today I'm happy about...

...feeding my family dinner & dessert for under $5. ($1 can of yummy soup, $0.29 package of cornbread mix, $0.99 half gallon of chocolate milk, $1.99 - $0.65 coupon vanilla ice cream, $0.69 2 liter root beer). Granted, it wasn't fancy or super nutritious, but they loved it and we can have root beer floats again tomorrow!

...Sprout's ultra-deluxe car seat arrived today. We could barely buckle his other one, and I know it had to be uncomfortable the last few weeks. Thanks to my awesome mom and (one of) my awesome SILs for helping with the purchase. This one should last him a good long time!

....it took me four tries, but finally I got a good fire going in the fireplace. I guess I'm rusty after 8 months of no practice.

....learning a useful embroidery stitch that will help me make cute faces on my Christmas projects. No more "fake" embroidery. Now I know something! (This video library of stitches is so awesomely helpful! It's like having your very own granny!)

....David's business is slowly but surely acquiring clients! There might be an actual income in our future!

The Obligatory Halloween Post

The best things about Halloween this year:

1. The kids wanted to be things that were very easy for me, as we already had bunny & cat ears, and Sprout conveniently was the right size for the little cow suit.

2. As it was on a Saturday, our friends had an afternoon halloween party that was very fun. I ate way too much yummy food (which was fun for me).

3. The kids actually didn't trick or treat that much, so rationing their candy (after the first couple of days) wasn't that big of a deal. They finished the last of it this morning.

4. We get free pumpkins thanks to my in-laws' garden. Yippee!



And because I'm messing around with the picture size, some of them look a little blurrier than they should. Click on them for a crisper version (if you care that much).

for some reason....

when I widened my blog, it deleted my "blogroll" of friends' blogs. I'm in process of remembering/tracking down all my favorite blogs again, but if you could help me out by commenting here and I'll follow the trail back to your blog, that would be helpful.

Like, Don't Like

Fish Edition

Like

Cute little porcupine puffer fish. Doesn't he look like he's smiling and waving?

Don't Like

This fathead fish. Okay, maybe I like him a teensy bit, just because he's so ridiculously ugly, but overall, Don't Like.

Really Really Don't Like

I think these fish might actually be the spawn of Satan. The data isn't conclusive at this point, though.

Fall

This one is from today:

These are from last week, the morning that the kids saw that the leaves had fallen from the maple tree. Which makes me wish it snowed leaves instead of snow all winter.

Like, Don't Like

So I have a confession. Sometimes as I go about doing my regular stuff during the day, I blog in my mind. Sometimes I get on and just spew whatever thoughts I have unedited out into the world, but sometimes I think of witty things to say. The problem is, often I've forgotten them by the time I actually have a few uninterrupted minutes to sit down at the computer. Or sometimes I realize they aren't as witty the next day when I'm operating on a bit more sleep.

But a couple of weeks ago I had the idea to do "Like, Don't Like" posts. I was entertaining myself by thinking of all sorts of related items, one that I liked and one that I didn't like. Example:

Like: Round toed shoes

Don't Like: Pointy toed shoes

Like: Wheat Thins

Don't Like: Triscuit

I thought this would be a fun and somewhat clever way to tell the world little things about me they might not know, and would never think to ask. Yeah, I realize they would also probably not care, but in this world of Facebooking, Twittering, blogging, etc., we are all narcissists. I think some of the others that I thought of were more interesting than the two examples I shared, but (naturally) I can't think of them right now. Perhaps because a baby is destroying things under my desk even as I type this and a fluffy dog is trying to persuade me to throw her rope for her. I need uninterrupted time to be brilliant. Which explains a lot...

fetch: fun for dogs AND kids

So, my Daisy doggy is a fabulous fetcher. A fetching fetcher, if you will. She will race to retrieve all manner of soft squeaky toys or her tug rope time after time after time. She releases the toy to the command "Give," or just drops it on her own. It's a lot of fun to watch her fluffiness run and carry her toys around (she has a HUGE plush bone which is especially entertaining!). We play fetch outside and also inside. Rudy is not such a great fetcher. He will, however, play for a bit inside when he can try and steal Daisy's toys from her, or act like a roadblock just by standing longways in her path. Spud, however, is a most awesome fetcher. I think it is one of his favorite activities. Whenever I get Daisy going on a game of fetch (usually without Rudy around), Spud will come and join in the fun, racing Daisy to get the toys and bring them back. And he can keep these sprints up for a loooong time. It's a great way for both of them to burn off their excess energy, and it's pretty fun to watch.

