GYMNASTICS!

Carly and Jono started their gymnastics classes today. They are in separate classes for age and I think that is best. The less competition the better. They both did very well and loved being there and had a great time with their teachers. Jono has an hour class once a week and Carly has an hour and a half once a week. I think this will be so great for them and especially because it's something they really want to do and will look forward to each week.

Carly is starting piano lessons on Friday. I'm so non-musical myself that I'm determined to have her be musical like her sisters. All the older girls sing, play the piano and at least plink at the guitar or other instruments. Megan plays the drums. I think only Sara had piano lessons, but all of them picked it up to one degree or another. Julie had about a dozen voice lessons. Megan and Julie both write music. All our girls are very talented. I want both Carly and Jonathon to have some of those same talents or at least have the opportunity to have them if they want them. Five or six is the age most piano teachers here are willing to start students so it's a good time to get her started. I'm really hoping she will enjoy them. Julie has worked with her a little and one of her little neighbor friends who is a year older has also taught her a little bit. She liked learning from them. Hopefully it will continue!

Rob and I are half way through our thirty days of Paleo--Yay! We are doing really well with it but the food choices do get a bit old. I think after 30 days you can add more back in but the first 30 days are way boring. I did make Caveman Ketchup tonight! That was a new twist--so we could at least have some sauce with our beef. I'll bet you didn't know cavemen ate ketchup, did you? Me neither. I've been searching out all kinds of new recipes that have almost nothing in them. Lol. Because that's what we can eat--almost nothing. Hahaha. Actually--we just can't have the sugar (or sugar substitute--even sugar free substitute), soy, soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, or any kind of grain or vegetable oil you find in most sauces. That's why we have to come up with our own version. You'd be surprised how many sauces have one, two or all of those things in them -- even in the organic aisle! I am really getting an education!

I'm really torn between eating this way for the rest of my life because I love what it's doing to my figure and having flavor in my life. Hmmm. Actually, I think I will find a middle ground. I really haven't minded a lot of it, but I do think there's got to be a happy medium somewhere. I'm all for cleaning out the gut. I can see eating this way most of the week and taking the weekends off. That may be my flavor compromise. I sure like having a figure again. Figure/Flavor - Figure/Flavor - Figure/Flavor -- YEP! I think those two things go nicely together! Where there's a will there's a way! Oh, but wait, there's still 15 days to go . . . so back to the gruel . . . :)

MONDAY FUNDAY

This week is parent/teacher conference week at school and they do it a little different here. All week the kids only go to school two hours so the teachers have time to meet with the parents. So, it's early in and early out ~ especially for Kindergartners who usually only go for hours. I thought I set my alarm on my phone to remind me of this BUT apparently I didn't get it set right. So, I go driving up to school with Carly at the regular time and realize there are no other kids waiting to go in and it hits me what's going on. Unfortunately, that means she only has a half hour of school left! She was NOT a happy camper! However, I was not the only parent who forgot, there was one ahead of me and one behind me! I LOVE COMPANY when I've done something stupid or am in the doghouse. Luckily, one of them was Carly's best friend! That helped a little.

After school I got a bit of a talkin' too, from my resident 5 year old about how I'd made her miss all the fun stuff (which I had.) I did feel pretty bad about it so when Rob arrived home a little early her and Jono over to Chuck E. Cheese as a surprise. We didn't go for dinner but just to let them play games. They had a really fun time and I'm pretty sure it made up for mommy's big goof! Alarm is now set!

Julie had a great day, well, besides being sick with strep! She's been down all weekend and finally got to the doctor today to get checked and get some medicine for it. Her throat's been really bad but the doctor's office was out all weekend and only taking emergency calls so she couldn't get in until today. Hopefully, it will clear within a few days. ANYWAY, school and tests go on even when you're sick so she had to go take one. She had a music test and she did FANTASTIC on it! (Congrats Jules!) This is her first real test since taking a semester off to really get her head in the game. Also, she's had several quizzes in each of her classes and has been getting 100% on those. Way to go Julie! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!! We've known you could do it all along!

