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Thursday, May 30, 2013

a little boost

 We have several little stepping stools around the house. The kids use them to reach the sinks when they wash their hands or when they help me in the kitchen.
 Zoey was feeling pretty good after her nap and a dose of advil. I found her in Mia's room.
She was busy as can be.
 She put this little stepping stool to good use. She was able to reach all of the things that Mia stores on top of the kitchen so that Zoey cannot get them.
Time to find new hiding places.

This and That


1. Poor Zoey is still sick. She spent most of yesterday on the couch watching Baby Einstein and Wheels on the Bus. She woke up very early today because she had thrown up all over herself. Now she is drinking lots of water and having more couch time. She has an appointment to see the doctor this afternoon. I am grateful that we will be able to avoid a trip to urgent care.
I hope we can get this house healthy again in time for summer!

2. There was no karate this week, because of Memorial Day. Dance ended with the big recital last weekend.....I love it when the schedule includes so much nothing.

3. I finally started working on my first relief society lesson. I read through the whole thing last night on my elliptical. (Best place for some light reading!)
Now I can start getting prepared....I am more nervous than I should be.

4. The new sod is well grounded, green, and beautiful! The yard is looking great.

5. I found this quote quite remarkable
It can be applied to all sorts of things:

home decor
dinner
clothing
a church talk!

6. Max is losing his baby teeth at an alarming rate (I think I mentioned this a while ago.) He lost another one this morning. I told him that I am going to need to stock up on yogurt and ice cream so that he has something to eat. No corn on the cob for sure!

7. I want to make these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups with mini chocolate chips in mini muffin tins for the kids (Because mini is fun.)

8. It is getting extra hard to send the kids to school. I am to the point where I keep thinking that it doesn't matter anymore. I woke up this morning and lay in bed thinking that it would be totally fine for the kids to miss school today. 
4 more days!!!!!

Happy Thursday :)


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Hanging in there!


Happy thoughts

7 more days of school! Only 4 more full days....next week will be all field trips and minimum days and then Summer can begin!

We ended up hosting a BBQ and having a very full and busy Memorial day. Maybe I can take the Fourth of July off instead.....

Good things from around the web

A thought for the day:

Good to remember (simple and brilliant!)

A beautiful decorating idea!

Clean and white with bright and vibrant accent pieces. I need this in my life.
( and I think it would be pretty easy to pull off! )

A single serving and healthy treat:


I am so happy that we are starting this week on a Tuesday vs. the usual Monday beginning.
4 day weeks rock.

 Have a fabulous day!
Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sunday/Sick Day


Mia's dance recital lasted almost 4 hours.
It was very entertaining, but I may never recover. Thank goodness ballet is done for the summer.
(The studio where Mia takes classes is open only during the school year and closes for summer vacation.)

I have sent Ty off to church with the 3 older children while I stay home today with Zoey. She woke up with a bad cold and needs extra snuggles and love.

I discovered this thought from Lorenzo Snow
I love the idea of growth and improvement. I love moving forward. There are days when I am tempted to stand still, but I never regret a little progression!

I think hazelnuts need to be roasted and nutella needs to be made.
THIS recipe looks good
so does THIS one

on a sidenote:

(is anyone else as nut butter crazed as I am?)


I am completely out of clorox wipes. I use them constantly, and especially when people in the house are sick!!!
First thing tomorrow I plan to restock.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day and we have a few fun things planned. Ty had originally wanted to have a big BBQ with lots of friends, but I just couldn't do it this time. Sometimes I want to enjoy a holiday without having to clean for company, cook for company, and then clean some more after everyone leaves.


Happy Sunday :)


Saturday, May 25, 2013

Recital Time!

 Today is Mia's big day!
The recital is tonight!
The dress rehearsal started at 10 and Mia was so excited. She wanted me to let her get in the car to go at 8.
 I packed her a bag full of drinks and snacks to help her through the busy day.
Her class will be dancing to THIS version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
I love the costumes they picked out for it!

I hope today will be a wonderful experience for Mia. 
We love our little ballerina :)

Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday


It has been a crazy week. Ty has been gone for much of it. I am so happy that Memorial Day Weekend has arrived!

