Finally, A Backyard

Funny enough--we're talking about pillows in this post as well as the last post. Do I do that a lot? Anyway, the man and I stopped at Lowes today to look at fire pits. He wants one for the backyard and I'm fine with that, as long as we get pretty patio furniture. You know the kind with the "designer" outdoor pillows.

We've lived in the Chicago area for nearly 7 years, and we've never really had a patio we could use. We had a beautiful one in Phoenix before we moved here, but it was always too hot--and you get toads. So it is nice to finally have a backyard worth spending some time in.

Squishy Bedding

I cannot explain how badly I want a sleep number bed! Truly, it consumes my morning thoughts as I lazily stretch my way out of a bed I would rather spend another 3 hours in, but due to various aches and pains and a snoring husband--I can't bear another moment in.

My husband knows me pretty darn well. I'm a soft and cuddly kinda gal. He knows that I have no other desire for Christmas/Mother's Day/Birthday's ect--than a new down pillow. These babies are like $75 each--but oh, the heaven of sinking my head into them. Plus you get the added bonus of sound control. When the buzz saw next to me hits astronomical proportions, I throw one of these puppies over my head, and it nearly drowns him out!

So if a squishy pillow is such heaven, can you imagine how amazing I'd sleep with a whole squishy bed? My husband was in a car accident early on in his life, and has to sleep on a mattress that is as stiff as a board. Sadly--I share a bed with him, so there goes my dream of a squishy bed---unless, I can turn in all of my present holiday's pillows--and transform them into one amazing bed!! I just wonder what my true sleep number is???

Giggles!!

My two little ones are awfully giggly today! It's my favorite kind of day with them. They take such joy in playing together, and everything they do just makes each other laugh. Of course, we are getting close to nap time-so me thinks, they may just be overly sleepy! These are the days when it's fun to lotion up their feet and give them little massages. It's so cute-they are so tickly on their toes, and to hear my 2 year old squeal with delight and say "Ig Iggles" is well worth taking a little break from the blogosphere for a bit!!

Back in a sec!!

Accelerated Reading!!

I think it's funny--kids and school. All of my kids have loved school-pretty much from the moment that they could go to school. Grayson didn't want to go to school today because he doesn't want to be a part of the Accelerated Reading program anymore, and today is a test on his last book. I told him that since he didn't want to go, he would get a zero on the test because he wouldn't be taking it--so why not just take the test, and guess at the answers. Either way-if you are planning to take a zero-what does it matter if you take the test and fail? And with a multiple choice test-you may actually get one or two right even without reading the story. So then he tells me--he read the book in school, and could probably pass the test. I'm sorry, why were we having this discussion??? You read the book, you could pass the test...then go to school and pass the test! Goof Ball!

Vista Rant!!

I'm having all sorts of problems with my new computer today! I'm not very happy about it! You spend a ton of money that you've skrimped and saved to buy a new computer. All that is offered out there are computers with the most AWFUL Vista as it's operating system--so bugs and all--you take it home! I've been using the new computer for about a week, and finally--there is a birthday post that I want to make today--and I need to use the scanner than came with the computer. NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS!! Why?? Because the scanner software isn't compatible with Vista. In order to download the patch you have to follow the directions on the screen--fine--but by the time it's finished it's uninstall and restarted the system-I can't get back to the screen! So now I have to install it wrong-again--get the screen--copy it down ('cause I can't print) and then uninstall it only to install the patch and reinstall it!!

Sounds like fun doesn't it? I HATE VISTA!!!

My Birthday!!

This picture was taken 36 years ago today! And I just have to say--it is one of the cutest hospital pictures I've ever seen! I must admit--I was a cutie! Out of four kids--I got one that looked just like me! His hospital picture is absolutely beautiful as well--So I guess it's just the genes!

36 Years is a strange year to turn! I remember when my mom was 36-and it wasn't that long ago! 18 years ago--I turned 18--and 20 years ago, I had my first date.

My earliest memory is my 4th birthday!
All my life I thought I had a memory of my third birthday party-I remember a balloon was put in my parents room to wait for my older brother to get home from school. So with the proper math--it would have had to be my 4th birthday. I remember the party itself as well. We sat in a circle to open presents and my next door neighbor Kirk,gave me a book in the shape of a house. I have another memory around that same time. There was an earthquake in the night, and I remember that. I remember the jammies I was wearing, and according to a Christmas morning picture where I'm wearing the same jammies--I would have been 4 for that too. I don't have too many memories. I do remember my Aunt Peggy's dog Buttercup. She was a Deer Chihuahua with a little tiny head. I remember sitting on the floor with her and her little round top of her head fit in the palm of my hand perfectly. Now that is a tiny dog! I also remember sleeping over at Peggy's and she made grits or mush in the morning and they were AWFUL--so I went outside of her house and hid behind a short little fence between her house and her neighbors!

When I was 4 we moved to Bountiful and in with my grandma. We moved in on Valentine's Day and I remember being downstairs putting paneling up in what would be our bedroom. The doorbell rang and there were two Valentine's on the front porch. One for my big brother, and one for my little brother. Heartbreaking as it was at the time--the neighbor didn't know there was a little girl in the house, I think it was remedied later--but I don't remember that part!

