Friday, April 29, 2011

A Few Pointless Complaints That Won't Change Anything

1. We got snow last night. Weather-wise, Rexburg can be really lame. It's supposed to be spring, and it's almost the first of May. Enough already.

2. I'm breaking out. That's really my own fault, because I've been slowly finishing off my Easter candy. But still, it's quite annoying after having beautiful skin during all of Lent.

3. Ironically, it's quite hot in my apartment. The sun shines right where I'm sitting and directly into my face. C'mon, I actually like it to be a little cold inside.

Other that that, I've had a fairly uneventful week. That's the way I like it. Life is good when it's predictable. My husband would definitely disagree. He should be pretty happy that I told him to bring home a pizza for dinner tonight. :) I never do that, because I love to cook. However, I happen to be cooking dinner for a family with a new baby, and I'm just not in the mood to cook 2 dinners. Yay for cheap pizza.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

My Favorite Magazine Ever!

I've come to realize that I don't really like magazines much. There are so many pointless ads, and it seems like an article's going to be good, but then I read it and am sorely disappointed. For example, James's grandma gave me some old magazines they seemed like they'd be about healthy living. However, most of what they emphasize is being nice to the environment, like having an organic cotton shower curtain. Yeah...who cares?!

I love reading the Ensign, as cliche as that may be for a Latter-day Saint. It's full of great stories and words of the prophets, NO ADS, and definitely no sketchy material that I'll regret reading. Granted, there are stories that don't apply to me, but I still find them to be inspirational. I'm really glad that the Church puts out magazines. I especially look forward to the next issue that will come soon...Conference!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Oh, Emotional Me

I feel like this week (especially weekend) has been way too emotional for me. It's not that I don't have weeks like this, it's that I don't love the whole roller coaster feeling. Hopefully this won't seem like a long, rambling post and will make sense. I just have to write it all down.

My mom and sister left to go home Saturday. That was sad, because I won't see them again for a few months. Luckily, it won't be 8 months this time, only 3.

I feel like I have 2 dilemmas right now.

1. Sugar. Of course I started eating it again yesterday, but I had no idea how it would make me feel. Basically, I got a headache that wouldn't leave, even with drugs. Lent was a really good experience, so good, in fact, that I really don't want to eat treats again. It felt so good not to eat them (despite some cravings for chocolate and ice cream, and a little peer pressure). Plus, I lost weight and inches. I feel like I will always dread eating something sugary, so maybe I just won't do it. The dessert was good, but not as good as I remembered. Chocolate is still good, however, so maybe I will just eat that sparingly...

2. Weaning the baby. My original plan was to wait until Joseph was a year old. Lately, he's just seemed ready to go to a bottle. It was a busy week when Mom and Mara were here, so it was pretty easy to start the process. They always say not to wean cold turkey, and I can see why. It's depressing, even when it's done gradually. Joseph is now drinking 2 bottles and nursing 3 times a day. Physically, it's been nice, because I'm already less thirsty than I was. The emotional impact is much harder. I feel like Joseph is deserting me for the comfort of a mama cow. That sounds pretty silly, but it's true. I'm not just switching his food source; I'm ending an important relationship that I've had with him these last almost 11 months. I just can't believe how fast he's grown up. He's such a little doll.

In a few weeks, I'll be playing the piano in Primary. Needless to say, that is a little freaky. I'm as nervous as can be, but at least I know that Junior Primary will be very forgiving. They probably won't even notice when I mess up. I have to tell myself that all I can do is my very best...and pray!

The nicest emotion I've had this week was definitely in my Primary class yesterday. It's too bad James was in the hall with Joseph, because I had a wonderful, spiritual lesson with my 8-year-olds. As I shared my testimony of Easter with those boys, they stopped squirming and quietly listened. It's so wonderful that these children can already recognize the Spirit. Actually, one of them hasn't even been baptized yet. It's the best Primary class I've ever had. It really touches me how well the children in the Church already know the Gospel.

I do love Easter, but this was a little bit of a tough weekend. I'm just not used to being so emotional about so many things. (Well, at least not since I was pregnant!)

The Savior lives, and I know that I too will live again. I'm so grateful for the tender mercies that I receive every day.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Mom and Mara's Visit!

Yes, they are still here, but we have done a TON this week, so I've got to report! Hopefully we will get a picture or two before the week is out...

They arrived Saturday night around 10:30. Thankfully, they got an earlier shuttle, so we didn't have to pick them up at 1:00 a.m.

Sunday: Mom went to Primary with me, and we let James go to Priesthood with his friend who just got back from his mission. We had dinner with the Heads, as usual. I did a mini piano recital for Mom and Mara and the family. I was going to do it on Monday, but I wasn't feeling too well and was coughing and had a sore throat (and didn't want to get anyone sick that I'd invited to come!) I messed up a little, but I did okay.

Monday: I was still sick. We kind of hung out for the day since I was feeling pretty tired. I made some whole wheat bread for Mom to try, and she really liked it. After FHE, we watched Tangled, since Mom and Mara hadn't seen it. They really liked it!

