I can not believe I drove all the way to 5600 South just for a Del Taco. But that is what I did on Friday with some friends. They have a kids play land--thus the drive for the darling kids.
Some random toddler was crying and we had no idea where his mom was, so like great citizens we ignored him. That is until he went over to Rachel and hit her. Peter saw this at the same time as me. He beat me to the punch, and beat up the kid. What a sweet brother! I am so proud.
I have made a decision. I am throwing away my bathroom scale (or at least packing it away in the garage.) Every time I go to weigh myself the result turns out the same--me eating a donut. Here is my logic. -If I have lost weight, then I think-- "Wow! I deserve a donut." -If I gain weight I say--"What the hell, and I eat a donut." I am thinking neither of those are good reasons to eat something that takes up all my caloric intake for the day in one sitting. So we will see what happens. Good bye bathroom scale and donuts! My favorite donuts are the Chocolate Dunford Donuts sold at Dans Grocery Store.
Sarah's weight problem: Every time I get down to my goal weight, Steve gets me pregnant. He says he wont do that again. And why should I believe him this time? Just kidding. We are done--Really! ?! ?! No really we are.
Rachel learned a new trick. Climbing out of her high chair and onto the table. It goes something this... 1. Mom turns her back. 2. Rachel makes her move. 3. She bum scoots across the table to Peter's food. 4. Takes Peter's food. 5. Peter takes a swing at his sister. 6. Look who ends up getting hurt!
The Kindergartner's had lunch for the first time today at school. I went along to join in the fun. (When I told Maggie that I was coming she gave me a big hug...aaahhh!)
On the menu was taco's with your choice of fillings: cheese, lettuce, beans and salsa. The teacher had a 3 bite rule. You had to take 3 bites of everything. I am sorry but the beans looked plain awful. So I taught Maggie how to stir them around, so that it looked as if she had tried it. How cool of a mom am I? You could also have your choice of white milk or chocolate. I looked in the garbage at the end of lunch. There it was, the lone white milk amongst all the chocolates. Can you blame them. Chocolate Milk Rules!
Today I am Grateful for..... -The balmy 50 degree weather. My car read 58 degrees. -Being exercised and showered by 7:30.....A.M.! -Receiving a coupon for a free Dr. Pepper. (he he, it is my second one!) -Making a new type cookie with Maggie. Peanut Butter Oatmeal. -Play time with the kids. How do you like Peter's dress?
-Rachel having belly giggles over a wagon ride! -Watching this video on KBYU.
Maggie has needed some new church shoes for sometime now. I always forget until Sunday rolls around and then it is too late. Yesterday afternoon we went shoe shopping. As soon as I saw the shoes with heels I knew that was what she would want. I refused to encourage or point them out, but she saw them, oh did she see them. She fell in love and went all ga-ga-girly over them. It is fun to watch her get giddy. I think she is going to be fun when she is a teenager....Steve thinks she will be a rebellious troublemaker who chases boys.
On Thursday night a girl from our ward offered to teach a kick boxing class. I was so excited because I love to work out, and this person is opening their own gym and she is in excellent shape. Maybe I came in too confident, maybe just plain stupid. But I thought I was going to rock this workout.
The first thing I realized was that I was very intimidated by the women she brought with her to teach. Yikes...Can you say Barbie doll! In all honesty they were very nice and encouraging, good at what they did, and did I mention pretty?
The second thing I realized was you need to wear a hat like this.....
and gloves like this.. Third thing I realized was that I wanted to go home!
These women obviously been working on this routine for years, and knew what they were doing. Me not so much. It took all the concentration I had to figure out the moves, and by the time I thought I maybe figured it out they were on to something else. I probably looked like a deer in headlights....What the $%** are you doing?
So finally I realized that this workout is not for me. I would much rather go for a long run and loose myself in the loud music pounding in my ears, and I hate to wear make up while I workout.
Hats off (military hats that is) to those who can rock this workout!
