Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Where Have I Been?

I'll tell you where I've been.  I've been here.  I've been home.  I've been to the grocery store.  I've been to Wal-Mart.  I've been to McDonalds.  I've been to Target.  I've been to the Orthodontist.  I've been to the doctor.  I've been to the School.  I've been at Church.  I've been to Young Women's.  I've been to the Mall.  I've been out for Sushi.  I've been at our friends the Adams' house.  I've been in the car shuttling to practices and lessons.


And in between those places, I've been to Las Vegas for a weekend getaway with my hubby.  We met up with Heather and Steve and saw Criss Angel's show, which I wouldn't recommend.  We also saw the Bodies Exhibit at the Luxor which I would HIGHLY recommend!  The highlight though was spending time alone with my hubby with no distractions and no interruptions.  

We also went to Denver for Spring Break.  Other then the fact that it snowed the whole time we had a great time with family.  It was so fun to be able to go to Ali's Bridal Shower and we're so excited for her wedding in 7 weeks!!!!

So that's where I've been.  Basically its been extremely boring but also extremely busy around here.  Just the way I like it!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Guilt

Dear Guilt,

I'm writing to you today because I need to let you go.  I've held on for too long.  I'm saying goodbye.

Goodbye to you for speaking my mind.

Goodbye to you for the piles of laundry that are surrounding me at this very moment.

Goodbye to you for my house not looking perfect.

Goodbye to you for not blogging.

Goodbye to you for not keeping up on other people's blogs.

Goodbye to you for being impatient with the kids.

Goodbye to you for sleeping in.

Goodbye to you for reading only a few verses from my scriptures instead of a whole chapter.

Goodbye to you for saying my prayers while laying in bed.

Goodbye to you for not attending the temple as often as I should.

Goodbye to you for not wanting to suffer through a 2 hour long little league baseball game.

Goodbye to you for spending too much money sometimes.

Goodbye to you for crashing my diet the day I start.

Goodbye to you for not exercising regularly.

What I'm saying here guilt is that I'm not perfect.  Oh, don't get me wrong, its not that these things aren't worthy things that I should be working on because they all are but I refuse to allow you to beat me up anymore when I don't do everything perfectly.  If I don't do my best today and you start to creep in then I will kick you out and DO BETTER TOMORROW!  I will continue to improve and do better and I think I can do that more effectively without you.  So farewell Guilt.  Go find someone else to poison!

Sincerely,
Julie

Now with that said...I'll post more tomorrow.  If I don't I'll start feeling guilty!


Monday, April 06, 2009

The End of an Era

Here are a few updates for you all to enjoy!

Update #1
On and off for the last 9 years we've had a high chair in our kitchen.  When one baby grew out of it we'd wipe it clean and put it away until the next baby needed it.  That era is over in our home.  The high chair was disinfected and put away for good on Saturday.  Of course we'll be called upon to pull it out from time to time when we have friends, cousins, nieces and nephews visit but our high chair will never be used again by a baby of ours.  As TJ said, "I'm so glad the high chair is out of the kitchen even though its kind of sad."  And then the epiphany for him came and he said, "Its the end of an era honey!"  SAD!
As for Reecey, she feels VERY fancy about her new pink booster seat.

Update #2

My favorite season is Fall into Winter.  Then after Christmas is over I could do without winter and go right into Summer.  Its not really that I hate the winter I just would rather be warm.  Even worse then winter for me, however, is Spring.  I HATE Spring.  Why you ask?  Because one day it looks like this...

(view out my back window on 4/1/09.  Global Warming my BUTT!)

and then 5 days later it looks like this...

(same view out my back window today, 4/6/09)

THAT, my friends, is why I HATE Spring.

Ok, ok.  In all fairness to the season it really is only EARLY Spring that I dislike.  By mid-April/ early-May I feel much better about the season.  The weather has kind of regulated itself, the grass is green, flowers are blooming and there are leaves on the trees!

Update #3 (not really an update, just something interesting)

Speaking of Global Warming here is an interesting article TJ read a few weeks ago in a newspaper.  Some of you have already read it so I apologize for the repetition!

There recently was the death of a 98-year-old lady named Irena Sendler.  During WWII, Irena got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist.  She had an ulterior motive...She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of her tool box she carried, and she also carried in the back of her truck a Burlap sack, (for larger kids).  She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto.  The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog, and the barking covered the kids/infant noises.  During her time and course of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

She was caught, an the Nazi's broke both her legs and arms and beat her severely.  Irena kept a reord of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her backyard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived to reunite the family.  Most, of course, had been gassed.  Those kids she helped were placed into foster family homes or adopted.

In 2007 Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...

She LOST.  Al Gore won for doing a slide show on Global Warming.

UPDATE #4

I think this picture of Reecey is cute so I thought I'd share.  Besides, some of you have been requesting Reece pictures.


UPDATE #5

Natalie is LOVING violin lessons!  Its so fun to hear her improve and she gets so excited when she passes off a scale or song.  Now I hate to brag but as Grandpa Christofferson says, "If it happened it ain't braggin" so here I go...her teacher told me she's so impressed with Natalie's musical ability and that she is catching on really fast!  Good job Nanny!  Keep at it!!!!

ps--I did have a picture of Natalie playing her violin but I just deleted it and don't want to try to put it back up.  Sorry!


Wednesday, April 01, 2009

GAS

My Van STINKS!!!! 