1. Tomorrow will be completely filled with Mia. She has dress rehearsal all morning and finally at 4 the big recital!!!!
I spent about $50 on makeup. It's going to be a glitter fest :)

2. Zackary found a train whistle somewhere in his room. He has been blowing on it for 2 days. Last night I had to go into his room and take it away so that he and everyone else in the house could go to bed.

3. I have been keeping my freezer stocked with bananas to make into "ice cream". If you have a vita-mix blender or a food processor it can turn frozen bananas into something amazing! Adding a little chocolate almond butter to the mix is always delightful.

4. I asked Max and Mia what they were currently loving in the dinner department. Max liked tacos, burritos, and pizza. Mia said she liked watermelon and pizza.
Kids and pizza.


6. Crazy hair. This is what happens when she gets a minute alone.


7. I love having the radio on in the car. I decided a while ago that I wanted to expose the kids to some musical culture so I have had the classical station playing at least 50 percent of the time we spend in the car. For the rest of the time.....I am loving THIS Sheryl Crow song! Amongst many others.

8. Zack is always willing to smile for a picture. Love him!

9. Who remembers Funyuns???
Not me until yesterday afternoon.
One of Mia's friends brought a bag to school and was sharing. Zack tried some too. They were both hooked. We bought a bag after school just for fun....yun ;)

10. At kindergarten pick-up today all any of the adults could talk about was how happy they were that it was Friday. Yay Friday!

What are your plans for this weekend?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wednesday and Things


1. I just got back from picking up all of Zackary's registration forms for preschool this fall! It is about the same amount of paper work that is required to buy a house. 
Zack will be attending the same preschool we sent Mia to. We pass our favorite donut shop on the way to the school and we are looking forward to having a reason to stop there often once again. (donuts, education, socialization.....all equally important right?)

2. Zoey can reach the light switches. She is never bored and we are never without light in the house. Thanks Zoey :)

3. I am roasting almonds for more almond butter! That stuff has become a staple. I need to make my own peanut butter too. It seems silly to make my own almond butter and still buy peanut butter. 

4. It is that time of year when schools all over the country start finishing up and we are sitting here......still in school.
June 5th can't come soon enough!

5. I love quinoa. I bought a big box today to play with.

and

all things quinoa!

6. I really enjoy creating in my kitchen. Especially when it comes to cookies. My own eating habits have led me to create all kinds of cookies that are pretty healthy. I love a cookie that can be eaten as a snack or as breakfast. My friends love my cookies and so does my mom. My kids and husband, however, do not. All they really want is plain old chocolate chip cookies made with white flour. Yesterday I gave into them and made a batch. It was tempting to taste the dough or eat one of the cookies, but I made it out unscathed and my family was thrilled with the cookies! They love gluten :)

7. THIS is Zoey's favorite thing to watch. If she is unhappy "Wheels on the Bus" works every time.

Have an excellent Wednesday....halfway done!
( I know I am not supposed to live for Friday, but I can't help myself.)
Monday, May 20, 2013

Monday


1. This is my last week driving the kindergarten carpool this school year!
I cannot believe all of our little kinders will be moving on to first grade.
The carpool has been fantastic! What a great idea someone had....I can't remember if it was Crissa, Johanna, or Betsy....but whoever it was......awesome idea!

2. I introduced my kids to peanut butter balls.
I mixed peanut butter, oat bran, ground flax seed, and honey together. I chopped up a dark chocolate bar that was studded with crunchy edamame and added all of that to the peanut butter mixture. They turned out fabulous. Mia and Zoey are both quite fond of them. I don't know what it is about girls and peanut butter. At least in this family we cannot get enough.

3. I was really hoping the kids would be done getting homework for the year. I was so sad when Mia came home with a full week's worth. Maybe this will be the last week! Fingers crossed ;)

4. I have been participating in the Tone it Up Bikini Series.
I love the website. They post new workouts each week and during this series there are special challenges for each week. This week's challenge was to eat more greens. Today I had a kale salad with avocado. Lots of green! 

5. The kids are all signed up for swimming lessons starting the week after school gets out. Mia still needs a new bathing suit. I had her try on her suit from last year and it basically cut her in two. That little girl has grown! 

Happy Monday!

