I TRI'd

So I did my first Triathlon this weekend and I would like to now compare it to having a baby!

1. It seemed like such a good idea when I decided to sign up for it:

 No matter how much you think you are prepared, its so different actually doing it. When I was standing with my little group taking in the last instructions, my heart was pounding out of my chest. It was too late to back out but all of my muscles and thoughts were telling me to run the other way. I actually started to panic for a minute when we started and I had to take a few side strokes to control my breathing and get a grip. From there I was able to regain composure.  

2. It is so much longer and harder then you expected:

They ended up having to add an extra 6.5 miles to the bike course because of construction and I transitioned to the bike just as a hurricane was coming through the area. There were points where I really thought, "this may never end". Which is exactly what I thought when I gave birth to Brookie. 

3. The epidural really helps:

After about 5 miles up uphill on the bike, I came to a 2 mile down hill and for a moment, all my pain disappeared. I actually yelled at the top of my lungs, "wwwwhhhhhheeeeeeeeee" cause I was so eternally grateful for that down hill!

4. You let people take horrible pics of you to commemorate the occasion: 

I have done it, and most of you moms have done it! Don't lie, you're in your hospital gown and you look like you went through a war zone and you still let the camera fly! Why?? Cause you just went through the war zone! And someone better think your awesome for doing it no matter how you look. Here is my finish pic, and while it is no podium ovation, it has victory written all over it!

5. Expect the unexpected:

Half way through the swim, (literally half way) the sirens starting going and they told us all to swim to the nearest beach because lightning had been spotted. Hahaha. I was exactly half way, which is the furthest I could be, but since we had to "abandon ship" the swim portion got cut short. Here is a pic of us surprised swimmers trying to figure out if we keep going or not (which we did).  

6. Lastly but not leastly, Don't ask if I'm doing it again right after I did it. 

Some of you super human athletes (Drew) may not understand this, but as I am lying there catching my breath and trying not to vomit and trying to figure out what I just did to myself, the LAST thing on my mind was doing it again. (Not to say that I won't some time when I forget the pain and only have my precious finishers medal to cheer me on!) But for now, consider this well checked off of my bucket list! 

Despite the pain, I am glad that I did it and I do feel like super woman and I am proud of myself! There is nothing like crossing a finish line and knowing that the months and months of hard work and training got you there and to see in your husbands eyes that he totally thinks you are soooooo hot for doing that!

Great Urban Race!!!

Drew and I signed up to do the Great Urban Race together as our anniversary present to each other this year. It was awesome!! So much fun, I would encourage anyone to do it. It was like a mini version of the Amazing Race with clues and obstacles you had to do and you could only use your own 2 feet and public buses. At each stop you had to take a pic with all team members to prove you were both there. The above pic is the challenge we has to do with the new Chevy cars which involved a lot of math. The next pic is at Uptown Acupuncture where Drew had to participate and the 3rd pic was at the Ronald McDonald house where we donated some items and took a pic with Ronald. There were 12 challenges/stops and you could skip one. I would now like to tell you things that I learned. 

1. Just because it is an obstacle course doesn't mean that it ain't a race! Drew and I logged somewhere around 12 miles of running that day!I didn't know I was signing up for 

an almost half marathon. That being said, it was still super fun. 

2. Downtown Denver is soooooooo much bigger than you think it is. See above comment.

3. I am not better than the people on Amazing Race. I am an avid watcher of the show but I always thought it was silly when the teams fought. Didn't they know it was only a game? Well, Drew and I being rookies at the race decided to run around like chickens with our heads cut off for the first 45 min. We saw that the first clue was on 11th street and decided that surely the streets would go, 16th 15th 14th 13th 12th and then 11th. They do not FYI. So after much running and no clues and feeling very frustrated I did what came naturally. I got mad at Drew for not knowing where we were and for not having a better smart phone (great anniversary idea huh!). He gladly informed me that this race was my idea to which I responded that maybe we should just quit then since my idea was so dumb. It sounds silly but in a stressful situation it is easy to get upset at the one person who is on your side in the race. Lesson learned was that we took the next 10 min to just sit down and make a plan. We called my sister (not against the rules) and mapped out a route. From there we were on fire. We really pulled together and worked as a team (anniversary saved!)

4. When you are in a hurry it really is easy to miss details. On the show people get penalized all the time for misreading clues and they look so stupid. Well.....we got a 30 min penalty for missing a detail on one of the clues! And I swear we read it! hehehe. 

