First Camping, Then the Sickies

This post has been begun and begun and begun again...but never finished. Could it be that we took over 100 photos camping and so I have to wade through them (I am assuming you don't really want to see all 100)? Could it be that with preparing for Enrichment and camping the rest of my life needed catching up? Could it be that I have been sick this week, necessitating MORE catching up? If you answered "Yes" to all of the above....you're a winner!

We went camping to MW last Friday. It was so fun. It was quite humid and we had some sprinkles, but no really heavy rain. It was cloudy and windy, but not too hot. The only problem with the wind is that it was too windy to rent a canoe or paddle boats, which is a camping tradition in our family.

MW has a lots of cliffs and people go there to rapell and climb. Friday afternoon, we hiked and we were all alone, but Saturday we did the same hike by the cliffs and it was crawling with climbers. Both things were really cool. The kids found some caves that only people their size could get into and they thought that that was the coolest thing on earth.

We got back late Friday night from hiking and then the fire had a more difficult time than usual getting started...I think due to the humidity and sprinkles...so we ate dinner really late. By then, the kids had fallen asleep. K didn't eat anything. C ate, but he was starting to feel sick, so he didn't eat a lot. Little Dan was very good and he seemed to be having fun.

Sleeping was okay. Little Dan woke up a lot, but it could have been worse. Everyone else slept great. K is a sleep mover and was in a different place in the tent each time I woke with Little Dan. We also took our dog with us. She had a great time. She is a great dog!

C and I were definitely sick by the time we got home. We stayed home from church and C stayed home on Monday from school. We moaned together all day long. We were both better by Tuesday. Thank goodness. We both felt awful.

It was the best of nights...It was the worst of nights

Tonight was Enrichment. It went very well. I think that the sisters in our ward felt the spirit and came away uplifted. We did a presentation on preparedness, particularly spiritual preparedness...using a ten virgins presentation. So...that was the best of nights.

As far as the worst of nights part...a person for the presentation was unable to be there, so I filled in (and Little Dan fussed). Then, one of my really good friends who is usually unable to be at church or anything related to church had chosen to come (even on her birthday!) partially due to my encouragement. Sounds good, right? Well, her son, G (who is C's best friend), split his head open and they had to leave and go to Urgent Care for stitches! How frustrating!

It was super cute, though...G really wanted C to go with him to the hospital (I didn't let him...school is tomorrow and who knows how long the wait there would be!). C just sat there with him and held his hand. Really, how much more could a 5-year-old do? I just thought it neat that being together comforted him. That's what friends are for! (Thanks to all my friends out there that "hold my hand" when I have a "boo-boo.")

Then...have you ever just done something really stupid? I mean really, really stupid. Well, later....I did. And I feel awful, but (sorry to all you curious ones out there) I don't really feel comfortable explaining what it is.

3..2...1...Blast Off!

Three: Pounds I have lost this week! :)

Two: Times I get up with Little Dan each night.

One: Days left to prepare for camping (tomorrow night), Enrichment (tonight), and laundry, etc. to be prepared for the Sabbath once we get back from camping.

Blast Off: I don't know where I am blasting off to...maybe Insanityville.

Sorry about not posting. I have had a busy week and I think I was a little blogged out after all the Spring Break posts! I have been soooo good at exercising and eating right this week. I feel great. I was doing well before, but all of a sudden it became more important to me and now I am doing awesome at it. Hopefully I can keep it up.

We are going camping tomorrow. It should be fun, although it might rain. That would not be so fun. It is just so much work to get ready for. DH really has no idea how long it takes: shopping, packing, organizing...etc.. I should have some fun pictures to post when it is all through. And, I should be grateful that Little Dan is not crawling quite yet and will stay in one spot and that the weather is not stiflingly hot yet! Wish me luck!

Spring Break: Day 5: Hiking and Letterboxing

I think today was my favorite day of Spring Break. Maybe because the weather is perfect (not as hot as yesterday), maybe because I got to go with one of my best friends, maybe because I know we are finally done with all these fun days and I am tired (being a "fun mom" wears you out)!

We went to a Nature Preserve near our home and hiked around looking for "clues" for "letterboxing." The kids loved it. It is so fun. You print out clues from the Internet, follow them, and at the end discover a "box" with a stamp in it and a pad for you to stamp that you'd found it. This is my first time doing it, but my friend had gone before. The kids thought it was a great treasure hunt!

Then, we ate lunch and the kids all played while we got to sit and talk out in nature with a slight breeze and perfect weather! It was so relaxing!

Updates: (1) Feeling much better! I think the cold is almost done! (2) We spent all our Spring Break Budget. We used the rest buying lunches and snacks for the hiking trip (something we would have just brought from home had we run out of money!)

