First, the Konmari method. I do it once a year now to my house (since 2016) since things do accumulate, outlive their usefulness, or get disorganized over time. It took about 10 hours for the whole process. All that remains is to get new drawers for the kitchen so I can put all that stuff where it belongs and, when the snow melts (in March?), the shed. Everything else is looking tidy and nice...as nice as it can be with all these little people running around!
Since most of January was spent sick, we made sure to have a really fun week this week. Monday, we went to a movie with the kids. We saw The Kid Who Would Be King, and it was pretty good. Lewis and Samantha did all right but weren't perfect.
Tuesday, the missionaries came for dinner. I went to my very first yoga class and loved it. James goes to play games with friends every week or two and sometimes goes hunting with them, so I've been looking for my own "thing" for a while now but never knew exactly what to do until James suggested this class. The class is perfect because it's small and not part of a big, noisy gym. I really like the teacher and didn't feel too out of place. Also, it was the kind of yoga that was slow-paced and very relaxing, which is exactly what I was looking for. Relaxing is something I need help with. Haha.
We went to the temple on Wednesday night, and it was also very peaceful.
James got a new car in the school district auction. It's a 2001 Mercury Sable that will replace his Corolla. It's so nice to have keyless entry and automatic locks and windows, as well as door handles that aren't all broken!
We are going on a date tonight too. I'm so excited. It really has been a difficult month, but I'm so glad that everyone is finally healthy.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Finally Getting Better
I'm almost done with the medicine and feeling a lot better. I still have a cough that keeps me up sometimes and some fluid in my ear, but hopefully that will clear up soon. Everyone else is healthy! Knock on wood!
I did start cleaning out some clothes the kids outgrew. I'm caught up on sewing projects for now since I finally got around to tying two quilts I'd been too lazy to do before.
I'm starting to lose weight again after my December break. It's so nice to be able to afford any fruits and veggies we want. I'm particularly fond of frozen mangos. I should be able to fit into my regular clothes at my birthday! Getting back on track has been hard. My only real goal after having Samantha last year was to eat only when hungry but to eat whatever I wanted. Now I am focusing on actually eating enough fruits and veggies for the first time since May of 2016 (the beginning of Lewis's pregnancy.) It is tough at times and I have grieved a little about it. That sounds stupid, but change is hard. I'll never have another baby again, so it really is time to take my health seriously. I'm not going to magically get fit without trying.
Joseph had his first (only?) Pinewood Derby on Tuesday. Our ward rented an awesome track that was all digital. Each boy got to race 16 times (about 16 boys) on each track 4 times, and a computer kept track of all the times. The winner was determined by total time at the end. It was awesome not to have to worry about brackets, and it was completely fair too. I wish all of life could be that easy. Haha.
I did start cleaning out some clothes the kids outgrew. I'm caught up on sewing projects for now since I finally got around to tying two quilts I'd been too lazy to do before.
I'm starting to lose weight again after my December break. It's so nice to be able to afford any fruits and veggies we want. I'm particularly fond of frozen mangos. I should be able to fit into my regular clothes at my birthday! Getting back on track has been hard. My only real goal after having Samantha last year was to eat only when hungry but to eat whatever I wanted. Now I am focusing on actually eating enough fruits and veggies for the first time since May of 2016 (the beginning of Lewis's pregnancy.) It is tough at times and I have grieved a little about it. That sounds stupid, but change is hard. I'll never have another baby again, so it really is time to take my health seriously. I'm not going to magically get fit without trying.
Joseph had his first (only?) Pinewood Derby on Tuesday. Our ward rented an awesome track that was all digital. Each boy got to race 16 times (about 16 boys) on each track 4 times, and a computer kept track of all the times. The winner was determined by total time at the end. It was awesome not to have to worry about brackets, and it was completely fair too. I wish all of life could be that easy. Haha.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Ear Infection, Sinus Infection, Projects
Thankfully, Samantha's sleep was not the new normal. She's back to sleeping all night. Phew.
