1 WEEK UNTIL THE BIG TALK

Kennedy and I have planned a Mother/Daughter date for next Tuesday. It is the big talk time. I never remember my mom sitting down with me and explaining sex to me. I guess it just wasn’t talked about then or for some other reason that I don’t know but I always knew that I wanted to be open with my children. I never thought it would come this soon. She has expressed to me on several different occasions that she knows about the “S” word. The other day she even said that she knows how babies are made. I cannot put it off any longer. I am desperately seeking advice from others on how is the best way to go about it. Per the advice of a friend I have decided to make it into a big deal. Not the actual talk but the time spent together. After school, she and I will drive to St. George, for a little shopping, dinner, and a movie. I definitely want it to be a memorable and wonderful experience for her. She is very excited. She is counting down the days. It is actually making me a little more excited than scared. She is growing up way too fast. I miss my little girl, but I love the young lady she is turning into.

I have been doing a lot of research so that I have all the accurate information. If you have any advice please help me out with this difficult subject.

Tagged... 5 Addictions

1. I’m addicted to morning workouts. It’s almost impossible for me to make it through the day without a good sweat.

2. I’m addicted to achieving my goal on the Biggest Loser Cedar City. Six weeks ago two of my friends started a Biggest Loser Cedar City and Steve and I signed up. We had to make a weight loss goal of at least 10 pounds. We each put in $50 and if we make our goal we get $40 back. The winner gets the rest. I have 2 weeks left. Therefore, for 2 more weeks I will be completely addicted to seeing a loss on the dreaded scale.

3. I’m addicted to peppered jerky. I eat it all day long, even in the morning. Gross, I know.

4. I’m addicted to having on-going projects. I have to always have something in the works. Whether it is a craft, a sewing project or something to do with my house, there is always at least one thing ½ done.

5. I’m addicted to my family. They are my life and I would be nothing without them. They truly define me. That may sound a little pathetic but that's ok with me.

Puppy Pics

We have PUPPIES!

Niki had three beautiful, healthy puppies beginning at 11:00pm Friday night.


Shiba Inus normally come in three colors; black, sesame, and cream. We were really hoping for at least one to take after Niki and be cream. However, we got 3 sesame. I guess the daddy was just too dominant. Sesame is the traditional color of the breed. They are cute as can be. We've sold two and my children are continually begging to keep the third. (we'll see)

Healthy Eating

So it has been over a week now that me and my family have adopted a healthier eating menu. It is not the easiest thing in the world. As a matter of fact it is really hard for me. I have tried to cut out sugar all together and it’s not working so well. The first 7 days I did really well however my energy did not seem to be up to par. On Sunday I taught the sunbeam class and I brought snacks; crackers, marshmallows and fruit loops. It was really hard to feed them and not myself so I did sneak some fruit loops. Now the past two days I have found myself snacking on cold cereal several times throughout the day. I’m not sure how to stop. I haven’t had one piece of candy or chocolate and that is a huge feat. Were doing somewhat ok but of course it could be better. We eat a lot more vegetables and mainly chicken or fish. We’ve also cut out table salt. We use a lot of Mrs. Dash. It’s got to be healthy right?! I’m actually really proud of Steve I did not think he would be able to keep it up this long but he seems to be doing really well. Of course I sneak cereal so who’s to say he doesn’t sneak as well.

I’ve also got Steve exercising every day. Exercising is a lot easier for me than the eating part of this whole scenario. It’s not so easy for Steve however. The lack of time is a big factor. There’s usually less than an hour of time for him to spend with the kids at the end of the day. And if you factor in a workout there is no time, which has left him to exercising late at night. I am exhausted by the end of the day and I can only assume it is the same for him, but he has been a good sport and has continued each day.

So the reason that I put up this post is to add a few recipes every so often. I’m trying new, healthier recipes and I thought I would share those I liked.
This soup is one of my favorites. It is so easy and so good.



Tuscan Vegetable Soup




Ingredients
• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

Directions
In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Christmas Pictures

I know that it is well past Christmas but I thought I would throw up a few pictures anyway.

Christmas Eve! Jack is a goof ball and it's really hard to get a serious picture of him. This is the best I could do that night.

Here's the kids spreading food out for Santa's reindeer. We were lucky, it snowed on Christmas Eve.


Here's Jack fighting off kisses from the girls.

Unlike most of you who's children slept in until 6 or 7am, Kennedy and Rylee were up at 3:45am. I made them stay in their room until 6am. I know I'm a mean mom but that is just too early for me.




This is my gift to Stephen, a pullup bar. However Kennedy and Rylee love it more than most of their own gifts. They use it more too. They both do a few pullups everytime they walk by it.


Rylee loves to let everyone know that in Gymnastics her nickname is "Muscles".

Kennedy loves to show off her muscles as well.

Gregory, Mimi and Max came to Cedar a couple of days after Christmas to visit. Grandma Janet came over as well.



Kennedy, Rylee and Jack love it when their older brothers and sisters come to visit. They are all so much fun and give them a lot of attention. Here they are deliberating over a game. Gregory and Kennedy were on a team against Mimi, Rylee and Jack.


We all sat down for a tea party one afternoon.



My family is continually blessed. We had a wonderful Christmas. We gave to a family who are currently not as fortunate as us. I feel bad we didn't do more. There are so many people in our own communities who are hurting because of the failing economy. One New Years Resolution I made is to become more aware of those in need and actively be engaged in service. My family has been given so much and I would feel very ungrateful if I din't give back. We live in a wonderful neighborhood and have so many wonderful friends around us. I am blessed to be the receiver of much service and I am very grateful to all those who have helped me and my family throughout the past year.

