My Crazy Life

Sam's Review of the Movie Tintin

2012-02-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

Due to a lot of technical problems last month Sam review of the movie The Adventures of Tintin was postponed to be published in this next newspaper.

I thought I would share it here really quick so that if you are in an area where you can still go see it, you can check it out.

Enjoy

The Adventures of TintinMovie Review

By Sam Lybbert

I went into the movie The Adventures of Tintin not knowinganything about its history. It made whatI saw exciting and a great movie and I think all of you should watch. Afterdoing some research when I got home it made sense to me how the opening creditsstart with paper animation. The movie is based on a comic strip from 1929written by Georges Remi. When the movie startsit then goes to life-like animation that was used by the actors really actingout the scene and then computers animating over them. As it progresses (goeson), Tintin buys a model ship called the “Unicorn. “ And it is said that therewas hidden cargo (stuff) on the ship, and that there was more than one ship.This is the basis for an amazing adventure full of everything you could want ina great movie. Also, be on the lookout for these crazy things: a diving tank, aflying ship, a flying car, car chase with a bird, and the biggest sword fightyou may ever see. I can’t wait to see the sequel. Oh and for some good readingcheck out the original comic series.

I give this movie 4.5 smiley face people out of 5. AAAAD

Warning this Movie is rated PG for some violence

This report is sponsored by Prince Georges Famous Players 6

Weigh in Wednesday, A New Year

2012-01-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

Well it is back.

I know how much everyone missed my posts of self discovery and sometimes huge blunders and so I just had to bring it back.

Actually I missed taking responsibility for what I did to my body and put in it.

Taking time off for the holidays and many other crazy things left me feeling really crappy about myself.

So here we are in a New Year!

Do I start the year sad that I seemed to have failed at last years goals, NO!!!

My weigh in is 314.4lbs.

That means that even through everything I managed to still keep 12 pounds off and that is good.

I am not a failure only a beginner.

I am learning how to treat myself with the same respect I treat other with... to feel like I deserve that time.

I have much to learn and many more hurdles to jump before I will find me the way I see me but I can do it.

I survived a lot last year and that just makes me stronger for this year... or so goes the pep talk I give myself every morning.

I need to be forgiving of my mistakes because if I didn't make any I would be translated by now.

I have also decided that I need to teach myself habits that will stick.

So instead of one big resolution that I will fail by the end of the year I have 3 mini goals for each month that I will work on the will be habits by the time the month is over.

It will be little things that when all added up at the end of the year will make me the more perfect me I want to be.

Two will be weight loss related and one will be household related.

This will make me be able to show on the outside what I am feeling on the inside.

So here are my goals for this month:

1. Journal my food and water everyday working towards getting all 8 glasses in.

2. do a 10 minute workout video everyday and walk a mile 5 times a week.

3. declutter twice a day for 15 minutes getting rid of all the extras by giving away, recycling, or just tossing in the trash.

I am told I am carrying a lot of water weight and after a ton of research into how to get rid of it I have decided that I will try the drinking the right amount of water.

Apparently not drinking enough can actually cause your body to retain it more..

Well I thought I was drinking enough but when I actually thought about it most days I just forgot and grabbed what ever was easiest in the fridge. So I took a old 2 litre pop bottle and wrote all over it "Mom's Water" and my goal is to empty that everyday.. so hence the keeping track of food and water.

I have join a site called SparkPeople.

If you recall I had tried weight watcher and Biggest loser and liked the biggest loser the best BUT

I had to cancel my membership because we just didn't have the money to keep it going.

Well SparkPeople is a lot like Biggest Loser but FREE.

My friend Lynn told me about because she uses it and I thought why not.

I have found support groups like a I had before and I have the tools I need to make this work.

Well it helps do my tracking but it also has 110 exercise videos to choice from.

This gives me variety and saves money on trying to find the right DVD or heading to the gym.. which with no money I can't do anyway until the free gym is a little less snow and rain covered.

So that helps me out with goal 2

and goal 3 well after 6 years of living in this house with min 5 kids and a lot of extra people we have no shortage of things around here and I am feeling claustrophobic so taking a page from FlyLadies book I figure two 15 min go all out sessions each day with whatever place is dragging me down the most that day means that soon I will have a clutter free home and a good habit for keeping it that way. This will give me more time to do other things and free up some of my precious mind space because it won't be taken up with thinking about how that pile of junk the kids keep adding to on the dishwasher counter really needs to be cleared, etc.

So there you have it a positive out look on what I have gone through and positive steps towards a healthier 2012 :)

What had you set for yourself this year?

Forgotten... ?

2011-12-23T00:52:00.000-08:00

Oh now don't let the title worry you, it is not me who is forgotten.

Well, in fact we should worry.. The person I am talking about is Jesus Christ.

I respect people and their choices in religion and non religion, but I would like respect for mine as well.

Now Christmas has become more and more commercialized.

we want this and that... people competing for the best gift to give or receive.

Now I am not saying I am not one of those people.. I LOVE Shiny new toys and presents.

But what I am saying is less and less do we hear about why we celebrate this time of year.

It doesn't matter that the reason is in the name itself.

What Christ came to earth for and died for way back 2000+ years ago are the same reasons today.

He didn't do just for them.. but for us too.

I guess that is why I can't stand seeing people put up signs, or write down X-mas.

They have literally just crossed Christ out of Christmas.

Now maybe it is just me... we all know I have these crazy strong opinions,

but that seems a lot like people are disrespecting my religious beliefs, and many others too.

I also understand there are many religions that don't.

However the big difference is I am not out advertising to the whole world my lack of respect for your religion.

Maybe they don't even mean too.. how many of those that believe write down "Merry X-mas!" in your cards because you in a hurry?

Anyways, I am raising my kids to remember why we celebrate this time of year.

A few years back we had a relief society get together where they introduced me to the Little White Stocking.

How small and precious it seemed, and simple... what could be more simple.

Here is the poem that I received at that same time:

THE WHITE STOCKING

It wasn't that anyone had really been forgotten,

no children had been slighted or made unhappy and

no adult had been left unremembered.

The presents had all been distributed and all the stockings

were beautifully filled, all that is except one;

It was the stocking intended for the child of Bethlehem.

Of all the people belonging at that Christmas gathering,

only he had been forgotten.

Only he had been left out of the festivities.

This didn't seem quite right,

inasmuch as it was His birthday that was being celebrated.

This year, the little white stocking

will be hung in a special place in our home.

On Christmas Eve, we will gather the family together

And each of us will write on a piece of paper,

A gift for Jesus to be placed in the stocking.

It will remain in the stocking

Until next year's Christmas Eve,

When we will reach into the stocking

and pass out the papers from the year before.

We hope that you will enjoy beginning this

Holiday tradition in your home.

We started up this tradition that year and have done it ever since.

It reminds the kids what we celebrate the season for and to be kind to each other.

Not because you won't get your gift from Santa but because Love is the best gift you can give anyone.

It is amazing how much that has helped change their focus.

Oh don't get me wrong, my kids still ask for toys... A LOT of toys,

BUT they also know why we give gifts and that the cost and amount received doesn't matter really.

We also listen to the Forgotten Carols by Michael Mclean.

What a power story and songs to have as a tool to help us remember the real reason for the Christmas season.

I have a few of my favorites that just make me feel better and remind me of the true meaning of the season.

You truly need to listen and everything from the beginning as it is an amazing story that has a stern nurse and crazy old man.

Something for everyone really.

I thought I would end this late night post with a share of one of the songs from The Forgotten Carols.

Check out the other ones as well, but this just goes along with what my little head is not letting me shut down for now.

Here is I Can Not Find My Way.

The Coat: A Story of Charity

2011-12-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this story.. but the non verbal presentation in this video makes the story hit you and you can't help but want to give to others.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!

Santa Arrives in Style!!

2011-12-17T00:24:00.000-08:00

OK first of all I must say that this was the HARDEST secret I have ever had to keep!!

The elementary school that 4 of my kids go to was blessed with a new principal this year.

We are always a little leery when someone new comes in because that means changes and if you have read any of my other posts you know a couple.. ok maybe just one of my kids really don't like change.

Well we really like him!

He is great with all the students and has brought and approved so many wonderful ideas that more and more kids are getting involved with the school activities.

Well at our PAC meeting in October he informs us that he has plans to bring Santa to the school by HELICOPTER!

I guess he use to do it at his old school and the kids loved it so he wanted to do it with ours.

But it had to remain a SURPRISE for them.

Do you have any idea how hard it is NOT to share that kind of exciting news with your kids?

So as a bonus I offered my services to do the photos with Santa after he arrives.

It frees up the teachers to work with the excited kids and I get good experience and possible clients.

So here we are the day of his arrival...

Its a clear but slightly over cast day.

Low to no wind and fresh snow from the night before to create the perfect look.

The kids have just had a very yummy pancake breakfast at the school

and they are lined up out side having no idea WHY they are outside when Santa always just walks into the Gym.

They suspect something but have no idea.

It must be something big because the TV people are there and that is exciting on it's own.

I had arranged for Ben to have the Day off of school so he could help but he first had to go and take a major Chemistry test. He cut it close and as we were waiting he came running across the field.

The minutes tick by...

some are kicking snow..

others are testing the safety rope to see how far they can push it until someone notices...

all wondering what is going to happen.

Then it comes..

faint at first..

then louder..

they all look up and see a helicopter in the distance and think it is cool

It must be headed somewhere exciting.

then they realise it is getting closer..

closer still..

wait a minute it is getting lower too!

Well did you know that almost all kids LOVE Helicopters?

They are excited, this is so cool and then it happens..

Santa leans forward and waves out the front window and kids start SCREAMING!!

Santa is in the HELICOPTER!

It got soo loud!

Then it landed in a cloud of snow and it was hard to see for a minute

As the snow settled everyone watch as one black boot after another stepped out and onto the snow.

Now for even more fun, Santa was not ALONE!!

Who do you think would make such an exciting trip with him?

Why Mrs. Clause of Course!

This was truly an amazing event.

The kids crowded around the visitors as they watched the helicopter take flight again.

Santa was here to stay.

He hugged the kids as they walked into the school to where he would be seated for the next few hours as over 140 family groups of siblings came to have their picture taken with him.

Mrs. Claus stayed for about half the photos but as the Elves like to play and get side tracked really easy and the reindeer needed food she had to head back Home but Santa Stayed to finish out the day.

It was really a day worth Cherishing.

Who knew that Santa could be so cool and I am sure the reindeer enjoyed the extra rest they got for the up coming trip they will be taking in one week.
Check out the local news broadcast about the event and Hope you Holiday is just as exciting.

Christmas Concert 2011

2011-12-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

So we had our school Christmas Concert (yes they still call it a Christmas Concert) this past week and I thought I would post the highlights from my crew here for all of you that could not make it.

So please grab a snack and enjoy (in order) Sam, Tommy, Matt, Jordan and Josh in a musical Christmas :)

Twilight, The Kitty

2011-12-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

So back in July we brought home 3 little kitties from my brothers house.

One was to be my sisters, but she decided that she was unable to care for the little one until her oldest cat passes.

One was to be mine but he got out one night and found the sweetest teenage girls and kept following them. they brought him back but he just loved her. After she fell in love too she called her mom and he went to a new home Happy.

The last one was for Cloe so she had a friend that would grow with her as the older cats we have are not fond of her trying to get them to dress-up or do tea parties. He was named Sir Climbsalot when we got him but she changed it to Twilight... I suspect some influence from her brothers there but his 1 white whisker and 4 strands of white hair on his chest made it so the name fit.

He has quickly grown to be one of the family members and just so darn loved.

He always wants to be arond the action and who didn't want this cute ball of fur purring around them?

He even tried to go to school with the kids on their first day back... I had both a sad kitty and kids when I did the Mommy ogre thing and said no.

He is now almost 6 months old and getting huge... he reminds me of the children's books, Clifford the Big Red Dog... we will have Twilight, the Huge Black Cat.

We have been trying to set up our Christmas tree for almost 2 weeks now and he LOVES it....

Yep Loves it so much that he has broken it. He is so big and heavy that when he climbed the tree he toppled it over and snapped the legs to the stand.

Now I love the kitty, but I think he has hung around my boys too much because he is starting to not listen to me.

We have a few things we are going to try and convince hm that the tree is not for climbing, but in the meantime when you come to visit and you see wires nails from the wall to the tree and no decorations on it.. know that we love our kitty we really do.

Sam's Articles

2011-12-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

So today's post is not really mine... Just sharing what Sam wrote for the school newspaper.

Please enjoy these 2 pieces of Sam's Work.

I know I did.

Top 10 Christmas movies according to Harwin students

Written by Sam Lybbert

Withthe Christmas break coming up soon I wanted to make a list of movies I wantedHarwin students to check out. I turned it into a survey and these are the top10 results starting with number 10.

10. TheSanta Clause Series

9.Nightmare Before Christmas (This is the one I thought would be number 1!)

8.The Muppet Christmas Carol

7. Elf

6.The Night before Christmas

5.The Polar Express tied with Charlie Brown Christmas (I thought Polar Expresswould outrank Charlie Brown Christmas!)

4.Snow/Santa Buddies

3. Howthe Grinch Stole Christmas

2. Shrekthe Halls (This one was winning when I got to the 1^st grade class,so I thought it would win or tie with Nightmare Before Christmas!)

1.Home Alone Series

Thislist surprised me a little but it is still a great list. As a special note tomy sister I also recommend checking out Barbie’s a Perfect Christmas, shereally loves it. Have a Happy Holiday Season and good movie watching.

*************************************************************

Arthur Christmas Movie Review
Written BySam Lybbert
Did you knowthat the average size of the elf is 26 inches? Or how about that Santa delivers2 billion presents in one night? You can find out these things and other stuffwhen you watch Arthur Christmas. This movie is about Arthur who is one ofSanta’s sons who is awkward but lovable. He ends up going on an epic adventuretrying to deliver a present that gets left behind. I feel that it is an awesomemovie that shows even the clumsiest person can be a hero and everyone shouldwatch it. While you are watching the movie, be on the lookout for these andother fun stuff: narwhals, C.N. tower, a satellite, and an apple core.
I give thismovie 4.5 smiley face people out of 5. AAAAD
Also currently playing at Famous Players 6 Theater
Happy Feet 2, Puss In Boots, The Muppets, Twilight; Breaking Dawn Part 1
Coming this month:
The Adventures of Tintin, Alvin and The Chipmunks; Chipwrecked!,
We Bought a Zoo
And if you are looking for a littlesomething different to munch on while watching the movie I recommend checkingout the MiniMelt machine, little dots of
ice-cream goodness.

Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-07T09:10:00.001-08:00

My friend Erin posted on her facebook this morning a video of a young man from Winnipeg singing littler drummer boy.

We clicked on before the kids went to school as a fun way to get the day going.

Well I was expecting a homemade video of an average singer and we could listen and watch once and be on our way...

To our very amazing surprise it was AWESOME!

The kids replayed it so many times that they were almost laste for school.

So I went and paid to have the song added to our Christmas playlist and will surprise them with it when they get home.

Supporting great up and coming talent is important and this guy is worth supporting.

So without anymore from me I present to you one delightful version of Little Drummer Boy.

A Gift to the World

2011-12-04T22:48:00.001-08:00

So tonight we enjoyed a Great potluck at the church that lead up to watching the First Presidencies Christmas Devontional.

It was during that always amazing presentation that they shared this beautiful video and I wanted to share it with all of my friends and family as well.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Season.

Faces of the Nativity - A celebration of Jesus Christ

2011-11-30T09:52:00.001-08:00

I Love Christmas!