Things have gotten both better and worse. A few kids are done with the pink eye drops, but the rest of us remain. I didn't attend church on Sunday because I woke up with it in both eyes, plus my ear was killing me.
Backing up, James took Lewis to Urgent Care on Thursday. Poor little guy has an ear infection. I went in today and have a sinus infection. I have NEVER felt such severe pain in my face. Basically, I have been sick every single day of 2019 so far, and I now have an antibiotic to take for 10 days.
On the bright side, James took today off (not even realizing I'd be going to Urgent Care) so we are finally going to fix the dishwasher. He also got inspired by Marie Kondo and cleaned out the closet. I'm so happy about that. Once I start feeling better, I am totally going to declutter (again). I started using her method back when I read the book a few years ago.
Things are looking up. We had dinner brought to us on Monday by a friend, and we had fast food on Tuesday. I'm going to cook from here on out. This illness is a good reminder that I haven't paid much attention to my nutrition in the last year, so it's time to get back on track so I can be my best, healthiest self. Having two babies in a row really made it hard (more like impossible) to think about being healthy because I just had to survive.
I finished all the Halloween stuff despite my brain fog and also the YouTube videos for my family. I'm excited to be able to find things. I ended up with 186 videos that range from 1991 to 2007. It was great to reminisce a little while I'm feeling so crummy.
Here's to better health from here on out! (I hope. I do still hang out with a lot of germy little people.)
Things have gotten both better and worse. A few kids are done with the pink eye drops, but the rest of us remain. I didn't attend church on Sunday because I woke up with it in both eyes, plus my ear was killing me.
Backing up, James took Lewis to Urgent Care on Thursday. Poor little guy has an ear infection. I went in today and have a sinus infection. I have NEVER felt such severe pain in my face. Basically, I have been sick every single day of 2019 so far, and I now have an antibiotic to take for 10 days.
On the bright side, James took today off (not even realizing I'd be going to Urgent Care) so we are finally going to fix the dishwasher. He also got inspired by Marie Kondo and cleaned out the closet. I'm so happy about that. Once I start feeling better, I am totally going to declutter (again). I started using her method back when I read the book a few years ago.
Things are looking up. We had dinner brought to us on Monday by a friend, and we had fast food on Tuesday. I'm going to cook from here on out. This illness is a good reminder that I haven't paid much attention to my nutrition in the last year, so it's time to get back on track so I can be my best, healthiest self. Having two babies in a row really made it hard (more like impossible) to think about being healthy because I just had to survive.
I finished all the Halloween stuff despite my brain fog and also the YouTube videos for my family. I'm excited to be able to find things. I ended up with 186 videos that range from 1991 to 2007. It was great to reminisce a little while I'm feeling so crummy.
Here's to better health from here on out! (I hope. I do still hang out with a lot of germy little people.)
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Pink Eye
We reorganized our living room and took down Christmas decorations on Saturday. It was the perfect project for that day. Reorganizing also means vacuuming every nook and cranny, which I like.
So yeah, pink eye. Katie, James, and I are the only ones who don't have it (yet). Small houses, sharing rooms, and toddlers who spread germs easily make the perfect breeding ground for all kinds of stuff. I do clean my house, I promise. I just need a decontamination room.
I haven't sleep well for the past 5 days. Samantha has woken up for 3 of them. I can't tell if this is the new normal, but I hope not. Her naps have gotten much longer, though, like 2 hours each, so I love having that time to work on things.
The dishwasher is broken, not horribly so, but it needs a new drain hose and I have to wait for that in the mail. People who design appliances are greedy. It's true that they don't make things like they used to. I hate washing dishes by hand. (Paper plates to the rescue till I can get this thing fixed!) It's sad that we've had it less than 2 years and it already needs a repair. Also, that I figured out so easily what was wrong with it because I've done this repair before.
Basically, this week has been really rough and I want it to be over. I'm looking forward to grocery shopping because it means I can get out of the house for a little while.