Why you ask???? GAS.  (not that kind of gas you sillies)  Hehehehe.  (sorry, I couldn't resist...childish, I know!) 
So here's what happened.  We've been having trouble with the brakes in my van, which is a whole other story in and of itself.  We had it back in the shop for the THIRD time over the weekend and when I picked it up Monday morning the owner of the shop told me that when he had it out on a test drive he and his co-worker picked up an old lady who had run out of gas and was walking back to her car with a gas can.  The gas spilled in the trunk.  It got on 2 bags of clothes that were gonna be donated to D.I.  It got on a quilt from Pottery Barn and it spilled on a custom made quilted shopping cart cover.  It also got in the carpet.

My Van STINKS!!!!

I tried washing the quilt and shopping cart cover.  I ran 3 loads in the washer then soaked it in the bath tub in baking soda over night.  They still stink.  The gas got into the batting.  Then my washing machine stunk like gas so I ran a load of baking soda and water, then vinegar and water then bleach and water.  So a quick synopsis...the quilt stinks, the cart cover stinks, my washing machine DOESN'T stink but...

My Van STINKS!!!!

I talked to the place where we get our cars detailed.  They said the best thing to do would be to re-carpet the van.  I thought that was crazy so I got online and did a little research.  Lots of people recommended putting coffee grounds over the spill for a few hours and then vacuum them up.  I did that.  It didn't work.  I've left the doors and windows open ALL DAY LONG and put an air sponge neutralizer in the trunk.  It hasn't worked!

My Van STINKS!!!

I spoke with the owner of the shop today and he is going to replace the quilt and shopping cart cover.  And I need to take the car back in to the shop so they can clean the carpets.  He's being very nice about the whole thing and feels bad about it but in the meantime...

My Van STINKS!!!!
 

Friday, March 20, 2009

Fevers, Sore Throats and the B.U. (warning...graphic post ahead)

I'm exhausted.  I'm worked over.  I feel like I could sleep for days.

Not only have I been sick but every member of my family has been sick too for the last 7 days.  

It all started at 3:00a.m. last Friday. I awoke with a start to see Jackson standing by my bed.  (why is it that kids just stand and stare at you until you wake up?)  "Mom, my tummy hurts.  I came up to get a bowl and threw up in the sink."  "Okay bud, I'll clean it up."  So up I got to clean the vomit from the kitchen sink.  The rest of the night was spent on the couch with Jackson, bolting upright every time he coughed or moved.  By morning he felt a bit better but had the B.U.  (for those of you who don't know what the B.U. is it means butt urine.  I know its gross but its way better to say I have the B.U. then it is to say I have diarrhea right?  Besides you were warned in the title)  Anyways, Jack continued Friday with the B.U.  Then Brady got it and so both of them were laid out on the sofa all day.
Saturday dawned with all of us feeling pretty good, until Natalie came in and told me her tummy ached and then Reecey refused food and started with a fever.  The B.U. reared its ugly head at Natalie all day Saturday and Reecey was burning up.  The strange thing was that Reecey's digestive activity was normal and nobody else had run a fever with their little stomach bug.  Weird...until I woke up in the middle of the night on Saturday hearing Reecey coughing uncontrollably.  Great!
Sunday dawned with everyone feeling good.  Reecey's fever was gone, Natalie felt better and of course Jack and Brady were great too.  Until Reecey toddled into my bathroom and I caught a whiff.  Yep, you guessed it...Reecey had the B.U.  Since we were all dressed and ready to go to church we went to Sacrament meeting and then TJ took Reecey, who had a fever again by this point, home.  When I got home Reece was fast asleep and so we went about our normal, lazy Sunday activities.  When she woke up she was burning up and coughing with a runny nose but the B.U. had subsided.  I determined I would take her to the doctor the next day.
Monday dawned with me having the B.U.  Reecey still had a fever.  It was a rough day...enough said.
Tuesday dawned with Natalie coming in at about 7:00 a.m. crying and coughing.  She had a sore throat.  I was feeling a bit better so off to the doctor we went.  They swabbed Natalie for strep, which came back negative so she just had a bad cold bug.  Reece had a bad cold bug too but hers had also caused a double ear infection.  The rest of Tuesday was spent tending to my sick girls.
Wednesday dawned with Reecey almost back to normal and Natalie feeling better but I still decided to keep her home from school.  We had to run a few errands so off we went.  After our errands we picked up some lunch and after we ate it I felt like GARBAGE.  The B.U. was back!I struggled through the rest of the day and was able to get Jackson out the door to hitch a ride with my cousin's family to St. George for a baseball tournament.  When TJ got home he told me he'd felt like crap all day and couldn't eat anything.  He had the B.U. too!
Thursday dawned with TJ informing me that he never wanted to eat again and he was convinced his innards had liquified.  I still felt cruddy too.  At least all the kids felt good though right?  WRONG...at about 6:00 p.m. Brady announced a headache.  TJ left to meet up with Jackson in St. George.  He felt crappy the whole way down but decided to eat some sunflower seeds since those tend to unliquify his innards, if ya know what I mean.
Friday dawned with a fever, a headache and sore throat for Brady!  TJ feels better though and even woke up hungry!  I feel a bit better from yesterday but am kind of light headed and shaky from low blood sugar levels.  I ate a bit of breakfast and think I'll run over to Kneaders to get some soup.  I've lost 5 lbs though!  (bonus!)
Needless to say I'm exhausted, I'm tired, I feel like I could sleep for a week.  Nothing takes it out of you like taking care of sick kids when you yourself are sick!!!!  I'm just hoping and praying that TJ or I don't come down with the nasty little cold virus since we have a little getaway to Las Vegas next weekend.

post edit:  The B.U. is intended to be pronounced The Boo.  Get it?