Over the past couple days we have made our fair share of sugar cookies! With yummy hot pink frosting. The recipe calls for over 7 cups of flour...surely one batch should have been enough. But not when I come into the kitchen and find Peter doing this.... and this.... Don't worry...all the dough that was "man-handled" was thrown out. I think Maggie wants Summer to come as much as her mom. She wears her swimsuit every day!
Here is the final outcome. They are so soft and yummy! With a mouth full of dough Peter says "Actually these are pretty good." Actually Peter they are dang good!
After reading my last post, I think I am officially pathetic! It is soooo hard being a stay at home mom. Mentally it is exhausting. I rarely get a free minute to myself (unless I go hide, like I am now!) I change a gazillion diapers every day, sit at home so my kids can get naps.
Naps go something like this: 10:00-1:30 Rachel's first nap, 1-3 Peter's nap, and 4-5 is Rachel's second nap.
I walk around aimlessly picking up toys, make meal after meal, clean up meal after meal. Some days I wonder if I am a mom or a house keeper? Maybe the winter is getting me down, or maybe I'm just a downer and need to stop comparing myself. It has been hard watching neighbors leave for work, while their nanny's stay in the home with their children and clean their house. It is on days like that when I wonder--What am I doing? So why do I stay at home with my children? Why...because they grow up fast. Because I can never go back in time and change what I did not do. I want my children to know that I am their mom, and am willing to sacrifice to help them succeed. I want to be the one to kiss them goodbye in the morning, and hug them when they get home from school. I want to teach them to read and write and learn about the world and their Savior. And yes I know this is where my Heavenly Father wants me right now, is in the home where things are learned the best with love and compassion (and lots of yelling!) However I am not convinced that their are extra blessings in heaven for the stay at home mom.
Who: A desperate mom who is dying to get out of the house, dressed up in nice slacks and high heels. Along with 3 of her whinny, bratty complaining children. When: Today at lunch. Where: Cafe Rio. Yum! Why: To enjoy a nice lunch out of the house on a beautiful day. What: What happened is...A child threw a tantrum on the floor while in line. Screamed about a puzzle piece left in the car the entire lunch. Drinks spilled a couple times. One of the spills landed on the couple next to us, who after a million times of saying "I am so sorry" still would not look at me. And of course--spills of beans and dressing all over mom. How: Yes, How do I do this? I must say, the employees at Cafe Rio are wonderful. They carried my food to a table for me, brought me tons of complimentary strawberries, mopped up our mess a couple of times, and kept asking how they could help. Why?...did I look like a needed help for some reason. Me--I never need help.
Peter has a toy camera, and loves taking every one's pictures. All day long he walks around asking people to "say cheese." I think he found a new model--Jesus. He walks up to the picture and says "Say Cheese Jesus." After the picture clicks, he then says "Good boy Jesus." You may think this is irreverent...I say, at least he knows who Jesus is! I love this picture, it hangs in our nursery. Steve gave it to me when I was pregnant with Luke.
Luke is totally into reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. One of the books is like your own diary and gets you started on a topic such as "What was a great dream you had, worst thing you ever ate, secrets you have etc." I thought I would take a peek at what has kept him so fascinated. It turned out to be pretty funny. I laughed so hard when I found the question, "Have you ever peed in a swimming pool?" It was obvious that the box marked YES had been colored and then erased. I guess my family helped contribute to the Cryptosporidium outbreak in swimming pools this last year. (Steve did give the kid a good talking to on the subject!)
Speaking of good books, while I was cleaning the kitchen this morning it was super quiet. Luke walked in with another book and asked if it was OK that he was reading it. I told him that book is too hard for him to read and it was for adults. "No, it is not to hard. I am already on page 10."
This kid is a crazy reader. He checked out a book at the school library on electricity and electricians. He now thinks that because he has read the book and that he is a Boy Scout he can safely work on our electrical box. I guess I could have much bigger problems.