I love the decorations.

I love the warm tastes and smells.

I love the gifts.

But mostly I love the special spirit and feeling that come over so many people around the world.

I get annoyed at people changing things around and taking the reason for the season away.

I may be politically wrong here but really, if it were not for us religious people that celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah and other such things there would not be a "Winter Holiday" so please stop taking it out of the school system and such.

I Love that the school my kids go to still says we are having a Christmas Concert and such.

We don't leave anyone else out but it also keeps us at our roots of why we have this season.

So in helping to keep the Spirit of the Season our Wonderful Church as put together a display that helps us remember that feeling of peace and love.
We have almost 500 Nativities from all over the world set up for anyone who wants to come and see.
It is free because we don't want to make this feeling something that excludes people.
It has a spiritual reverence about it that bring about the spirit of love and giving.
I used that amazing place to create this years Christmas card picture.
Want to know more about what it or where we are check out our Facebook Page
And for those who are unable to come due to distance or illness I took a few pictures to share.
Enjoy.

Festival of the Trees

2011-11-30T09:33:00.001-08:00

So Last week PG started off the Christmas season with their annual Festival of the Trees.

Even though we have lived here for 6 years this is only our second year going to it.

Sam and Jordan volunteered with their leadership group at school 1 day during the week.

I was able to join in with Sam for a while on his day to make sure he would be ok.

He did great during the morning that I was there.

It also meant I got to have some time to check out the displays with no kids around.

They were all breath taking!

I was able to take a few pictures while I was there

Here are a few of my favorites.

Mike took the boys down on Thursday and enjoyed some Dad time with them.

Ben spent Saturday Volunteering there as well.

The best part of this event is that all the money raised goes to support Northern Health and we get a better heath care system up here just for enjoying some beautiful Christmas trees :)

How do you start the Holiday Season?

Crazy Saturday

2011-11-28T19:11:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday was truly what I call a crazy day.

It is the reason I called this blog My Crazy Life.

Josh had to leave by 9:30 to watch a friend at a hockey game

I had Sam, Matt, and Tom who had Primary Presentation practice at 10am that finished at 12:30

Claudia had her first Dance recital at 11am but needed to be there for 10:30 and it didn't end until 12:30

Ben needed to be organized to head down to the Festival of the Trees for noon for his volunteer time of 4 hours he needs for his Leadership camp application.

Yeah, if you can't guess I felt a little like a chicken with it's head cut off that morning!

After I picked everyone up... Sam and them a little late, thank goodness they were late getting done I had 1 hour to get ready to take Sam down to the movie theater so he could watch his first movie for his article in the school paper.

Mike got home from work just a few minutes before we had to leave so that was a little stressful.

of course in between all that I have to feed these 6 hungry kids and make sure they have the energy to make it through all these activities.

Man the life of a mom with kids involved is really tiring!

I really enjoyed Cloe's dance recital but next time I need to make sure someone comes with me because trying to record a video with one hand and take pictures with the other resulted in not great versions of either.

But I did get something and that makes me happy :)

I really enjoyed watching Arther Christmas with Sam and watching him take notes during the movie for writing his review was cute!

I will post his articles after the paper comes out.

In all it was a good day and makes me feel great to be a MOM!

My kids were happy and what more could I ask for?

Enjoy the video I took of the dance recital (Cloe is the white blob with a blue flower in her hair) and some of the slightly blurry but fun pictures I took in the other hand :)

Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them

2011-11-27T09:07:00.001-08:00

This video really made me think about how would I feel in that same situtation?

Would I be able to stay calm or would my heart fail me out of fear?

Am I ready to meet my Father in Heaven?

Are you?

My Daughter, The Artist.

2011-11-19T14:53:00.001-08:00

Cloe has been going to daycare now since July.

It is a wonderful place with great teacher that have brilliant ideas for fundraising.

This latest fundraiser is so amazing.

They had all the kids make Art work that they put into a gallery on the wall with only numbers on them..no names.

The parents then came along and voted for their top 3 pictures.

Those 3 pictures would then be auctioned off and the money would go into the funding.

Well trust my daughter to be the one to break the rules.

A lady for some business (no idea which one) LOVED Cloe's picture.

They went to the coordinator and asked if they could just purchase her picture instead of chancing it would go to auction and they might get it.

They of course had to come to me to ask for my permission to do this.

OF COURSE I SAID YES!

So Cloe's picture was purchased before they even found out who the top 3 were.

So I took a picture so that we would have a copy of it and I thought I would share it all with you.

I also took pictures of the top 3 that were picked 2 days later.

Enjoy!

Some Photo Fun

2011-11-18T00:55:00.001-08:00

I have been having fun with photos lately :)

Photo shoots for Christmas, pictures of my kids, and lately Pictures for the school.

Sam and Jordan have joined the Journalism Club that was just started up.

The amazing kids in this club have published their first paper and I have to say I LOVE what they named it.

The Harwin Lions: Actually Interesting News

It is a newspaper for kids written by kids and I am a fan.

Well I thought I would share with you the passes I made for Jordan and Sam.

I whited out some of the info but please enjoy.

Some Green Screen Fun

2011-11-14T06:59:00.001-08:00

So I have been busy lately between Kids, Tax Class, and Many other things including my photography.

The most fun I have been having is the Green Screen photos I took at the Church Halloween party on October 29th.

It takes a little work to change out the background and I got better at it the more I worked on the photos.

I miss it now that I am done them.

I would like to thank Google Images and those amazing talented people out there that helped find some fun backgrounds to use.

So I thought I would Share some of my favorites with everyone here.

Enjoy!

A Book of Mormon Story

2011-11-13T12:05:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy week and half and I will catch-up with that tomorrow

but for now I would like to share some Halloween fun.

This is Sam and the Leadership kids at his school doing a dance mob to "Thriller"

Weigh In Wednesday and Getting Back On Track

2011-10-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

So it is that time of the week again and even though I didn't do everything I planned to do last week I started getting my self back on track.

What does that mean?
It means I paid more attention to what I was eating and the amounts but I didn't track them on the computer.
I did a little more for exercise but didn't put my heart into it fully yet.
What does that mean for this week?
Well I went to the pool this morning with a friend and have plans to go again tomorrow.
I have set up a friend to come and be my personal trainer and kick my bum out of the house 3 days a week to get some serious exercise in instead of what I think is serious exercise.
And I will cut back even more on the sugar and actually work harder towards writing what I eat down.
What did last week do for me in terms of weight loss?
Well I am back down to 307.4!!
YEAH!!
Love seeing that I am headed in the right direction again!
If I work hard enough this week I will be back out the 300 club by next Wednesday.
How has your week been?

And to end this post today enjoy a peek at what we made last night in RS.
This picture might be all I have left after Cloe finds them.
She loves these little projects so much that they become part of her play games with her dolls.
I love getting all crafty. Wish I had more time for it at home.

MMMMM Make Your Own Pizza Night

2011-10-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

So we have been getting more serious about making our meal plans and I had each of the kids tell me what some of their favorite meals were so we could have something on there that everyone would enjoy.

Well 3 of my kids put down making their own pizzas and using my handy dandy bread maker Mike put on some pizza dough earlier in the day

Oh yes Bread makers make it so that hubby's can join in on the baking fun now with no excuses ;)

Then when the dough was ready I pulled out our little pizza pans and let everyone have at it.

They had so much fun!

Here's a few pictures from our Night.

What do you have planned for dinner tonight?

Just a few Things I want to share

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

So today I don't have just one big thing to share but a bunch of little things that make me smile or go hmmm.

1. I LOVE bread makers! more specifically the one I got for FREE off of our local freecycle. I can put in my favorite bread recipe or dough and then leave it. It won't make up the 32 loaves I make at one time when I have a day to make bread but I can make enough dough to make a batch of buns for dinner, or say some cinnamon buns for the kids after school snack and it doesn't take much of my time away.

2. I LOVE Freecycle!! I mean hello bread maker for free and I have been using it to clear out all the junk that has been left in my garage over the past 6 years we have lived here. Photo studio here we come!! Plus I posted that I needed a new built in dishwasher and A lady just emailed me she had one and I pick it up this afternoon. How can you be anything but joyful over this?

3. Dejunking feels GREAT! But the mess you create going through it all to find your lost treasures is frustrating. However when I am done everything in my house will have a home and that gives me a light to work towards! (P.S. to those who use to use me as a storage place I am now closed and will no longer be accepting anything)

4. Listening to our morning line-up of songs this morning I finally realized what song best describes my Cloe's attitude towards life. It is Garth Brooks' Standing Outside the Fire. Yep she is not going to be a person who will let life pass her by she will be apart of it all the way no matter what the trials are... now to teach her to be safe about it so she can have a full life to live. I figured I would share the video for the song to end my post today. It makes me teary eyed every time. If someone can get me a better video of it I would be grateful.

Weigh In Wednesday, Birthdays and Thanksgiving

2011-10-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

So last week I posted about being ok with not being ok and you know what... I took my advise.

I dropped the calculating and the tracking and everything for the week,

spent a few days letting myself be sad and upset,

and spent the rest enjoying my kids and family.

On Sunday Matthew turned 8 and he is so excited.

He made his appointment with the Bishop that same day for his Baptism interview and we had a great dinner of BBQ'd pulled pork on a bun with veggies and Yummy marshmallow cake made by his siblings for dinner.

He received new clothes and a new cranium game.

We have still to book his birthday party for the year but we are going to do it around his baptism date or Halloween which is his favorite time to celebrate his birthday.

Then on Monday we had our Thanksgiving dinner which was tasty!

I made both a ham and turkey roast with all the fixings including Judy's favorite Yams with a touch of brown sugar.

We ate early because I still had tax class that night, yep on a holiday Monday, but we had it.

I found out I failed my exam with a 75% and I needed 80% but we had a new teacher who is giving us a retest tonight because the last one was not doing a good job.

I have had our new one before and I really like the way she teaches so I am excited and not so scared of whether or not I will be able to understand the material now.

Tuesday we did Cloe's dance, Swimming lessons, and celebrated Judy's, My Mother in Laws, birthday with Chinese food and a yummy cake.

I enjoyed it all.

I taught my lesson on Sunday and felt great afterwards and that really helped.

So today I am ready and feel excited to get back on track.

What did taking a week off mean for my weight loss?

Well as you probably guessed I did not loss anything.

Nope I gained a little but not as much as I thought I would of.

I am back up to 312.2 but I am ok with that. I feel more mentally prepared for this week and I think that will make a big difference.

So here is to a week of hard work and loving it.

I have photos I will share later but for now

I thought I would share the handout I made for my Relief Society lesson this past week to end my post.

My lesson was on the gathering of the Lost Tribes of Israel

I found the photo using google and turned it into this using a quote from President Hinckley during a dedication prayer on the Redlands, California Temple

Opportunities to Do Good

2011-10-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

I loved watching this. Better than any feel good movie that could be made. Service is something I hold close and dear to my heart and I hope and pray for the day when it comes first for everyone in this world because that will be the day when we have world peace and true love among all man kind.

MMmmmm YUM!

2011-10-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

I have this great friend Lynn who sells the most amazing product for your kitchen ever.

If you have never heard of it go look it up and find someone in your area that sells it

The company name is called Epicure

Now when I first heard it I thought it was medical type stuff, but NOPE

They sell the most amazing spices and other amazing products for your kitchen.

I have been lucky enough to be a part of her Epicure Club these past 3 years and that made it so I could afford to get the quality of product I wanted without having to shell out hundreds of dollars all at once.

Best thing I ever did.

So tonight I made Salmon for dinner.

Half of my kids HATE fish.

Crazy I know but it is true.

Well in comes my hero Epicure

They have these fruit dips that are to die for that I decided to use a different way tonight.

On one fillet of salmon I rubbed the Maple Spice Dip Mix over both sides and placed it on some parchment paper and a cookies sheet.

The second one I rubbed all over with the Tropical Dip Mix one both sides and again placed it on parchment paper and a cookie sheet.

I pre-heated my oven and took that time to let the fish just sit in the rubs and then when it was ready to I ground some of their Onion and Chive Sea Salt lightly over the fish and put them in the oven for 35 min.

Now I have never baked salmon before.. I usually B-B-Que them so I was worried that I would over cook them and such but Guess what!!

They came out PERFECT!

I would of taken a picture but my kids attacked them and ate them all!

Served them up with some rice that I cooked in the rice cooker and a nice quick tossed salad and TA DA a gourmet meal made perfect on one of our busiest days.

The kids enjoyed it so much that Mike, who usually takes left over for his lunches at work, barely had time to grab some fish for his lunch..

The Hero saved the day and fish will be a more featured dish in our home from now on.

Thank-you Lynn and Epicure.

Did You Know?

2011-10-06T05:52:00.001-07:00

This is something I learned a while a go but didn't put into practice until these past few days.

As you may have come to realize lately is that we have been suffering from lower than usual amounts of money to buy the food we usually have.

We had food storage that was very helpful but after 3 months of living off it because we had to spend soo much on the problems this past summer I have quickly learned it wasn't even close to being a year supplies worth for our family.

So I have had to get creative when we ran out of stuff like Baking Powder.

Well yesterday we were having oatmeal for breakfast and my kids love it with a little bit of brown sugar but alas we had just ran out.

Well I remembered a while ago watching some show that gave the tip that brown sugar was only white sugar mixed with molasses.

Could it really be that simple?

You control how light and dark it is by the amount that you use.

Well Ben put it into practice right away. He likes Light brown sugar so he made a small batch that had about a cup and a half of sugar to half a tablespoon of molasses in it.

We mixed that one by hand and it took a few minutes but guess what we had light brown sugar.

So next we pulled out the Magic bullet and put some sugar in there with a little more molasses because I like cooking with darker brown sugar and within seconds we had it.

It's fun the things you learn and remember when you need to work with only what you have.

Weigh In Wednesday and What I am learning about me

2011-10-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

So Today was that day again.

You know part of me looks forward to Wednesdays and part of me dreads it.

The part of me that looks forward is the one that knows that by doing this I am working towards a healthier me. I have done somethings right this past week and I want to see and share the joy.

The other part of me that doesn't wants to fudge the scale.. hold on to the towel rack while standing on it so that takes a few pounds off. (P.S. the kids did an experiment with this and you can loose 5 pounds instantly by just resting your fingers tips on the towel rack when weighing yourself... tempting isn't it)

I don't want to tell people that I sucked this week.

That is part of the point of this really. I have to be accountable good, or bad for what I did during the week.

Did I do my exercising?

Did I keep on track with my food?

Did I eat too much?

Did I let stress get the best of me?

And the list goes on and on and on. Really when your woman does it ever end?

So today I do my usually, get up and get Ben off to papers and then go into the bathroom and weigh myself. I worked hard this past weekend lifting and moving things for a few hours each day as I helped a friend move..

That should be a good eh..

weight coming off there....

BUT!!!!

I did make a pan of brownies yesterday with the thought in mind that it would be for the kids and then ate half of it!

Seriously I never eat half a pan of anything What the Hey?!?

Then last night I start talking to my Mom and I start going off about something that is really making me upset...

I mean shaking and need to throw something mad.

I have lost my desire to even attend something I love now because of this.

Why in heavens name am I keeping this bottled up?

Well the person I am mad at is someone I am suppose to be respectful of because of the who this person is. And for the most part I do and think this person is great but the few things this person has done are so major in my eyes that it is hard to forget and move on.

Then another person is telling to cut my passion for something I am doing down and just do it their way.

WHAT!!?!!

