Food Storage, Blogging, One on One Time

James went to the cannery in Roosevelt last Thursday and bought the rest of our basic food storage! I'm so excited to have it all because I've been dreaming of it for about 8 years now. I pulled apart both kids' closets, rebuilt the shelves with boxes of food, and stored the rest of the food under the boys' bed. Not only was it a perfect fit, the boys helped me Konmari their whole closet. We got rid of a ton of stuff. Of course the room is a total mess right now, but that's life no matter how many toys they don't have. Legos are just messy, especially with a toddler sharing the room.

I've really been enjoying blogging. Though I'm still figuring out WordPress, it is coming along. I'm still not anywhere near being done with the blog posts I imported, but I'm really hoping by the end of June that I'll be ready to start adding new content and not just fixing up the old. One day, I hope to earn money with it so James can stay home in the summer instead of working another job.

Ever since Light the World in December, we've been trying to spend one-on-one time with each kid every two weeks. We have too many of them to do it every week with each kid. James took Joseph out for treats at Wendy's on Tuesday and Kenny to get a little treat yesterday. I cheated and took both Katie and Lewis to McDonald's after signing her up for Kindergarten on Tuesday. I can't believe she's already old enough for that or that she's my third child to go to school. It seems like I was just doing this with Joseph.

45, Normal Week

I've now lost 45 lbs! That leaves me another 30 to reach my easy(ish) goal and 38 to reach my super fit goal.

This week has been fairly routine with lots of work on the new blog. I really don't want to roll it out officially until I update everything (especially the pictures). I like Wordpress even though it's not nearly as simple as Blogger. I've really enjoyed putting all my thoughts in one place. It feels like my whole life is getting organized a lot better. Life is good.

Hopefully today I am going to buy the rest of our basic food storage. A trip to Roosevelt is a big thing. We have plenty of space and no more reasons to wait to buy it.

Salt Lake-ation, UCET Conference

We had a really good trip to Salt Lake. Friday, we went to Cabela's, J Dawg's for lunch, and the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point. We then got dinner at a hole-in-the-wall Greek place and swam in the hotel pool. Lewis had a hard time going to bed, but he eventually did.

After a terrible night of sleep, we were up early for breakfast. Mara joined us for the day's activities. We went to Temple Square and the Church History Museum. Too bad the kid section is being redone. We then got lunch at Costa Vida and went to the planetarium to look around and do a show.

I love having an ASTC pass! Between the museum and the planetarium, it saved us $105! It has already paid for itself a couple of times already. We still have one more museum we haven't used it for yet in Salt Lake. Maybe we will on our next trip.

The trip home was HORRIBLE. Katie had a meltdown the entire time, and nothing helped.

James was gone Monday through Wednesday at the UCET conference in Provo. We survived okay, but I really missed yoga. I am definitely going today! It helps so much with my stress level.

The blog is going to take a long time. I've redone my to-do list several times, but I think I have a plan that will work. Basically, I have my work cut out for me for the rest of the year. That's definitely not a bad thing! I do like big projects. I wish getting into shape could go faster, but it took a long time to get so out of shape, so it's going to take a long time to get back in. I wish it came more naturally to me.

New Blog, IF

We went grocery shopping together on Saturday, which was a good thing since we ended up with two whole carts. I think it's time for me to admit that I need to go shopping once a week. We didn't do much the rest of the day, but that's okay. Saturdays are supposed to be chill sometimes.

Monday, the kids didn't have school. Otherwise it was a normal day. James still had to go for professional development.

The regular yoga teacher is out of town, so we have a lady filling in who used to teach in Vernal last year. She came around more to do adjustments. I had no idea I was so flexible. Haha.

I went to the temple yesterday even though I didn't feel like it. Right now I'm a little overwhelmed with thinking about our trip to Salt Lake tomorrow and Saturday. Katie and Lewis are fighting a ton and I'm trying to work on my new blog (a Wordpress one) while Samantha is asleep, but all I really want to do it lock myself in my room.

I've started intermittent fasting, which means I'll only eat during an 8-hour window during the day. I've chosen 9-5 as my window to eat, with meals at 9, 1, and 5. It's been a lot easier than I thought it'd be. I usually have lots to do in the morning for the first few hours, so I rehydrate during that time. I've found that I prefer working out before eating anyway. Since I am eating big meals, I don't get hungry for snacks. I never did eat anything healthy for snacks anyway. The hardest part has been the after-dinner part. I love eating junk food during that time, so it's taken more focus not to eat during that time. I'm still aiming for 1/2 lb. of fruits and 1 lb. of nonstarchy veggies. That's not too hard if I eat the fruit for breakfast and the veggies at lunch and dinner. I am seeing results already, but this trip is definitely going to be a challenge.

Heads Visit, Day Off, Massage

The Heads did make it here, but just barely. They said the roads were horrible coming from WY and they easily could have gotten stuck if they'd stopped at all. We're glad they made it! We had heart-shaped pizza on Thursday and hung out.