I've made a lot of progress on the DVD's to YouTube project. I'm done with 6 of the 9 DVD's! It's been fun to rewatch all of my family's old videos.
I've finished 4 of 5 kids' Halloween stuff too. I'm saving Katie's dress for last because I know it will be the hardest and take the longest. Everything looks pretty cute so far. I still can't believe how much I like sewing when I used to hate it so much. I need to apply that energy to all the dishes I have this week!
So yeah, pink eye. Katie, James, and I are the only ones who don't have it (yet). Small houses, sharing rooms, and toddlers who spread germs easily make the perfect breeding ground for all kinds of stuff. I do clean my house, I promise. I just need a decontamination room.
I haven't sleep well for the past 5 days. Samantha has woken up for 3 of them. I can't tell if this is the new normal, but I hope not. Her naps have gotten much longer, though, like 2 hours each, so I love having that time to work on things.
The dishwasher is broken, not horribly so, but it needs a new drain hose and I have to wait for that in the mail. People who design appliances are greedy. It's true that they don't make things like they used to. I hate washing dishes by hand. (Paper plates to the rescue till I can get this thing fixed!) It's sad that we've had it less than 2 years and it already needs a repair. Also, that I figured out so easily what was wrong with it because I've done this repair before.
Basically, this week has been really rough and I want it to be over. I'm looking forward to grocery shopping because it means I can get out of the house for a little while.
I've made a lot of progress on the DVD's to YouTube project. I'm done with 6 of the 9 DVD's! It's been fun to rewatch all of my family's old videos.
I've finished 4 of 5 kids' Halloween stuff too. I'm saving Katie's dress for last because I know it will be the hardest and take the longest. Everything looks pretty cute so far. I still can't believe how much I like sewing when I used to hate it so much. I need to apply that energy to all the dishes I have this week!
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Mara and Ricky's (Unexpected) Visit
Sun.: We made it to Church on time (even with all the craziness) and played games and rested after lunch.
Mon.: Mara and Ricky went to Salt Lake to look for an apartment. The rest of us played catch up (shopping, laundry). We had subs for our New Year's dinner and watched the first Fantastic Beasts movie while eating snacks.
Tue.: James took Mara and Ricky rabbit hunting, we played games, and relaxed. We had black-eyed peas and cornbread for dinner, our New Year's tradition.
Wed.: Mara and Ricky officially got an apartment! There were lots of issues, so they didn't find out until 6 p.m. I had a pretty normal day. James and the boys went back to school. We played Speak Out and laughed a lot.
Thu.: Pretty normal day again. Mara and Ricky are still waiting to hear if they move in today or tomorrow. (Update: today at 3 p.m.! Hurray! They've been homeless for a week now, so I bet they're grateful!)
Projects for this year:
1. Splitting my family's home videos into smaller clips to put on YouTube. I've done a year's worth (24 small videos) already. I had to download a program to convert the DVD's to the right format and then learn to cut the long video into clips, but it wasn't too terribly hard. I'm excited to have all these more accessible to everyone.
2. Actually doing Katie's hair every day, even if it's just brushing it, so she will look less disheveled in Kindergarten later this year.
3. Sewing. My mom gave me some Halloween fabric, so I'm starting with dresses/pajamas for the kids.
4. Trying new foods. I'm looking for random ingredients in each aisle of Walmart for inspiration each time I shop.
It should be a much easier year since I'm not dealing with pregnancy. I love being able to sleep all night too. Samantha is the best.
Mon.: Mara and Ricky went to Salt Lake to look for an apartment. The rest of us played catch up (shopping, laundry). We had subs for our New Year's dinner and watched the first Fantastic Beasts movie while eating snacks.
Tue.: James took Mara and Ricky rabbit hunting, we played games, and relaxed. We had black-eyed peas and cornbread for dinner, our New Year's tradition.
Wed.: Mara and Ricky officially got an apartment! There were lots of issues, so they didn't find out until 6 p.m. I had a pretty normal day. James and the boys went back to school. We played Speak Out and laughed a lot.
