The girls and I had a really fun staycation (mostly mermaid-themed). Some things we did:
library activity
reading mermaid books
mermaid art
playing Barbies
bubble bath
"oyster" cookies from Nilla wafers and chocolate pearls
dinner at Denny's
shopping
yard saling
sewing Barbie clothes
making/wearing mermaid shorts and a skirt
It was hard to sleep alone, and I ate way too much ice cream, but it was a fun time. Katie really needed the one-on-one time. She only had one small meltdown the entire time, which was great!
I didn't love Pioneer Day. I never love holidays that are just one day. I somehow forget that I don't really get holidays anyway, so when I have to do all my normal stuff, it feels a lot like drudgery. We tried going on a drive to get some wildlife pictures, but I got a little carsick on the dirt roads. The kids were also whiny and irritating, and at one point I really didn't know where we were. We kept trying to get back to the main road, but none of the shortcuts worked out, which was really frustrating and cost us extra time. Oh well. I got to sort of relax during the afternoon.
A couple things have been really frustrating the past week. All of them together have made me irritable. 1. The stupid duvet cover keeps bunching up, and it's too warm. James wanted to try one instead of a quilt. I hate it. I want my quilt back. In the mean time, my sleep has suffered. 2. One of my eyes is dry, which means I have to wear glasses. I do like glasses, but I like having the choice of contacts, and right now I don't. 3. Lewis and Katie constantly fighting ever since he came home.* 4. Samantha is teething and grouchy. She's also not very gentle with nursing, so she leaves tooth marks on me and IT HURTS. But it takes effort to teach her to use a cup, and I haven't done that yet. 5. It's freaking hot outside. Though that is normal for this time of year, I don't like feeling sticky all the time. 6. I still feel fat and gross, even though my weight has been very stable for the past few months. It just bugs me that not all my clothes fit well yet.
I'll make it, though. Right now I feel like I'm in a rut, but what I really need are some new goals since I have already finished most of my summer projects. August 1st in in 1 week, so I'm going to get there! One more week or being lazy and eating whatever I want. :)
*Joseph and Kenny stayed in Rexburg. We get them back on Saturday at reunion in Heber.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Princess Party, Fishing, Separate Vacations, Weaning
James and I went to see the new Spiderman movie on Thursday. We really enjoyed it.
On Saturday, I took Katie to a princess party. A couple of girls in my ward are starting a business to do princess parties, but this one was free. Katie loved it! We had treats, danced, and did makeup. I mostly talked to the other moms because I'm not much of a princess myself. ;)
James went with Devin to look for crawdads on Saturday night, but no luck. For Scouts on Tuesday, Joseph went fishing, but no luck there either. Oh well. There are some brand new little ponds especially meant for kids right near our house.We might have to visit more when we get the chance.
James and the boys left today for Rexburg. I thought about going but decided against it this time. It will only be the 2nd trip they've done without me. The last time was 4 years ago when I painted and carpeted the house. This time, I'm not alone. The girls and I are doing a mermaid-themed staycation. We're starting today by going to the library activity for some mermaid books. Later, we're going to make a mermaid skirt. The girls already have mermaid shorts from the leftover fabric from the sheet/curtains/pillowcase.
It's time to start weaning Samantha really soon! I've determined that I am going to lose this last 25 lbs. by my next birthday. I've really been "stuck" (or not trying) since my last birthday, so I've stayed the same for almost 4 months now. That is okay! I've realized that getting over my issues is THE most important thing to do before I can really let go of this extra poundage. I don't have any weight left from Samantha; this is all from Lewis. However, Lewis's birth and NICU stay left me traumatized for a while. I'm going to have to completely let go of it before I can let this weight go. It sounds silly, but I know that's what holding me back more than anything.
Did I mention that James is quitting mosquito abatement at the end of the season? I'm so excited! Two-ish more months to go!
On Saturday, I took Katie to a princess party. A couple of girls in my ward are starting a business to do princess parties, but this one was free. Katie loved it! We had treats, danced, and did makeup. I mostly talked to the other moms because I'm not much of a princess myself. ;)
James went with Devin to look for crawdads on Saturday night, but no luck. For Scouts on Tuesday, Joseph went fishing, but no luck there either. Oh well. There are some brand new little ponds especially meant for kids right near our house.We might have to visit more when we get the chance.