Julie has some great new roomies this semester who are very good to her. They are also in school and they all seem to enjoy each other. They study together, cook together, work out together and just have fun together. It makes us very happy to know she's in good company!

She also has a job she really likes. She works for a retail store as a sales rep and cashier. She does that about thirty hours a week and goes to school full-time so she keeps really busy. We end up visiting her almost as much as she comes home--which is only once about once a month for each of us. We sure miss our Jules -- that is for certain!

Jono, Julie and Carly
on one of our visits to see Julie at work

THE WEEKEND'S HERE! YIPPEE!

Susan and Russ came up to visit Grandma and Grandpa today. Russ put together a shelf for them and Susan helped Grandma with some decorating ideas. They stayed and had a sandwich with them for dinner and then got on the road so they could get back home before it got too late.

Rob worked all day today. He and I are on day 11 of our Paleo diet. I've even gotten good about getting up and getting him something for breakfast and making sure he has something to take for lunch before he leaves. Mind you, he is NOT a breakfast eater--so he has never wanted me to make him anything in the morning before. And he is definitely not normally a lunch taker. He either grabs something while he is out or goes to lunch with a work buddy or goes without. I have tried in the past to make him something but it's hard to change old habits. It's a little different though when there's almost nothing you can grab to eat while you're out because you're diet it so restricted! Finally, I get to play "wife." Lol!

Oh, but the good news - per our Paleo diet is that we are both down about 10 lbs. Yay! That makes us feel so great--and I love how my clothes are fitting, the ones I haven't been able to get into lately. On the other hand all of Rob's clothes are looking like big tents on him. Lol!

Tonight we went over to a friend's house to listen to her son's audition practice. He's a senior this year and is auditioning tomorrow for a music scholarship at the U of U. He plays the trumpet and is very good. I guess these auditions can be pretty stressful so he needed a group of people to practice in front of. We were only part of the group but it was nice to be able to help.

It's still pretty cold here. It's 28 degrees tonight, so we still have a good bit of our snow on the ground just because it hasn't been warm enough for it to melt off yet.

Well, that's all that's going on around here. Take care . . .

SO THANKFUL SOME PEOPLE HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR!

So yesterday, I took the kids shopping with me. Carly was fine but Jono did his normal thing. Will I never learn? (Insert eye roll here.) We are finishing up and heading toward the cash register. Keep in mind we are that close to making it out of the store without a major incident. Though, there were many minor ones. Anyway, our cart passes another shopper (like within inches) and my son says loudly "Momma, that guy looks like a girl!!" I turned 3 shades of crimson in a nano second, turned to look and -- thankfully hear a very nice young man with serious dread locks, earrings and tattoos laugh at what my little boy said. Whew!

WE HAVE A READER!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Carly read her first book to me today. She read it all the way through without stopping and without missing messing up any words! Yay! Just Friday I realized she was still having trouble with a few sight words so we've spent the weekend working on them and she made huge progress. She knows them really well now. I am so happy with how well she is doing! She has these tiny kind of homemade paper books her teacher sends home every week to learn on that she practice on with me. However, this was her first real book she read. It wasn't long but it was age appropriate! I'm so proud of my baby girl! Congrats Carly! You are a reader! The world has just opened up to you! I love you!

IROBOT, NOROBOT

I almost bought a robot tonight. Truly I did. It was a robot that vacuums your floors all by itself. You can schedule it to vacuum way in advance. It avoids doors, walls, stairs, furniture. It works on carpets and non-carpeted areas. I was really looking forward to it as I hate to vacuum. Had my shopping trip all planned. Went there purposely to get it, got all the way to the check stand with it, then changed my mind! What?!

Yep, something happened between putting it in my cart and shopping through the rest of the store. I decided it was a luxury. I mean who am I to need a ROBOT that vacuums my floors. My arms and legs aren't broken! I have a vacuum upstairs and Grandma has one downstairs. (In fact, so do I.) Hmm. I'm not only blessed, I'm spoiled. I felt rather silly once I realized what I had in my cart~so, I didn't get it after all. Now that I think of it~those darned vacuum robots are probably just another spy tool the NSA is using to get info on us! Ha! I beat 'em this time! I didn't bite! OK, whatever. I still didn't get it. Lol.