Tagged by Rachelle

This post is all about belief. Here are the rules --some of your answers can't be religious. You should include at least one belief about food and one belief or unbelief that reflects your philosophy about life.

6 Things I Believe:

1. I believe that with God all things are possible.
2. I believe that family is most important.
3. I believe that not forgiving will mostly hurt you.
4. I believe that you can live on candy. (for a day or two)
5. I believe that being a good person will make you happy.
6. I believe that everyone needs love.

6 Things I don't Believe:

1. I do not believe that the grass is greener on the other side.
2. I do not believe that one woman can do it all.
3. I do not believe that just being a good person is enough.
4. I do not believe you can judge a book by its cover.
5. I do not believe my body will ever be the same as it was before kids.
6. I do not believe in worrying about the things you can’t change.

6 Things I am not sure about:

1. I’m not sure if I can ever become really organized.
2. I’m not sure if I can ever teach Jack to behave.
3. I’m not sure if I can ever have the sex talk with my kids.
4. I’m not sure how children from the same family can be so different.
5. I’m not sure if Steve will be Hawaii ready by next November.
6. I’m not sure why I am so blessed while other people around the world are less unfortunate.

Now I am tagging: Shanna, Holli, Brandy, Jenise, Jamie, Holly

The Girls

It’s so nice having another woman in the house. However, it’s a little hard to think of Megan as a woman. We love it when she comes to visit. We don’t get to see her very much anymore now that she is off to school and in Young Ambassadors. It’s hard for her to get away with all that goes on, but the times she is here she is so much fun. I'm very lucky to have her in my life.

I'm Thankful

Here's a cute picture of Kennedy and Rylee last Sunday.



I cooked Thanksgiving dinner this year for most of my family and extended family, a turkey and all the trimming. Here is a picture of Megan and Rylee pealing 10 pounds of potatoes. I was very grateful. Pealing potatoes is one of my least favorite food preparations. It was too crazy the rest of the day and therefore I didn’t take any other pictures.



It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without doing a grateful post. I don’t have 12 or more hours to do this so know that it will be utterly incomplete. There are just too many things on my list.

I will start with my family. I’m not sure how I got so lucky. I have the most beautiful children. They are also the smartest kids I know. Ok now I may be a little biased but this is my post. I am blessed to have 3 more children who are one of the greatest blessings in my life. They are amazing individuals who teach me by their example everyday.

I’m thankful for our air purifier. It’s about 20 years old and very loud. I need the noise to sleep. I am a very light sleeper and even with the rumbling of the purifier right next to the bed it’s still hard to tune out all the little noises.

I’m thankful for down comforters. My body turns into an oven in the night. I open the window in the winter and close our door so all the cold air stays in. Poor Steve freezes. The comforter helps him quite a bit. That way I don’t have to feel so guilty.

I’m thankful for take out. I use cook a lot and I think I’m pretty good at it. However in the last couple of years I have slacked on my job quite a bit. Take out has fed my family many nights.

I’m thankful for my membership at Spirit Fitness Club. Without it my sanity would not be intact.

I’m thankful for face bronzer. My skin tans rather easily in the summer and I’m still not too concerned with the skin damage, however on my face it is a different story. I am completely obsessed with covering my face. Therefore my face sees very little sun and therefore is white while my body is dark, not very appealing. That’s where face bronzer comes in. It is absolutely perfect. You can look like you have a tan without any damage. It clears up a lot of blemishes as a bonus.

I am also thankful for the peace of mind I am given each day. I am definitely a worrier. I have been all my life. It caused great stress and anxiety for me. For years now I have been able to control it with help from Heavenly Father and it has completely changed my life.

I am thankful for my friends. I am very blessed to be surrounded by amazing women. I learn so much from each of you and hopefully I am using your examples to better myself.

Lastly I am very grateful to have a testimony. Without my faith I would not be where I am today, which is HAPPY. I am truly a happy person. I have moments where I begin to feel otherwise, however those moments are short lived.

I am thankful for HAPPINESS.

Today I took some head shots of Megan for her portfolio. She is so beautiful.

Happy Day!!! No More Diapers!!!

JACK IS POTTY TRAINED!!!
YEAH OH YEAH!
The week before we went to Phoenix I started putting underwear on him and after he would pee in his pants he would want them off immediately. Several times I told him he would just have to wear them until I had time to change him. He did not like that one bit. Jack has a really hard time with his hands being dirty so to walk around in wet pants was not his idea of something that was ok for him. After about three days of this he told me, as we were sitting up to the table that he had to go to the bathroom. I was ecstatic. We ran in the bathroom and sure enough he had held it until he got onto the toilet. Since then he has been able to run to the bathroom each time he has had to go. I was worried that when we left he wouldn’t be able to keep it up but he did.

The biggest struggle since then has been trying to get him to wear a diaper when he goes to bed. The night before last he woke up at 4am (I was of course already in his bed from him waking up earlier) (that’s how my night generally goes) he was moving around a lot and crying. When he finally woke completely up he told me that he had to go to the bathroom. And again last night he woke up at 3am to go potty. Yeah again! I guess I won’t have to fight with him about diapers at night now.

I thought we would never get to this point and now that we have crossed the big hurdle I’m not sure why I ever doubted him.

YEAH OH YEAH!
I AM OFFICIALLY DONE WITH DIAPERS!!!