I CanDo and so can they!!

We did it!!

personal best!!

We kept a steady pace ... we started together ... Nicki and I stayed together the whole race!!

It was so fun!


And if finishing is winning ... than we totally won this race!!

We rocked!

The Party (missing one non-runner hubby)

thoughts and expectations ...

things i've been thinking a lot about lately ...

if i were a better mom ... i would:
+ work with Ammon on his letters/numbers regularly so that he could start to really read instead of 'read in his head' ...
+ read with and to my children daily so that they would have a love of books and reading ...
+ stay on top of the laundry situation at our house so that we wouldn't have to hunt for clean socks and underwear every morning ...
+ shower the kids more regulary so that they would have an appreciation of cleanliness ...
+ stick to the schedules and checklists and rules so that our lives would be more organized ...
+ blog daily so that i would have a record - consistant record - of the goings on and challenges that we face
+ read my scriptures daily so that my knowledge of the scriptures would be more a part of my life ...
+ go to bed earlier so that i could get up earlier and be prepared for the day ...
+ exercise daily so that my body would be strong and lean - instead of weak and fat ...
+ sing more primary songs so that the lessons that are taught in the words would play in my children's heads instead of my shouting ringing in their ears ...
+ be more organized so that i could find things i need and be less cluttered ...
+ sew and craft more so that my creative side could be more developed and i could beautify my home and life with my own 2 hands ...
+ scrapbook again so that my pictures and words could be preserved ... (i guess blogging does this too ... but my scrapbooks have several pictures waiting to be scrapped!!)
+ take Easton to the library or the park or the skate park while Ammon's in school so that he will remember how much fun we had when it was just the 2 of us at home ...
+ vacuum more often ...
+ have clean bathrooms ...
+ sweep and mop the kitchen/dining room floors more often ...
+ have birthday parties every year so that my kids would remember the fun we had ...
+ be productive and proactive ...
+ plan more effectively ...
+ smile all the time!
+ meet my expectations ...

expectations:

organization

= everything has a place

= plan as much as possible

= routines/checklists

cleanliness

= weekly schedule

= house cleaned regularly

= showers/laundry

= bedrooms

relationships

= weekly date

= weekend get aways twice a year

= 1 on 1 with each kid monthly

= alone time

finances

= have what we need

= manage our money better

= budget

= plan for the future

future

= 5 year goals

= 10 year goals

= tunnel vision

= have purpose/ambition/desire/aspirations

i think i might have too high of expectations for myself ... but i have always felt that when i aim high, even if i don't reach my goals, i am pleased with the results.  my high self-esteem allows me to fail and still feel good about myself ... is that conceited?  although, in the recent past i have set some pretty lofty goals and petered out half way through ... not my finer moments, but definitely learning experiences!!

thoughts?

gearing up!

new crisp white only-used-inside step shoes!

new gray ok-to-go-outside jogging shoes!

i'm a little weird about my shoes ... i don't have many pairs of shoes (i wish i had more) but i think i'm a shoe snob ... i carry my white shoes to the gym and put them on inside the workout room for my step class so that they don't get dirty.  i purposely bought gray shoes ... because i don't want to take my white shoes outside!  i guess i'm only weird about gym shoes ... my other shoes aren't treated quite so nicely. 
but rest assured that these will see many miles in the near future ... their maiden 4 mile jog was just last week and they did great - no soreness, not a blister to be found!  and they are light as air!  mr. 10k - look out here i come!

time gets away from me ...

March 9th already??  What keeps me from sitting down and writing each day?  sick kids, laundry, dishes, my book, ... mostly i get paralyzed by the amount of things i need to do and i end up not doing anything ...
lately i've been listening to Focus on the Family podcasts and trying to be a better mom.  yesterday i typed up rules and consequences ...

i'm hopeful that these will help me to stop yelling!  the rules are clear and the consequences immediate and appropriate.  follow thru is my hardest part ... we are going to have a family meeting and discuss this and i'll post how it goes!  wish us luck!

shhhh ... listen ...