I am not suppose to love what I am doing and put my all into it?

I keep these bottled up.

I eat them away.

I don't feel like I have the right to tell these people who are seniors and such over me that what they are doing is makes me feel like crap or is wrong.

They should know it is wrong by the position they hold right?

Service to others is what I have been taught is the first over everything we do in this life.

Did Brigham Young not stop conference in the middle to help the saints caught by the winter?

Is this not the example we should be following?

So yes I missed conference this past weekend to help a 65 year old lady move from one run down, unsafe, unhealthy apartment into a much better one that will improve her life a 1000 times over.

Is this not why we have conference on the web now to watch when needed?

So that if a person in need of service comes up we can still watch later and receive those blessings?

Hmmm maybe I am still upset...

not sure that is going away anytime soon actually.

So instead of really facing this I ate a half pan of fatty, sugary, brownies.

Yeah, I need to really learn to face what I am feeling more directly than sabotaging myself like this.

So all that hard work and keeping on track last week went to waste over this one moment.

Now I am not saying it was a complete lost cause but I feel it is close in a way.

So down to the big number...

my weight this week is...

309.8

hmmmmm 1.2 lbs from last week.

How can I take that instant 5 lbs off again?

Like I said this is really starting to make me face my demons that I keep tucked away inside.

When I am done this journey not only will I look HOT,

but I will just a beautiful on this inside and I will glow with the love I have for myself.

So my total weight loss since starting this way back when is 15.8lbs

Hmmm I think I am going to really focus on things better this week.. even with Thanksgiving.

Oh and I read somewhere that if I start jogging just 5 minutes a day for the next little while that I will eventually be able to go longer. Now I have never been a runner of ANY kind because I have let asthma get in my way.

Hmm More excuses... not this week I will walk slow for 5 min then brisk for 5 then jog for 5 then brisk for 5 then slow for 10.

That gives me half an hour I am setting aside to make myself better than I ever was.

Feels good to schedule me time in there.

Oh and lets not forget to add a picture in ;)

I did not take this one so I take no credit for it but I love and have it as my background on my laptop.

It was passed around facebook and now I am sharing it here.

Enjoy.

The First Dance Class

2011-10-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

So Today Cloe started her Ballet classes.

It is a year long program that follows the school year.

She was soo excited!

Last week we went shopping for her new outfit, which was so awesome according to her because it was shopping involving shoes and new clothes and they are soo very, very pretty.

Hmm think I might have let Jenny create a monster way back when she was a Baby.... Thanks Jenn.

She tried on so many different skirts it was so cute.

I am buying her a second outfit this week so we have 2 and she can't wait to do it all over again.

Then this morning we gave her a Rose scented bubble bath because that's what princesses, especially dancing princesses, put in their bath.

We did her hair up supper cute and got her all dressed and ready to go.

We grabbed her bag that we bought especially for her to keep her dancing supplies like clothes in and off we went.
She met one of her new dance friends and played shy for about 2 minutes and they they played a run and dance pose game.
They had soo much fun.

So 1 other girl showed before class began and they all had a blast running and playing. Their teacher showed up and took us all to their room where she began some fun games with them that also taught them the basics to dance and warming up. Cloe's favorite warm up game was smelling her stinky feet.

It was so cool seeing how well the girls listened to their teacher. They did the best they could; everything they were told.

Shortly after class started the last class member arrived and joined in the fun.

Cloe did struggle with the "mermaid feet" a little difficult but her teacher had no problem showing her the proper way. Cloe had a few more struggles after that but by the end of the class she had it down.

It was so cute how when the teacher would tell the girls to do something Cloe always took the lead. But then we always knew she was a natural born leader.

Learning to jump as a ballerina was another one of Cloe's favorite things she learned today

There were two free dances that the girls had fun with. The first dance Cloe practiced her spins.

The second was with some pretty Scarves... This is actually my favorite picture of the day because it showed how beautiful and fast the girls looked.

Out of Baking Powder!?!

2011-10-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yep. This morning we ran out of baking powder in the middle of making pancakes for breakfast.

The kids were sure they were going to have to go to school without any.

BUT!!

Google and Ask.com to the rescue!

If you did not know before but would like to know now.. you can MAKE your OWN baking powder!

You can not make baking soda, but baking powder you can!

We were saved!!

So I decided to share the recipe with all my blogging friends out there that I discovered this morning so that if you ever find your self running short you can make your own too.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon corn starch (optional)

Preparation:

Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar together until well combined. Use immediately.

Happy Baking everyone!!

P.S. Wish me Good Luck on my first exam for Level 2 taxes tonight. :S

Recommended by My Young Men

2011-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

My husband and boys have been raving about this Talk by our Prophet, President Monson. They said I really needed to share it with everyone and having watched it myself I agree.

Enjoy

Cloe and Mom Thursday

2011-09-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

So After some long talks with Cloe this past week we have decided to make Thursday Cloe and Mom day and we will do one things she wants to do that day no matter how silly it might be (I half hope for silly and half hope it never gets to silly).

So Today she wanted to make cookies.

Now some kids don't have the patience to cook right from scratch but still like the joy of making cookies. Well I once came across this recipe for Cake Mix cookies and to be honest I don't remember where as it was when Sam was little and he was, and sometimes still is, one of those types of kids.

Well Today for Cloe and Mom day we made those cookies.

So here are some pictures of our fun and after I will post the recipe for others to try.

This a picture of getting everything ready. She had to touch everything with the spoon and make a little music before we began.

Cloe putting the cake mix into the bowl.

I cracked the eggs into the bowl and she loved pouring them in.

I put all the measured things into cups bigger than needed so they are easier for her to pour.

She was sure concentrating when she was stir it all together.

I just loved how this stirring shot turned out.

This was her second favorite part of making the cookies.

Already to go in the oven

This was Cloe's Favorite part of making the cookies

This is Cloe telling me that I am no longer aloud to take pictures of her eating her spoon.

The cookies are all done and fresh out of the oven. The house sure smelled yummy!

Eating the first cookie while it was still hot.. she just couldn't wait anymore.

She delivered some cookies to her favorite neighbors after wards. That was her happiest moment of the whole experience.

She was most excited to give a couple to our neighbor across the street. They love to sit and visit often.

So here is the recipe:
1 package of cake mix ( we used white for our cookies but works with most flavors)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp of flavoring (she chose strawberry for hers today and we put a touch extra in)
A shallow bowl of sugar (optional but really fun and yummy on the lemon ones especially)

Pre-heat the oven to 350
Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and flavoring together
drop small spoonfuls of the dough into the sugar roll it around lightly the put on the cookie sheet.
bake for 8-10 minutes and then cool for a couple of minutes before eating.
These make for a really yummy soft cookie.

My favorite version is using a lemon cake mix with lemon flavoring.. they end up tasting like lemon drop cookies.

ENJOY!

Weigh-In Wednesday and being OK

2011-09-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well This has been a crazy bad, dare I say it.. Like living in a Horror Movie kind of week.

Wow! What could of happened to make me say that you ask?

Well Let me tell you.

If you remember a few months ago I had talked about my daughter liking to go for walks on her own and just leaving the house.

Well it hadn't happened in about 3 months so we had thought we had solved the reason for her doing that with enrolling her into Daycare 3 days a week so she could meet new friends.

Actually we have solved that reason the problem I have now is that she still thinks that because she has brothers who can go on walks alone that she also can do that. She doesn't see the world as a dangerous place and of there is something scary out there well she is brave enough to face it because her brothers taught her not to be scared.

It is not a bad thing EXCEPT that means she does see strangers as something she should fear.

So last Thursday we had a problem.... not just a problem my worst nightmare come true to a point.

Seriously my worst nightmare ever since Ben was born was that I would turn my back for a second and when I turned back I would see the toys the kids were dealing with laying on the ground with the sound of a car squealing off. I always wake-up crying with that one.

I was having it less and less as the Boys grew older and I learned to trust them. They would never even consider getting into a strangers car let alone talk to them. Sam would be heard for blocks upon blocks if someone he didn't know ever tried to touch him.

When Claudia came along I kept her close to me because she is cute but I also had become accustom to a comfort level with my fears as well that my kids knew and understood the dangers because I had taught them well. So the first time Cloe took off on her own for a walk I had a moment but sat down and talked to her and tried not to panic about it. Then it happened again and I freaked out inside but tried to keep calm while I dealt with the situation. Then not once more but twice more it happened again. I called in reinforcements by this point because I had no idea how to handle this problem. They helped get Cloe set up in daycare and she no longer went looking for friends to play with. It was nice for the short time we had that peace of mind.

So like I said this past Thursday what I thought had been solved turns out it has not.

I had told Cloe that we were going to help out at the younger boys school that day handing out fruit and veggies (this being one of her days home with me). She was so excited but upset when those boys walked to school with Josh and his friend Jake. She wanted to go with them but I told her we had to wait and drive Ben to school since he had a late morning getting his papers delivered.

I put her coat and shoes on her when we were ready to leave and then turned around to get $5 out of my purse for Ben for lunch that day. When I turned back to say it was time to get in the van she was no longer in the room. We checked the house as the front alarm didn't go off but no sign of her so we checked the yard and nothing so I checked up and down the streets and still no sign.

Ben stayed in the house in case Cloe appeared from somewhere we had missed looking while I drove the route the kids take to walk to the school and she wasn't there. I am panicking at this moment when I drove up to the house and the phone started to ring.

It was the little kids school calling to let me know that She was there!

Before I could ask how they told me that an old administrator had seen her walking and picked her up and dropped her off at the school knowing it was a safe place for her.

I am so grateful it was a good person that picked her up but the fact that she got into a car with a stranger willingly has had me tied in knots since then. I haven't slept hardly at all because the nightmares are even more intense than they ever were with her body being found thrown in a park and all. I wake-up unable to breath.

I haven't hidden it well but still tried to do the best I could for the kids.

Well that leads to me emotionally eating so that I can feel better for a little while.

So last night I decided that this was eating me inside.

I AM NOT OK!!

I had the worst summer ever where I almost lost Tommy to some dumb parasite.

Spent most of it locked in my house after that with 6 kids desperate to go do something.

It cost us thousands of dollars to deal with and we are still paying for those cost with the temporary shut down of our cell phone plan and eating very basic of foods.

I almost lost my daughter to her fearless nature and rosey view of the world

and you know what..

it is OK to not be OK!

I am aloud to feel like crying all the time right now as I work through everything.

I am aloud to want to scream with terror at the thought of what I almost lost these past few months.

I am aloud to be frustrated as I deal with the financial cost of all of this.

I am aloud to feel hurt by those that I thought would be here to help me and weren't

I am most of all aloud to feel NOT OK.

So today my thing I keep telling myself it is OK to NOT be OK.

With that said I am not going to stop taking care of myself while I go through this as that is something I think would keep me down and so I am working on keeping the emotional eating down this next week and find something physical to do instead. Hmmm wonder if I can find a cheap punching bag and take up boxing for the next little while. Something I can put in the corner of my room and take everything I am feeling out on.

So I did in fact weigh myself today because no matter what I don't need to hate myself for dropping this again. so here we go...

I actually lost weight through all of this.

Yep I weighed in at 314 this morning.

So that is a loss of 4.8 lbs from last week.

Not much but still better than a gain. I will take it and it will be my start at finding something good to start this next week off with.

How did your week go? I truly hope it was better than mine.

Here is a picture of a painting I did a few months back to cope with the stress of the first times Cloe escaped and when she did her thing to my project. I think it displays it all.

My Special Project Revealed

2011-09-27T09:34:00.001-07:00

OK so I posted Here about some frustration I was having over Cloe doing her thing on a special project I was working on.Well I had managed to fix it finish it to the way it was wanted and after these past few months I can finally reveal what it was I was working on.I was doing a book cover for the book "Dragon Fury: Triple Dragon Suns" by Teriann Jackson found here on Amazon , or here on Chapters, or here on Barnes and Noble, and here on the Publish America Page.

She is a new Author out there in world of books.

She wanted a More eclectic art work That showed a child innocence to her dragons on the front cover. It was a challenge but I think it worked. I was a little upset about how the company did the lettering on it covering up on of the dragons heads which I think turned out the best.

Tell me what you think and check out the book.

There will be 2 more in the series coming out in the next couple of years.

Forget Me Not

2011-09-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Really needed to hear this tonight.

New Favorite Song

2011-09-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

OK by now I am sure you have come to realize I LOVE Music.. all kinds and I flip between favorites all the time. There are the classics that I put on and they just get me moving. Disney is always playing here in the house, sound tracks and such. The kids introduce me to new things all the time now that they are growing out of the little kid stage and into the teenage stage. I love that they have found the same love for music as I have.

Ben is more into video game songs dressed up and his favorite artist is Bass Hunter who is this Amazing Swedish artist.

Josh is more into groups like Nickleback.

Sam is completely into video Game songs Like those from Mario and it drives me CRAZY!

Matt is into Pop music and his favorite right now is Selene Gomez which he has Cloe singing to and it is soo cute.

Tommy still loves the Wiggles but this song by China Anne McClain, which comes on a lot when he is watching his family channel shows, is his new favorite song.

My new favorite actually came from watching America's Got Talent with my kids, Their favorite TV show until Canada's Got Talent finally airs on TV. I was one of the final 10 results shows where 5 of the acts move on and they get all these other amazing talents to perform and Demi Lovato came on to sing her new single Skyscraper. She is of course doing a come back after taking some personal time off to deal with mental heath issues that come from being a young star. I love that she was up front about these things and went for help before she became another Lindsey Lohan. Well What a song it is. I blew me away at how the meaning of the song was how you are strong no matter what anybody else says or does to you. Great inspiration. So it is now in our morning play list of getting up and getting out the door songs along with these ones I talked about before and a few select others like this one.

For now enjoy the music video Of Skyscraper By Demi Lovato

Weigh-in Wednesday...reborn... not so pretty

2011-09-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

So after having taken the summer off for both the fact I couldn't maintain my food plan because of various reasons, and then the focus on getting the house hold back together I am back to doing what I was doing before... but after stepping on the scale this morning I almost cried. Part of me wishes I had stayed blind to what all the stress, lack of food control, periods of starving my body because of being ill myself, and well completely BAD habits all around ( and yes that includes emotional eating from time to time as I struggled to not loss my mind with everything else... see bad choice) had done to my body that I had worked so hard at getting back into shape.

I was not able to going walking everyday like I wanted to because I was locked in my house and when I wasn't I was busy trying to build up my house again. I haven't been able to go to the pool with my friend for the same reason.

One would think that during the time when I was sick I would have lost weight but remember that kicked my bodies starvation defence into over drive and so instead of losing weight I gain it. Yeah... not fun.

So here I am so sick as to all the work I had done almost gone... OK now you may be curious as to my current standings. well lets do a quick recap of where I started ( I need this one) to where I was, to where I am now.

I started out on May 18 at 325.6 lbs

in July I was 295.8 and so happy to be out of the 300 club with a weight loss of 29.8lbs!... then life kicked in

So today I began to get my life back after getting the rest of the family back together... and so I begin again with a weight of 318.8 lbs. yep almost back to where I was. I was not happy when I stepped on the scale, but I was not all the way back and having done it already once I know I can do it again. And looking at the bright side I still have a loss off 6.8 lbs. Life goes on and you can't let one small set back get you down.

And so to end this post on a fun note check out this picture of Matthew jumping off a rope swing for the first time in the river down in Abbotsford. It still makes me laugh looking at it.

