the bright side

Even though Nathan told me I was fat today two or three times, I have lost eight pounds. I'm eating better and exercising regularly. I'm still hoping for the momentum to kick in but I am making progress.

Even though it was hot today, I was able to take the kids to the pool. As an added bonus, they all worked together to clean up the house before we went.

Even though Anne is teething and not sleeping, she is so totally adorable.


Even though some days are hard, I still get to enjoy moments like these.

pad pool park

The weather this summer has been on the unusual side. When August should be sweltering, we've had mild temperatures that feel like fall. This should totally make me happy, as I am not a hot weather fan, but it has meant that our pool pass has seen little use. I'm too cheap to be okay with that. Yesterday and today the weather was back up in the 90s so I thought a day at the pool was in order. Today we started out by checking out a new splash pad nearby. The boys thought this was great fun. Emma was not so thrilled by it.

A couple of experiences in the last few weeks have made me aware of the fact that we are no longer a young family. Suddenly I have the "older" kids. I remember being that young mom who took her preschoolers to play at the park. Suddenly, we are more clearly the odd ones with school age kids at the park on a school day. Additionally, the divide between what Emma wants and what the boys want is growing.

Anyhow...the boys enjoyed the splash pad. Dave came and brought Subway for lunch. Then I said the magical P word--pool--and suddenly everyone was happy.

We drove a few minutes south to the pool and stayed for over two hours! Yet again, we stuck out but it didn't phase the kids at all. Emma and Slade went off and played happily together in the deep end. Sawyer flitted here and there to whatever struck his fancy at the time. Nathan stayed in his little corner diving for toys and doing flips. Anne swam for a little while and then eventually succumbed to sleep in her stroller.

Emma said, "Mom, you're amazing for taking us to two water places." Such sweet moments make it all worth it.

To gain even more cool parent points, we went to Anderson Park in Pleasant Grove for a campfire. We originally thought about going up the canyon but didn't want to spend the entrance fee or fight to find a picnic spot. Anderson Park was a perfect little compromise between city and canyon. We also invited Grandma and Grandpa Daniel to come join us which was fun. While the boys were completely fascinated by the fire, we discovered we are not much of a marshmallow roasting family. I think we'll have to learn how to do Dutch oven cooking instead.


What a great day!

in the zone

My kids don't do chores. Shocked? Well, let me clarify. Instead of chores, we do family work in daily zones. Everybody works together to complete the required tasks in each area. Then later, in the day (or a few days later :P), I do more deep cleaning.

Monday--main level

Tuesday--bathrooms

Wednesday--basement

Thursday--bedrooms

Friday--miscellaneous (laundry room, backyard, etc.)

Saturday--fifteen minute blitz


I'm a big believer in routines. With this routine, the house stays generally clean and the kids are learning to work with each other. After all, things always feel easier when you work together.

Just thought I'd share what works for me.

august catch-up

Emma finished the swim season at the Gold County Meet. She improved a lot and came to really enjoy it. Now she has a big stack of ribbons and at the awards ceremony, she was given a coach's favorite award.

50 yard freestyle
start of the season: 46.32/end of the season: 42.43
25 yard backstroke
start of the season: 26.42/end of the season: 23.38
25 yard breaststroke
start of the season: 26.89/end of the season 24.34

Anne is eating cereal. Still not napping. Crying a lot. Wanting to be held all the time. Still super-duper cute.


I've been exercising 4-5 times a week. Eating.....better. Down 6 pounds. I am thrilled to be moving in the right direction but still feel daunted by the long road ahead.

We have continued to meet with our history and science co-op through the summer. Last week, we talked about the Trail of Tears. Sad, sad stuff. We ended on a lighter note with face paint.

Yep, even me.


We discovered a new park in our little city. We spent a perfect evening playing on the playground, kicking soccer balls, rolling down the hills, swinging and enjoying the fabulous view and sunset.

This picture just makes my heart happy!

Emma has some weird cyst on her eye.

I photographed my first wedding! I totally loved it. I know I made some mistakes out of inexperience but I think on the whole everything turned out well. I hope I get to do it again. And again. I'll be posting pictures here soon if interested.

We went to the open house at IMFT (Dave's work). We entertained ourselves for almost four hours with carnival games, an inside tour with lots of educational stops, lunch and a climb inside a fire truck. We are so blessed that Dave has such a wonderful job.

We started school yesterday. Emma thought that was unfair since the rest of the neighborhood goes back on Thursday. What can I say? I'm just a mean mom. Of course, I have big plans for the school year. New curriculum to try out. Favorite curriculum to continue. Lots of art/craft/cooking/fieldtrip ideas to complete. This is our sixth year. Suddenly, we are the veteran homeschoolers. When did that happen?

It feels great to be getting back to our regularly scheduled program.