5. And the cheesy lesson was in the end, it doesn't matter who wins (especially since it wasn't us) what matters are the relationships you make. Drew really is my best friend and despite my flare up it strengthened our marriage and helped us remember just how fun it is to be together!!! (and next year, we are bringing a map, a better phone, much more water, and we are gonna win that darn race!!!!!!)

another post! Holy cow!

Hey Denver-ites! Drew is doing this presention for free in Denver. If you, or friends, want to come please RSVP! Should be fun!!!

Workshop: 3 Critical Heath & Fitness Concepts

myemail.constantcontact.com

Max Muscle Sports Nutrition is a leader in the sports nutrition industry. They are committed to improving the health of people from all walks of life, men, women, young adults, everyday fitness enthusiasts, high school and college athletes, as well as bodybuilders. They take the time to pinpoint you...

fun weekend

So......I stink at blogging. Our stake did play in a day for youth conference this year...and I was the leader for our ward.  It may not look like much, but it took a lot of time! The kids were great and I actually happen to love our final product!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFL7pKwyn4&feature=youtu.be

too good not to post

Ok, it has been forever. We moved! haha. We live in Erie, CO now. um...i'm sure someday I'll post about us, but this article I saw pretty much sums up my life! All I have to say is Amen sister!

here's the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html

by Glennon Melton

Every time I'm out with my kids -- this seems to happen:

An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, "Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."

Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy everysecond, etc, etc, etc.

I know that this message is right and good. But, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me. It bugs me. This CARPE DIEM message makes me paranoid and panicky. Especially during this phase of my life - while I'm raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong.

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I've heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers -- "ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN'T!" TRUST US!! IT'LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!" -- those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

Now. I'm not suggesting that the sweet old ladies who tell me to ENJOY MYSELF be thrown from a mountain. These are wonderful ladies. Monkees, probably. But last week, a woman approached me in the Target line and said the following: "Sugar, I hope you are enjoying this. I loved every single second of parenting my two girls. Every single moment. These days go by so fast."
At that particular moment, Amma had arranged one of the new bras I was buying on top of her sweater and was sucking a lollipop that she must have found on the ground. She also had three shop-lifted clip-on neon feathers stuck in her hair. She looked exactly like a contestant from Toddlers and Tiaras. I couldn't find Chase anywhere, and Tish was grabbing the pen on the credit card swiper thing WHILE the woman in front of me was trying to use it. And so I just looked at the woman, smiled and said, "Thank you. Yes. Me too. I am enjoying every single moment. Especially this one. Yes. Thank you."

That's not exactly what I wanted to say, though.

There was a famous writer who, when asked if he loved writing, replied, "No. but I love having written." What I wanted to say to this sweet woman was, "Are you sure? Are you sure you don't mean you love having parented?"

I love having written. And I love having parented. My favorite part of each day is when the kids are put to sleep (to bed) and Craig and I sink into the couch to watch some quality TV, like Celebrity Wife Swap, and congratulate each other on a job well done. Or a job done, at least.

Every time I write a post like this, I get emails suggesting that I'm being negative. I have received this particular message four or five times -- G, if you can't handle the three you have, why do you want a fourth?
That one always stings, and I don't think it's quite fair. Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard. Why is it that the second a mother admits that it's hard, people feel the need to suggest that maybe she's not doing it right? Or that she certainly shouldn't add more to her load. Maybe the fact that it's so hard means she IS doing it right...in her own way...and she happens to be honest.

Craig is a software salesman. It's a hard job in this economy. And he comes home each day and talks a little bit about how hard it is. And I don't ever feel the need to suggest that he's not doing it right, or that he's negative for noticing that it's hard, or that maybe he shouldn't even consider taking on more responsibility. And I doubt anybody comes by his office to make sure he's ENJOYING HIMSELF. I doubt his boss peeks in his office and says: "This career stuff...it goes by so fast...ARE YOU ENJOYING EVERY MOMENT IN THERE, CRAIG???? CARPE DIEM, CRAIG!"
My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I'd wake up and the kids would be gone, and I'd be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here's what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

"It's helluva hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime." And hopefully, every once in a while, I'll add -- "Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up -- I'll have them bring your groceries out."
Anyway. Clearly, Carpe Diem doesn't work for me. I can't even carpe fifteen minutes in a row, so a whole diem is out of the question.