Grandma's Wisdom

2011-09-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

So I have been blessed in my life to know all of my Grandma's and even some of my great Grandmother's.
This is something I took for granted when younger. I did not realize then how many people never get to meet these amazing people. I spent time with mine, learned card games from some, crafting things from others. I LOVED visiting my grandparents. They always were so excited to spend time with me and reminded me how special I was. They are the reason I strive to make other people know their worth as well when I can.
They all have imparted to me some wisdom along the way in one form or another and I try to share that with my kids as they grow up and is part of the reason I become involved with Heritage Makers. So I have started working on some Heritage Books that will help me share this wisdom with my kids and maybe even remind some of those family members out there what these amazing Ladies have past on to us. I have been focusing on my Grandma Derkson right now as she inspired much of what I live by today. She shared with me often the mistakes she had done and the wisdom she learned from those mistakes. When we were little we would get to spend our birthdays with her and I loved learning a new skill every time I went. It was a tradition I missed when we moved too far way from her to do it anymore.
When we got older she started giving us gifts that shared her talents and wisdom with us and I treasure these items. Even to this day I still pull out little stories or saying that she has given me along the way that help with challenges I face.
So the other day as I was struggling with my fears over going to church, and the fears of others I pulled out a little book she gave out to everyone at Christmas in 1999. It is a book of lessons she had learned through her then 66 years of life. Reading it is what gave me the strength to admit my fears and to have the power to face everyone else's fears. So today I would like to share that little section with you.

"Controlling yourself is more important than controlling others.

I discovered early in life that other people always think they know exactly what you should be doing, when you should be doing it and how you should be doing it. The problem is that if you listen to ten different friends, they will each tell you something different, but when it comes time to take the consequences of what you do, it is you who must take them, whether you have listened to your friends or not. Be careful who you listen to.
     On the other side of the fence, it seems really easy to see exactly what everyone else should be doing, when they should be doing it and how they should be doing it. Trying to force others to follow your map for them is what causes contention between people, in families, wars between countries and much misery in the world.
     The truth is we never really know what is in the heart and soul of others and this is why the Lord has cautioned us to be careful in our judgment of others.
     Controlling ourselves is much more difficult than controlling others. We make excuses and exceptions for ourselves that we would never make for someone else.
     'Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people, Judge not unrighteously, that ye not be judged: but judge righteous judgment. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.' Matthew 7:1-2"

Yep she inspires me, I am so grateful to still have her words to give me strength even though she is not living here on earth anymore. I can still give my kids her wisdom like she is standing right here.

And now since a Blog is not the same without a picture.. I present to you the picture for the day. Even plants and trees do their own thing and don't always do what others think they should do. It creates something beautiful

I Heart Faces: A Touch of Sun

2011-09-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

So I was so excited about this weeks theme.

I had tons ideas running through my head that I have written down and will do with my kids one of these days soon, but for today's entry I chose to use a photo I took of my Cousin with her boyfriend this past summer. She LOVES sun in photos and so I had to make sure I took at least one for her with some in it. She wanted some nice artistic pics to hang on her wall. I hope she loves this one.

Enjoy!

Checkout the other entries at

Flecks of Gold

2011-09-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Oh how I forget the worth of the small things sometimes.

Too many times it seems lately.. maybe that is why we went through the trial we went through.

Thought I would share a message that helps remind me of the worth of the small compared to those nuggets we go looking for that are too big to carry.

P.S. I just Love the talks that Elder M. Russell Ballard gives and you can check out his entire talk called "Finding Joy Through Loving Service" Here

Something I have missed

2011-09-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yep... crazy to think that I am missing something.

OK not really because seriously how many times have I written about something I miss or something I wish I could do. But this is something that I truly have missed in my life and the difference is big.

What is it already you may ask?

You sure you want to know?

Some people are scared of such things and I will admit to having my moments too. I am not perfect, or even as strong as some people may think I am most days. I am emotional and scared. I hurt and I am shy at times. But it's who I am and that is what makes me special.

Why would I be so scared of doing something I miss?

Well having mentioned before that darn parasite that knocked my family down to its knees this past summer, I am afraid of being judged, I am afraid of people not talking to me because they are afraid. I am terrified of feeling alone and looked down on for something I had no control over. I am afraid of the looks I will get when my children misbehave because they have had a long rough summer and are so full of raw emotions too that they can't keep it all in. I am scared of how I will feel when my kids behave badly. I am scared I will not be welcomed back. The crazy thing is that I know in my mind that I have no real reason to be scared because there are so many amazing people and friends there and even if there are those odd few I am not forgotten or unloved and even if I was there is one person who matters more than the others who will gladly welcome me back with open arms, but I am still scared.

So are you going crazy trying to figure out what it is that I am talking about or have you figured it out?

If you haven't I will tell you.

It is going back to church.

Such a small thing and yet so important to my life.

Why haven't we been going you are wondering if the kids can go to school and summer camps for this past month?

Well it is because of other peoples fears.

Understand now why I am afraid?

Maybe not, it seems silly to be not doing something because someone else is afraid.

You see even though we have been cleared to go out as long as we wash ourselves, especially our hands before we go until the house is cleared (furniture gone and having gone bleach WILD, etc.) from this parasite, they were afraid of their kids getting it. I was called by the bishop the week that we were cleared to leave and he asked me some questions and I was so excited to be going.. I even had most of the kids ready for church already. But then the question came and when he asked it my heart sank. I put on a brave face over the phone but I was dieing inside. Was my house cleared yet? No. It wasn't. That was before we found out we had to get rid of the furniture. So it has been a long time.since we have been there.

Was that a fair thing to be asked of us?

It felt like no but really yes it was. I would NEVER wish upon any parent the sight of their kid in the hospital with 2 IVs and oxygen. I would of been scared too if I was on the other side of the fence.

So the furniture is gone and starting to be replaced. The bleaching is done and burned our eyes. Is my house spotless and sparkly?? NO I have 6 kids are you crazy!!they lived in the cleaned rooms while I worked on the others... I suspect I will never have a home that will be spot lighted in Better Homes and Gardens, but we are happy, and healthy and glad to be able to go back to church.

What I find fun is that this Sunday is National Go Back To Church Day. So if you haven't been in a while for one reason or another, think it over. And watch this video, it might just inspire you.

Speaking of Inspiration

2011-09-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Being a mother of 6 AMAZING kids presents its self with many different dilemmas everyday.

There is many , many great songs out there that are written and performed by people who want to share their faith. But These great songs are not played on the radio station or listened to by many kids at school. When going to dances you are not going to hear Michael McLean's "His Hands" played so we, as parents, need to be aware of the other music out in the world and make sure our children know those songs that come along that are just as inspiring but is out there in the general public.

When my kids were little they discovered my Bon Jovi collection an fell in love with his music. So when he came out with the song "It's My Life" I used that to enforce with my kids that they are saying it's OK to say no to drugs, and alcohol, and the many other things in this life that others may want you to do that you know are wrong. It is Your Life and you have the right to choose the way you want to live it. Now I have head strong kids that make presentations to their classes on how they hate smoking and alchol and they are proud to be who they are. It also means they stand up against me when I tell them they have to do something they don't want to do. I try to remember that it is not necessarily bad but that I need to point out that good and bad choices have consequences... good and bad ones.

Now I have a couple of kids who have people, friends I told, telling them that they are not worth anything. They pick on them and ignore them and it breaks my heart because I know how they feel and no matter how many times I tell them they are worth so much more than even I know because they are Heavenly Fathers children, they hurt inside. So I was grateful the day I turned on the radio and there was Katy Perry, a musician who is a role model in so many kids eyes singing the song "Firework". Now I don't nessarely like most of her songs or what they stand for but I admire her courage to be who she is and I LOVE this song that tells our youth it is ok to stand out for who you are. It doesn't matter what ANYONE else says, your are a firework and you need to let it shine. I play these 2 songs in the morning now before they head off to school so they remember these things as they go to face the day against these "friends" (who I have said are not real friends if they treat you this way).

So as I get ready to start a new day today with my kids I thought I would share these songs with you. And also to say THANK-YOU to all my amazing friends who accepted me for who I am... faults and all. I truly love you all.

Great People

2011-09-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

We all get star struck when we hear big names in Music and Movies. No matter how you feel about some of them if Brad and Angelina were to walk past you you would feel some awe. If Michael Bubblé was to stand behind you in the grocery line you would consider your self lucky.

Where is all this going do you ask? Well I wanted to say how lucky I feel to have met to of the greats.. whether you know them or not in my life. They don't go out and sing the most popular thing or act in the most popular roles that will get their names in lights but they inspire us to be the people we all can be.

They have both portrayed one of my favorite most inspiring pioneer story in ways that make anyone feel what it was like for them. A piece of LDS history that is as sad as it is amazing. I truly don't know if I could have the strength these people had. I am talking about the Martin Handcart Company. A handcart group that travelled through the most horrifying of weather because of their faith. They did things that made the Prophet weep. These people are examples to us all about how strong we, EVERYONE, are.

The first person I consider blessed to have known in my life is Jaelan Petrie. He was my high school crush. Not just because he was oh so darn cute but because I admired his strength of spirit. I was such an emotional mess back then spiritually and other wise that I never felt I could deserve someone so amazing. I managed a few times to build up the courage to talk to him and even ask him to dance. I even said Hi to him once in a voice so high and squeaky that my Best Friend couldn't stop laughing for weeks. I still laugh at times about it. I really felt like a fool when I finally got to sit in that back seat of a car with him driving home from a party and pronounced the name of a constellation wrong. Yeah.. I was a high school geek.. still am most days I think.. Well I am sure my kids thing so anyways. I continue to admire him because he went on to become the actor he wanted to be and played the lead role in the movie Handcart. Now this is a fictional story about the company but his courage to even play a role that would have go through such trials both emotional and physical is brilliant. I know some people don't feel the movie was so great but I don't care. I loved being able to share it with my kids. Look for a clip at the end of this post.

The second person is Wayne Burton. I went to institute with him and got to know this amazing person who was fun, outgoing, friendly and so full of talent. You should check him out on a BMX bike. He has this amazing soul that is so full of the spirit that you knew he was going to find some way to let it out and he has. He is a well accomplished musician with albums and such out there. His latest is also a song of the Handcart company but even more of a tribute to these unsung heroes. He captured the feeling that has always been in my heart with this story and how they have always reminded me of Christ true love for all of us. How lucky am I to have met and learned from these two people. How lucky am I to have the rest of my inspirational friends and family in my life. My Grandma Brooks is currently in Utah filming a movie about the Old Testament. He is also some one I admire. How blessed can one person be. How can I NOT go and do those things the Lord asks me to do with such examples in my life.

I wish I understood my worth sooner when I was younger that I could of worked more closely with both of them. Maybe one day I still get the chance. For now enjoy the fruits of their work with me as well. First a Clip of the Movie Handcart with Jaelan Petrie and then the YouTube Video of the song One By One written and Perform by Wayne Burton. And to those interested Wayne is having a contest go check him out on facebook here and become a fan for your chance to win one of his albums or songbooks for free!

Who inspires you to be a better person or reminds you of what you are working towards?

Starting to Get back to Normal

2011-09-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yep.. I really mean it. Thanks to some really AMAZING people our lives We have recovered most of our Beds back!! Just one more single bed to go and everyone will have their own bed to sleep on again! YEAH!!

The removing of the furniture and replacing of that has been different. We have only replaced 2 big chairs but it has really got me thinking about what we had and what we actually need to have. I have set up in my upstairs living room a table for everyone to do their homework and stuff on that seems to work better than having their rooms crowded with desks. It is a brighter room and we don't have TVs in there as it is our reading and music room. So I am thinking I will keep the table there with the some chairs to sit on at the table and the I have 2 big comfy chairs for us to relax in and read our books so maybe just one more big chair with the Piano bench that is all ready in there and there is more than enough seats for everyone with out the bulk of a couch and a love seat. Then we just need to get furniture downstairs in the toy room/ games room but maybe even there I might just get 1 love seat for us older people who watch the movies and TV shows and then some bean bags for the kids who like the lower adjustable stuff. I have kids and I need to furnish my house like I have kids instead of trying to make it look like it comes out a magazine. I need to be more practical about my home being for my family and not worry what everyone else does for theirs. I am enjoying having the opportunity to do this. It is starting to feel good again and not so stressed.

Also I have started back to tax class to train for the next level plus the Photography club has started back up again and I went to the first meeting last night. I have my photography schooling I am getting back into with the kids being in school and hopefully will have the next unit done by the end of October with my assignments sent in. The kids are doing great at school and we have even started back into having our crazy mornings since they are getting back into the routine. I never thought I would enjoy the chaos of fighting with Josh to get out of the shower and Sam to get out of bed because he has snoozed enough. It has been a lot of hard work these past 2 months to get here from catching the parasite but in a way it gave us a fresh start and a more positive out look on life. Would it be weird to say it was almost a blessing to have gone through these struggles? I don't think so.

Well I am off to move in the latest of beds to arrive so I will leave you all with a picture of the toads that seem to have survived being in our old aquarium. They all came out to eat the ants the kids collected on a piece of watermelon.

Have I mentioned...

2011-09-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

... how much I Love the new Blogger site? It makes creating posts much easier and it also lets me know that even though I don't get many comments (or any it seems most of the time lately), that people do still come to visit my blog. It would be nice if on those days however if even a few of the average 20 people who come would at least say hi. It sure does make one feel more loved when you take the time to comment.

I also LOVE having some free time for the first time in YEARS! I took last week off and didn't do much around the house and stuff but still had fun. I was able to actually do things when I volunteered to help with Burger Day at the school. I sent off my photography assignment and got some of my Heritage Makers business organized with the joy of weekly meeting on line with Julie. I put my binders together for my tax class I started yesterday so I can work this next tax season and even had time to blog almost everyday! I am working on some more photo assignments and challenges and look forward to the great people I get to take the photos of and hopefully one of these days soon I will get that business up and going. I am looking forward to doing so much more. Some people may have thought that saying at 31 I was done having kids was crazy but look at me now.. 34 and starting to feel like more than just a Mom again. There is still so much more I need to go like feeling good about my body again and my health but I feel like there is now time for me to focus on me and do those things. Now if I could just find some amazing fairy that would come wave her magic wand over my home and it would clean itself oh the things I could do ;)

What has you smiling these days?

And to end the post with a smile check out this photo ...

I Heart Faces: Back to School

2011-09-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

I posted last week some pictures I took of the boys going back to school but for the I Heart Faces challenge this week I am going to share my favorite of the bunch. I asked all the boys to line up and show off their new styling back packs, they were already done with taking the individual photos and so they got a little silly with this one. It makes me laugh and shows the crazy kids I live with everyday.

Enjoy!

And check out all the rest of this weeks challenge entries at

Moments that Matter Most

2011-09-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

I know I need to slow down some days and cherish the moments that matter the most... what about you?

Late Night Adventure

2011-09-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

So last night I was looking forward to getting a picture of the Northern Lights. According to NASA that was to happen around midnight. Hmmm NASA has some bugs in their system as they actually came out around 9:30 - 10 pm and I was not ready with my camera. I was in my bedroom finishing putting together my new bed given to me by a wonderful friend. When one of my other friends called me to see if I was outside taking pictures yet and to make sure I sent her one I was so sad. it was around 10:30pm and the lights were already fading. I grabbed Cloe and some of the boys and hopped in the van and off we drove. First we were just trying to find a spot where there were no city lights to get in the way. But within a few minutes of leaving we couldn't see them any more. we headed back home but noticed as we were about to park they had come back a little so we headed off again. this time we knew we were heading towards the airport and going to pull over as soon as we could see the lights clear enough. Now they never came back fully but we did manage to capture this picture...

