easy on myself.  I managed to run .83 miles in ten minutes.  I thought it was quite an accomplishment, seeing how I hadn't run since Feb. 11, 2011.  I walked the rest of the time to get a mile of exercise in. 

I then walked home.  On the way home, I felt a weird sensation in my belly.  I knew I had to get to the bathroom quickly, I managed to get to the bathroom and then had to call to my daughter to bring me a bowl.  I was sure that I might puke.  She ran and got me a huge Tupperware bowl.  I am sure it was have been sufficient if I indeed had puked.  I asked for my water bottle.  After sipping on that for a few minutes, I felt much better.  I was able to leave the bathroom and come back among the living.

I then made myself a bowl of Crispy Rice cereal with milk and whipped cream (I love that stuff).  I ate that and continued to feel better.  I was able to prevent myself from puking.  I hate to puke, but I know sometimes that I would feel better if I did.  This wasn't one of those times.  After eating smoked oysters, puking helped me feel better.  I used to love those things, but I think I am allergic to them now.  I had eaten them twice a few weeks apart, and puked within an hour of eating them each time. 

So, the moral of the story I guess, is that although I can still run, I shouldn't overdo it.  I do plan to run a half marathon in the spring of 2012.  I have to figure out a training routine and know that I am starting over.  My children have been very supportive of my running in the past.  I look forward to getting back the endurance and cardiovascular health I once had.  I knew that it would be a long road back, but it is one that I am ready to follow.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I am a Sport's Fan

I have grown up watching football, softball, baseball and basketball.  For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan.  I remember "Love Ya Blue" paraphernalia around Houston.  This was when the football team was the Houston Oilers and their uniforms were a light blue. I knew that I didn't like Dallas Cowboys.  I even liked the Cowboys less after the Buffalo Bills debacle in the Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994.

 My dad coached my older brother's football team in elementary school.  I am sure this is where my love for football was born.  I loved watching my brothers play.  I remember running the laps with the boys and doing the exercises.  There has been a story told that I even tackled one of the players.  I don't remember that.  I was pretty young.  I remember being on the cheerleading squad... although I am sure I enjoyed watching the games more than cheerleading.

My first word was "ball."  This is because my dad was a softball player.  He would play several nights a week.  I guess that I would just see the lights on at a ball field and I would start saying "ball, ball."  I watched my dad play ball until we moved when I was 9.  He started playing again when I was in college.  My younger brothers played on the team with him.  My sisters, my two younger brothers, my dad and I all played on a co-ed team together for a softball tournament in Allegany in 2008.  That is memorable, although we didn't do very well.  It was the first game I had played in since I was 9. 

My dad also played church basketball.  I remember watching him play and knowing that the ball going in the hoop was good.  I didn't really understand the fouls and penalties until I was much older.  My older brother played high school basketball for a season, and then my youngest brother played high school basketball for a few seasons.  It helped me to start understanding what the fouls were about.  I started watching professional basketball when I was in college.  I picked the Utah Jazz as "my team" because I was in college in Utah.  My younger brothers played basketball at a church last year.  I went to as many games as I could.  I have a decent understanding of the game now.

Having lived in Houston for the first several years of my life, I attended most home Astros games.  I was there in the era of Nolan Ryan, Alan Ashby, Art Howe, Jose Cruz, to name a few.  Those are names I remember right now anyway.  My brothers all played baseball.  I enjoy watching the World Series and I became a Mets fan in the years I lived in NY.  Although I still like them, I get stuck watching the Colorado Rockies now.  I enjoy that as well.  I guess I don't really have a team that I am a fan of, I just pick a team that I want to have win on a given night.

I mention this because I sit here and watch football by myself.  I don't know how it happened, but I managed to marry someone that doesn't care to watch football, or any other sport for that matter.  My children couldn't care less about sports either.  They may think I am crazy as I sit and scream at the television.  Today hasn't been a good day in football.  The Bills once again lost to the Cowboys... not only lost, but got crushed.  It was quite sad.  The teams I have wanted to see win haven't been able to win. 

I hope, perhaps, my 3 year-old will enjoy watching the games with me as he gets older, or perhaps, my newborn will grow up and want to yell at the television with me.  It can be quite energizing!  We shall see.  I miss my family in NY a lot.  Sundays during football season only make me miss them more.  We would all sit around and yell at the television together.  It was wonderful to have my mother here for 3 1/2 weeks after my baby was born.  We would watch the sports together.  We got to watch the World Series (would have loved to see the Rangers win), and many college football games and professional games. 