Friday was great too. The kids all went swimming except for Kenny. He stayed with me and watched a little TV and helped me clean up. We  hung out after eating dinner together.

Saturday, they left around lunchtime. I went shopping at Smith's for sales and discount candy (a mistake), and then we all went out together to McDonald's so the kids could play.

Monday, James took the boys to see the Lego Movie 2 while Katie and I watched Beauty and the Beast at home. Lewis missed out because of his nap. Haha. I even had time to catch up on crafty stuff too. I have enough quilt squares for a twin denim quilt that I'll hopefully make and donate later this year.

Tuesday, James went to the dentist so I got Joseph from Scouts, went to a ministering interview while the kids played in the gym, hurriedly ate dinner, and made it to yoga. Whew.

Wednesday, we went on a date to Jade Lion. We had sushi, miso soup, and Szechuan beef. We might order food like that from now on. It was so tasty. (I also feel good about my miso soup-making abilities, because it tasted just like the one I make at home, and this restaurant has particularly delicious food.)

Today I have a massage (a Valentine's gift) and a Relief Society meeting. We're celebrating international style. I made hummus and bagel chips to take, got decorations from James's classroom, and I'm in charge of the spiritual thought. I'm really glad I get to be on the board for planning these activities this year. I had just been thinking about how I wanted to be more involved in RS when Sis. Hall asked me to help plan for the year.

Winter is still going strong, unfortunately. We keep getting tons of snow, and I'm so sick of it. It melts a little and then snows more. We have never had any accumulation after Valentine's Day. Soon enough it will be spring.

I'm really enjoying this stage of my life. Not having to think about having any more babies is AMAZING. Samantha is at such a sweet, cuddly age and Joseph is still awesome. If I'd taught school, I'd have picked his age group (3rd or 4th grade) to teach. My life isn't perfect, but it is pretty good right now.

Healing, Valentines, Progress

I ended up running into my friend (who is pregnant) after my shopping trip last Thursday, and that was just what I needed. I congratulated her in person and found that all my jealousy just melted away. It is hard sometimes to remember that others seem to have better blessings than I do, but I forget that they also have different trials. When I find out what the trials are, I'm usually not jealous anymore!

Saturday, I went to D.I. in the afternoon to escape. I found 2 pairs of pants and 2 shirts. I'm really trying to wear clothes that bring me joy. That means more shopping is in my future because I don't really own a lot of stuff. When  you are pregnant a lot, the regular clothes last longer since they're not being worn. I've had some things for over 10 years...

The Boyles came for dinner, and that was fun. I had make extra potatoes since there was a funeral in the morning, and true to Utah stereotype, they wanted funeral potatoes for it. It's just as easy to make two pans, and everyone loves them!

We've had a crazy week. We did FHE with Cherissa and Tayson on Monday. Tuesday: Scouts and yoga, and Wednesday: a doctor's appointment for Lewis. He is perfectly healthy, smart, and still tiny. I love that kid so much even though he's so destructive.

It's Valentine's Day! I completely forgot and didn't get James a thing. Oops. Perhaps I can redeem myself with a shopping trip later to get some goodies. The kids have been excited for weeks since they get candy at school.

The Heads are supposed to be coming, but who knows with all the snow. They were stuck in Lander, WY, last night instead of being able to get to Rock Springs. Hopefully they'll be able to come.

I am really pleased with how well weight loss is going. I made a calendar for my exercising so I always have a video ready to go. I have consistently lost 1 lb. per week since my 6-week checkup (not counting December, where I just planned on maintaining). My goal is to achieve 20% bodyfat, which to me seems really ideal based on pictures I've see online. I don't want to look like a bodybuilder, but I do want to be lean enough to wear a bikini if I wanted. (I really don't.) I still have 40ish pounds to go for this goal, so I'm over halfway there! It's going to take all year, really.

Women's Day Out, Conferences, RS Planning

Saturday I went to Women's Day Out. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look around. I'm still waiting to lose the rest of the weight before I really commit to new clothes. I have officially passed the 40 lb. mark! Less than 30 to go!

I did yoga on Tuesday again and plan to for the rest of forever. It's so relaxing.

Wednesday I went to parent-teacher conferences for the boys. It's always nice to hear such nice things about my kids. They are both really good students who have really awesome teachers. I also went to a planning meeting for Relief Society activities for the rest of the year. It was fun to get some ideas out there, and they are using my idea for the theme for the RS birthday party! It's going to be international since RS is a worldwide organization.

I thought my dishwasher was broken again, but it was a pipe under the sink. So annoying. It had somehow disconnected from the garbage disposal. Everything is dried out now and clean so it doesn't smell so yucky under the sink. I think under the sink is my least favorite part of this house besides the crawlspace. Both give me the creeps.

One of my friends is pregnant with her 7th child and I have found myself surprisingly jealous despite my sure knowledge that I am not having any more. I did always want 6 kids. I guess I still have this idea in my mind that more = better, but that isn't the truth at all. It's hard to change ideas that have been in my head since childhood.