Spring Break: Day 4: Putt-Putt Golf

Today was Day 4 of Spring Break. We went to Putt-Putt golf. Originally, we had intended to go early in the morning, but K's best friend and family wanted to join us and so we waited until the afternoon. Boy, was it crowded! It was okay, though, once we all got clubs and could go at our own pace. We opted not to keep score and with six kids 8 and under, it worked great. The two moms decided not to play (even though we'd paid for ourselves), as it was enough work just to corral and organize the kids (and I was carrying Little Dan throughout). Not keeping score enabled us to go faster and the kids all cheered for each other with not one hurt feeling the entire time! It was very hot, however, and I was grateful that I thought to bring sunscreen!

We got some tokens to play the "games" inside, but it was way too crowded. We did some mini-bowling thing and kept the tokens to use for another day!

BTW: We did finally buy our ice cream! I guess it was in the budget....although the kids had to find a coupon before we could go.

Sick Update: still sick. Now I have a nagging cough in addition to the nose. I also have a funky voice! Tomorrow should be better as I have more energy today than yesterday!

Spring Break: Day 3: McDonald's at Castle Park

Today's Family Fun Day was going eating McDonald's at the park. The kids had a lot of fun eating, feeding ducks, and playing! They even declined ice cream for the second day in a row in an effort to "save our money." The weather was okay. At the beginning it was chilly. Then the sun came out and it was hot and muggy. Then a breeze came and it was perfect (until the breeze stopped and it was hot and muggy again). Unfortunately, I was miserable. I think my "cold" might be "allergies." The entire time at the park I was sneezing and I could hardly see since my eyes were so watery! Ugh!

Spring Break: Day 2: The Movies

I don't really have a picture of this one. I thought about taking a picture outside the theatre...but, I felt like a freak. Anyhow, we went to see Astronaut Farmer. It was a little lengthy for the kids...but that is the one they wanted to see. K cried a little. C slept a little. But, in the end, it was all good. It definitely has a good moral about never giving up and there wasn't any junk in it to make me wish I hadn't brought kids. We even saved on our Spring Break Budget as the line was so long to buy refreshments that we were afraid we wouldn't get seats and just skipped the popcorn, drinks, candy, etc. I was going to take them out for ice cream or a slurpie or something, but the frugal kids that they have all-of-a-sudden become didn't want to "waste" their money. What a concept!

Still sick. I think I might have a sinus infection. I have never had one, but I sure have a lot of pressure over my cheek bones right now! Yuck!

Spring Break: Day 1: Jumping Party

Today was the first of our Family Fun Days! We went to Jumping Party. It was so fun. Even Little Dan loved it. Kids to watch. Music to listen to. Primary colors to look at. What more could a 5-month-old want? The bigger kids had a blast and it was not crowded. There was a little girl from C's Kindergarten class (see the first picture) that chased him everywhere he went. For the first hour he was so annoyed....but then seemed to enjoy her company. It was cute. K didn't want me taking pictures of her so all of hers are just whenever I could catch her!

I had a good idea this morning and gave the kids a Spring Break Budget. It is the budget for the entire week. We spent $14 at Jumping Party...so now they have to budget the rest of the week with the rest. I love it. Their little brains were really working as they tried to figure out if we had enough to buy popcorn, drinks, and candy at the movies tomorrow and still have enough to have McDonald's at the park later in the week,etc. What a fun way to teaching budgeting!

I also took our dog to the vet this morning for her annual shots/checkup with ALL THREE KIDS! Call me crazy! But, it worked...although I found out she is a fat little doggie! She gained 9 pounds since last year on diet dog food! Ooops. Maybe it is obvious that with a newborn and cold weather I haven't been walking her!

Finally, I am getting sick! What a horrid time to have a cold...while trying to be a fun mom for my three wonderful kids! (And still keep up with the rest of daily living!)

Hey...what a long post...sorry if I bored you! :)

It's Spring Break!

It is spring break! Here is C celebrating after school on Friday! We are so excited. We are not traveling anywhere like many of our friends, so each day we have a Family Fun Day planned. It actually is a lot of extra work, but it makes many wonderful memories. We still talk about last year's excursions! I wish that DH could join us. He works so hard and so many hours. He also frequently has seminars to attend. I feel like we don't get to see him much anymore. But, I can't complain. I am very grateful to have such a hard worker as my DH. I just worry that he will get burned out!

That's all for now...except I don't think I am doing good at my calling. I don't know why I was called as Enrichment Leader anyhow. I'm still not good at it and it has been a year and a half!