So, I guess I will have to either make myself vacuum my floors or try that old Tom Sawyer trick on the kids and see if I can't get them to do it for me. Hahaha!

JUST A FEW THOUGHTS

My little ones are both snugglers. Even at 4 and (almost) 6 they love to be held and snuggled. I love that. Carly is an early riser and will come and climb in bed with me and cuddle up in the morning before breakfast. When Jono wakes up early (which is more rare) he will do the same. Once in a while it turns into a problem when they both want to snuggle at the same time because they are not good about sharing Mom for snuggle time. At any rate, I love these bonding moments and treasure my sweet babies. I guess they will always be my babies no matter how old they get.

I have spent time this weekend working with Carly learning some of the sight words she's had trouble with. She has most of them down but there were a few giving her trouble. Jonathon is trying hard to keep up with his big sister so by the time he goes to school he is actually going to be way ahead of his Kindergarten class. I hope he doesn't end up being bored. We can already tell he is going to be the class clown. I'm already dreading the notes home from the teachers. Lol. I really can't complain too much since I was pretty bad in this area myself. My dad may not have been the class clown but he kept his teachers on toes and I remember him telling about his mom getting a note or two from them so I am sure I got it honest. :)

We were up and getting ready for church today when I started getting a bad migraine--the classic kind with nausea. It came on really fast. Rob already wasn't feeling very good and we'd had to give Jono a nebulizer treatment so we decided to stay home. Poor Carly, she's as healthy as a horse. She really wanted to go and so I tried calling one of my neighbors to see if they could pick her up. They didn't answer so I talked her into watching a movie. When I felt better later in the day and my neighbors called I mentioned that I had tried to call them earlier. Apparently they turn their cell phones down or off on Sundays. They said "Why didn't you try the home phone?" DUH!? I guess it was the migraine. It never even occurred to me. Silly mommy.

I made a really yummy Paleo recipe tonight. I made Paleo Enchiladas and they were quite tasty to my surprise. Actually the recipe sounded good but I wasn't quite sure how they would turnout. You use softened cabbage leaves to roll up the meat in and then you cover them with enchilada sauce and bake. No cheese but we really didn't miss it. I am finding that I don't mind eating this way much at all and I am fitting into my clothes and feeling so much better about myself than when I was constantly fighting off 10-15 lbs! We are on day 8 tomorrow and doing great on this Whole30 plan.

Grandma and Grandpa are doing well but miss all their friends in GC. Hope all of you are doing well, too. Take care!

SATURDAY SNUGGLING

I must blog tonight. I simply must. Not long ago Rob told Carly I'd been blogging since she was born and that I wrote about her every night. That was a teeny bit of an exaggeration. I was in a pretty good habit of blogging regularly for a long time and I generally wrote at least something the kids were up to pretty much every day. If not that, I would post a photo of them on here. So, now every few days Carly asks "Mommy, what did you write about me last night?" Unfortunately for me, every time she's asked me has been a day after I haven't blogged. :( You guessed it. She asked me tonight what I wrote about her last night. So, tonight--I write!

I will start first letting you know Grandpa had an appointment with his heart doctor on Friday. He got a clean bill of health. He did not have any Afib going on and doesn't need to see him again for 6 months. Yay!

We had a very lazy Saturday today. I mean super lazy. We didn't get fully out of bed until oh . . . about 2:30 p.m. - YUP, that's what I said. That isn't when we woke up, it's just when we got up. It kind of happened in stages. Jonathon came in around 8:00 and snuggled with me for about 30 minutes, then went back to his bed to sleep. Carly slept later than usual today so she didn't come in to snuggle til about 10:00 which was good. I'd woken up with a migraine and was still trying to get rid of it when she came in so I snuggled with her a little then had her snuggle with daddy til my headache was gone. Then we had one big ticklefest in our bed which made Jono come running back in to join in! Then we all snuggled together and watched a movie till about 2:30. I mean, in between all that, I did get the kids and dogs something to eat--but it was kind of nice to not have or not make any plans.