James and the boys left today for Rexburg. I thought about going but decided against it this time. It will only be the 2nd trip they've done without me. The last time was 4 years ago when I painted and carpeted the house. This time, I'm not alone. The girls and I are doing a mermaid-themed staycation. We're starting today by going to the library activity for some mermaid books. Later, we're going to make a mermaid skirt. The girls already have mermaid shorts from the leftover fabric from the sheet/curtains/pillowcase.
It's time to start weaning Samantha really soon! I've determined that I am going to lose this last 25 lbs. by my next birthday. I've really been "stuck" (or not trying) since my last birthday, so I've stayed the same for almost 4 months now. That is okay! I've realized that getting over my issues is THE most important thing to do before I can really let go of this extra poundage. I don't have any weight left from Samantha; this is all from Lewis. However, Lewis's birth and NICU stay left me traumatized for a while. I'm going to have to completely let go of it before I can let this weight go. It sounds silly, but I know that's what holding me back more than anything.
Did I mention that James is quitting mosquito abatement at the end of the season? I'm so excited! Two-ish more months to go!
Thursday, July 11, 2019
So Done With Summer
The title explains it all. We have run out of projects, it's started getting hot, and there is no end to the whining and fighting.
Send help!
On the bright side, this will be James's last year at mosquito abatement. We both thought it through, and we don't need the money. Also, we'd like to spend more time together in the summer. James is hardly ever home because of how much fogging he's had to do. When he is home, he's tired, and I don't blame him.
5 more weeks! We will make it through. Some days are just like that, even in Australia.
Send help!
On the bright side, this will be James's last year at mosquito abatement. We both thought it through, and we don't need the money. Also, we'd like to spend more time together in the summer. James is hardly ever home because of how much fogging he's had to do. When he is home, he's tired, and I don't blame him.
5 more weeks! We will make it through. Some days are just like that, even in Australia.
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Wedding, Baby Blessing, Anniversary, 4th
Everything went smoothly with the wedding on Friday. I don't know if I mentioned that James's cousin married my sister's best friend's sister from NC. It's a small world when you're a member of the Church. We hung out at Aunt Michelle's house before the luncheon, then checked into our Airbnb before the reception. It was a really nice place to stay, even though the AC wasn't working 100%. It was really clean and had an awesome view of Utah Lake.
The reception was really nice. I crashed afterward while James watched TV.
Saturday morning, we went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity in Lehi, then had lunch at a place called Slapfish. It was delicious! Mara, Ricky, and baby Emma were able to join us. Right after, we went to Cabela's, then to Mara's to swim and play in the splash pad. After that, we got some stuff at IKEA and had dinner there. Whew! We definitely crammed a little too much in one day. Lewis and Samantha were extra cranky by this time, but it did make bedtime a lot easier. Mara, Ricky, and Carmel came over to play a game. I loved getting to snuggle Emma since Samantha was already in bed. I never really got the chance with my other nieces because I either already had a baby or they lived far away at the time.
Sunday morning, we went to Mara's and took some pictures. We enjoyed a nice brunch, went to Emma's blessing, and then traveled home. It was mostly without incident, except that Katie threw up in the car. Ugh. We never had an issue with this until about 2 years ago, and now someone always gets sick. I hate it.
We got dinner and dessert for our 10th anniversary last night! I'm sad that our babysitter is going to be leaving soon for a job in another city. She has been really great.
The rest of the week has been spent catching up, mostly. The kids are starting to get bored of summer, and we're only halfway through. I still can't believe we've made it that far. No one can agree if they want to go to the parade or not, but we at least have a few small projects to keep us busy today.
Speaking of projects, I made my own doll dress pattern based on a dress of Katie's that we love. If it works out well, I'm going to post in on my new blog. I'm crossing my fingers, because it took a lot of math and measuring to try to figure it out.
The reception was really nice. I crashed afterward while James watched TV.