Mia's room and complications


I have been working in Mia's room today.
Her room is very busy and very pink.
 I divided her closet into 2 parts. One side for clothes, toys, and stuffed animals and one side for a special little reading nook :)
 The little canopy is supposed to hang from the ceiling, but we haven't been able to get a hook yet so for now we are using the closet.

Mia has many little purses and bags. 
They needed somewhere to hang out.
 also....Mia's room is completely overun with My Little Ponies.
I created a pony station to keep everything together.

Speaking of Bedrooms:

Right now we have Zoey sleeping in her crib in the laundry room. We have 3 bedrooms, apart from ours, upstairs. Zack, Mia, and Max each have their own room. The guest room is downstairs and I am trying to decided whether to move Max into that room, give Zoey her own room upstairs, and keep everyone in separate rooms. Or.....should I put Zoey in with Mia and keep the boys in their own rooms, and keep everyone upstairs with us. Or....should I put the boys together and let Mia and Zoey each have their own rooms and keep everyone upstairs.

So many possibilities!!!!

I will need to make a decision eventually. Zoey cannot live in the laundry room forever.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Weekend Wrap-Up


1. After we put the kids to bed on Friday night, Ty and I stayed up to watch
What to Expect When You're Expecting
I did not expect to enjoy it, but I loved it!
It's a good one :)

2. On Saturday we took the kids to the farmer's market. We tried some locally made olive oil on locally grown tomatoes. It was amazing and then I bought a bottle. 
We also got a bunch of kale, (I want to try making my own kale chips.) and a great big box of strawberries.

3. We were invited to a big get-together on Saturday night. Mia had a dance rehearsal early on in the evening (Her big recital is next week!!! Can't wait for it to be over!) and the plan was to head on over to the party after that. I had been feeling a little "off" for a few days and finally decided to send Ty to the party with the older kids. I stayed home with Zoey and it turned out to be a great decision.
I needed a little quiet and a little detox. I felt so much better this morning.

4. I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but after being released several months ago as the primary chorister I do have a new calling in my ward. I will be teaching relief society starting in June! It has been a few years since I have taught and I am excited to start again.

5. Zackary gave the opening prayer in primary today! He did great. He has improved so much just from the beginning of the year. He had to give a talk in January and didn't say a word. Today he tried really hard and repeated most of the prayer that I whispered into his ear. I am so proud of him!
 
6. We are enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon at home. My parents are coming for dinner tonight and the kids have been crafting away in the kitchen. Max and Zackary taped all of our markers to a canister of Clorox wipes. It kept them busy and quiet so I just let them be.
Check out this adorable kid's art station
I would love to put something like this together as soon as Zoey can be trusted a little bit better with art supplies!
 
7. We dove into our strawberry stash after church and ate them with nutella and some chocolate almond butter. It was the perfect thing!

Weekends are so nice. Back to the real world in the morning. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!



Friday, May 17, 2013

Impromptu Pizza Party


 We had planned on getting a pizza and having a movie night.
Our friends were getting pizza too so we decided to have a pizza party.
 I loved that all of the kids sat themselves around this tiny table.
 Zoey was the most happy of all. She loves to party!
We love Friday nights and unexpected dinner parties with friends :)

Toothless


Max lost another tooth today.
I didn't even know it was loose.
I am starting to get worried that he won't be able to eat anything!
It's going to be smoothies and milkshakes all summer for Max.

Smile! It's Friday!


 1. I love seasonal fruits and vegetables. I get all nostalgic in the fall over apples and squash. In the winter I am all about the citrus and avocados. In summer fresh corn and melon are staples. Right now we are in the middle of spring berry season! The kids and I cannot get enough. There are strawberries and blackberries everywhere. Paired with some of THIS Chocolate Almond Spread.....it's better than cupcakes :)

2. This is kind of a lengthy video, but if you are a Jimmy Fallon or John Krasinski fan (both of whom I love!) It is a must watch!

3. It is career day at the kid's school. Max left this morning dressed as a nurse anesthetist......I told him just to tell everyone that he was a doctor to make it easier on himself. People seem to have a tough time pronouncing Ty's career of choice. I try to keep it simple and use the abbreviated version, CRNA, whenever possible.