We are going to be more on the ball tonight with popcorn and everything and try and get a great picture of the lights. It has been a dream of mine since I first saw them. Wish me luck.

Did you see the lights last night?

If you had the chance to take a picture of a natural event what would it be?

Please share :) Love to hear from you.

First Day of School

2011-09-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

So today the Kids went back to school... For an Hour and a Half! Ok it was fun for them to go but really what was the point? I could of slept in one more day. That's ok We really had fun with it. The Kids got to wear their new shoes and clothes and carry their new backpacks. We had fun taking pictures and everything. I got caught up with the rest of the parents and what they were doing this summer. It was good. Tomorrow I get to get the boys off to school and Cloe off to daycare and enjoy my day to me :) For now you can enjoy the photos we took today :) Check out Josh's "Too Cool" For pictures face ;)

How was your day today?

New Collection, Need Some Help

2011-09-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

So a friend is down sizing a lot and has given Us (Cloe and Myself) her doll collection. They are beautiful and wonderful but I know nothing about dolls or how to find information about them. I know that most of these have numbers and names on the back but when I type it into google I get a bunch of eBay listings. So I am going to post pictures of them and if anyone knows anything about them or if you know how to find info about them please email me dyannel@live.com or post a comment (FYI comments are welcome even if you don't know anything)

What Matters Most

2011-09-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

There are 2 people today who set aside what they wanted for what mattered most to them and It made me remember this video. I am proud of them and I hope they see the good they did today.

Safe Place to Sleep

2011-09-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I went to put some newspaper into the recycling yesterday and you will never guess what I found...

Yep 2 little kittens found refuge from the lovable Cloe in my newspaper recycling bin. Since the kids never seem to know how to put the papers in there I think they are safe. That is until the kids discover their little secret.

Ben's Camping trip with Tim Hortons, a Guest post :)

2011-09-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

I found this long lost post of Ben from last year hiding in my drafts. I thought I would finally post it for you all to see. I think he wanted to put more info into it but never had the time as he got busy with school and life of a high school student. Enjoy!

So I have promised for a while about Ben guest posting about his camp with the Tim Horton's foundation but it never seemed to happen. Between computer problems and then blogger problems with the amount of Pictures included in this post it seemed to take forever to get it done, but here we are done!

So for all those waiting with baited breath,

Here, at last, is Ben's Guest Blog Post :)

Hello, Ben here.

So the pictures your going to see are both the ones my Mom took with a loaner camera at the airport when I left and when I got home, and my photos I took. Enjoy.

Getting really excited!

2011-08-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

So I have soo many thing to be getting excited over.

1. My Heritage Makers Business! I just discovered that I can go to Jamaica in January 2013 for FREE just for working a business that I love to do! I get to be creative, take photos and show off those photos in a variety of ways, plus meet people and share it all with them. Not to mention make money and now go on Cruises all over the world. Best part I get to do it from home. Check out my new love for FREE at Lovely Hearts Memories

2. I am finally making a head way into getting that darn parasite out of my house. In case you missed what parasite I am talking about google Cryptosporiduim. Nasty little bug when it wants to be and sent Tommy to the hospital this past summer and kept us from the rest of the world for the rest of it! All the beds are gone and the couches and stuff so we are sleeping on floors at the moment while I bleach and disinfect the entire house but when I am done I get to get all new stuff and enjoy my home again.

3. THE KIDS ARE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL NEXT WEEK!!! I love my kids, I really do and I truly enjoy them but after so many years of having that time to clean and get things done without a mess following behind it is hard having them all home at times. Especially when you don't have time to clean all behind them because you are trying to keep up with the puking and other fun things that come with having a sick family.

4. 3 days a week ALL TO ME! That is right 3 days a week I will have the house all to myself since Cloe goes to Daycare Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so she can make new friends and not going wondering the neighborhood to find them (which she hasn't done since we started!) I can work my New business (see #1 on my list) plus do my Photography schooling, and Tax classes start up in mid September. I will be able to complete projects I start without interruption and maybe even find time to talk to all my long lost friends and family. I have had my moments where I miss that I am not having anymore babies because I love everything about them... BUT NOT RIGHT NOW! I feel human again... it is crazy!. And to think I was worried about what I would do when I had no kids at home.

5. Starting up date night with my hubby once a month again. It has been YEARS since we have done a regular date night, but now with him working mornings and great friends to help in the evenings we can plan one night a month for us. We would do one day a week, but really who are we kidding.. we are stinking tired and would rather sleep the other 3 nights ;)

6. The last thing I am really excited about is finally having time to go through the photos I took this past summer. I had quickly done my future Sister-in-laws pictures and worked a little on the ones I took of Jennifer and Joel, but didn't have time to focus on them or any of mine with everything we have had to do this summer. I am even going to end this blog post with one of Jennifer and Joel's photos. More to come later on my Photography Blog

What Are you getting excited about these days?

Congratulations Maria :)

2011-08-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

So my soon to be sister-in-law just got baptised and she worked hard for this day to come. It is an amazing choice to take on. I saw the struggles and how hard the adversary worked on her to prevent this day coming to pass and even though there were days that she just had to cry and wanted to give up, she didn't. She is an amazing lady and inspiration and I am so happy she is part of my family. I love how the atonement of Jesus has made it possible for us all to feel that same weight lifted everyday. I have had some major struggles in my life these past couple of years and I have to say seeing my son son hooked to 2 IV's and oxygen this past summer and the slew of expenses that came with it has made me feel over whelmed and wanting to give up. Just when I feel I can't take anymore and feel myself slipping along comes this quiet small voice to calm me down and good things come. I am not a perfect person no matter how hard I try to be, and for those slips I am grateful for the ability to release my pain and suffering and be able to move on. Maria, I was able to be there with you in flesh but my heart and soul are there and I hope you can feel my love as you let Jesus' spread through you.

Wednesday.... but not weighing in.

2011-08-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

So things have really been crazy around here these past couple of months. When we were down in Abbotsford we picked up a parasite called Cryptosporidium that has knocked us for a loop. It had Tommy in the hospital for just uner a week and us isolated to our house for a while and now to make sure it is completley out of the house for good we have to get rid of the matresses and couches and chair that kids and animals had accidents on while we fought off this nasty bug. It has me worn out and exhausted. I have been emotionally eating at night when the kids go to bed because I don't have the energy or even will to exercise. I am sure I gained weight back while eating the cafeteria food at the hospital and having finally gone under the 300 club finally after years of being above. I guess that makes me sad even thinking about it too. Now I haven't gone over board with my eating but what I have done is that I told myself that for the rest of the summer I needed to remove one of my stresses so that I could survive. I decided that seeing my weight would be too much and took that off my plate. I am not sure if that was the best choice but come September I will start back up and give it my all again. So today is not a weigh in day but I did decide to blog today anyway.

So instead I am going to share a song I found on You Tube that has really inspired me with my Heritage Makers projects and if you are feeling ispired too go sign up for your FREE account HERE and start seeing the possibilites for saving your memories.

I Heart Faces: Beautiful Eyes

2011-08-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

OMGosh it seems like forever since I have had the chance to enter an I Heart Faces challenge with everything that has been going on in our lives. I was happy to see what the challenge was because when I was down in Abbotsford helping my brother and sister-in-law move I had to opportunity to take some photos of her for a special project gift she is doing for my brother for his birthday. My goal was to show off how truly beautiful she is and this photo is my favorite from the whole day. I managed to capture how beautiful she is but how beautiful her soul is through her eyes. Please go check out the other amazing beautiful photos at

Something to check out

2011-08-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well I have not been on much thanks to a bunch of unfortunate events in my family. I will tell the story in another post. I just wanted to come and say Hi to all and that I am still alive... barely some days.

While you wait for me to get my family through the rest of this event I thought you might like to check out a video of what Heritage Makers and Club HM is. I know I have mentioned it before. If your interested in a free account to check it out or to even start working on your own great memory items go to

Lovely Hearts Memories.. my home page for my business.
I will be back soon. (I hope)

Weigh In Wednesday

2011-07-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

Ok I know I missed last week.. actually I missed posting for a week because of well.. My Crazy Life ;)
Ben and Josh had to get ready and leave this past Monday on a week long Canoeing trip, Claudia was set up to start daycare this past week to hopefully curb her wanting to go out on her own to find new friends, and I helped my sister Tami go pick-up my niece. It took a lot of time away from me looking after me but I did the best I could. Even on our long trip we stopped at the Enchanted Forest and walked to forest and the nature hike. My favorite though was rowing the boat out on the lake with the water lilies. I also had to finish up Claudia's Book I started for her birthday but it seemed to take forever because of my limited time. But that is done and on it's way here now. Check it out.

I really love that I can complete projects with Heritage Makers and if your interested in doing your own just click on over to HERE

But that is not why I am posting today... I am doing my accountability to let everyone know how my weight loss journey is going.
When I last posted I was 304lbs.... well 2 weeks later and TONS of havoc I now weigh 295.8lbs!!!! That is right I am out of the 300 club and well on my way to a healthier me :D that means my weight loss for those past 2 weeks totals 8.2lbs and my total loss is 29.8lbs! I have never been able to get this far before! I was worried that the long road trip that started out with healthy food options and ended up with a TON of sugar junk was going to set me back. But the extras like the nature hike, I think are the reason I didn't gain. I do think I will plan better for the next trip though. We are headed out on our first family vacation in 3 years! On Sunday we are heading down to Vancouver for a week. The main reason is for Mike to take care of somethings at the US Embassy there, but the best reason is to visit all the family and friends we have and miss down there. Oh and a drive up to and camp a night in Squamish. Oh how I miss the lakes and mountains there. We will end the trip with going to the opening night of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in the IMax 3D.
For now though I am going to celebrate my weight loss with some frozen yogurt treats and taking the kids to the park so we can run :D
As for this Post, lets end it with a couple of pictures from the Enchanted Forest... Such an amazing place if you ever get the chance to go.

A Sad State of Humanity

2011-06-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as Candi and I were driving back to her house after dropping the kids off at home we came upon an accident. It had happened maybe SECONDS before we got there as Candi saw a guy running away in horror. Lying in the middle of the road was a man and his motorcycle about 30 feet away. What has me saddened is that car were still driving to drive around this guy and other people were standing around staring at him. We pulled over and while Candi helped find someone with first aid I started directing traffic away from this poor man. While I was standing there dealing with cranky people glaring at me for not letting get onto the highway the way they wanted I noticed this poor woman sobbing in her car. As soon as the police got there I went over to check on her. I didn't know ho she was only that she was shaking and sobbing with 2 little kids in the backseat. It turns out that when the guy went flying off his bike he flew right into her car. All those people standing around, all the witnesses and NO ONE thought to check on her and her kids. We stayed around to answer the questions.. "nope didn't see what happened.... yes just helped direct traffic until you arrived" then I went back to the lady who is 7 weeks pregnant and stayed with her until her mother arrived. She had a 1 year old little boy who didn't seem to understand what happened as he had the cutest smile on his face but her daughter that was maybe 6 was shaken and really worried about her mother. I feel for this poor family that will relive this accident many times over. I also plead with those motorcyclists out there to be more cautious. When it is raining out, don't speed, it truly isn't worth your life to get to where you are going those few minutes earlier. I am sure what ever it is will wait as long as your arrive alive.

Weigh in Wednesday

2011-06-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

So it is that time of the week again... not much time to go into many details today. Plus I seem to be having a problem with blogger.

Anyways; so big celebration!! I am at 304lbs! That means I have currently lost 21.6 lbs. I am so excited for the 20lb mark since I have NEVER been able to get there before! My body always goes into panic mode before that. Also it means I am sooo close to getting out the 300lb club soon! Hopefully by next week.
I will post challenge stuff tomorrow when I post about my new toy :) Big news going on all over the place here.
No pic today because of Blogger problems :(

*NOTE* This is being posted on Thursday now cause Blogger kicked me out for a little while. So Friday will be my post on big news and challenges

Something to think about

2011-06-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Weigh-in Wednesday... yep it's time again

2011-06-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

So my week was better this time but still so full of stress and unexpected. I handled it a little better and slowly the instant want of food for comfort in bad times is going away.
So how did you do with the Dice Challenge?
I admit it wasn't easy to remember as we continue to struggle with our independent little princess but here is what I did...

Thursday = 5-2 March 2 min

Friday = 1-5 arms, arm circles 50 reps

Saturday = 3-2 legs, plies squats 20 reps

Sunday = 1-6 arms, bicep curls 60 reps ( 30 each arm)

Monday = 2-3 core, reverse crunches 30 reps

Tuesday = 3-2 legs, calf raises 20 reps

Wednesday = 5-5 march 5 min

That as really fun. I think I will leave this for another week. if you need to know what to do you can check out last weeks post here. I truly hope more people join in. Even if your not losing weight don't you think a fun little challenge could brighten your week... maybe just be that few minutes that the world is gone and you get to spend a few minutes enjoying you.

Speaking of one's self... here we go for this weeks accountability weigh in... so I am down to... 310.2!! That's right over 15 pounds lost so far!! I think as things settle down I will lose weight faster but for now I will accept this one. That means for this week I have lost 2 lbs bringing my total to 15.4 lbs lost. That's not too bad for 4 weeks. my goal will be to improve upon that during the next 4 weeks. I am hoping to be in the 200's by July.. but that will take a lot of work these next couple of weeks. I am sure I can do it. To those who was to be nice and treat me to stuff please don't get offended when I say no thank-you. I think being to polite and accepting things is one of my issues. It's not bad to be polite but I think I need to set boundaries. However that will probably start tomorrow as we are getting ready for the final play off game for the Stanley Cup.

Hope everyone is having a good week and can't wait to see who did the challenge this past week, and who will do it this next week. Oh and since I like leaving with a picture... check out the moonrise last night.

Weigh In Wednesday... A Day Late :S

2011-06-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

I promise I didn't forget about my post yesterday... to be honest I put it off because I was scared of what the scale would say since I had a REALLY bad week last week. I swear my daughter is going to be the death of me.. I will die early because of her fearlessness. She has become a regular Houdini when it comes to going for her own walks at night. She is not sleep walking as I have been asked many times, she just wakes up like she had a cat nap and wants to go for a walk and so she does. She is not even waiting that long anymore. We have new alarms on the doors, so she has started going out the windows... We put a new latch on the gate, she climbs over the stone wall at the back end of our fence. She has got us to become friends with a few neighbors and the local RCMP officers. So I haven't kept track of my eating or exercise for most of the days, and to be honest if I had I would of felt even more guilty about all the emotional eating I was doing to keep me from saying and doing things I should not do to a 3 year old little girl. But What can I say besides the usual, It's not safe, someone bad could get you, it really scares mommy and makes her sad, and stand in the corner.. I have to admit I made her stand there for 20 minutes last night, would that be considered child abuse? Just out of curiosity, what ISN'T considered child abuse these days, because every where I turn I can not punish my kids for what they do without it being called abuse.
But that's a topic for another day. Today is Weigh In Day and we are getting ready to see what a Week of stress and bad eating habits did for me this week, Oh yeah I didn't even do my own challenge I set out. I did however take some of my frustrations out on my yard and garden and so I think that the 4 hours one day, and 6 the next will help..... so the result is.... drum roll please...... Uhm marching band with parade to delay a little longer..... (yeah I am seriously sitting in front of my scale on my living room floor debating about getting on it... I really am nervous I gained back all my weight loss) ..... and.. ok getting on..... OMGosh!! 312.2!!! I DID NOT GAIN!!! I am so happy!!! I lost 0.2lbs! I Will take that this week!!. Boy this fear is not something I EVER want to feel again. So keep track no matter what, and get my daily exercises in... even if it means walking around my yard a million times to get my walking in.. but just do it. I have a goal and I am going to achieve it.. no matter what.
Okay, now if any of you actually did the dice challenge from last week AWESOME!! Please post your results on the comment box. I did not so I am setting that as the challenge again for this week. Hopefully we have more people want to join in... Please post a comment to say you will. HOWEVER, if you really don't want to but still want to comment, That is OK too! But for those who do here is the challenge reposted:

DICE CHALLENGE

You will need 2 dice. If you only have 1, that's OK...you can just roll it twice. If you have no dice you can use virtual dice at this site http://www.random.org/dice/

The 1st dice will tell you what TYPE of exercise you will do. The 2nd dice (or roll) will tell you HOW MANY of each exercise you will do.