I just finished reading (who am i kidding??) listening to The Book of Mormon in 31 consecutive days! 17 pages a day = several chapters to listen to - roughly 45 minutes ... It was the background music to my quiet time most days!  I love The Book of Mormon!!  I served a mission and have read the book on my own but this time i got the story ... I saw it playing out in my head as I listened to the words become more than just scripture!  It's true.  It's the most true book and as Joseph Smith told us, we can be "nearer to God by abiding by it's precepts* than by any other book."  Find out for yourself!

*(n. 1.A rule or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct.)

on NOT trusting the van's odometer:

remember when I said that my little troopers were so great for going 2 miles with me??  WELL ... i just drove the loop in andy's car - the not broken down vehicle in our family ... and ... i didn't only go 2 miles ... we went 4, that's right people FOUR MILES!!  shoot, i only gave them a skinny cow for their efforts - they totally deserve something full sugar, full fat, full yummy for doing such a great job and only complaining at mile 2.5 - when they had already gone half a mile longer than i expected to be taking them!  and we did it in 1 hour!  Shoot, we were cookin' right along!

Where were you?

watching the Olympics in the ER

me: Hey Abi ... where were you when Apolo Ohno skated into history in the Men's Speedskate short-track 1,000-meter final Saturday night making him the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian with seven career medals?

a: I was in the hospital.
me: why?
a: I split my head open.
me: how?
a: I was playing a game with my cousins and when my oldest cousin got the ball away from me he pushed me down and I hit my head on the bed post.

the 'smack-dab' middle of her head

me: yikes! that must have hurt! Did you know your head was split open right when it happened?

a: No ... it hurt and I was crying with my face in a pillow (cuz i didn't want them to think i was a baby) and had my hands on the back of my head and felt the hole with my finger and then started SCREAMING!! "I have a hole in my head!!!"

me: I remember ... you came down the stairs screaming just as Granny and Papa were getting ready to head home. What was my reaction ... do you remember?

a: you yelled, "why are you screaming bloody murder??"

me: I think I was a little more concerned than that ... I remember seeing the blood and hustling you into the bathroom to get a better look. I told Granny that I wanted Papa to take a look at it ... I remember mouthing to her "it's really deep - it's going to need stitches". You kept yelling at me, "I don't want my head to get sewn up!!" You were a little hysterical ...

a: What does hysterical mean?

me: you were crazy a little bit ... I asked Papa to give you a blessing and then we (Granny, Papa, me and you) went to the Emergency Room. Did you have to get stitches?

3 staples ...

a: No, I got staples ... 3 of them.

me: Dad guessed that would happen ... but I thought he was joking ... and then the Dr. said that would be the best option. Did it hurt?

a: YEEEEESSSSS!!

me: They gave you a few shots to numb the area didn't they?

a: Yeah, but it still hurt!!

me: How long will you have the staples in your head?

a: 10 days ... and then I want them to put me to sleep when they take them out.

me: They won't ... it will be all healed and shouldn't hurt to take them out! Are you mad at your cousin?

a: No - I didn't tell anyone in the hospital his name cuz I didn't want to make him feel bad.

me: That was really nice of you ... What did you learn from this experience?

a: Never to play ball in my room!

me: Good idea ...

Happy Cousins ...

they've seen their last run/jog/walk

poor tired shoes ...

Let's face it ... I don't really run ... it's more of a lumber/jog. My poor shoes died when we got home from today's excursion. I went to kick them off and the sole pulled away from the shoe on the left and the duct tape that was holding the right one together came off ... guess I'll be getting some new ones ... dang!

We took a drive this morning and measured a few routes around my neighborhood and this afternoon we went on a 2 mile walk/jog. The boys rode their bikes and did a great job staying with me! A few parts there was no sidewalk and they had to stay far away from the white line ... It was long and hard and uphill sometimes... there was very little whining and only one pit stop at taco bell for a drink of water ... (note to self: bring a bottle to share!)

So, when we got home they got a reward for being troopers!!

my little troopers!!

him - he's #1

i love him, for more reasons than i can count ... and he loves me.

my heart walks around outside my body ...

even when they are crazy ... i love 'em!

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