Though there are days when one or more of the pets threaten to send me over the edge of sanity, I do love having them around, especially for the kids. I really can't imagine anything more fun for kids than to have pets to play with, tease (in nice ways), cuddle with and love. I know my kids will never fully appreciate their "good fortune" in having an animal-loving mother, but it makes me happy enough knowing that they are growing up with these experiences and will be animal-loving adults, too.

thinking out loud

Kind of. I guess we need a blog-appropriate phrase for that. "Thinking at keyboard." Maybe that works.

A couple weeks ago was General Conference (wow, I guess it was only about 1 1/2 weeks ago, but it feels like much longer). It was my first attempt to actually involve the kids. In the past I was happy if they stayed out of my hair and managed to be relatively self-entertaining. I would tune every radio to conference, so it was playing wherever they were, but I liked to do my own thing and let them do theirs. This year I felt it was important for them to participate more, so I did a few things differently. I found some great Conference Bingo sheets, and also these Apostle Cards which I printed off and laminated. I also printed off some pages from various Conference packets--the most used page was the one where the kids could color the ties of each of the Apostles as they saw them. Pretty fun. Anyways, though it took more effort on my part both before and during the conference, I really felt like the effort was worth it to have the kids participate in Conference. As a child, I was allowed to bring toys in to the family room to play with quietly on the floor while the family watched, and I remember those times. I've always felt like Conference is a very important time, and I think it is because there was always the expectation to watch/listen to all the sessions. I want my kids to grow up with that, too. They did really enjoy the bingo sheets, and they earned treats for getting BINGO on both their Saturday and Sunday boards. So it's definitely something we'll do again.

We watched the Sunday session with David's family down in Springville. Since we don't have a TV subscription, we ended up watching Saturday's sessions in the office on my computer. Not nearly as comfortable as in our family/TV room, but at least the screen was a decent size. (I love my big monitor!) Between sessions the TV was on and there were commercials for various toys. Noodle said, "It's a good thing we don't have TV, otherwise we'd just want all these toys that they show on commercials." I thought that was rather an astute observation, and think it is very true. We do watch movies and a handful of cartoons, but we are spared from commercials. It's pretty great, really. It's hard enough for kids to be grateful and satisfied when they aren't constantly bombarded with commercials for the latest cool toy or trendy idea. My mom likes to say, "The play should be in the child, not the toy." I firmly believe this. I don't think this means only wooden or simple toys are appropriate (you should see the creative things Spud comes up with for his Transformers!), but rather that a toy should invite the child to use their imagination and not only have scripted play. One thing that Noodle does that I love is to "accessorize" all her toys. Shemakes houses for them, food out of Sculpey clay, beds, blankets, vehicles, musical instruments, etc. Plus she will write letters to/from the toy, illustrate scenes from their lives, construct a family tree, and on and on. Last week was our week off school and I sewed Noodle & Spud each a cute little plush mouse. It's pretty neat to watch how much fun they can have with one toy. Spud likes to build aircraft for his mouse from the Magformers.

love this not-so-little little guy

piano boy

Sprout absolutely loves to play the piano. He lights up every time he gets a chance to play.

things that are ridiculous

My dog (Daisy) now wears to bed the following:

1. her plastic cone aka Elizabethan collar
2. an outgrown one of Sprout's rompers (long-sleeved, long legged onesie)
3. two socks on each of her back feet

Why?

Well, I'll tell you.

Over the past few months we have had one sore after another. One of them was a legitimate injury, exacerbated by her understandable licking at it (she had a foxtail embedded in her rump--ouch!), but the others have been various itches that she either scratches until they bleed or licks until they bleed. I don't know if it is an environmental allergy or food allergy or just because we live in a super dry climate, but I do know that it is a lot easier (though heavy on the ridiculous side) to prevent these sores than to deal with them once they are present. And I think the annoyance/discomfort to her is also less if I can keep her from making the sores. She actually doesn't seem to mind the onesie or the cone. The socks I think annoy her, but she's a pretty good sport.