We lived with my Grandma Code for just over 5 years, until my mom met and married my sweet daddy! I have to call him that--mainly because it is so fitting. We moved to Salt Lake, then to Sandy, and then after our house was finished we moved to Farmington, Utah where I lived until I got married! I went to Davis High School, and that picture right next to me--was my first date, my first school dance, and my 16th birthday! 20 years ago tonight--I was on my first date--oh, the memories of that night! Actually--I'm still kicking myself for so many dumb things that you do on your first date! My date was a Senior--and I'm sure it wasn't the most fun final dance of his High School career!

Here is my Senior picture. You know--ever since it was taken--I never thought it was really cute of me! You know how you look at pictures or video's of yourself and you just don't see that you are so cute! That's me, in all of my pictures! Well, 18 years later I can say--I was really cute!! I never wore make up--nope, there isn't any in the picture at all! I never wore jewelry-it was the diamond anniversary of my high school the year I graduated, so all of the girls had to wear a necklace with a "D" with a diamond on it! My ears aren't pierced--I was definitely a very GOOD girl! Man, I miss those days! I graduated with the Class of 1989, and then started college at Weber State University.

Ah--this last picture! This was taken the summer before I met my husband. We met and started dating in November, and I'm in shorts--so it's definitely summer in the photo! I'm 24 in this picture. A lot more grown up than the one above it. I had lived in Japan for 18 months, I had moved to Provo, Utah to go to school, and I had been engaged. But honestly, if you want to see what I looked like the first time my husband ever saw me--this would be it! Man--he married a "hottie". Then that hottie had kids and had her body totally messed up! I'm thinking I need to get back down to my wedding weight--so my hubby can have a little bit of his wife back!!

All in all it's been a great 36years. Somethings I would definitely change if I could go back and change it--somethings I wouldn't change for the world. The one thing I know--this first 36 years went really fast--and in that same amount of time I will be 72 years old! I wonder what I will look back on between now and then and wish I had done differently! hmmmmmm, I wish I knew!!

Eating, Eating & More Eating!

Do you know what I'm realizing I really need in this battle of the bulge?? I need appetite suppressants! Honestly, is everyone as hungry as I always am? Am I boredom eating? I don't think so, but honestly just gimme the beef!

It's craziness. I made dinner tonight, it wasn't the greatest, but holy cow...you'd think I hadn't eaten in days. I'm ready to go for round two. No wonder I'm frumpy (read fat)! I mentioned a few posts back that I have a big high school reunion coming up this August and I'd really like to look good for it, but I'm honestly questioning my ability to pull it off.

I guess tomorrow I should stock up on some healthy snacks, because apparently, I'm gonna be hungry 24/7!

School Pride

I got in trouble tonight. You know, I wasn't expecting it. I really didn't think I'd done something wrong, but apparently it was the end of the world to my 9 year old. You see, at his school they earn "paws" for good behavior. After you've saved up enough paws, you can take them to the "Paw Trade-In" store and get something cool. They have everything from custom water bottles to various school supplies and unopened Happy Meal prizes.

Well, Mr. 9 year old chose a yellow water bottle with the school name painted on it. Came home and used it, and deposited it in the sink. Where I ended up putting it (innocently enough) into the dishwasher. Oops...my bad! When it came out (sparkling clean) it was missing a TINY portion of the blue paint that made up the school name. You would have thought I'd cut off his baby toe...hissy fit! I promised him that tomorrow, when the Hobby Lobby opens, I will march right in and purchase a blue Sharpie so that I can fill in the blanks!

Luckily...that did it!

Colon Fun

Tonight I had to watch the Farrah Fawcett documentary on the internet because we were out on Friday night. Oh my heavens...how sad was it! I have never been a huge Farrah fan. She's quite a bit older than I am, and I never even watched Charlie's Angels. But after watching her battle with this debilitating disease, it just broke my heart.

It's been 2 years since her diagnosis, and it seems like she's tried every form of treatment, but has been unable to beat it. I don't know how much longer she has, but it certainly made me try to rethink my life! Colon cancer flows rampantly through my family. I lost my aunt to it 4 years ago and my uncle has had his colon removed. My grandma died in 1987 from a tumor, but she refused to even have it tested to find out what it was. After watching her kids, I'm almost sure it was colon cancer.

My mom has done all she can to keep on top of it in her life. From Colonix to yearly Colonoscopy, she's trying to change the tide in her favor. She does suffer from minor diverticulitis, so she has bulked up on fiber in her diet. Sadly, she is sticking to me on this too. I just turned 38, and she's let me know that once I hit 40...a yearly Colonoscopy will be required (yuck)!

I don't know if any of these techniques would have helped Farrah in the early stages, but my heart certainly went out to her family at this really sad time!

The Drive

I have been looking at rates for rv parks and extended stay motels around the Salt Lake area for our summer trip. We are spending 2 weeks with my mom, but I really don't want to drive 20 hours one way to only stay in town for 2 weeks. It's a very long and miserable drive.