Type of exercise...if you roll a....

1= arm reps (your choice); multiply # on 2nd dice by 10
2= core reps (your choice); multiply # on 2nd dice x 10
3= leg reps (your choice); multiply # on 2nd dice by 10
4= side steps; multiply # on 2nd dice by 10
5= marching in place; the # on the 2nd dice will be # of minutes
6= drinking mouthfuls of water; equal to the # on the 2nd dice

For example....if you roll a 2 then a 4...you will do 40 core reps

-if you roll a 5 then a 3...you will do 3 minutes of marching

-if you roll a 6 then a 1...you will need to drink 1 mouthful of water.

Have fun and let's get rolling!!!!

Post a quick comment on this post to let me know if you are going to join in and next week on weigh in day we will post our results... when you do post them in this kind of format and we can enjoy what fun everyone had during the week with what their random energy boost was for the day

(This is just an example but feel free to copy and paste and then type in your own information)

Name Dyanne

Wednesday = rolled 4,3 so Side Step 30x's

Thursday = 2,4 did 40 crunches

Friday =

Saturday =

Sunday =

Monday =

Tuesday =

An now for Today's, Photo.... I took this picture of one my Gorgeous purple bearded Iris' this morning after I got Ben off to do papers. Enjoy.

Something Uplifting

2011-06-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

So I am in a down mood today as I have had to deal with Claudia taking a walk at 9 pm AGAIN. So I decided to post something to try and make me feel a little more up lifting. Hope everyone out there has a good day today.

Weigh In Wednesday week 2

2011-06-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

So it has now been 2 weeks since I started working towards my healthier me. It was a really up and down week with all the stress, one main one being THIS one. I didn't eat the right foods AT ALL during the weekend as I tried to catch-up and get things done in time for the deadline that is today. I Love my kids and I Love that they show interest in the things I love to do, but the mess and chaos it caused the weekend was a little overboard. It also doesn't help that Little Miss Claudia thinks she is old enough to go on walks and visit people on her own. It does not matter what I do she finds a way. I have changed the lock on the gate and she can't open it but she climbs over the stone wall in the back to get out the gate! I have an alarm that sounds any time someone even moves near the front door and she has discovered how to climb out of Ben and Josh's window to get around that! What in heavens name do you do with a child that is so smart and fearless at the same time? I am seriously at the end of my rope here. So like I said, TONS of stress and we already know that I have stress eating factors. I have to admit though the eating on Saturday I did with pure intent to not say or do anything that I may regret later when I calmed down from what Cloe had done to my project. So with all of that in mind and that I was less active I was not expecting any change.. maybe even have gained back a few pounds. Then I get on the scale and you will never guess what!! I still lost weight with what I did do right during the week! 5.6 pounds! Now how much better would that number have been if I had been following my plan everyday? I don't know but I plan to find out this week! So that makes my current weight 312.4lbs and a total of 13.2 lbs lost since I started 2 weeks ago. It is a really good feeling and one I hope I can share with others as there are many of us trying to find our hidden selves again. so in the spirit of this challenge for myself and others I have decided to post my favorite challenge I have been apart of since I started 2 weeks ago. It was tons of fun and I look forward to doing it again with all of my friends here. The kids can even join in and mine LOVED it. So here it is.. the Dice Challenge.

DICE CHALLENGE
You will need 2 dice. If you only have 1, that's OK...you can just roll it twice. If you have no dice you can use virtual dice at this site http://www.random.org/dice/

The 1st dice will tell you what TYPE of exercise you will do. The 2nd dice (or roll) will tell you HOW MANY of each exercise you will do.

Type of exercise...if you roll a....

1= arm reps (your choice); multiply # on 2nd dice by 10

2= core reps (your choice); multiply # on 2nd dice x 10

3= leg reps (your choice); multiply # on 2nd dice by 10

4= side steps; multiply # on 2nd dice by 10

5= marching in place; the # on the 2nd dice will be # of minutes

6= drinking mouthfuls of water; equal to the # on the 2nd dice

For example....if you roll a 2 then a 4...you will do 40 core reps

-if you roll a 5 then a 3...you will do 3 minutes of marching

-if you roll a 6 then a 1...you will need to drink 1 mouthful of water.

Have fun and let's get rolling!!!!

Post a quick comment on this post to let me know if you are going to join in and next week on weigh in day we will post our results... when you do post them in this kind of format and we can enjoy what fun everyone had during the week with what their random energy boost was for the day
(This is just an example but feel free to copy and paste and then type in your own information)
Name Dyanne

Wednesday = rolled 4,3 so Side Step 30x's
Thursday = 2,4 did 40 crunches
Friday =
Saturday =
Sunday =
Monday =
Tuesday =

And what fun would a post be without a photo, so enjoy this one I of a apple crab apple blossom. I Love seeing all the new life that comes forth during this time of year. (P.S. the Day 7 post will be coming tomorrow as I am done with all my other deadline stuff and can get back to it.. or even be on the computer)

Honesty: You Better Believe It!

2011-05-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

I think this is something that is truly lacking on the world. There are times even I struggle with it during various situations. Maybe if we all worked harder at it, it would be easier for everyone to be honest. I admire the courage of the tall man in the class. I wish to someday have that same courage and honesty.

What would you have done?

2011-05-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, You may be thinking, "What 2 posts in one day? WOW! Special day"

Not really I am just needing to finish getting my frustrations out and this is the best to do it.

Some of you may know, and some not, that I have been working on a special project for the past little while. I have had to remember skills I haven't touched in a long time because doing such things with kids around and under foot is hard. Well this opportunity came up and I thought, hey, why not. My kids are older, just have Cloe to really watch, I can do this! I know up beat eh. Well I worked hard.. beat myself down a little for being out of practice but things were starting to come together when today happened. I had had a long night, early morning and just needed a short nap. You know the 30 minute kind to refresh and keep up with the day. Mike was here, the boys were here, whatever could go wrong? Well Cloe out smarted them all and did this...

Yep coloring and smudges and oil EVERYWHERE. I sat down and just started crying. I had the boys keep Cloe away because I was to upset and I didn't know what I would do. I have to have it done it a couple of days and half the details are gone and scribbles all over the rest. I guess this lack of doing anything to punish Cloe hit her harder than a time out because she has been extra careful around me and my stuff since then.

After about an hour I did manage to pull myself together and spent a few hours trying to fix it up and I think I managed ok. It still doesn't have as bright and vibrant of colors as it use to but I think it looks good. Stay tuned and when I am able I will post the finished product and what this was all for.

What I would like to know is what would you have done?

A Story You Won't Want to Miss

2011-05-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

So I know I still have day 7 to post of the Toronto Exchange, but Sam brought me home this story and I just HAD to post it. Trust me, It will make you smile. So without further ado I present:

Something New

By Samuel Lybbert

"But Mom, I want it!" said a little boy.

"No, Jimmy. I'm not getting a laptop" said his Mom. "You already have a computer remember?"

Jimmy said "I don't like it! It's small and slow and doesn't have Internet!"

Then his Mom said "Fine, I'll get you a football, ok?"

"I don't want a football" said Jimmy. "I want something new and high-tech, like a phone!"

"I'm not getting a phone, I'm getting a football." said his Mom, again.

But then a miracle happened! Football Laptops!! Yes thought Jimmy. "Fine Mom, you win. We'll get a football" said Jimmy. He took a football laptop and put it in the cart. And so, Jimmy finally got a laptop.

Yes sirree.. that made me laugh out loud. Hope that brightened your day a little.

Hope you have a Great Day!

Toronto Sudent Exchange Day 6

2011-05-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

So on the Wednesday of the Toronto Student Exchange the kids all headed out to Camp Friendship saying good bye to their brief University life. Most of the day was packing and cleaning and then driving. Camp Friendship is run by the Native Friendship Center here and is a Great place and resource. They offer a lot of free camps for our Youth throughout the summer. It was a great place to finish off the trip. The Native Elders also joined us out there for the last couple of days. After a lovely dinner the Elders taught all the kids how to make Tie Blankets. It was one of the favorite activities, next to the horse back riding, the kids enjoyed. Plus it helped keep them warm that night as it was cold and rainy. I loved seeing the youth engage and listen to the Elders. It was quite the experience. Enjoy the Photos

Weigh In Wednesday

2011-05-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yep you read that right... I have decided that I don't care if the doctors want me to continue to take it easy with my weight loss anymore, I NEED to feel like ME again. I have been taking it "easy" to the tune of being 325.6lbs!! I am in shock!! I have 6 kids to live for and all the doctors can offer me is fat blocking pills for now so that I increase my chance of pooping in my pants? Yep not going there, I am done with diapers remember. When my mother-in-law was here this past week we were talking about things and I had mentioned how I wanted to get a pair of walking shoes and a scale so that I would be ready when the doctors said it would be ok to try again. She encouraged me to just go and do it and I am grateful she did. When I stepped on that scale for the first time I just wanted to cry. I didn't feel like I should be that heavy. I can still move and do things, but I had been feeling more tired. Maybe it was all the ordering out that I did while I was working because I would come home late to no dinner made and to tired to make something. Whatever it was, I am done with not doing anything about it. I feel ready for a change, my body feels ready for it and so I am just going to do it! The scale I bought happens to be a Biggest Loser scale that I have inputted my goal and it helps me keep track of my progress towards that goal. I also signed up for the Biggest Loser Club as well. It was on a 3 month trial and I still have my Weight Watchers as well. I thought at first I would which over 3 months of time I liked better, but I am going to have to say that after a week of comparing I am loving the involvement of the BLC and the community there more. I think it is just a better fit to me, especially since it is a plan that is working around what the doctors have told me and it is working... as this is my first weekly weigh in and I am down to 318lbs! back down to less than when I stared weight watchers.. I lost 7.6lbs in one week with out too many big changes in my diet, just counting calories and stuff now instead of calculating points and having an actual fitness plan to help guide me through the steps of introducing my body to being more active and being ok to not store all this fat. I like that there are people on there to talk to about this that have the same troubles and even amount of weight to lose. If the problems come up again I will work through them better this time and not give up. I will not be so hard on myself when I slip up, but rather brush myself off and carry on. So every Wednesday I weigh in and I will share my positive and negative moments here and I will carry forward.

I WILL BE ME AGAIN!!

And since a post is not the same without a photo, here is one of the sunset that the Toronto Kids enjoyed the night before they went home. More posts on them tomorrow.

Toronto Student Exchange Day 5

2011-05-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

So Day 5 was Horseback riding and Bowling. What fun we had. I have a lot more pictures for this day as it was harder to choose the ones I liked the best. The ranch we drove to Is called the Triple J Ranch and you can find their website here. The kids loved that the head guy was on 2 episodes of Mantracker which you can find here and here

He was great with the kids, especially Claudia. She was crying at first because she was told she was too little to ride the horses but he made her feel better by giving her rides in the yard.

We also went bowling that night at Strike Zone and we had a blast there too but I have to tell you the kids were tired by the end of the day. Tommy came bowling with us so Cloe could get some rest. That little guy is amazing with what he will try and continue to try until he gets it right. Enjoy the pictures.

Cute Video To Remind Us

2011-05-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

I want to say thanks to my friend Erin for showing me that this video had been posted and now I am going to share it with you. Have a great Sunday :)

Toronto Student Exchange Day 4

2011-05-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

So Today's post is about Day 4, or Monday May 9th, and we spent the day being UNBC Students for the day. The kids had fun taking a tour of the grounds and I have to admit I was really impressed with what our University has to offer. We enjoyed time in our sports center and in the various departments. We did some classroom work and even had to make a presentation about what else an orange could be. Claudia, being the only other kids not in school, was who joined us for this trip and she had a BLAST being a student for the day. I think she may have stolen our guides heart at the same time ;) So here are a few select pictures from Day 4 for you to enjoy.

Toronto Exchange Students Day 3

2011-05-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

So today posts is from Day 3, the Sunday they were here. We missed out on most of the activities because Ben stood up for doing his Church Duties. It was an amazing moment. After wards we gave Josh a chance to met the kids as we went to Bubba Baloos for a few games of Laser Tag. After that we went for a BBQ at the Reconnect center. Not many photos today but we still had fun.

This is Josh trying to Show Charity how to dunk the ball but he ended up slipping.. it was cute and funny.

This is some of the kids coming out of a hard played game of Laser Tag

The Girls and Boys took sides and played an impromptu game of keep the ball away while we waited for the food to cook.

Toronto Exchange Students Day 2

2011-05-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

So as you know last week I spent my time with Ben and the exchange students from Toronto. It was long days but sooo much fun. The first day they were here I posted a picture of Ben with his Toronto twin Charity at their Welcome Dinner. Today I am posting pictures from Day 2 of their visit. Most of the time was spent walking around Forests for the World. Unfortunately I missed most of that part as I am still a Mom of 5 other kids ;) They also spent time hanging out at the University Residences which is where the exchange students lived for the first part of their visit. We kept things simple since they were still recovering from their long plane ride. Thomas joined us for this day of fun. Here are a few of the pictures I took that day.

This first one is of Ben, Charity, and Tommy. You can tell Tommy was having fun.

After long time walking in the woods they relaxed with dinner and card games in the rooms. This was a really intense game of Crazy Eights LOL!

About 9:00 the Toronto Kids got a second wind and wanted to check out the UNBC grounds. So we went on a night walk.. the rest of the pictures are from that walk. First is my picture of the University at 9:15 at night. I just loved how it turned out.

This next one is most of the kids across University road checking out what PG looks like at night. This was taken at 9:30pm

This is of all the girls that came on the walk. taken at 9:45 just before we headed back.

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

I may have posted this before, but even if I did I think today of all days it is worth repeating.

To all the mothers I have known, still know, and yet come to know

Have a Wonderful and Special Day!

My Heart Skipped A Beat

2011-05-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we had scary moment. You know one of those ones that you dread as a parent.