That is just something about me.  Sports has been a part of my life.  I imagine it always will be.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

"Santa Has No Legs and No Car, and He Has Horses!"

Yesterday my youngest son really wanted a new video game for his DS.  I told him he should put it on his Santa List.  He started crying and it was quite clear that he didn't want to wait that long to MAYBE get the game.  The next words that came out of his mouth made me laugh...

"Santa has no legs and no car, and he has horses!"  Then he went on, still sobbing, telling me, "Santa got hit by a car and died."

I tried to hold back laughter as I could not figure out for the life of me where this was coming from.  I told him that if Santa got hit by a car and died, it would be all over the news.  There would be crying children and parents everywhere.  It would just be a horrible day, week, year...  How horrible it would be if Santa died! 

The utterance of Santa having horses did make me laugh.  I had never imagined flying horses... or a horse with a red nose, but that did cause me to imagine those things.  My 7 year-old daughter was here for the whole thing.  She was laughing hard.  She couldn't believe what he was saying about Santa.  I think she was relieved when I said that Santa hadn't been hit by a car.  It would ruin the season.

The Christmas season is quickly approaching.  I try to get the kids to start their Santa list so I can make sure he gets it in time.

I am thankful for this season, where we get to reflect on the birth of Christ.  It seems that people are a little happier and nicer (except when they are pushing and shoving their ways for the best Black Friday sale).   I have been blessed to have a wonderful family where we have many Christmas traditions.  Although we will not be able to be together this Christmas, we will keep up the traditions. 

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Veteran's Day and Other Thoughts

First and foremost, I am not sure if I will be blogging tomorrow or not, so I wanted to put out a special thank you to all the Veterans out there.  My father is a Vietnam Veteran.  I am thankful for his service to our country and service that all the other Veterans have given.  Without them, we would not have the freedoms we enjoy today. 

My baby is 5 weeks and 1 day old now.  It is hard to believe how quickly this time goes.  She grows every day, I am sure.  She is almost not fitting into her newborn clothing anymore.  When I brought her home, I wondered how long it would be until it actually fit her.  We were looking at preemie clothes at one point.  I am glad we didn't purchase those, she would have probably fit in them for about a week.

My older children still adore her.  I didn't know if it would wear off quickly.  It hasn't.  They still wake up and the first thing they want to do is hold her.  I usually give in, even though she is still sleeping, because they have to leave for school and won't see her for several hours.  My youngest son doesn't care to help with the dirty diapers anymore though.  I guess that was just a passing thing.  No one really cares to help with the dirty diapers for that matter.  My sister does change them if I am busy or gone.  My husband will change them too, if I am no where around.

Beat the Clock cleaning is still going well.  The house stays maintained.  I guess we need to add a little extra time to declutter a few places that could use it.  I seem to be in charge of the daily things... dishes and laundry.  I don't think that would get done otherwise, and neither are pleasant if they are not cleaned!

I am not used to the quiet time when my three oldest children are at school, on a side note, the word S-C-H-O-O-L just doesn't look right to me, but I know it is.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that my 3 year-old is not here.  I think that will take some time to get used to.


My sister and I got to hang out with a college friend last night and her 2 youngest children.  I brought my newborn with me so she could meet her.  It was a wonderful evening, we went out to eat at JB's Restaurant.  We spent about 1 1/2 hours there talking mostly, eating a little.  She lives in MN now, but whenever we have possibly been able to get together we have.  She is like another sister to me, she made my first year of college bearable.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

First Day of Preschool

Today was my 3 year-old son's first day of preschool.  He has been waiting (not so patiently) almost a year to start.  When I asked him if he liked school he said yes, and that he has 3 teachers. His favorite part he says was eating some more, and eating some more, and eating some more.  He also said cleaning up.  I must get their secrets!

He doesn't go to preschool all day.  We started getting ready to go right after lunch.  It didn't take too long.  I knew what he would be wearing.  He hates to wear his coat though, so that was a bit of a time-consumer.  I have to admit, I would love to live somewhere that I would never have to wear a coat.  Since we haven't moved to that location yet, I insisted that he wear his coat. 

I promised him that I would buy him a "Toy Story" backpack when he started school.  Last week, when we found out he would be starting school, I ordered the backpack from Amazon.com.  It shipped to me in 2 days for free... how nice!  He was so excited to get it. 