When I have these moments to just hold and snuggle my little ones I always thank my Father in Heaven for bringing them into my life. I am so blessed and so grateful for so many unanswered prayers (thank you Garth). It's so true that the Lord knows better for us than we know for ourselves. If I'd had my prayers answered time and again--I wouldn't have the wonderful, amazing daughters or the sons I have (yes, I count Carson) even though I don't have him here. I wouldn't have all the amazing blessings I have.

And I want to just add that one of the best blessings I have is of my children growing up living with and knowing their grandparents well. I was so blessed in my life to have wonderful grandparents and to have them for a longtime in my life and know them very well. We were very close. I'm so thankful my kids can be close to their grandma and grandpa, too. There is definitely a lovefest going on there and it makes me very happy!

PALEO DAY THREE - WE'RE STILL ALIVE!

Day one - I was starving. Day two - I was weak. Day three - I am managing, I think. This is definitely a lifestyle change. The things I miss most, besides flavor (and sugar) are tic tacs, mints and gum--anything to just put in my mouth when it is dry or has a strange taste after a meal. If you had asked me what I thought I would miss most, I would have told you my diet drinks. They are definitely on the list but not as high as I suspected they would be. I am managing better on just water than I thought I would. I do throw a lemon in the water now and then and that helps.

One of the rules on what they call the Whole30 is to weigh yourself the first day and then to stay off the scales for the 30 days so you don't make the experience about weight--but just about eating a new way and relaxing. (Who can relax when you are always trying to figure out if there is ANYTHING you can eat? LOL!) I was defiant on day 2 and weighed myself. I had already lost weight. Today, I got with the program and started to relax a little. No, seriously, I did. I am not really even missing sugar as much as I expected and so far, I haven't had a bad sugar withdrawal headache which I expected (and deserve.) :( I was seriously eating every piece of chocolate that wasn't nailed down right before we started this--kind of my way of pre-mourning my loss of food freedom. Haha!

Well, that's my report so far. It really hasn't been that bad. Heading for day four. Wish us luck.

Everyone else here is fine. Grandma had an appointment in SLC today. She is helping out with some headache trials/project--can't think exactly how to explain it. Anyway, she spent a few hours there and then out shopping. Grandpa was busy doing paperwork. That's about it for today. Take care and have a terrific Thursday!

OUR NEW WAY OF LIFE -- AT LEAST FOR NOW

It was a very busy Monday for some reason. I watched my friend's daughter this morning while she had an appointment. Then my friend took Jono for me while I got Carly to school and got dinner started. One of our nieces came today to visit for a couple of days. She is a sweetheart and we love having her hangout. I got so busy I didn't even get make-up put on until after 5:00 pm. I mean, when it gets that late--what's the point really? Ha!

Rob and I started our Paleo diet today. It is 10:30 p.m. and I don't mind telling you I am STARVING! Is that bad? Lol. I guess the first 30 days are the worst -- as in pretty harsh. I guess it really sucks for us that we are only doing it for thirty days then, huh? Hahaha! Who knows after thirty days of starving maybe I won't be hungry anymore--or maybe I will even want to keep eating this way. Lol!

Seriously though, we are on this for our health, not to lose weight. Though that is one of the supposed benefits I am looking forward, too. Heck there better be some benefits to eating this way. If you haven't heard of Paleo eating before it is patterned (quick and dirty version) after the way cavemen supposedly would have eaten. So, we can only have grass-fed meats, wild-caught seafood, eggs, vegetables and fruits, no grains, no sugars, no dairy, no beans or legumes. It is very restrictive. After 30 days you can add back in a few things but not many. I even had to give up my diet drinks, diet gum, tic tacs, etc. Blah, blah, blah -- whine, whine, whine. Now I feel better. I always say if I can just whine about something I can get through it. Thanks for letting me whine.

The main "gift" of the Paleo diet is that it is supposed to clean out your gut--which is very popular now for making you feel better physically. It is supposed to get rid of all the nasty bacteria and crud floating around in your system. Yah--so, I'll let ya know how all that comes out, er, works out. :) Anyway, I am learning a new creative way to cook only about 5 things over and over -- Haha! That's my way of saying there's not much you can eat on this diet!

Well, I think I'm done whining for tonight! Wish us luck!