4. I adore this desk/office space
Poor Ty. He was the one that wanted to get the big computer. It was so important to him to have a nice office space and I have completely taken over. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy having an office space or how much I would enjoy decorating it :)

5. May is half over....that means we are practically to June and half way through the 2013 year!!!! Wasn't it just barely New Year's and now we are supposed to be getting ready for Father's Day???

6. It's Friday! Yay :)

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thursday Things


1. I love this little thought/message.

2. I finally found a yogurt that I enjoy. Noosa brand yoghurt.
It is Australian style yoghurt. Really thick and creamy, but not terrible like greek yogurt....that's just my opinion. Yay for yogurt :) I have been eating it with nuts and berries for days!

3. Today I am craving peanut butter. I am trying to decide between two recipes.
or

Decisions, decisions.....
4. Maybe tomorrow, in celebration of Friday, we will make this:

5. Ty just filled in the remaining dirt patches in our yard with fresh green sod!
I am trying to keep it well hydrated. It looks great! 

6. I have been working on a few organization projects inside the house as well as in the garage. Making a house a home is a constant work in progress, but I am never bored. Thank you pinterest for constantly filling my mind with new ideas!

Happy Thursday!




Pastries with Max


Max's school hosted a "Pastries with Parents" event for the second graders this morning.
My mom came out to watch Zack and Zoey so that I could go and spend a little one on one time with Max.
 It was a rare treat!
My friend, Johanna, was there. Her son, Ian, is Max's best friend!
We all sat together.
 These boys love donuts :)

It was fun to spend a little time with just Max. He is growing up so fast!
3 more weeks and he will be a 3rd grader!
I love Max. He is extremely independent, an amazing student, and a wonderful help at home. His younger siblings love and admire him. I do too!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

A Stay at Home Day


It is not quite 11:00 and so far today we have;

made granola
created with play-doh
watched Max and Ruby
cleaned bedrooms
cleaned the kitchen
read stories
folded laundry
jumped on the trampoline
completed some school work with Zackary
made chocolate tofu smoothies
melted giant ice cubes in the backyard
watched Dora

and changed several diapers :)

A day spent at home with small children can be completely full and busy even if we go nowhere and manage to accomplish very little.

The plan for the rest of our stay at home day;

dancing with bubbles
 napping
and a little cookie making
(No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites, because it is time to start avoiding the oven!)

At some point Max and Mia will come home and we will do homework. I will need to make dinner and try to end the day with a scripture or two and a prayer.

Never a dull moment. I am a lucky mom.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday Things


1. We ended up having to take my car to the dealership. There is something wrong with a sensor inside the transmission. It will take a few days and several hundreds of dollars to fix, but by Wednesday I should have a reliable car to drive my kids around in again!

2. Due to the car being in the shop I will be spending all of Tuesday at home without a vehicle. I have arranged rides for the kids to get to and from school and I am planning a day of water and ice play for Zack and Zoey. (It is suddenly summer here. I am not complaining, but it does seem to switch from heater to air conditioning awful fast around here.)

3. I want to make these cookies for Zoey.
She struggles with textures and I think she would love these!

4. My workout clothes are definitely my "fun" clothes. I look forward to exercise because I get to wear my favorite outfits! 

5. I LOVE this dessert idea for summer.
Mia would love it especially.

6. Ty got me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day.
 He went to an actual florist and put the arrangement together. We were both surprised by how amazing they smell compared to flowers bought at the grocery store or ordered online.
My house smells delightful :)

7. Check out some of the amazing organization ideas on this site.
I love them all.


Have a glorious week!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

Today I am thankful to be a daughter of God. I am thankful for the strength and help I receive constantly from my Heavenly Father. 
This mom gig would not be possible without it!

I also have wonderful examples of virtuous and amazing women on this earth! I am thankful for the inspiration and guidance they give to me.

I am blessed with a devoted husband who is my constant. He keeps me going.

My children are a delight. They light up my world and I am so glad that today and everyday they call me mom!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Girls!


Friday night completely made up for my somewhat mediocre Friday day.

The boys left for the campout at 5. Zackary was thrilled to be spending some time with his dad, brother, and his friend Jonas. Max was excited to spend time with Ian. I sent Max with an entire bag of Takis to share! I can't wait to hear about those adventures when the men come home later today.