Saturday morning, we went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity in Lehi, then had lunch at a place called Slapfish. It was delicious! Mara, Ricky, and baby Emma were able to join us. Right after, we went to Cabela's, then to Mara's to swim and play in the splash pad. After that, we got some stuff at IKEA and had dinner there. Whew! We definitely crammed a little too much in one day. Lewis and Samantha were extra cranky by this time, but it did make bedtime a lot easier. Mara, Ricky, and Carmel came over to play a game. I loved getting to snuggle Emma since Samantha was already in bed. I never really got the chance with my other nieces because I either already had a baby or they lived far away at the time.
Sunday morning, we went to Mara's and took some pictures. We enjoyed a nice brunch, went to Emma's blessing, and then traveled home. It was mostly without incident, except that Katie threw up in the car. Ugh. We never had an issue with this until about 2 years ago, and now someone always gets sick. I hate it.
We got dinner and dessert for our 10th anniversary last night! I'm sad that our babysitter is going to be leaving soon for a job in another city. She has been really great.
The rest of the week has been spent catching up, mostly. The kids are starting to get bored of summer, and we're only halfway through. I still can't believe we've made it that far. No one can agree if they want to go to the parade or not, but we at least have a few small projects to keep us busy today.
Speaking of projects, I made my own doll dress pattern based on a dress of Katie's that we love. If it works out well, I'm going to post in on my new blog. I'm crossing my fingers, because it took a lot of math and measuring to try to figure it out.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Mosquitoes, The Other Heads Visit
I hate that it's been so busy, but I can't remember why. We are getting eaten alive because of the river being high. I have lots of mosquito bites, and so do the kids. I need to be better at putting bug spray on everyone. Oops.
We had pack meeting Tues. night. It was a little rough trying to keep Lewis from being loud, running away, or throwing sand at other kids. James had to go to an interview for his temple recommend.
The Heads got here last night. James had to fog, even though he didn't really want to. We had dinner together and watched an episode of Speechless. Hopefully, today we'll go to the fair.
I'm hoping that today goes smoothly. I have lots of packing to do for our trip tomorrow, but I still want to take the kids to the library activity. We're going to a wedding and baby blessing. More on that later after it's happened.
1 more week till the blog is public! I'm starting to get really nervous about it. I still worry too much about what people think.
We had pack meeting Tues. night. It was a little rough trying to keep Lewis from being loud, running away, or throwing sand at other kids. James had to go to an interview for his temple recommend.
The Heads got here last night. James had to fog, even though he didn't really want to. We had dinner together and watched an episode of Speechless. Hopefully, today we'll go to the fair.
I'm hoping that today goes smoothly. I have lots of packing to do for our trip tomorrow, but I still want to take the kids to the library activity. We're going to a wedding and baby blessing. More on that later after it's happened.
1 more week till the blog is public! I'm starting to get really nervous about it. I still worry too much about what people think.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Heads Visit, Fogging, Decorating, Party
Sam and Jesse and their girls came to see us last week! We had a really great time going to the dinosaur museum, playing games (even me!), eating pizza at the park, and playing in the yard with some giant barrels James got from work. It's always fun to hang out with siblings. Our kids are getting to be good friends, too. Lewis and Lizzie need some work, but Katie and Charlotte are self-proclaimed "besties".
James has to fog a lot more since he has his own area that gets lots of complaints. He was exhausted coming home from work yesterday, so I was glad that it was too windy for him to fog. Fogging is what people think mosquito abatement is, but it's actually the last resort. This year is really wet and gross with tons of flooding thanks to our stupid late winter. Oh well.
I made new curtains for the kids' rooms this week. I'm also almost done with a sheer curtain for Katie's loft bed. I put together 3 IKEA tables for a new Lego table for the boys, so that looks nice too. It has taken a ton of work for them so far because Legoes just get everywhere. It's fun to spend a little time rearranging and redecorating. I like that everything gets deep cleaned in the process.
We have a ward party tonight. Hurray! I really hope the weather cooperates.
I have ONE recipe left for the new blog. I am so relieved to take a break from intense cooking and photo-taking. I'm also really looking forward to posting about other topics!