FROZEN ----BRRRR

We had a fun day today. (That's always Carly's goal!) One day when she was 2 1/2 or 3 I got her up in the morning and said, "We're going to do something fun today!" She has never let me forget it! Now every day when she wakes up she says, "Mommy, can we do something fun today?! That's a lot of pressure and well, the answer is usually somewhere between "We'll see, possibly, don't count on it, Not a chance, You'll have to earn it, or NOT EVERYONE GETS TO DO SOMETHING FUN EVERYDAY!!!" Lol!

Anyway--that's a long explanation to get to what we did today. My friend and Carly's Fairy Goddess Mother Char, came up to take her to see the move Frozen. We all tagged along on their date and saw the movie, too and had lunch together. It was a very sweet movie and the kids loved it! The music is wonderful, too.

After the movie, we took naps and ate dinner and then watched a family movie at home and had treats. The kids had a blast with their Fairy Goddess Mother today, though. Not gonna be able to top that tomorrow, though. So, guess I won't even try! :D

p.s. Grandma and Grandpa are doing pretty well. We've had them housebound for a bit with all the snow and icy weather. Grandpa has been feeling a little peeked here and there but he has a home nurse that checks on him a few times a week and he seems to be doing fine. No real news other than that.

CARLY'S VERY BIG, BEAUTIFUL HEART

Today,  I am very proud of my beautiful, little five year old. She is a true tender heart. That's for sure. She has always been a sensitive, loving and compassionate little girl. But as she grows and is in new situations I am able to witness more of her interactions with others and how she treats them.  She has already received a peace builder award this year for doing good and being kind to those around you.

Then, today when I picked her up from school she told me about a new little girl in her class. She said it was her first day there and she was crying a lot. So when they walked from their room to the library, Carly told me she held her new friend's hand all the way there. She said, "Mom, she still cried, but I think it made her feel better."

I just love that she cares so deeply for others who are struggling--and notices them. She is only five but she has a very large heart--and I'm in love with every inch of it!

GETTING BETTER :)

Jono and I hung out at home today while Rob and Carly went to church since we were still coughing. We watched cartoons, had our breathing treatment (Jono's) and played on the computer and played cars while we waited for Daddy and big sis to come home. We didn't want to infect anyone else at church. It hasn't been a whole lot of fun being sick this past while. Grandma has felt pretty puny, too--although she seems to be doing a bit better also. She still hasn't wandered too far from home yet.

Rob's spent his whole vacation being sick or recovering from being sick. He heads back to work tomorrow. He had a whole list of things he was going to do but this cold/flu like stuff just knocks you off your feet. It ended up being good he had some time off so he could rest.

It's only 24 degrees here but we don't have snow falling. We still have snow on the ground from what fell before Christmas. Our friends in the midwest are sure receiving a beating from the white stuff right now. They are in our thoughts and prayers and hopefully all are safe and warm.

Well, not much to tell when you don't leave the house for the day. Take care all and stay safe!

SEE YOU AT THE NORTH POLE

Rob and I both had a check up with the same doctor this year because we were both feeling so run down and tired. She did blood work and labs to check just about everything and found that indeed we were run down and tired. Lol. Actually, she did find some reasons for what was going on with each of us as well.

We have each started our own six month course of treatment that will hopefully have us feeling much better by the end of it. I went with Rob to his last appointment and the doctor talked to him about spending at least a month on the Paleo diet. She didn't want him to do this because of his weight but to clean out and regulate what they call the gut. It is supposed to make us healthier.

The Paleo diet is a pretty severe diet. Grass fed beef and pork, no grains, fish, fruits and veggies, no dairy, no sugars, no sugar substitutes, etc,

I told him I would go on it with him and we've been making plans to do it. We are going to start next week when he gets back from a work trip. We started talking about the diet tonight and he said, "You really don't have to go on this with me." I replied, "Where you go, I go."

Jono, who was sitting nearby, listening but I'm sure not understanding the context or content of the conversation, piped right up and said, "Where Santa goes, I go!" 

Hahaha! Well alright then! Good to know my funny little boy! I guess we will see you at the North Pole then! Lol!