Tuesday: Mara helped me plant the carrots and onions in my little garden patch.We went to Devotional in the BYU-Idaho center. It was really good.There was a ward party, an Italian cook-off. I made a chicken alfredo pizza to take. Surprisingly, I won for the best pizza! I got a free buffet for Craigo's and a free dessert from Domino's which looks really tasty. One of the judges (they used the youth) kept telling me that it was the best pizza that she'd every eaten! So yes, I'm going to post the recipe on my blog after I finish this one. I also randomly got some free butter-like 4 pounds- because they were just going to throw it away! Having been recently converted to real butter, I know how expensive it is! Needless to say, I was almost as excited about that as I was about winning a prize! When we got home, we watched Harry Potter 7, which I own edited. :) Gotta love Rexburg.

Wednesday: A book I wanted to read was finally at the library, so we picked that up and walked the loop around Porter Park. Then, we went to Idaho Falls to visit Aunt Pat. We got to meet Juliet's baby, Oliver. He's a cute little guy and sure makes Joseph look huge! Ollie is 6 weeks old, so he was asleep most of the time. Then, we stopped at Winco. Mom really liked the bulk section. She definitely laughed at me for getting excited for strawberries being on sale. What can I say? When you buy certain things in season, that time of year is especially exciting! (We got the strawberries for 1.18 a box too, so we brought home 8 lbs.) Myles came over for dinner, which Mom and Mara cooked.

Thursday: We met Aunt Cheryl, Caitlyn, and Myles at Craigo's for lunch. I used my coupon, so I didn't pay a thing. It was great, as always, even without the dessert pizza. :( Mom and I went to the temple afterward, and Mara just watched Joseph in the waiting room. And Mara's cooking dinner again...as I write this!

Update on my sickness: I am feeling much better! I only skipped working out once this week, and my voice is almost back. It stinks not being able to sing. It's been super nice to have Mom and Mara here, because they give Joseph all the attention that he could possibly want. He's been a really happy boy and took only an hour to warm up to them. Mara especially loves to give him baths.

It's also been fun to do lots of cooking this week. Mara requested a few things that I didn't have on hand, so we made sure to get them at the grocery store while we were there. I've gotten hooked on blender wheat waffles. With honey butter, they are to die for! Mom and Mara have made dinner a couple times, which was nice. Tomorrow, I'm going to teach Mara how to make sushi. We'll have Myles over for dinner again and maybe watch Harry Potter. Mom's probably going to meet up with her old college friend Becky. Hopefully, we will have time to watch HP7 again. I like that movie more every time I see it, and Myles hasn't even seen it yet.

Phew! It's been pretty busy. Thank goodness Joseph is sleeping through the night and his weaning is going very well. I thought he'd be picky, but he takes cow's milk just fine. It's not a big deal to buy whole milk either, because I already do! He's such a delightful boy, and his grandma and aunt sure love him. I'll be sad to see them go...but glad to have my hubby back. I haven't seen much of him all week, since he's been at school.

Well, this weekend is sure to be busy with Easter, but I can't wait! It means that I can eat treats again!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Back in the Day

I went to a Relief Society meeting last night to help tie quilts for the Church's humanitarian aid. I thought to myself that all we needed was a barn-raising, and then it would be complete.

During high school, I often wished that I could go back in day, though not as far as the days of barn-raisings. I wanted to relive childhood, back when everything was simple.
He crawled under here while I was sweeping
the floor. :)

Now that I look at my own child, I don't really want to be a child again. To a child, a little cold equals utter misery. A parent leaving the room is abandonment, and hunger is a terrible thing because you have to wait for someone to feed you. Plus, there's the difficulty in communication. Joseph tries to tell us things, and sometimes we just don't understand what he means. I wonder how much he understands of what we say.

And, of course, there's always the trouble of limited mobility and fine motor skills. It must be terribly frustrating to try to eat something, only to have it fall on the floor.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful to be an adult and a mom! There are so many cute moments with this little guy.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

A Poem for Mom

My mom is coming to visit this weekend! It's funny how relationships with moms change over the years but still manage to stay the same. I remember how well my mom took care of us. A few images in my mind stand out...

A laundry basket on one hip
A baby on the other
Busy from 5 a.m. till bedtime
That's my mother.

Reminding me to wear a coat
Making 8 or 9 school lunches
She sometimes gets a little angry
But she loves us bunches.

Napping while we're all at school
Baking that ward-famous bread
Teaching us to do what's right
Making sure we go to bed.

Now we live so far away
I don't see her every day...

I miss having someone to take care of me!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Dealing With It

Anybody know what causes chronic headaches on the same day of the week? I don't understand why I get them every Sunday.

My poor little baby is sick. I can't think of anything worse than seeing him so uncomfortable. At the same time, it's crazy how well he deals with it. He coughs, fusses a little bit, and then is happy again (until he has to cough again. He has a sore throat, hence the fussing.) As he's crawling around and grinning, it's hard to remember that he's even sick.