We had gone to the Native Friendship Centre for a welcome dinner for the exchange students coming in from Toronto. Ben needed to be there as well as the parents. We took Sam along as well because sometimes he can be a handful for other people. He was so exited that he was going to be included. We had dinner, with a little bit of a show as some of the girls sang some traditional songs. I was able to Meet Charity, Ben's "twin" from Toronto. What a Sweetheart!
After dinner the Toronto kids headed over to UNBC because they are staying in the residences there and we went downstairs to have a quick meeting to go over the schedule for the week and the meal plan. Sam started reading a magazine in the hallway and Mike and Ben went into the Games room. I was standing in the door to the office right in front of Sam. After the meeting was over I went into the game room to get Mike and Ben to say it was time to go. It took a few minutes for them to stop their game and when we went back out in the hallway Sam was gone. We thought at first that maybe he had gone out to the car with Erin who was our ride home but NO. We checked the entire building thinking maybe he got lost looking for a bathroom, but again NO. We went outside and some said they had seen a kid walking up third so then we thought maybe he had gone out for some fresh air and got locked out and decided to try and walk home. So we had people walking up and down the sidewalks, driving all over the place, still nothing.
About 20 minutes after this all started I waved down an RCMP vehicle and asked them for their help. One of the officers knew Sam because he does some volunteer work at the school and I of course had my camera with me that happened to have a picture of Sam balancing on some balls in the yard earlier so we knew exactly what clothes he was wearing and everything. They put a report out to all cars and went off to help look. Not even 5 minutes later I got a call on my cell telling me that they had found Sam and he was at the reconnect building. Now that is 9 blocks or so in the opposite direction from our house. We headed down there right away. It turns out that a wonderful lady and 4 teenage boys had seen Sam walking down that way and thought he was a little to young to be walking on his own. When they tried to talk to him he wouldn't stop but they could see he looked scared. They went and got some staff from Reconnect to talk to Sam and bring him inside. They had phoned the RCMP at the same time I was talking to the officers in the car, which is why we found him so fast. After the officer checked my ID to make sure I was who I said I was he took me to Sam.
He was sitting in the office with some extremely nice people and I had to the best I could not to completely break down as I asked Sam what happened. Well he tells me that he thought I had left without him! He was so focused on his book that he didn't notice I had walked into the games room to get Mike and Ben. He thought he would just walk home on his own, but he went the wrong way and got lost. After a tearful we didn't leave without because we could never forget him, we went home.
After I watched him walk into the house I just started to shake and cry. Things could of been soo much worse and I am so grateful they weren't. I am also glad to know that Sam did remember not to talk to people he didn't know and to wait until he found people with uniforms that he knew would be safe to talk to. This as also taught me thought that the kids need to know where home is no matter where they happen to be in the city. I think that will be our next family home evening activity... to drive to various spots around PG and to point the direction home, as well as go over some other safety rules like if you do get lost to find a safe spot with a phone and to call, I always have my cell on me and the kids all know the number.
Anyways to end to post on a happy thought I thought I would add the pics of the night... first the one of Sam balancing on the balls that helped get us the description of the clothes he was wearing and then the other one is of Ben and Charity, exchange twins.

Our Other Princess

2011-05-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

This is my other princess. I have had her for almost 7 years now.

She was born in the month of May and came to us in the middle of June.

She came to our family as the tiniest kitten I had ever seen.

We were sure she would never survive a family such as ours because the boys loved to play with her.

She quickly became my special kitty being the only other girl in the house.

Up until her we had only seemed to have boy kitties.

Shortly after we moved to PG she was hit by a car on the same night and even time I broke my foot.

It was touch and go for a little while there and she had to stay at my mothers for a while to make sure she could get her rest but she survived. The only hint that she had the drama, the permanent cranky look she now has on her face.

She is patient with the kids for the most part and has only just begun to have moments where she gets up set because Claudia "Loves" her too much and she has always liked her space.

With out her our family would not be complete and so today I celebrate My other baby girl.

We Love You Butterscotch!

What would you caption this as?

2011-05-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ok so I will be honest and say that I wasn't going to do a blog post today until I was outside playing with Claudia and snapped this picture.

I think it should be captioned as:

"Don't forget to look before crossing the street"

Mike says:

"To fly away or not to fly away"

I figured there are some of you who have even better ones so I would LOVE to hear them.

Have Fun!

What was for dinner?

2011-05-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ok so yesterday I was still exhausted from working for the past 3 months. Between taxes all day long and then taking care of 6 kids and cleaning I really think it is a possible fatal combination if the person isn't strong enough. So I woke up in the morning and said I wanted real food for dinner, since most nights while I was working was pre-made frozen meals or take-out. I also didn't want to spend a ton of time cooking though because I knew I was just to tired to do that. Then I looked in my cupboards and fridge and realized that I really didn't have a great selection of choices either. I kept stocked on most of the basics while working, Milk, eggs, a few frozen and canned veggies.. that type of thing but not a great selection of stuff. Have you ever got to that point. Now I am not really a cookbook type of cook most of the time. I have learned over the years what flavors taste good together and so usually I make things up as I go along. So today I am posting my latest creation for you, We named it Meatball Sloppy Joes. I documented what I did this time just in case it tasted good.. and it did, so I am going to share it with you today. I am sure there is probably some great recipe out there in the great world wide web that will be more professional than mine but remember this is me just throwing things together from my pantry and freezer.

Ok soo when I was rummaging through my cupboards I came across Crushed Tomatoes, and Whole Tomatoes and though a sauce would be good and then decided to add in some tomato soup for the flavor and a can of V8 juice again the extra flavor it has. Now 2 of my kids are not big tomato fans (don't ask me why since we cook with them soo much) so the trick I use to get them to eat them is I add a touch of molasses to those meals. That dark hint of sweetness changes enough of the flavor that they love what ever it is I make. I also found some meatballs I had bought for Mike and the kids to use for meals while I was working and thought that would make for some nice protein.

At that point I was thinking more towards a soup and then I found my Brown Minute rice and the idea of the sloppy joes jumped into my head. My aunt had shown me once how Wheat could be cooked to look and taste like hamburger in meat sauces so I thought why not try the same with the rice. I also looked into my collection of epicure goodies to see what would taste good. I picked out my Chive and Onion Sea Salt for both flavor and seasoning as well as my Herb & Garlic Dip mix. They were simple but both have lots of flavor.

So I added the first group of stuff, including about a 1/4 cup of the molasses into my slow cooker and also about a teaspoon of the sea salt and 2 tbsp's of the herb & garlic mix. Warning!! When dumping whole tomatoes in, next time I will do them first because they splashed up my crushed tomatoes. Claudia laughed so hard that she fell off her stool!

I then added in 3 cups of the rice and 2 cups of water because I wanted to keep the saucy texture.

I stirred it all together and wiped up my mess and put it on to cook for 6 hours on high. It probably didn't need that much time but I knew we weren't going to be eating before that time. and you have to admit when tomato sauces of any kind get that little extra cooking time they just taste sooo yummy!

So this is what it looked like after 6 hours.. so goood! I tasted it and thought it could use a touch more kick so I added a few of shakes of Worcestershire Sauce. Not all people like it but I love that extra dimension it adds.

I lightly toasted up some large hamburger buns and then filled them with 3 meatballs and a large scoop of the sauce. I cut up some watermelon and cucumber for a summer feel to the meal and to keep with the made easy theme and we enjoyed an extra yummy meal :)

As a side note here, this would all make for a yummy meat free sloppy joe, just leave out the meatballs. The kids had seconds of this with just the sauce on the buns. If I do this I might add a bean in of some kind to replace the protein element to the meal.

Now what would a summer type meal be like with a dessert so we fired up our center burner on our BBQ and grabbed some of our new EXTRA LARGE campfire marshmallows and roasted them for a special treat. It was the perfect end to the perfect quick and easy meal.

Hope you enjoyed my version of a quick and easy meal... enjoy it yourselves, or make up you own. My kids favorite meals are the ones I don't use a recipe for. I have learned to write them down now since they complain when I don't know how to make it again.

And to finish this post a picture of how Josh loves to cook his Marshmallows :D

Burnt Sugar, Yum ;)

Male Disney Villians

2011-05-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you haven't guessed yet WE LOVE DISNEY MOVIES! They are some of our favorite movie night reruns. So it will come as no surprise that every once in a while we have some spur of the moment discussions about the movies. Wel this time the discussion was about Villians. I LOVE a GOOD Villian! No movie is complete with a great villian. Now in my opinion Some of Disneys Best Villians are Female, then one of the kids said, they are all female. Well we know that isn't true so we started to think of who the male villians are... it was truely hard to think of them. We had fun trying to go through all the movies and even little clips that might have a male villian of some sort. Here is what we came up with so far....

Jafar - Aladdin

Captain Hook - Peter Pan

Hades - Hercules

Shan Yu - Mulan

Chernabog - Fantasy, Night on Bald Mountain (Love this one!)

Ratigan - The Great Mouse Dective

Gaston - Beauty and the Beast

Prince John - Robin Hood

Ratcliffe -Pocahontas

Stromboli - Pinocchio

Big Bad Wolf - Silly Symphonies ( really old Disney)

Shere Khan And Kaa - Jungle Book

Scar - Lion King

Headless Horseman - Legend of Sleepy Hallow

Edgar - Aristocats

Amos Slade - The Fox and The Hound

Sykes - Oliver and Company

Rourke - Atlantis

Clayton - Tarzan
Horned King - Black Cauldron

McLeach - Rescuers Down Under

Frollo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Pete - Mickeys Nemisis (bonus if you can post who his first rival was!)

Dr. Facilier - Princess and the Frog

I am sure there are more... we haven't even touched the PIXAR movies yet. And then of course we get the henchmen... The kids say they don't count for this question because all the good Lady Villians have boy henchmen, but that would make for another fun question... could you name all the Disney Henchmen? That sure would be a post and a half ;)

And of course what blog post would be complete with a picture so enjoy this one of Claudia washing dishes today. She sure had fun with it :) It's moments like this that give me hope that maybe she will stop making soo many messes to clean up ;)

My Super Hero's

2011-05-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

So Friday at school was Super Hero day. The Kids all went as their favorite Super Hero. Matt was Harry Potter, Tommy was a Ninja, but Sam's was my personal favorite. He was Clark Kent changing into Superman! How genius is that? We only had the one pair of glasses frames that Matt was using and we didn't have the right colored cape for him to be straight out Superman so this was what he came up with. I quickly took this picture before they headed out to school. Who is your Favorite Super Hero?

The Civility Experiment

2011-05-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Todays Mormon Message I am posting really hit home to me. As some of you may remember it was on this past September and October I got really sick. There were a LOT of other things going on as well and my poor mind and body couldn't handle it all. There were some people who didn't seem to understand, no matter how much they said they did, what I was going through. I ended up having to stop friendship and get really tough on some family members when a simple posting on facebook about not being able to have Thanksgiving here turned into a battle for my sanity because people took offence to not being told personally. They never seemed to get that it was never a personal attack on them.. just the only way I could communicate at that time unless they stopped by. Kindness is something I think the world needs more of. People not judging others. Now I am in no way perfect in this regard. I try but there are times when you just seem to think the worst no matter what. I will admit that when people were questioning me about why I did things the way I did over Thanksgiving I jumped to the worst about them. I was tired of fighting to see the good in everyone at that time that I gave in. Why ask me why I did that way instead of just realizing that maybe my heart was breaking over it too? I saw the worst in the questions, and maybe it was because I was expecting the worst from people who have problems taking things in the worst way. Every once in a while I see myself surrounded by all these negative people and no matter what good thoughts and feelings are put towards actions or words said, they take it all in the most negative way possible. It is exhausting thinking of the most negative things people will do or say over what you do so that you might change it before you do it so they might not have the chance to take it the wrong way. Everyone was born good. We must all remember that. So I am truly sorry to those many people through out my my life I may have hurt through my judgements. To the bullies in school who needed someone to push around and abuse because they were too hurt themselves inside to make themselves feel of worth any other way. To the people I pass on the street and make sure I avoid because my first thought is that you may hurt me because you look so different. To those people who were amazing souls that I may have hurt because I too at the time didn't know how to make myself feel like I was worth something and felt the need to lift myself up, I am truly sad over those times. Mostly I am sorry to those people I may have misunderstood while I was sick. I took all your actions and selfish and cruel when they may not have been. They still hurt that you would take my actions as an attack on you but I see now you were hurting too. I can not let myself get into such things again and may not be able to be friends again with you for sometime but I truly hope and wish for the best for you. I just can't be the person you need right now... not yet. This video will help remind me everyday what I hope to one day be like. Please take a long look at yourself and see if you can be as understanding as this amazing man.

Claudia's New Favorite

2011-04-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Every watch a Disney movie and think "Wow that character looks just my kid and acts like them too!" Well we have and it is Disney's new Tangled. It is her FAVORITE movie now because its her and she says she has Rapunzel hair. Oh Yeah that what she says.. "Mom look at my Punzel Hair, it's borgous!" "Mom we need to brush my Punzel hair" she even now sings the Healing song when we brush her hair now. Well as well as a 3 year old can sign the song which means we get the line "let your power shine" repeated over and over again. I would find it annoying if it wasn't soo darn cute! So for those few people who haven't seen the movie yet, but more for those of us who have and Love it.. here is a clip of Rapunzel singing the Healing Incantation from Disney's Tangled. Enjoy!

Looking for Suggestions

2011-04-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

So I am working on getting my family back on track with chores, schedule, and house rules after things went awry back when I got sick and never seemed to pick back up. I have designated a corner of my living room that we see every morning and night when the family does scriptures and prayers as our posting corner. In it I have a cork board for posting notes too and lists too, a white board for the daily chores and other cool messages, a daily schedule written up for both school days and non school days, and the last thing I am working on is a list of house rules. Now this is where you, my amazing friends and family come in. I have a few that I have had over the years that have stuck around, but I want to know what you all have for house rules that help maintain peace, order, and general happiness around your house. This has been part of my struggles with getting the house organized into the home I have always wanted so I need to know what you do that works. Would LOVE to hear them all. Also a BIG THANKS to that special friend who is helping my learn to organize my home in a way that will make it easier for everyone to help keep it clean instead of me doing all the work and doing 100x more than I need to be doing.

And for a touch of fun to this post... Here is one of the Food Sculptures Tommy made at Easter Dinner on Sunday. He would change it everytime he ate something. Glad he enjoyed his dinner :)

I Heart Faces: Pets

2011-04-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

So the I Heart Faces challenge this week is Pets and My first thought was of the shot I had to fight to get of butterscotch playing peek-a-boo with Claudia when we were packing up the Christmas decorations at the beginning of the year. That is the photo I am going to be posting for my share this week. It is so rare that Butterscotch wants to play with Claudia and it just brings back happy feelings. Enjoy!

Also check out the other amazing Pets faces at

New Photos!

2011-04-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

So it has been December 2008 since we have had a family photo taken. We didn't do that on purpose but things just got away from us. So yesterday as our family aster present to our selves we went to the Park and using my timer on this camera for the first time I set it up and even though I needed to crop it a bit I think it turned out great. I have some great ideas for when we do it next time :) I also took some shots of each of the kids, and Mike as well. I wish I had thought to hand the camera over and get mine taken too... maybe next time. But for now enjoy my first attempt at taking our own Family Photos.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

So today we get up, enjoy the fun of finding some Easter games and goodies hidden around the yard. We make a yummy meal of ham and potatoes and other yummy stuff. We eat and celebrate our family being together. But all of that comes because one person sacrifice for us. With out Jesus' Love and Compassion for all of us, we would have nothing to live for. He gave us eternal life. I am grateful everyday for all the my family and I have been given. Here is a little tradition we include in our egg hunt every year to help remind us why we celebrate this day. We got the idea from a primary activity when we lived back in Squamish and have done it ever since:
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The Story of Easter: Easter Egg Hunt

Put the following items into Easter eggs along with the corresponding scriptures. This would be great for Family Home Evening -- Have an Easter egg hunt and then open the eggs and read the scriptures for the lesson. Make sure you number the eggs with a sharpie so you know which order to open them. Enjoy!