When I brought him to school, I had to fill out some paperwork about who to contact in the case of an emergency.  I also had to turn in his immunization record showing that it is up-to-date.  So, I went in for a few minutes and got everything taken care of. As soon as he entered the room, he started playing with the toys.  There was a little girl in there already so he went to where she was.  When it was time for me to leave, I told him I loved him, to listen to the teacher and good-bye.  He said bye and continued to play.  I am thankful to know that he is comfortable in the room. 

I walked back to the van, holding my newborn in my arms, knowing that she will be my last child that I ever bring to school for the first time.  I placed her in her car seat and we drove home.  It is a short drive and she fell sound to sleep by the time we got here.

I have been blessed with four wonderful children.  My older two children enjoy school.  I hope the 3 year-old loves his school career as much as he does right now.  He says he likes all the kids there and I am excited for him to make new friends.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Beat the Clock

While my mom was visiting us for 3 1/2 weeks, she took the time to get my house clean.  It is the best it has looked since we moved in.  With daily maintenance, it takes about 10 minutes to get it clean at the end of the day.  On Thursday night, it was time to get the house clean again before the kids went to bed.  I asked my husband to set the timer for 10 minutes.  This was so the kids could know that it didn't take very long to clean the house.  My daughter started crying, my older son didn't want to help, and my youngest son just refused.  I was at my wits end.  

Mom called about 8 minutes into it, and I started to cry.  This helped the kids want to clean.  They don't like to see my cry, and my hormones are still not all balanced yet after the birth of my baby, because I generally wouldn't cry over this either.  Mom didn't like to hear me crying on the phone and she asked if I wanted her to talk to the children.  I said sure.  I don't know what she said to them, but by the time I came out of their room, they were off the phone and apologizing.  The house got clean and it took less than 10 minutes.

The next day, Mom called and suggested that we play "Beat the Clock."  This would entail setting the timer for a certain amount of time, and if the house was clean in that amount of time, each child would get a quarter.  I was willing to try anything.  I like having a clean house.  So, that night, when my husband got home, I pitched the idea to him.  He approved of the idea and the amount of money the children would get paid. 

That night, we pitched the idea to the children and they were all excited.  I explained this would mean that they could earn $1.75 each a week.  It also meant that if they didn't get it done in the 10 minute time limit, they would have to give us back a quarter.  They agreed.  This would ensure that they didn't make to much of a mess daily, or if they did do something that would take longer, they would clean it up so they wouldn't lose their money. 

So, the timer was set for 10 minutes.  We started cleaning.  Sure enough, it was done in 10 minutes.  No crying (by me or my daughter), no whining, children asking what else they could do...  what a great time!  They were very pleased with their 25 cents at the end of the ten minutes. 

To my surprise, last night I was talking to my brother on the phone.  My 3 year-old started interrupting the conversation to ask if we could play "Beat the Clock."  That made me smile, and I explained to my brother what he was talking about.  He thought that was awesome.  I explained to my 3 year-old that we would wait until it was closer to bedtime.  We played again last night, it took a few seconds longer than 10 minutes, but they still got their 25 cents each. 

I am thankful for a clean house and for children that are enjoying the chance to help keep it clean.  I am thankful for my parents that care enough about me to think of a way that might help my children want to help out around the house. 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween Excitement

My kids look forward to Halloween most of the year.  It is almost as exciting as Christmas around here.  Perhaps it is because you get an all-you-can-eat buffet of candy for free... I am sure that is what used to excite me!

For Halloween this year my two older kids wore the same costume as last year.  My daughter was an Indian Princess and my son was Mario from Super Mario Bros.  He is a big fan of that character.  My 3 year-old was a bumblebee and my baby was an angel. 



Trick-or-treating began at 5:30 PM with a trunk-or-treat.  This is when people park their car along a rode or in a designated parking lot, and kids just go car to car instead of door-to-door.  After the children finished that, and almost all the candy in our bowl was gone, we left.  My newborn didn't go trick-or-treating, she hung out at home with Grandma. My children wanted to go around the apartment complex.  My husband, who had been up since 5:30 am, took the children around until 8 pm when it ended.  They got a ton of candy! 

I don't dress up for Halloween.  I can't remember the last time that I did.  I am pretty sure I was in college and it was for a Halloween dance.  My husband dressed up this year, he wore the outfit they gave him at the hospital to wear into the operating room when I was getting my c-section.   I think it looks good on him :)

I joined Weight Watchers today.  I have 46 pounds to lose to get to wear I want to be... I will keep you all updated on that as well.  Being on Prednisone has made even the post-pregnancy weight loss slow.  I am weaning off of that, and hopefully the weight will start coming off quickly.