And, my yard needs a lot of work. I love to work in the yard, but then my house needs work. And if I work hard on the house, the business needs work. And if I concentrate on the business, the yard needs work.......I just can't do it all. It is a frustrating cycle!

New Blanket, Tidy House Tip, and Beautiful Weather

This is a random post day:

1) Little Dan has a cute new quilt from his Grandma and Aunts. He loves it!

2) I am back on my routine that works for me and my house is so clean. This tip is super simple, but really, really works (at least for me). I spend 15 minutes in the morning right after everyone leaves tidying, doing dishes, sweeping, whatever needs to be done to make the house presentable. Then, right before bed, I set the timer again for 15 minutes and tidy everything up. This one routine alone does wonders for me. I have been doing it off and on for years...it always works until I get too lazy or tired one night and then it is all down hill until I revive the routine.

This time I have added setting the breakfast table during the night 15 minutes. This has helped breakfast run more smoothly, too. Partly due to the fact that now I know before I ever go to sleep what I am making for breakfast, since I already set the table!

3) Finally, I think we are enjoying the most beautiful weather on the planet! It is sunny, 75ish degrees, a slight breeze. It is so gorgeous! What a blessing! It is the most beautiful weather ever!

A Night to Myself

DH is not feeling 100% and all three kids are asleep (as well as DH), so I have had an evening to myself! I spent it cleaning/tidying then I curled up with the Ensign and a cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream (just a little-I really am trying to lose my stress and baby weight!). It is nice to have time to myself once in a while, especially as the last few days have been very busy!

BTW, I had a networking meeting for the business this afternoon and Little Dan didn't cry the whole time for the babysitter! Last time I had this meeting he screamed. I am so proud of him. He has changed sooooooooooooooooooo much in this last week that I am in awe. He rolls and scoots all over intentionally. He sometimes gets fussy being held since he wants to be on his own. He is aware of who I am and gives me a huge "I Love You, Mami" grin when I enter the room. He says, "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" when he wants to eat what I am eating. He gets mad if I get water from the fridge and drink it myself instead of giving it to him. In short, he is demonstrating his little personality for the first time and I love it!

Girls' Night Out

I got to go out tonight for my birthday with a bunch of my friends! I love Girls' Nights Out. Half the fun is the conversation in the car. I meant to take a bunch of pictures, but I had Little Dan with me and he was needy, then I forgot, and then we just took a few in the car on the way home. Unfortunately that means we didn't get a picture of everyone! :(

We went to Olive Garden, which I love...but didn't love tonight. They wouldn't take reservations for our big group, so the first one we went to had a two hour wait. The second one we went to had a one hour wait and we waited slightly longer than this. Then, they don't have my favorite meal anymore and I tried something new and didn't like it AND the bread sticks (usually the best part) were nasty-hard with no butter/seasonings.

Thank goodness that the company was OUTSTANDING! I love going out with friends. Thanks guys!

Baptism

K's best friend in the whole world, E, got baptized this morning. It was wonderful! The sister that spoke about baptism made a neat analogy using a cell phone contract, explaining that when we covenant with Heavenly Father we don't have to sign our name, we establish the commitment through ordinances, such as being baptized. I thought this was neat. The brother that spoke on the Holy Ghost used an analogy with a football injury, resulting in amnesia, but having a friend there to comfort and guide through the recovery. This is like us..not remembering who we are, where we are from, or what we are doing, but having a companion to guide us and comfort us along the way.

It is crazy to think that in four months it will be K's turn!

Things I did before 6 am

Why am I awake at this hour? Why have I already done two loads of laundry and half an hour of medical transcription? The answer lies below (picture taken this morning at 5:30 am):

Little Dan is having a blast waking up at 5 am and screeching and cooing (happily). At least I started my day productive!

I have a lot more of the country to see!

Nikko posted one of these neat maps on her site today. Here's mine. The states in red I have been in. I haven't been very many places, have I? Another reason why travel is on the top of my list of things I'd like to do!



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Science Projects, Beautiful Flowers, and Blogging

This is a very random post. First, K's science project is all done and in! Hurrah! We have been working for weeks on it and to have it done is a big relief for both of us! (I was about to attach a picture...but it has her name in big letters all over it...and I'm a little paranoid!)

Second, look at the gorgeous flowers my sister sent for my birthday. If I could attach a smell to this post, you'd be in heaven for the fragrance is divine! Finally, I been having so much fun with all my new blogging friends (maybe too much fun..as the dishes can attest!).

P.S. Another random thought...the snack basket idea for WFMW from a couple of weeks ago...works great! The kids are happy. I am happy. It works!