We spend the night in Kearney, Nebraska. The hotel there has water slides that my kids love, so that portion of the drive works for them. It's just the other 19 hours of the drive!

People think I'm crazy for driving alone with four kids across the country, but with airline prices as high as they are, there is just no other choice. So we'll pack up the portable DVD player and the laptop and hope to make some good time. This is the ONE portion of the trip that I'm not excited about!

U.T.A.H.

Three more weeks of school!! Three more weeks of school! Normally I am not the type of mom that looks forward to summer vacation. My kids tend to get awfully bored and just don't seem to enjoy the summers like I remember when I was a kid. I'm not quite sure what has changed.

This summer, however, is different! It's my high school reunion and this frumpy mother of four has found one of the top rated diet pills around...and I plan on looking HOT!! Mind you, it's not until the 15th of August, so there's still time to get myself reeled in!

So we are heading to Utah...and I still can't wait!

Horses & Bulls

This past Friday we headed out to a local dining establishment that offered dinner and an amazing show. My in laws took all six of us out and honestly, I was thrilled that my kids enjoyed it as much as they did. Half way through the show, my oldest leaned over and said, "This would be great as a video game!" I laughed and replied, "Video game...I wanna horse!"

Not that we have the room for a horse or bull at our house, and especially not the horse & cattle supplies that go along with them, but there was something deep within that actually longed to care for these beautiful animals. My 9 year old wants a black stallion, but I was mesmerized by the bone white mare with a silky white mane.

It won't happen in this lifetime, but oh to dream of the freedom that comes with riding a horse.

Funeral!!

Today is the funeral for my older brothers and sisters mom. She was married to my dad, before he married my mom 26 years ago. She died earlier this week and had been looming with a terrible illness for a few months. My older sister and her family came down from Spokane for Thanksgiving so that their kids could spend some time with their Grandma before she passed away! I felt bad that I wasn't going to have the opportunity to attend the funeral--but with 4 little kids--they really wouldn't have wanted me there! But I feel so bad for all of them. I can't imagine the loss of my mom--it would kill me!!!

100,000 Mark!!

I'm battling Cyber Ghosts today! I have posted this post three times--and it shows up for around 3 minutes and then disappears! Hmmmmmm, we'll try it again!

As many of you know--my husband just went through an opening of a new restaurant! He has been putting in a ton of hours - and his poor body just really isn't geared for it! Well, they have been open for 3 weeks-and they have nearly hit the $100,000 mark in sales! That is just mind boggling to me! I've known they are always busy--but I guess I didn't fully translate that into sales!

I'm very proud of him! He's working so hard--and honestly he is loving "nearly" every moment! Leaving the house before the sun comes out being one thing he doesn't enjoy--coming home after dark--is the other! Unless he steps outside for a minute--he doesn't see the sun at all!!

Perfect Attendance!!

Today was the first awards assembly of the year. They have one after each grading period. My boys worked so hard and earned perfect attendance ribbons. They have talked about them for months, so it was nice for them to finally get to take them home. They did great on their report cards as well. MJ got an A+ in spelling, and A in math, and a B+ in both reading and penmanship. DG got an A+ in reading, an A in penmanship, and an A+ in math. Next week, he will start the advanced reading program. He currently is reading at a third grade level--so he's really doing great!

It's fun to see that they both really enjoy school, and love to go everyday. This year has even been an exceptionally easy year in getting up on their own and getting their homework done! Great job guys!!!

Going Home

Summer is coming! Summer is coming! Normally I don't really get excited about that, but this summer the kids and I are heading home to Utah! My home! My Family! My SPOT! My kids love it there, and they haven't been home in 2 years. My parents have a huge park in the back yard with a couple of gazebos, swings and a huge climb on toy. What kid wouldn't love that!

Mostly I'm excited to take them to Lagoon. It's a huge amusement park that I worked at when I was a teenager, and full of so many memories. Plus, here in Illinois, there really isn't much chance of them getting to experience too many roller coasters. So I plan on getting them season passes, so we can run over as often as we want to!

I can't wait!

Colon Cancer

We have colon cancer running rampant in this family. I lost my aunt to it and mostly likely my grandma. My uncle has had his colon removed and my other aunt has pre-cancerous polyps removed every year. I don't know if this is something that an herbal colon cleanse would help with...but I can tell you, I'm not looking forward to turning 40! Not only do mammy's click in, but a yearly colonoscopy doesn't sound like a day at the beach either.

But with 4 kids, it must be done. I have to stay healthy for them!

It's Creeping Up

Have you heard about all of the hoopla over Hydroxycut?? My husband knows that I take a diet pill everyday, so he had to stop and ask me if that was something I was using. I hadn't even heard of the problems, but I was happy to let him know that I was not using that particular product.

On the side of weight loss, however, I'm happy to say that it's going slow...but it is at least, still going. Which is great, because that 20th high school reunion is creeping up pretty quick. There is no way I'll look like I did when we graduated--but hey, I'd like to look better than the frumpy mom of 4 that I turned into!