We ventured up to our cabin above Oakley this weekend. Short trip but ohhh so fun. Steve found some new places to snowmobile, and the kids loved having fresh powder snow to tromp through. It is nice to be able to send your kids outside and not have to worry about them getting hit by a car or stolen....oh yeah I forgot about those big unexplained foot prints Luke found. Steve and I even got to share a ride (snowmobile) together--just the two of us! We left the kids behind arguing about who was in charge! It is funny how all your worries melt away up in the mountains and how unexplainably your kids all of a sudden get along and love each other. Why don't we do this more often?
Happy Valentines Day! The Dunham Girls love pink...it is pinkalicious! Today we will open gifts wrapped in pink, (some of the gifts are actually pink), eat lots of pink cookies, and share the love of each other.
I ran to the store last night to grab a few items for the big Valentines Day Party at the school. Steve stayed home with the kids and it was getting late. I was taking my time, eying out the candy. Why was everyone starring at me? I continued to shop slowly, and kept noticing the stares. Then I realized why. Look what type of cart I was pushing around! With no children inside or anywhere in sight. My shopping trip was done, I could care less if I missed other items on my list.
Confession: This is not the first time I have done this!
This account happened about a year ago, but I think it is blog worthy. I had just purchased a new rocker for the nursery. Funny, I finally get my dream rocker after my forth child (better late than never!) Luke was begging to make/paint a club house out of the box. We got out tools and paint and he got to work. He started to write his name and saw there would not be enough room, so he used his initials. Here is the outcome. THE LSD CLUB! I made him move it out of the front yard, we were getting too many stares and laughs.
Happy early Valentines to the one I love, and who makes me smile! I love you because........... You kiss me goodnight on the forehead, support me in my decisions, come home devoted to me, give me time to exercise, make me laugh, help with kids in the wee hours, take care of our family's needs, have tackled the teeth brushing task with kids, lend a listening ear when I call complaining, tell me that I'm pretty, play with the kids, download new songs on my ipod, never comment when the house is messy, let your little girls sleep with you when they are scared, put gas in my car, scrape the windows on cold days, notice when I put effort into something, sit in the hot tub and talk about the future together, whisper I love you in my ear, let me put my legs on your lap when we watch tv, helped me through 4 epidurals and c-sections without passing out, I love catching you taking a peek,and how you touch my cheek with your hand when we kiss, when you put your arm around my waist, tell me you love me everyday,love your children and adore your family.
This one is for you, my love! CHEESE ALERT: This video may contain content that is not appropriate for those with a stone-cold heart, cynical about love or gag at cheesy love scenes.
After coming out of the grocery store I noticed money laying by my car. $6 if you must know. Was it mine, did I drop it? To make a long story short I picked it up, and to make me feel less guilty I handed it to Maggie. "No way, your not tricking me!" And with that said she threw it back. Scrambling I picked up the money and drove away. Why did I just take that money? I was feeling kinda guilty and trying to rationalize my action when Maggie topped it off with this response. "Mom your like that guy who does bad things." "Who are you talking about Maggie." I asked. "You,know the one that tricks you into doing bad things." "Satan?" "Yep, your like him, and I am not going to let him trick me!" OUCH!
So I have decided to make this wrong a right I am going to buy $6 worth of tuna and peanut butter to donate to the food drive on Saturday, along with the rest of the cans from my cupboard.
I can not believe I am going to say this,but I think we are white trash or rednecks. They are both equally horrific. Here is why I think we are. You might be a redneck if you have had an old stove in your driveway for 3 + months. You might be a redneck if your kids dump out the flower containers and leave them on the front walkway. You might be a redneck if you have had an old car battery sitting in the backyard for over a year. In order to save myself the embarrassment and keep some dignity I am going to stop my list now. (Heaven knows I could go on!) The day has come. Steve is finally getting rid of the old stove and the white trash status. So long, you will not be missed!