Thu.: Pretty normal day again. Mara and Ricky are still waiting to hear if they move in today or tomorrow. (Update: today at 3 p.m.! Hurray! They've been homeless for a week now, so I bet they're grateful!)
Projects for this year:
1. Splitting my family's home videos into smaller clips to put on YouTube. I've done a year's worth (24 small videos) already. I had to download a program to convert the DVD's to the right format and then learn to cut the long video into clips, but it wasn't too terribly hard. I'm excited to have all these more accessible to everyone.
2. Actually doing Katie's hair every day, even if it's just brushing it, so she will look less disheveled in Kindergarten later this year.
3. Sewing. My mom gave me some Halloween fabric, so I'm starting with dresses/pajamas for the kids.
4. Trying new foods. I'm looking for random ingredients in each aisle of Walmart for inspiration each time I shop.
It should be a much easier year since I'm not dealing with pregnancy. I love being able to sleep all night too. Samantha is the best.
Christmas Break
We left on Friday for Salt Lake, and it's been a really good trip since then, so much better than Thanksgiving.
Fri.: Arrived, explored the Leonardo Museum, checked out Trolley Square, ate dinner (pho) with Grandpa, went to Temple Square to see the lights, went back to the hotel and went to sleep.
Sat.: Went back to Temple Square to see the Christus and the lower floor of the visitor's center, had lunch, drove to Rexburg, hung out for the rest of the day.
Sun.: Church, which went very smoothly.
Mon.: Ate Christmas Eve dinner and did the Nativity play with the Lees, Mara, and Ricky; set out the presents once the kids were in bed.
Tue.: Opened presents, ate scrapple for breakfast, traveled to Victor for dinner. The only real mishap was my siblings getting stuck in the snow near the house, so it took some time to get them bailed out.
Wed.: Went to D.I. and Dairy Queen with Nash, visited the Lees to see the Christmas village and trains, went shopping at Downeast with my gift card with which I bought 3 dresses!, ate dinner and watched a Christmas movie with the girls while the guys played video games.
Thu.: Visited Aunt Pat in the morning with Mara, ate lunch and relaxed, hung out until dinner with Mara and Ricky.
Fri.: Celebrated Jacob's birthday. The older kids went to a movie (Fantastic Beasts) while the rest of us watched a Christmas movie at home. I didn't go because of Samantha. I figured she would be a stinker in the theater.
Sat.: Traveled home. Mara and Ricky came with us because their apartment fell through. We managed to get home in time for a real meal and baths for the kids!
Fri.: Arrived, explored the Leonardo Museum, checked out Trolley Square, ate dinner (pho) with Grandpa, went to Temple Square to see the lights, went back to the hotel and went to sleep.
Sat.: Went back to Temple Square to see the Christus and the lower floor of the visitor's center, had lunch, drove to Rexburg, hung out for the rest of the day.
Sun.: Church, which went very smoothly.
Mon.: Ate Christmas Eve dinner and did the Nativity play with the Lees, Mara, and Ricky; set out the presents once the kids were in bed.
Tue.: Opened presents, ate scrapple for breakfast, traveled to Victor for dinner. The only real mishap was my siblings getting stuck in the snow near the house, so it took some time to get them bailed out.
Wed.: Went to D.I. and Dairy Queen with Nash, visited the Lees to see the Christmas village and trains, went shopping at Downeast with my gift card with which I bought 3 dresses!, ate dinner and watched a Christmas movie with the girls while the guys played video games.
Thu.: Visited Aunt Pat in the morning with Mara, ate lunch and relaxed, hung out until dinner with Mara and Ricky.
Fri.: Celebrated Jacob's birthday. The older kids went to a movie (Fantastic Beasts) while the rest of us watched a Christmas movie at home. I didn't go because of Samantha. I figured she would be a stinker in the theater.
Sat.: Traveled home. Mara and Ricky came with us because their apartment fell through. We managed to get home in time for a real meal and baths for the kids!
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