Here's what does work for me:

There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It's regular time, it's one minute at a time, it's staring down the clock till bedtime time, it's ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it's four screaming minutes in time out time, it's two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there's Kairos time. Kairos is God's time. It's time outside of time. It's metaphysical time. It's those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them.

Like when I actually stop what I'm doing and really look at Tish. I notice how perfectly smooth and brownish her skin is. I notice the perfect curves of her teeny elf mouth and her asianish brown eyes, and I breathe in her soft Tishy smell. In these moments, I see that her mouth is moving but I can't hear her because all I can think is -- This is the first time I've really seen Tish all day, and myGod -- she is so beautiful. Kairos.

Like when I'm stuck in chronos time in the grocery line and I'm haggard and annoyed and angry at the slow check-out clerk. And then I look at my cart and I'm transported out of chronos. And suddenly I notice the piles and piles of healthy food I'll feed my children to grow their bodies and minds and I remember that most of the world's mamas would kill for this opportunity. This chance to stand in a grocery line with enough money to pay. And I just stare at my cart. At the abundance. The bounty. Thank you, God. Kairos.

Or when I curl up in my cozy bed with Theo asleep at my feet and Craig asleep by my side and I listen to them both breathing. And for a moment, I think- how did a girl like me get so lucky? To go to bed each night surrounded by this breath, this love, this peace, this warmth? Kairos.

These kairos moments leave as fast as they come- but I mark them. I say the word kairos in my head each time I leave chronos. And at the end of the day, I don't remember exactly what my kairos moments were, but I remember I had them. And that makes the pain of the daily parenting climb worth it.

If I had a couple Kairos moments during the day, I call it a success.

Carpe a couple of Kairoses a day.

Good enough for me.

Another Hacker... Shayna's husband

I just posted Shayna's running story... and some more on my website. Read post: http://itaintadiet.com/

Shayna is hotttt!!!

-Drew

Shayna's sister hacks her blog!!!

Hi, this is Brandy.  I'm Shayna's sister.  And I've been waiting for her to update her blog.......which has been awhile.  So I am taking it into my own hands to tell the world that my sister ran a half marathon last week!!!!!  I am so proud of her :)  I am also taking bets on how long it will be before Shayna realizes I posted this.  Hopefully I'm not in trouble, haha.

Big Announcement.....

I cannot believe we are announcing this so soon after having Lincoln so Heaven help us and please pray for us but......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................we are potty training again!!!!!!!!

ya, you read that right. It is official and started 3 hours ago. Thus far we have had 4 pairs of undies, 3 accidents, 2 frustrated people, and 1 SUCCESS!!! 

alive

um....we are totally alive and loving summer. I am lame and have not had a desire to blog. we lost another camera in a terrible tragedy that involved water so no pics. I totally need to post though cause we have had,

camping
racing
brother's wedding
4th of July
more camping
boating (Brookie water skied!!!!)
more camping
oh and Lincoln is huge!
T is a ham
Brooke is spunky
and more camping

maybe I will update soon.

sorry mom

So...I woke up the other day and decided to clean the house. I started with the laundry. Then I moved to feeding the kids breakfast. I cleaned up the mess from breakfast and looked at the dishes from the night before. I did those then switched the laundry. I went up to my room and cleaned it and made the bed. I came downstairs and saw that the kids had taken the cereal and spilled it all over the kitchen floor. I cleaned the kitchen again. I took the laundry up to my bed and came back down to start another load. I went upstairs and the kids had taken the laundry off the bed, thrown it on the floor, and gotten under the covers of my bed. I made the bed again, put the laundry on the bed and shewed the kid out. By this time I made lunch. Then I had to clean the kitchen from the lunch mess. I put the kids down for a nap and mopped the kitchen. I then cleaned the bathroom. The kids woke up and I switched the laundry. A little bit later the kids were getting restless so I took them out to water the garden. They watered each other instead and got more mud on themselves than water in the garden. I took them in and started the bath while I also started dinner. I went up, washed them and started draining the tub. I ran downstairs to finish dinner. T came out of the bathroom covered in soap. That soap was consequently all over the bathroom. While cleaning that I noticed the layer of dirt in the tub from the kids bath but then remembered I was making dinner. I ran downstairs threw everything together, set the table and Drew got home. The laundry was all over the bed, the kitchen was a mess, the bathroom was dirty, and there were toys all over the living room. Drew asked (innocently), "what did you do all day?" I replied, "cleaned" and I could tell that he was trying to decided if I was joking or testing him. Since he is smart he just said, "looks good".
My point: I am so sorry mom for every time that I rolled my eyes when you said, "I just cleaned that". I honestly had NO idea!!!

good laugh

I got a good laugh today while doing my school work. I am taking a financial course and the chapter is on insurance. Here are some actual lines from actual accident reports that made me crack up!!!