I tend to make life harder than it really is. I forget to be grateful for the good moments and instead dwell on painful moments of the past. Or, I get all worked up about things that I anticipate will be difficult in the future. Most of the time, they don't end up half as bad I thought they'd be.

Why is it my nature to do this?  I need to follow the example of my child. When he is healthy, he's happy. I know that he's not going to crawl around in a week bemoaning the fact that he felt miserable this week, nor will he moan about the next 3 colds he will likely get in the next year. He is happy in present, not worrying about the past or future.

I am happy to have such childlike innocence to teach me these things.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Screaming

That's what Joseph is doing. It's not the "I'm hungry" or "I'm hurt" scream. It's the "Pay attention to me 24/7 or I will scream until you do" scream.

It kind of makes me want to scream.

Tonight continues operation "sleep through the night." It's not that getting up 2 times is horrible, but it's been well over a year since I slept 8 hours with no interruptions (minus a handful of lucky times.) Sleep training worked like a charm (only 3 days) to get him to go to bed on his own, and what a wonderful thing that is! Since I know he doesn't need to eat in the middle of the night, here comes the harder part.

I kind of tried it the night before last. (James didn't need to be up early on Thursday). It was terrible. Joseph went to bed at 8. At 11:30 he was awake, but I didn't get up. 5-10 minutes later, with a minimal amount of fussing, he went back to sleep. At 2:30, he fussed about the same, but I felt sorry for him and got up to feed him. That only made his 4:30 waking like torture. I tried ignoring him. He didn't go back to sleep till 5:30, and by then I was hungry, so I had to go eat before going back to bed. Then, he woke up at 6:30 for the day. I don't know why, but he's decided that 6:30 is the new wakeup time (instead of 7:15, which was perfect.)

So here it goes. I'm so glad that James is on spring break this next week. A whole week with no 12-hour days! If this whole deal doesn't work so well for a few days, at least I won't have to feel guilty about James needing to be up early.

I love this little guy, even when he drops my phone into the crack of the chair and tips over my water bottle because he wants to play with the straw...for the thousandth time today!

On an unrelated note, boredom makes me clean things. I guess it was time for spring cleaning today. Having such a small apartment made it pretty easy, but I have my bag of stuff to take to D.I.! (I love getting rid of stuff. Junk is something I don't have room for, no matter how small or big my home is!)

Monday, April 4, 2011

I Wish I Could Say More...

...about Conference. But alas, this was not one of the times that I was as attentive as I could be. What I remember, however, are the themes that stood out to me.

I finished this for Joseph on Saturday!
Embroidery is not my strong point, but
I think it turned out pretty cute!
1. Family. It seem that there has been a lot of emphasis on parents raising a righteous, rising generation. What a daunting task! I forget sometimes that it's already begun for me, and though I'm not a perfect parent, I'm doing the best I can.

2. Pain/trials of life. I marvel at how things that I'd think would be hard (like living in a tiny apartment, getting up in the middle of the night every night, being so close to my in-laws) end up being great blessings. I've learned how to get enough sleep, use every ounce of space (and keep that tiny space clean!), and how to live in a multi-generational house. It's been a great blessing, because with the lack of soundproofing, I tend to speak more softly when I would have been tempted to raise my voice. Also, no matter where we live after this, it will seem huge!

3. Personal revelation. I love the comparison to sunrise and turning on the light in a room. As I've been blessed with inspiration, I've noticed how utilizing it brings additional light into my life. Even during the hardest parts of my life, I felt the Savior reaching out to me, even though I was not reaching back. The Lord shows us He loves us through these wonderful little rays of light and tender mercies.

4. Service. I've never heard the Church Welfare System mentioned so many times! I'm glad that the Church is so wonderful in every aspect, both spiritual and temporal. The doctrine of the Gospel truly changes lives and makes better people.

We had a great time listening to Conference at home and going up to Driggs to visit Grandma and Grandpa Head. There was good food and company, as always. I'm so glad for families. I'm also grateful for our inspired leaders who give such wonderful talks twice a year. There's no way that I can possibly improve on everything they ask at one time, but that's why Conference is semi-annual!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Bookworm

I love to read.

I thought I had grown out of it when I was in college, but I guess my brain was just too full of stuff already to read for fun.

I also thought that I only liked fiction, but that's not true either. If I find a subject I really want to learn about, I could spend all day reading books or articles online.

I find that reading transports me to new worlds. If someone talks to me while I'm reading, I often don't hear them. I have to get back to reality first.

Movies just aren't the same. They don't leave as much to the imagination. There has never been a movie that I've found to be better than the book, although there are lots of great movies out there made from books.

I can't remember when I started reading, but I remember getting in trouble for writing the alphabet on the wall in magic marker. Oops. I guess I didn't realize that no one else knew the alphabet yet, so I couldn't blame it on them.

I love libraries too. The only thing better than a book is a free one. :)