Aren't you glad you asked?


On a somewhat related note -- today I gave her a bath and, for my first time ever, a haircut!! Four weeks ago I did part of her haircut by myself (David has done the haircutting for the past nearly 3 years that we've owned her) and it didn't turn out that great. But I learned from my mistakes and did a much better job this time. It's a small thing, but I'm happy to be able to take it off of David's plate and kind of proud of myself for doing such a nice job. :o)

we like to party

We had an "End of Term" party for the kids tonight. We invited 12 kids over and made mini pizzas, ran around the back yard like crazies, and then had a dance party in the garage (complete with our cool "disco-esque" light ball thing [gift from a former roommate in honor of the Year of the Dance Parties]). Who knew that 14 kids in a garage could be so fun? I enjoyed the party, though, even if the only adults were David & I and my friend Leah. Kids are fun, especially when I get to spend time with them on my terms (not Cub Scouts, babysitting, helping out in a school classroom, Primary, etc.) My terms usually involve just wanting to do fun things. Anyways, the party was a hit and I'll post some blurry pictures if I get around to it soon.

Things are looking really promising for David on the work front. If you've been praying for us, thanks! and keep 'em coming. I've been working on being very mindful of the blessings we've received over the past year and have been diligent in keeping the fear and worry at bay. Heavenly Father has kept us going this long (with/through the generous help of a number of people here on earth), and I trust that he won't let us fail. I've been doing a good job focusing my energies on productive endeavors that pertain to my role in our family (nurturing & teaching the children), and honestly, that has taken so much of my energy and time that I haven't had any left to worry unnecessarily about the money situation. I feel like I'm doing the right things, and I think David is, too, so I think we are in the right place to do "the next thing." I have to say that I am so proud of the kids and I for doing as well on our homeschool these past six weeks as we have. It has been an adjustment, as it's been our first time doing real, official FULL-TIME homeschool. Last year we had kind of a funny schedule because of my working so much. Noodle has adjusted really well, and I think Spud is responding well to the one-on-one attention he gets when we do his preschool work. Also, now when he isn't doing his school, he'll often play nearby on his own, rather than just moping around or pestering. So we have made progress!!

Well, I'm rambling. It was a good day, and I'm glad we had the chance to have some fun and make some good memories with the kids. I hope we can be the sort of home where friends like to come to feel safe and have fun.

wise words

"Never let a problem to be solved
become more important
than a person to be loved."
Thomas S. Monson

the weirdest thing

So I went out later this evening with a friend and when I came back, Sprout was already asleep. I got in bed about 11:50, and he started waking up. It had been about 3 hours since he last ate, so I expected him to be hungry. But he wouldn't latch on to nurse. Weird. He also was making these little "blowy" noises periodically. He didn't seem at all distressed, and he has been teething, so we thought maybe his teeth were bothering him and made him not want to nurse (though this has never been the case before.) I go down to get his teething drops and bring them up. He happily takes them, seems fine, but still no nursing. I check his diaper--he's damp but not very wet, but I decide to change him anyways. So I go change his diaper. Finally, we are in the hall and he makes his blowy noise again, and I think I see something in his mouth. I stick my finger in and fish around and I pull out a wrapper. What?? I smooth it out and look at it. It's a temporary tattoo wrapper from one of the kids' tattoos, a 2-ply plastic pouch about 1.5 inches sqaure. It had been in his mouth WHO KNOWS how long, but he'd slept with it in his mouth! He wasn't at all bothered by it, apparently. I'm very thankful that he didn't swallow it. Now I'm wondering if he'll be another orally fixated infant/toddler like his brother was. Spud ALWAYS stuck stuff in his mouth, but NEVER choked on anything, and only once swallowed something (a tiny metal marble that was only found because I dumped out the diaper [we use cloth diapers] in the toilet and I heard a "plink"). We actually gave up trying to stop him from doing it, and opted to just watch him closely. Crazy boys.

still cute

What a relief, huh?