"The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention."
"I thought my window was down but found it was up when I put my hand through it."
	"A pedestrian hit me and went under my car."
"The guy was all over the place, I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him."
	"I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment."
"I was driving my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before."
	"The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle."
"I was on my way to the doctor's with rear-end trouble when my universal joint gave way, causing me to have an accident."
	"As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident."
"The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end."
	"To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian."
"My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle."
	"An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle and vanished."
"When I saw I could not avoid a collision,I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car."
	"The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran him over."

what day is it?

So... what day is it? Thats how I feel. Time has been going so fast that I cant hardly keep up. Needless to say, blogging has been a little behind! But we are doing awesome and having a blast this spring. Lincoln, aka L Dog, aka Linx is doing great. He is a big chunker and smiles a lot. He is a pretty close to perfect baby, only prob is that he thinks that 6am is the new 9am and he is very very wrong.
T-Ray is so stinkin cute...except for when you get in his personal space without being invited, then he freaks out. Hope he keeps that up when he's dating! His vocab has exploded and he loves playing with dad.
Brookie is a smarty pants. She cracks me up (except in sacrament, for some reason her strong personality does not amuse the congregation). some of the funny things she has said lately:
--I told her that my brother was proposing to his girlfriend and she, "Is she pregnant?" (when we were prego with L Dog, she wanted to have a baby and we told her that she couldnt have a baby til she was married, so no, we dont talk crap about my bro and his girlfriend, whom we love!)
--She was singing the other day and it went something like, "Heavenly Father loves us and sends us the Holy Ghost.." at this point I thought I was a pretty good parent, then she continued.." and the Holy Ghost gives us presents for Christmas". Apparently we need to explain the difference between Santa and the Holy Ghost.
--I told her one day that I love her and she said, "I know" then I asked why do you think that I love you? and she said, "because families are suppossed to love eachother" and I cried, like a boob.
Anyways, she's a hoot.

Drew is doing great. We just bought a motorbike for him to commute on and he has been like a kid in a candy store. Every night he will say, "I think Brookie wants me to take her on another ride". He is doing great in school and we are down to a semester and a half of course work.wahoo!

I am great. Just humming along. Can't believe its almost June. Can't wait for our fun summer plans and craving chocolate every hour of every day!

No pics, my computer keyboard is missing like 20 keys thanks to some little monkeys in our house.

Happy Memorial Day!

me!!

I am AMAZING! You heard me right. Usually I am not so forthright with my amazingness, but I can no longer keep it in. I rode 5 miles up and down hills on my bike with all 3 kids!!! Yes, feel free to applaud. And despite my heart rate, I did not have a heart attack! Also, nevermind the fact that Drew had to push me/us up some of those hills.

Here we are in our glory.

Here's the new bike seat we got for T. He likes it a lot cause he gets to help mom steer.

And here is a pic of what Drew jimmy rigged to get Lincoln nice and secure in the seat.Thanks to the baby bjorn, the boppy, and some rope.

bread

has anyone ever taken the time to grind wheat, make the dough, let it rise, and bake it all while watching 2 toddlers, an infant, and a little girl and THEN realize that you forgot the yeast? Apparently it is essential, in case you were wondering!

March 2011

See I told you sometime in the next month I would get around to it!

So Lincoln is a cutie. He is such a good baby, and last night he did a 5 1/2 hour stretch!! Wahoo!! If you look closely, you will see the scar on his nose, courtesy of his brute older brother.

The kids are still hams.

We went hiking up at Red Rocks. Heres my dad with T.

My mom with Brook on the hike.

The boys!