James has to fog a lot more since he has his own area that gets lots of complaints. He was exhausted coming home from work yesterday, so I was glad that it was too windy for him to fog. Fogging is what people think mosquito abatement is, but it's actually the last resort. This year is really wet and gross with tons of flooding thanks to our stupid late winter. Oh well.
I made new curtains for the kids' rooms this week. I'm also almost done with a sheer curtain for Katie's loft bed. I put together 3 IKEA tables for a new Lego table for the boys, so that looks nice too. It has taken a ton of work for them so far because Legoes just get everywhere. It's fun to spend a little time rearranging and redecorating. I like that everything gets deep cleaned in the process.
We have a ward party tonight. Hurray! I really hope the weather cooperates.
I have ONE recipe left for the new blog. I am so relieved to take a break from intense cooking and photo-taking. I'm also really looking forward to posting about other topics!
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Busy Summer Days
It's been such a crazy week. I'm starting to think that might be my life for the rest of time.
Saturday, we went to a birthday party for a friend's son. It lasted 3 1/2 hours and had 2 pinatas, lunch, 2 bouncy houses, and dessert. It was really fun, though, or we wouldn't have stayed that long. I love it when other parents throw really good parties. It's not something I'm very good at. I gave the boys haircuts, and we somehow got everyone to bed on time.
Monday, we cleaned the Church and got frosties afterward for FHE (with Cherissa and Tayson). James had to go fogging, so he left right from Wendy's.
I didn't go to yoga on Tuesday because of a terrible headache. I did get my temple recommend renewed, which was great. We are going to a wedding later this month, so it's especially important! James filled in for someone who cleans the temple, so he was gone from 9-11.
Wednesday, I tried fixing the leak in our sprinkler box, but no luck. I did stay out in the sun too long and break a screw. I wish I could be better at fixing things, but I'm just not. I don't have a ton of patience for it either. I also tried to put up the pirate ship flag, but our staple gun mysteriously doesn't work. Ugh. James had to fog again, so he was out late for the third night in a row. It does mean overtime, but what good is overtime if you are too tired to spend anything or never home?
Things are going well with the weekly schedule. Today we go to the library and get our pickup order at Walmart. It has seriously been such a lifesaver. We had to get 5 items on Tuesday at Walmart (like underwear and shoes, not available through pickup), and it was really tough to be there with all the kids. I'm so glad our Walmart has pickup! I'm not even stressed about grocery shopping anymore. :)
Joseph is at Cub Scout Day Camp today. I can't believe he's already a Bear!
Saturday, we went to a birthday party for a friend's son. It lasted 3 1/2 hours and had 2 pinatas, lunch, 2 bouncy houses, and dessert. It was really fun, though, or we wouldn't have stayed that long. I love it when other parents throw really good parties. It's not something I'm very good at. I gave the boys haircuts, and we somehow got everyone to bed on time.
Monday, we cleaned the Church and got frosties afterward for FHE (with Cherissa and Tayson). James had to go fogging, so he left right from Wendy's.
I didn't go to yoga on Tuesday because of a terrible headache. I did get my temple recommend renewed, which was great. We are going to a wedding later this month, so it's especially important! James filled in for someone who cleans the temple, so he was gone from 9-11.
Wednesday, I tried fixing the leak in our sprinkler box, but no luck. I did stay out in the sun too long and break a screw. I wish I could be better at fixing things, but I'm just not. I don't have a ton of patience for it either. I also tried to put up the pirate ship flag, but our staple gun mysteriously doesn't work. Ugh. James had to fog again, so he was out late for the third night in a row. It does mean overtime, but what good is overtime if you are too tired to spend anything or never home?
Things are going well with the weekly schedule. Today we go to the library and get our pickup order at Walmart. It has seriously been such a lifesaver. We had to get 5 items on Tuesday at Walmart (like underwear and shoes, not available through pickup), and it was really tough to be there with all the kids. I'm so glad our Walmart has pickup! I'm not even stressed about grocery shopping anymore. :)
Joseph is at Cub Scout Day Camp today. I can't believe he's already a Bear!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)