I don't know if it is just because I'm busier with 3 than I was with 2 or 1, or if it is just because I'm older, but the 7 1/2 months of Sprout's life have flown by. He's starting to crawl and I'm excited to see him learn new things, but part of me wishes I could slow everything down.
He continues to be an amazingly happy little guy. He loves to play with everything. His top 2 incisors are about ready to come through, so he is extra drooly, and he loves to stick his tongue out all the time. And he is so fun to hug! I think that's one definite advantage of big babies--they are big enough to really squeeze!

baby + cat toy

= happy, content, self-entertaining baby.

Yes, I did take pictures but I'll have to upload them later.

Happy Birthday (yesterday) David!

It was a pretty low-key day. We actually didn't get around to having cake until this morning. We put all the candles we had on the cake, and it wasn't close to 32, but I think it accomplished the same purpose (looking festive and enabling The Wish).

I am so grateful for David. One of my favorite things about him back when we were dating was how much fun we can have together. I remember driving along University Avenue (I think we were going to a movie at the theater up by the Riverwoods) and we were just having a great time being ridiculous in the car. I told him that I felt just as comfortable with him as I ever had with any of my girl friends, which was a new experience for me. We had (and still have!) romance and passion during our courtship, but the foundation of our relationship has always been friendship, and that friendship has largely been built on fun. He still makes me laugh (a lot) and I still make him laugh.

When we first got to know each other (on the airplane trip down to Brazil), neither one of us could sleep and most other people on the plane were asleep or at least dozing. The lights were dim/off (you know how they do that on airplanes at "night") and it was even more annoying to be awake. We were sitting in the back of the plane, so people had to walk by on their way to the bathrooms. We put the mini pillowcases on our heads (a la chef's hats) and started doing dances in our seats, and possibly lip-synching to our head phones. Did I mention we were very tired?

So, Happy Birthday my Love! You are 32 years AWESOME!

crikey!

More than a week with no fabulous musings from the mind of Mindy? How doth one survive?

Seriously, this is my life: Get up (not as early as I need to). Do some household chores (not as many as I need to). Have breakfast with the kids and David & get ready. Have devotional with the kids & David. Start school with the kids. Do various school stuff until early/mid-afternoon. Do more chores or some work (photography stuff) on the computer. Have dinner with family. Get kids in bed. Prep homeschool for the next day/do chores/study scriptures with David. Go to bed. Repeat.

I am enjoying most everything we are doing, but the routine really wears me down. I have never been one who enjoys a routine, so I am trying to come up with things that will add a bit of fun variety to the days and weeks. Theoretically, I understand that routines are good and productive, but I sometimes can't wrap my heart around one. Oh well! Tomorrow (if the weather cooperates) we are going to start off our homeschool day with a walk on the river trail. Should be nice.

I think the other part of the routine that gets to me presently is that no matter how nice the routine is, babies haven't read the memo! I'm not a fan of trying to schedule babies exactly with naps and feedings, so I guess it's my own choice, but it is hard to try and get things done with an adorable little ball of chaos around. Who knows when he will feel sleepy, cranky, be teething, have an "explod-o-poo" diaper, stay up really late (and causing you to sleep in the next morning), get sick, etcetera etcetera. But such is life. And it's good. I need to cultivate the art of finding happiness and joy during the busy, full days as well as on the more relaxed days. Just now, as I was typing that, I realized my shoulders were all hunched up. Do all moms feel that "burden" on their shoulders all the time, that makes you feel like there is something else to do and makes it so hard to "enjoy the now" for more than five minutes? Is there a solution? Would love to hear your thoughts on this....

who doesn't like free?

Free food from Schwan's! clicky-clicky

the fruitiest post

I just had to take a picture of some of the nectarines from our tree, and I ended up taking pictures of other fruit around the kitchen as well. The nectarines aren't as big as they were two years ago, but last year we had none, so it's a vast improvement. And. despite their small size, they are juicy and delicious. David and Noodle hand pollinated this year since it was too cold in the early spring for the natural pollinators.