Ok, so its amazing how when you have your mom in town to entertain you, you don't have endless hours for blogging! Oh, yeah, that and the newborn! hehe, here are some pics. more to come sometime in the next month:)

Lincoln James

Pics and info of new baby on our other blog itaintadiet.blogspot.com

why don't I learn

Do you ever do something, and it reminds you of something you did before and both things resulted in you crying and you think, why don't I just learn? Let me explain. A long long time ago, when Drew and I were newlyweds (so like 4 years ago), I attempted to cut Drew's hair. It was a horrible mess but Drew kept assuring me that it looked just fine. We went to his parents house that night and his dad said something to the affect of, "son that is the worst haircut! you need to go get your money back!" It has since become a family joke. Well, last night we were talking about how T needed a haircut. I had cut his hair not too long ago (using clippers this time) and it worked out just fine so I thought I should attempt it again. But in my wisdom I thought, "cutting his hair is kind of a pain in the rear so I should cut it a little shorter so it lasts longer!" I picked what looked like a great size and took my first swipe through his hair. Thats when it hit me. This was not a little shorter, this was mega stinkin uber shorter. I wanted to stop, or at least change sizes but my first swipe was a good long one down the middle of his head. There was no going back. I took two more wipes and was bawling so hard that I couldn't see anymore. Drew and his brother were just looking at me like, "what should we do?" and I turned off the clippers, set T down and ran to my room bawling. I somehow convinced Brookie that this was a real tragedy cause a few minutes later she came in my room bawling and saying, "oh no, T-Rays hair is so short!". I know it sounds dumb but I was devastated thinking, "will I ever be able to look at my son and not cry again??" Drew and his brother finished the job and the damage is done. Maybe $10 a month at great clips is worth it!

Oprah post

I am going to pretend to be Oprah (cause doesn't it look fun when she tells everyone her favorite things and they go nuts, mostly cause they are likely to get one, which will not be your case today, but it is fun to play). Here are some of my Denver (area) favorite things!

1. Giggles Dentistry: cheesy name I know, but they are GREAT with kids. The tech even got T-Ray to open up and bite the clamp for x-rays! I was amazed, not that I think an 18 month old necessarily needs teeth x-rays, but impressive all the same. The office is totally kid oriented and neither kid cried even once. It helped that Brook got like a bazillion stickers for being such a great patient.

2. Pediatrics at Stapleton: since we are on the whole doctor theme, most of you probably already know how much I absolutely LOVE my pediatrician. I pray daily that she will become a family doctor cause after seeing my kids with her, I want to be her patient! She is just great, but her staff is awesome too. Her nurse Erin is probably one of my favorite people. Quick story, last year when Drew had swine flu, and T-ray stared getting a fever, we called to see what we should do. It was a Sunday mind you! Well, Doctor Jen said, "how close are you to the office?" and I said, "about 20 minutes away". She said, "I'll meet you in 25 minutes then". When I got there, she was in shorts and a T-shirt and she opened the doors, turned on the lights and took us back and tested T-Ray. Turns out he was okay, but I couldn't believe she would do that for us, instead of say, "well take him to the ER and call me in the morning". Once again, I LOVE HER!!!!

3. FedEx Kinkos on Parker and Havana: well just past Havana to be exact. It's the best one. Their rates are lower than other FedEx's and they are WAY nicer. Usually a shorter line, and when I explained one of my projects, they gave me some free sheets and said, "just in case you mess up a sheet, we don't want you to have to come all the way back". Cool, nice people!

4. VAST wellness center: back to doctors I guess. Their chiropractor, John Hamilton, is a great guy. His normal rate is $35, but he actually gives you an entire 45 minutes of hands on crackin'.He also has a student rate where you pay your age! So Drew is only $26 when we go in. Also, one Saturday a month he has a pay what you can day, where you leave your payment in an envelope on the desk no matter what it is you can afford. Its his way of giving back! We really like him, and as a side note for Drew, nothing says, "I am so proud of you for having another baby!" like a chiropractic adjustment:).

5. Food!!: Oh my, I could talk about food all day long. Now you won't believe this when you see the list, but we actually don't eat out that often. When we do, we like to try fun new places, so here are some of my favorites.

Mod Market: my turkey pesto was good, but Drew's eggplant/goatcheese was AMAZING!

Mici Italian: yumm-o. They can make their pizza's with wheat crust and they are divine. Besides, when we went, I accidentally spilled more than half our pizza on the ground and they made us another one for free. Plus, price wise, not bad at all. And if you sign up for their loyalty program (totally free) you get a free large pizza for your birthday!

The Lobby: good ole yummy American food. Looks like a funky fun college hang out, but very easy for a fam with kids as well. Prices not bad and the environment was fun.

Lamar's Donuts: I know, not making our other blog anytime soon, but sometimes a girl just needs the best donut on the planet!

