Thoughts

*January is the worst month ever in Utah. I absolutely love the snow for the holidays and then, on January 2nd, I am done. January is so cold and so dark and so dirty and there really isn't anything to look forward to. It is a hard month, and February isn't much better. But this year I am a little more prepared and I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make this dreary month a little more exciting. We'll see how it goes.

*So we moved to 9:00 a.m. church this year. I have mixed feelings. From 7-9 in the morning I hate it. At 12 noon, I love it. My teenagers are especially struggling with it because it takes away one precious day of sleeping in. I feel bad for them because they do get up really early and work hard all week long and they kind of do need some days to catch up on their sleep. I told them to come home from church and take a good long nap. That's totally what I used to do. I think on fast Sundays I literally slept from the time I got home from church until I could eat again. It worked out perfect for me. I also told them that sacrifice brings blessings. I don't know if they believe me yet.

*The other day I ate a candy bar while I was walking on the treadmill. I really did and I didn't even feel too guilty about it, because it was really good.

*My dad gave me his old Vita-mixer. I am totally into making green drinks for me and my kids now. The first morning I made one, I served it up to all my little kiddies who were all sitting at the counter eagerly awaiting this magic drink I kept telling them about. Brandon took one look into his cup and said, "this looks exactly like Bilbo's fresh poo!" And you know what? It really did. We named our new magic, healthy drink, 'turtle poo' and all of us drank it right down. (Thankfully, it did not taste like turtle poo, not that I would know what turtle poo tasted like.) Anyways, we have enjoyed fresh turtle poo every morning since. Delicious and nutritious, despite the greenish brown color.

*I saw a recipe one day that intrigued me. Kara and I looked it up and even watched a little video on how to make it and that settled it. We were determined to make us some fire and ice pickles. And we did just that. Now that's a cure for the January blues, making fire and ice pickles with your daughter. The verdict is still out on these intriguing pickles because they have to fester in the fridge for 1 week for them to reach their optimal taste. We have 3 days to go and then let the fire and ice pickle tasting begin.

*My kids came home from church with a little scripture and prayer chart to put by their beds since they are learning about the scriptures in Primary. On Monday, Ethan was sitting at the kitchen table with his chart. He was coloring it and doodling on it. And then multiple times as I walked by I saw him with his head down on the table. I finally asked him what he was doing and he replied simply, "I'm praying mom!" Well, there you go. The more you pray, the more squares you get to color in. He colored in a whole bunch of squares that morning. I wouldn't be surprised if half of his chart is complete. Now he can sit back and relax the rest of the month, because his January praying is all checked off. He is one spiritual kid!

*The other day Ashlyn came up to me and said, "Mom, memember when we went to Stinky Petes?" I'm sorry, but I didn't remember Stinky Petes. She said again, "Stinky Petes, memember when I frowed up at Stinky Petes and there is water and slides and I frowed up?" OK, yes, now I remember when you threw up all over the sidewalk and me and you as we were waiting in line to get in at Seven Peaks last summer. How could I forget that day. I have no idea why she was thinking of that, but now it's all she thinks of. She asks every day when we can go to Stinky Petes again. I keep telling her that when the snow melts we can go. Every day she looks out the window, desperately hoping that the snow will be gone. I don't know what I am going to do when that day comes. I'm going to have to come up with one pretty good distraction, that's for sure.

*Brandon is playing basketball this winter. He came home from his first practice and I asked how it went. He said it went good, but that when everyone got there they all changed out of their 'street' shoes and slipped into their fancy basketball shoes. Brandon, of coarse, doesn't have fancy basketball shoes, and he felt a little sorry for himself. But, honestly, I am cheap. And I don't see the point in buying expensive basketball shoes for a short 8 week run. I know, I am a mean cheap mom. Well, luckily he has good friends who don't have mean cheap moms and by the next practice he had 2 sets of hand me down basketball shoes to try on and keep. He tried some on and even though they are a size too big he is thrilled with them. Brandon is great at basketball and so fun to watch. But please imagine those wintery white stick legs coming out of some big ole black, one size too big, basketball shoes. He is a good sport and laughs right along with us as we talk about his new magic shoes. What a confidant and talented kid I have. And you should see his left handed lay up!

*It's January and therefore time to up the ante on my excercise routine. I am pretty faithful about walking on the treadmill, but with this new year have added Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. Feel free to laugh because my family totally does. Like I am really going to get shredded (I don't even really know what shredded means), but I am going to give it a shot. I have been very faithful in doing it every day of the week except Sundays, when of coarse, I rest from my shred. When I was doing it last Saturday, Kara snuck up behind me and started taking pictures, saying "I am so going to blog about this." I was doing jumping jacks in my Rosie robe. It was quite the sight. And it will absolutely never be blogged about. Ever!

*It is the end of term for my older kids. I got an email from Kara's seminary teacher saying that at the end of every term he likes to invite the parents in to bear their testimonies. He said it is always a wonderful meeting and to just email back if we would be able to attend. I wanted Trevor to do it, but he couldn't so I emailed back that I would be there. I mean, what would it look like if Kara was the only one without a parent there? I went and began to feel a little uncomfortable when after 30 minutes I was still the only parent there. Finally and thankfully, one other dad came in and the 2 of us bore our testimonies. Did none of the other parents have the same thought that I did? I guess not. Anyways, it was a wonderful experience and the spirit was strong. Kara has absolutely loved her teacher and her class and has learned so much. I was amazed at this class and this teacher and the whole seminary program here in Utah. It was so different from anything I had ever experienced in Seminary. I am grateful for the amazing teachers and experiences my kids are having in Seminary. It was definitely a highlight of my week.

Until next week, or the next.