1. Sacrament Cup

2. 3 dimes

3. Knotted twine

4. Chunk of soap

5. Square of red velvet

6. Toothpick or pipe cleaner cross & tiny nail

7. Small pair of dice, small square of white cloth

8. Tiny bag of crushed rock, soil

9. A stone

10. A small stone

11. Whole cloves (or similar spice)

12. Empty

1. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 36:39

2. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 26:14,15 (This fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-14 that Jesus would be sold for thirty pieces of silver.)

3. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people too counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him,they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Matthew 27:1-2

4. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Matthew 27:24-26

5. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! And they spit upon him on the head. Matthew 27:28-30

6. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him the compelled to bear his cross. Matthew 27:31-32 And He was crucified…..nailed to the cross. Press this nail into your hand, feel how it must have hurt.

7. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet…..And sitting down they watched him there. Matthew 27:35-36

8. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;…..Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. Matthew 27:50-51, 54

9. (Then Joseph, a rich man) went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock. Matthew 27:57-60

10. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. Pilate said unto them (the chief priests and Pharisees), Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. Matthew 27:60,65-66

11. And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and come and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. And the angel said unto the women, Fear not ye: For I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. Mark 16:1 & Matthew 28:6

12. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Matthew 28:6
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Also here is a repost of the Mormon Message I posted at the beginning of the month. Enjoy and remember that while you have fun with your family today, why we are able to do that.

More than I ever expected..

2011-04-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

So the count down is on to when have my "freetime" back. I know my house will love the extra attention it is craving. What I am blogging about today though is my admiration for my Aunt MaryLyn who does taxes and works another job and takes care of her family. I have seen her over the years spending many late nights up sorting through papers and mg sure her clients were well taken care of. I didn't truly realise how much she put in until they started having me do the long haul truckers files. The first one I ever did took me 2 days to get through and that was just going through the log book. One of the seniors finished the rest up for me as this was my learning one. The lasest one took me 4 LONG hours to get the log book done and this morning I finish him off! I am excited and nervous all at the same time. It has given me that much more epect for what my Aunt does and I want her to know how much I love her. Hope your last 16 days of this crazy season go smooth and without too much last minute hussle ;)! For all of you who haven't done your taxes yet... you have until April 30th to get them done.... only 16 more days!! And what is a post without a picture... here is a glimps at the paperwork involved in doing a long haul truckers tax return.

P.S. this is my first Blog post straight from my phone and how fun is this!!

A Much Needed Rest

2011-04-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

So this week I have only 2 days where I am working. I was getting so exhausted that it was getting hard to think straight. I knew it was going to be tough working for these few months, but I kept the light at the end of the tunnel in mind... Debts paid faster and it was only until the end of April. There was days even still that it seemed like it would never end. 9hour days working plus still having to come home and make dinner and get kids into, not to mention cleaning. There were a few days I passed out the second I sat down while waiting for the oven timer to go off. It turns out that I wasn't the only one.

Ben has been struggling through these past months but didn't want to let me know. He took on a lot of responsibility being the oldest and wanting to help out. I found out yesterday that he was struggling most with getting his homework done these past few months. Now this young man amazes me everyday with all he does. He gets up at 5:30am every morning to deliver 2 paper routes that he has had since he was 9, he is President of the Deacon's Quorum, he helps out around the house, he babysits when needed, plus he goes gets himself into things like exchange programs to Toronto, and writes poetry and stories that people want to publish. He is normally an A student as well. Now he has had a few struggles this year with getting use to having homework as his last school didn't challenge his brilliant mind enough. We had a great system going on and I thought things were going well until yesterday. It turns out the added babysitting from me working has cause him to get exhausted as well and his homework is what he thought he could go without doing. I got his pre-report card yesterday and it says that he has a lot of missing assignments. When I asked him about it he broke down telling me how tired he is and he didn't want me to worry since I am not working that much longer. It broke my heart. So this week has been a nice needed rest. I only work the 2 days Mike has off work so Ben can focus on his studies so he can get caught back up before the Toronto kids come here and he needs to take another week off of school so they can show them around our little city and area. The next couple of weeks after this one will be a tough run as we do the mad rush of all those people who wait until the last minute to file their taxes.

All this is just another test and rough patch while we get back on our feet. In the meantime here is a little pic of fun as Claudia tries to be a little like her Daddy. Hope your first of the year has been well for you.

Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration

2011-04-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this movie and it really brings to life all those things I believe. I was sooo happy to find out this morning that we can view the whole movie on line now so I am sharing it with everyone and anyone. It will be our Family Home evening Movie this week. Please enjoy!!

What helps keep you moving?

2011-04-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ok it is no secret I am not a fan of cleaning, but it is a necessary evil that I much do everyday. It is also no secret I LOVE music. I love almost all kinds for various reasons and situations. However when I clean I need something that is fun and keeps me moving. Now I can't go buy a ton of Cd's and as much as I like our local radio stations the songs repeat too much and I don't enjoy all of it.. and to be honest how much of it really motivates you to clean?? It is also no secret that I LOVE Disney movies and have most of them memorized as do my kids. So a about a year ago I discovered a magical Internet radio station that is magical to me... almost literally ;) it is called DTunes Radio. It is everything Disney, including soundtracks from the theme parks (which makes me want to go more). Best part is you can request songs and make a play list that has those songs on it that keep you moving and in a good mood. My favorite is to start out with "Happy Working Song" from the movie Enchanted. It is just a great way to start out a job... and so fun. and then I go from there. I know this is not for everyone but that's why I ask, what gets you going? What helps you make a not so fun job more enjoyable? The kids like turning chores into games.
For those who may want to check out the station that keeps me moving go check them out here:

His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration

2011-04-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Something to reflect upon as we enter into April, and start worrying about what to buy for Easter with all the candy and other things the stores and movies push upon us. This is where it all began.. no Candy or Chocolate.. but Blood and pure Love.

How do they do it??

2011-03-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ok so for the past 3 months I have gone to tax school and then been working at H&R Block. I have to say I have grown a deep respect for mothers who do this all the time.. not just the few months I have been doing but full time. How do they seriously juggle it all. There are days when I get home from work and feel like I can just drop but still have to make dinner for the kids and everything else. I am lucky enough to only have 1 more month of this and then I can go back to life as usual here, with a few less bills and debts thanks to this job. I will have to say.. now that I know what I am getting into... next year I will have a better plan in place for this. For now I tip my hat to those amazing parents who are able to juggle all of their hats with style and grace... you are all an inspiration to us.

Great Grandma's are Great!

2011-03-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

So I have had the privilege of knowing most of my Great Grandma's in my life and it it a joy that my kids have also had the same opportunity. Last October my Grandma Brooks came for a visit and I took that visit as a chance to get a picture of her with each of her Great Grandkids she has here. What a treasure for them to have in the future but I wanted to create something special for her as well. So I hopped on to my Heritage Makers site and created a little canvas for Grandma to have and enjoy. We started from scratch and the kids knew her favorite color is brown and we went from there. Each kid picked their favorite picture they had taken with her and we arranged them in a nice order. We then went through and found some word strips and the kids picked out the ones they thought best described her. after everything was done we had a beautiful canvas. We had it printed and mailed directly to her so that she would have it during all the snowy times. When she received it in the mail it was such a lovely surprise. What a great way for us to tell her how much we love her and all she does. I wanted to share this little project with you today to inspire you to make a little something special for someone in your life today. It doesn't have to be a canvas but if you want to or want to see what other things you can do with your photos for gifts go check out lovelyheartsmemories.com. Enjoy!

Families Can Be Together Forever

2011-03-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I have been doing taxes this year as a seasonal job to help us pay off our debt and to also help us get back on track with our budget after Christmas. It has been challenging, rewarding, frustrating, and oh so many other things. We as a family have had to adjust our lives around me not being home all the time. This has really made me think about family values. I know this job is only 3 months long and the sacrifice of the family will bring rewards in the end of a new vehicle so we can travel again, or a step closer to buying our own home. But what is an eternal family? An Eternal family is those people who share our lives, through the tough and good times. They support each other, work together. They pray together, read together, and look after each other. They are not selfish and worry about who gets all the money and think about where's my cut, your so unfair. They don't worry about who is doing more work and when do they get what they feel is theirs. They serve each other, with thoughts of complete love and not thoughts of "you owe me". It's a fine line, as we struggle to maintain that selfishness in our family while the world and Lucifer are out there trying to convince us that these things are not true. I have watched other families struggle with these issues of what they think they are fairly do. They twist facts around in their heads to make it so the other person is always at fault while missing the fact that they are both at fault. We were not sent to the earth to learn how to make your partner suffer no matter how much they may have hurt you. An eternal family does not have those feelings, but instead feelings of love and understanding. I am sad as I see those around me struggle with this and even more come into my office to get their taxes done telling me stories of the same. I am even more sad as I see the seeds of this starting in family that will drive a wedge in our eternal family. I see it in myself when I come home and see a mess where I use to have clean and feel angry that no one could pick up the slack. I see it in my husband who feels it is unfair for him to have to do extra around the house just because for 3 months I am working too. I see it in my kids who feel that they shouldn't have to help out with extra chores while one of them is away... and I struggle to know how to get rid of that wedge. It's funny how you don't notice things like that until sometimes it is a major problem. I don't think ours is a major problem yet, and that may be the blessing of seeing all those who it is too late for around me. These things all come back to one of my favorite primary songs when I was a kid, Families Can Be Together Forever... I want this, I have always wanted this, and I know as I pray and search I will find the solution to get this wedge out of our family. I hope for those out there who may be struggling like us that you can find it too. For now here is a Mormon Message that Primary song. Enjoy.

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

2011-03-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Oh what a happy day!! I just picked up my computer from the store after waiting for almost 2 months for it to get fixed. I is hard to post on the kids computer one.. because I have to use a second screen with it because the laptop screen is cracked which also means I can't take it to the room I am in.. hence I am NEVER on it. Oh what a Lucky day to get my phone call today to save me from everything!
However this is still a quick post as I have lots of other things to catch-up on.. like 800 emails!! Facebook, Heritage Makers Projects and soo much more.

Before I sign off for today ( promise I will post tomorrow!) Here is a St.Patty's Vintage Card from this amazing site Enjoy!

Laptops...

2011-02-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

.... and I just don't seem to get along. Yep, you guessed it, my laptop is down again and has been sent off for repairs. This is why I bought one that cam with the extra great warranty, so that when I have problems, I can get it fixed or replaced during the first 2 years. It started with my fan... it died so my cool computer started over heating and shutting itself off. Next was my card reader on Sunday... it wouldn't read my cards hence the use of Cloe holding up heart toast for my I Heart Faces entry. Cute as it is I had an even better one of Cloe hold a ribbon heart I had made why giving Ben a kiss on the cheek. I didn't plan it but it was so cute! So yesterday as one of my birthday gifts to myself I got a ride to Visions where I bought my computer and dropped it off for repairs. Unfortunately it might take up to or longer than 6 weeks because they have to send it away! So I did all of my facebook of my cell phone yesterday to say Thank-you to all my amazing friends and family who made the day feel that much more special with your facebook posts and phone calls even though I didn't do anything really great an wonderful. I enjoyed a LONG sleep in, followed by a simple brunch in bed. I watched My Hans Christian Anderson movie again (never get tired of that one) and then caught up on some PVR'd shows before Candy showed up to take me out. I dropped off my computer then went back to her place for dinner and a TV movie before we were to head to the Photography Club here in PG. We didn't make it that far as Ben was struggling with kids at home so instead I was treated to a DQ Banana split and came home to get the little ones reigned back in and settled down to reading all my amazing wall posts over my cell and watching some more PVR'd shows. It was a quiet day really and that was nice. Ben cleaned up the ciaos that happened in the brief time I was gone so I didn't have to do any cleaning. So like I said.. nothing fancy, but still perfect in it's own little way. So while I am here on Ben's computer I will grab a quick photo off my memory card and share it with you as a post is just not the same without one. This is Matt playing with the same ribbon heart I told you about earlier. How was your day yesterday?

I Heart Faces - Hearts

2011-02-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

Oh What fun it is Hearts week! I didn't have much time to take the picture I saw in my head for this challenge but I still have one to enter. Last week when we made our brunch we used a heart cookie cutter to cut out the center of the bread and then toasted the middles. So My entry picture is Cloe blowing her Daddy a kiss while showing him her toast that she spread some red jam on.

Check out the other great entries at

God Gave Them Knowledge

2011-02-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have been talking a lot to my kids about how they can be the people they want to be. How seeking out those things that are good, following the rules, and obeying the commandments can help them achieve their goals. I have read them the scripture stories but I found this video on the institute section of Mormon Message on YouTube and it brought the stories to life and they understand it more now. So today I thought I would share with you the story of David that helped my kids gain knowledge.

My Crazy Life

Sam's Review of the Movie Tintin

Weigh in Wednesday, A New Year

Forgotten... ?

THE WHITE STOCKING

The Coat: A Story of Charity

Santa Arrives in Style!!

Christmas Concert 2011

Twilight, The Kitty

Sam's Articles

Withthe Christmas break coming up soon I wanted to make a list of movies I wantedHarwin students to check out. I turned it into a survey and these are the top10 results starting with number 10.

10. TheSanta Clause Series

9.Nightmare Before Christmas (This is the one I thought would be number 1!)

8.The Muppet Christmas Carol

7. Elf

6.The Night before Christmas

5.The Polar Express tied with Charlie Brown Christmas (I thought Polar Expresswould outrank Charlie Brown Christmas!)

4.Snow/Santa Buddies

3. Howthe Grinch Stole Christmas

2. Shrekthe Halls (This one was winning when I got to the 1st grade class,so I thought it would win or tie with Nightmare Before Christmas!)

1.Home Alone Series

Thislist surprised me a little but it is still a great list. As a special note tomy sister I also recommend checking out Barbie’s a Perfect Christmas, shereally loves it. Have a Happy Holiday Season and good movie watching.

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Little Drummer Boy

A Gift to the World

Faces of the Nativity - A celebration of Jesus Christ

Festival of the Trees

Crazy Saturday

Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them

My Daughter, The Artist.

Some Photo Fun

Some Green Screen Fun

A Book of Mormon Story

Happy Halloween!

Weigh In Wednesday and Getting Back On Track

MMMMM Make Your Own Pizza Night

Just a few Things I want to share

Weigh In Wednesday, Birthdays and Thanksgiving

Opportunities to Do Good

MMmmmm YUM!

Did You Know?

Weigh In Wednesday and What I am learning about me

The First Dance Class

Out of Baking Powder!?!

Recommended by My Young Men

Cloe and Mom Thursday

Weigh-In Wednesday and being OK

My Special Project Revealed

Forget Me Not

New Favorite Song

Weigh-in Wednesday...reborn... not so pretty

Grandma's Wisdom

I Heart Faces: A Touch of Sun

Flecks of Gold

Something I have missed

Speaking of Inspiration

Great People

Starting to Get back to Normal

Have I mentioned...

I Heart Faces: Back to School

Moments that Matter Most

Late Night Adventure

First Day of School

New Collection, Need Some Help

What Matters Most

Safe Place to Sleep

Ben's Camping trip with Tim Hortons, a Guest post :)

Getting really excited!

Congratulations Maria :)

Wednesday.... but not weighing in.

I Heart Faces: Beautiful Eyes

Something to check out

Weigh In Wednesday

A Sad State of Humanity

Weigh in Wednesday

Something to think about

Weigh-in Wednesday... yep it's time again

Weigh In Wednesday... A Day Late :S

Something Uplifting

Weigh In Wednesday week 2

2. Shrekthe Halls (This one was winning when I got to the 1^st grade class,so I thought it would win or tie with Nightmare Before Christmas!)