Buenos Aires Pizzaria: Funny thing is, I have never had their pizza, but their empanadas are delish!!!! Very much like the ones from Uruguay, and its something new and fun.

6. Unique Thrift: forget arc and goodwill. Unique is where its at! Ok, so I still sometimes go to arc, but I have been much more pleased with Unique. We bought 2 dressers, three chairs, and a partridge in a pear tree for around $20. Buyer beware though, they don't open til 10! Late even for me!

7. Chic-fil-a play area: This was just introduced to me this week, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was very clean, and kind of small, which was good for watching the kids. Plus, we packed in our own lunch and no one said anything.

ok, thats enough for now. I will go one more later!!!Enjoy!

sister

my sister has a funny blog. dailydoseofbrandy.blogspot.com if anyone needs a good laugh.

I passed!

I did it! Hooray! I passed Inhumanities 202!!!! See you never!! Good bye Culture and Values 2nd edition! Good bye! (I will not disclose, but passing is anything 60% or more)

side note: small miracle that I passed since the day of the final Brookie had a fever and T was throwing up, and I left my Visiting Teacher with my sick kids knowing that they were going to make her life a living Inhumanities class! Inspite of all that, I managed to pass!!!! So yes, I will be eating an entire loaf of garlic bread and a chocolate cake in celebration of the February miracle of 2011!

Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!

new recipe

Hey, I posted a new recipe on the other blog that was delicious!!! itaintadiet.blogspot.com :)

Inhumanities

So, many of you know that I am in school (and will be for the rest of my life!!).I am taking the final for my last Humanities class (hallelujah) and I would like to start a petition to change the name. Humanities is such a misleading name. It alludes to the fact that the class and the demands are going to be humane, but let me tell you my friend, they are not! Lets disregard the fact that billions (may or may not be exaggerated) have gone through BYU and passed Inhumanities 202 with flying colors (while simultaneously taking other classes), and focus on the here and now. I am usually a fairly good student, but man alive, you can't reason your way through Inhumanities. How do you memorize every artist, musician, philosopher, sculpture, architect, and movement from 1700 to present day? Maybe my brain is just too full of useful info. to take anymore in. By useful I mean, I know the names and theme songs for all of Dora's helpful friends. I know when the sea lion, elephant, and monkey shows are at the zoo, and I know how early I have to get there on free day to get a parking spot. I know that Wednesday is double ad day at Sprouts and Sunflower Market, and I know that kids eat free at Cici's until they are 3. I know that it takes exactly 1 minute to get to church and about 15 minutes to get to play group. I can eyeball bread dough and know if it needs more flour. But I can't spell hippopotamus, I mean, I can't tell the difference between Schoenburg and Stravinsky nor why it's important. Numb Brain moms unite! Lets put an end to the inhumanity of inhumanities!

good deal

So this is just a random pic that has nothing to do with my story, but I thought it was cute.

Now for the story. Don't you love when you are at the right place at the right time to score a great deal. Friday was a, "I, I mean the baby, wants pizza and I (I mean he) have to have it now!" kind of day. So we went to Cici's. Not the highest quality food, but its cheap and easy and the kids like it. So we had a coupon for buy 1 get 1 free, and anyone 3 and under eats for free. So Drew, me, and both kiddos ate for a grand total of $5.51. Then the manager came out and said that it was customer appreciation day, and gave us 4 free tickets to see the Mammoth (indoor lacrosse) play on Saturday. Wahoo!!!! $60 worth of tickets and dinner for 4 all for $5.51. Life is sweet at Cici's!

BTW watching the mammoth play was a rootin hootin good time. I had no idea that lacrosse was such a redneck sport! The crowd was hilarious, but not quite as funny as the MC. I would recommend it to anyone who loves watching sports with no apparent clear rules!

Mormon Woman Wheat Rush

So... you know how people say that when they had their first baby they felt like a real woman! Like they had achieved the title and status of "WOMAN". Well, yesterday, nearly 20 years after being baptized a Mormon, I felt like a real, true, "MORMON WOMAN!" Why you might ask? My brother-in-law gave me a wheat grinder for Christmas and I ventured to use it. I got my wheat out, ground it down to flour, made my own wheat bread from wheat that I had ground!, and served it for dinner. I am practically a pioneer!!! Now, I am either way lame in my older years, or those pioneers had it right cause I got such a rush from doing that. I would just like to announce that I have arrived, "I AM MORMON WOMAN, HEAR MY WHEAT GRINDER ROAR!"