Talking about trash--look how I found Rachel when I walked upstairs. She can now reach the top of the table, and she helped herself to the leftover brownies. She is such a helper, loves to unload the dishwasher and carry the utensils throughout the house. Thanks Rach now I can wash them AGAIN.
She really is a cute girl, sans the bows that she will not allow on her head. She enjoyed the beautiful day on Saturday.
Alright "Joe the Plumber" I am now officially freaked out that Big Brother is indeed watching over me. I do at least find it comforting that you do not find my "crack" (as you so eloquently put it), attractive. Now if you would kindly leave my blog, I would appreciate it.
Luke is reading a Cabin Creek Mysteries book. A character in the book gets kidnapped and his father is a US Senator. I have been trying to teach Luke what a Senator is. We caught the first story on the Today Show about the ever popular Stimulus Bill. They were interviewing Senators. While listening Luke then asked "Mom, what is a Democrat and a Republican?" Oh the perfect opportunity to taint my son towards one direction. "Well the Democrats like to help the poor, and the Republicans like to help big business." (You were forewarned this was a tainted response--so no political corrections!)
I was interested in how Luke would respond and never saw this one coming: "That's great, so together they can help a lot of different people." In theory son, in theory!
Steve's parents watched Peter and Rachel this morning while I ran to the grocery store. As we left and I was leaning over, buckling my kids in, I received a strange comment from my father-in-law. "You need to stop inviting people to look at your butt!" Excuse me, did I just hear that correctly? I think he was referring to my low rise jeans. It is a continual topic of conversation when the Dunham family gets together. (Low rise jeans that is, not necessarily my jeans.) But whenever the family starts talking about that topic, I admit I'm afraid to get out of my chair and walk across the room--even if my child is about to fall down the stairs! I politely told him he did not have to stand directly behind me when I was bending over. Or look for that matter. I can't believe I am posting a picture of my back side. My kids love taking pictures of my butt--they think it is hilarious! So today they clicked and laughed, all at my expense! note: I have repeatedly tried to down size this pic to no avail.
Once again I left my reusable grocery sacks at the bottom of the van. Can you see them on the left side under the stroller. It is hard to remember to take them into the store!
My little Rachel Claire, or Ray Ray, LOVES to sleep! Ever since she was born she was a sleeper. My friend had a baby two days after me and we always compare. While her little 3 month old was social and active, mine was sleeping. And so it goes. Now Rachel is almost 14 months, and she still sleeps the day away. A 4 hour nap in the morning and another 2 in the late afternoon. YES, she does sleep through the night. This does cramp my style of being on the go, and given me a considerable amount of guilt that I can not volunteer in my children's class rooms, and so forth. But it has taught me that life goes by fast. Children grow up fast. I need to relish every moment (not that I ever do!) and being home at a slow paced life, with my children is where I need to be right now. Some days I wish I could afford a nanny, but that is not in the cards. So for now--Nap away sweet girl!
Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Julie Beck
I am so glad it is February. To celebrate I wore a new hot pink shirt to church on Sunday. Just wearing a fun color makes me feel better. This is my new shirt, I also got it in black, not that you care!
When I told a friend about being excited for the new month, she thought I was crazy. "It is no different than January," she told me.
Here is why FEBRUARY is better than JANUARY. -It makes me think of the color pink! -There are only 28 days this month. -Valentines Day -Candy. Valentines candy is the only holiday candy I love. -Chocolate covered strawberries. No, this does not fall in the candy category. -It is staying lighter longer at night. -In my style book, you can start wearing spring colors. -Shopping for and surprising my kids with a fun valentines gifts. -Crafts! -Making sugar cookies with pink butter cream frosting. These are a labor of love, but so yummy! -Wishful thinking that Spring will soon arrive.
I am almost positive our house has a peeping Tom. I am not going to go into detail but we have sufficient evidence.
If you are the pervert I am referring to, watch out. My husband has a temper and a gun! Oh yeah, and seriously, a thirty something mother of 4? I am sure their is better bait. So LEAVE ME ALONE!