Then it was just the girls at home.
We put on a Girl movie to set the mood, "Fairy Tale a True Story".
We watched while we made dinner.
We had quinoa cooked in coconut milk and salmon wrapped in seaweed. Very girlie and yummy.

After dinner we headed out to an exclusive all girl's party.
Everyone was there ;)

There were piles of nail polish. All the girls picked out colors and we all did pedicures and manicures. Zoey and Mia came home with pink nails and I came home with gold.
Everyone brought treats and snacks because those are very important parts of a good girl's night. 

We came home at about 9 because Zoey was so tired! She went to bed right away. Mia was still wide awake so we watched My Little Pony episodes while eating pistachios.
I had so much fun with my girls!

This morning we are getting ready for Mother's Day tomorrow. Ty will be working, but my parents are coming to spend the day so we still have a reason to put on a little celebration.
The meal is planned, but I am still working on dessert. So many possibilities!

I am enjoying the last few hours of our girl time before the boys come home covered in mud and with piles of dirty laundry.

Happy Saturday :)


Friday, May 10, 2013

Friday....the late editon


I am going to break up with my car.
I am just tired of all the drama.
We were in Redlands dropping off my brother and the car went completely haywire.....again!
I was close to the temple so I pulled into the parking lot while I figured things out.
(The temple is always a good safe place to park your car and let your kids run around)
I called everyone and no one answered!
I waited about 30 minutes and decided to drive the car home.
Every warning light was on and the speedometer wasn't working, but we made it home. I am never driving that car again.

Ugh!

I forgot to start the dryer this morning.
I went to pull everything out and it was all wet....and lovely smelling ;)
Oops.

On the sunny side of things....

The sun is still shining, it is still warm, the kids are home safe, we have plenty of milk in the fridge, and I am making brownies.



Friday


It has been a LONG week! Monday arrived with cold weather and rain. I was excited to have a nice cool day to stay inside and do some baking.
Tuesday was a repeat of Monday. I was still okay with the cool weather and inside time. Lots of cleaning was happening!
The gray skies dragged on through Wednesday and Thursday as well. By yesterday afternoon I was completely over it!
Thank goodness that Friday has arrived and brought with it.....Sunshine!
Ty and the boys are headed to the Father/Son campout tonight. The girls and I will be partying with friends :)

Here are some Friday Fun Finds!!!

1. THIS site has the cutest workout clothes!
I adore fitness gear ;)
(Totally prefer it it to regular clothes)

2. Granola?? Yes please.

S'mores granola might make a fun "camping" themed treat for those of us staying home tonight. (Just as I prefer workout clothes to jeans, I also prefer sleeping in my bed to sleeping on the ground in the woods.)
also...



Filled with lemonade this summer :)
It's only $20...yay!

5. 100 ways to eat a Reese's from Something Swanky, because this is just so necessary.

6.  THIS POST from Joy the Baker is beautiful!
Mother's Day is this weekend and she has some great ideas.


Happy Friday! Enjoy the sunshine!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

On Gardening....


An Update:
 
Remember when I said that this was the year! This was the year I was becoming a garderner! I was sure my thumb would turn a bright shade of green and my backyard would be overflowing with tomatoes and strawberries!

So far my thumb is still pink.

I planted my garden. I dug in the dirt. I had hopes!
Bugs came. I tried to defend the little plants. I tried to get rid of the snails. Oh how I hate snails! My brothers will tell you.....I really hate snails.
I lost a couple of plants right away. Ty's watering system exploded one night and caused a small flood. It also uprooted and killed one of the pea plants.
One of the tomato plants was eaten.
The others don't seem to be doing so well.

I tried! I have not yet given up all hope, but I don't know that this year's experiment will warrant a repeat next year. I may just have to become well acquainted with the local farmer's market or with a friend that happens to be a bit better at gardening than I am!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A little random


I found these pictures floating around the computer.
They are random and fun :)  

 We visited my parent's cabin a few weekends ago.
Zackary was introduced to binoculars.
 I don't think he had a clue what he was doing with them!
Zoey tried watermelon for the first time.
 It is going to be a staple around here during the summer months.

I think Ty took this picture with his phone.
I love these little people!