Making a Difference!

On Friday night we had a "girls night out," with my mom, Tiffany, me and my sisters friend. We went out for supper to East Side Mario's (LOVE that place) and then off to a movie. For any of you who haven't seen "The Pursuit of Happiness," it is a MUST see! The determination of some people just blows me away. The things that people go through in order to gain a better life amazes me. My heart ached for "Chris" as he struggled to provide for his family. Ultimately his wife couldn't take it anymore and left him. But he would NOT give up. He wanted a better life for himself and his son, and in the end that is exactly what he got. It was a happy emotional end, and such a great movie about how the human race really can over come any obstacle, it just depends on how bad you want something! As I watched the movie I was thinking about how BLESSED I am! I have strong, beautiful children, who really want for nothing. They never have to worry about their next meal. They always know that they will go to bed with a full tummy. They never have to worry about clothes on their back...in fact some clothes they never get a chance to wear because they have out grown it. They have WAY to many clothes, my weakness I guess. They never have to worry about where they are going to sleep at night. The have the assureity that there will be a warm, safe bed to sleep in. In a home where there is love and protection. They never have to worry about going to a daycare where people don't "care" for them. They have a mother who chooses to stay home and make sure they get the very best of everything. I am grateful, in every way that my children don't have to suffer. They have what they need, and more. I have a husband who loves me and is a very hard worker and an excellent provider for his family. I live in a country where there is peace and harmony where I can choose and act for myself. Still in my mind I am constantly in the pursuit of happiness. I want to be happy with who I am, and the way I live my life. I want to better myself in so many ways, for I am not yet perfect nor with I ever be. I think that in life we need to constantly be trying to be a little better, more kind to those we love. We need to reach out to our community and help where we can. There is so much MORE I could be doing. More time I could give. So I have decided that I AM going to do MORE. I have a little project in my mind that I would like to start doing. And if everything turns out I will be able to do a little good in the community. Although I am a busy mother I know that others could benefit from what I could give them. Even if it is just a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. That could be my service, my gift back, for all that I have been given. So in the coming weeks I am going to have this in the for front of my mind as I go about my day. I will be looking for ways I can serve others, and maybe make a difference in someones life. We all have a lot we can give. We just have to make the commitment to do something!

2 = BIG TROUBLE!

Today Tyson went to school with a good attitude about telling his teacher he was sorry. He knew that he didn't behave properly and that the right thing to do was to apologize. When he came home he was all smiles and a very happy boy. He told me he was very good, and told Miss Rita that he was sorry and that he would try very hard not to act naughty again. He also came home with his artwork, which was BEAUTIFUL! So it was a great day at pre-school, and I think Tyson learned a valuable lesson. One that I hope he remembers for a long time.

Have you ever stopped to watch two 2 year olds together? They can get into ALOT of trouble in a very short amount of time! I was watching my nephew yesterday and Tyson and I decided to go outside and shovel the driveway. Both babies (Carson & Hunter) were happy to stay inside and watch us work through the window. There were entertained by watching us and the dog play outside. Most of the time I could see them through the window, but there was a brief period of time when they were now where to be seen. Needless to say when I came into the house...there was a disaster! The little monkeys had gotten in to the pantry and pulled out a new roll of tin foil and had it unrolled ALL over the place. They had opened a can of cashews and spilled them everywhere. They tipped over a plant and had a hay day playing in the dirt. WOW my semi clean house now looked like a tornado had hit. These two boys are sure mischievous and now just how to push my buttons. I have to constantly be watching them like a hawk or a disaster with strike. I am happy thought that these two cousins play (get into trouble) so well. They will grow up and be the best of friends. But man can they ever MAKE A MESS!

I have been baking and cooking up a store ALL day, while trying to watch 6 boys! Yes I know I am CRAZY. But it is my day to take snack to our parent pre-school group so that meant making mini banana muffins, and a to die for Almond Bunt Cake for the adults. Well I guess we will see how "to die for " it is tomorrow when we eat it. I decided to try something new. I didn't want to have to go to the grocery store so I had to find a recipe with ingredients I had on hand. Amongst all this I managed to make 6 dozen double chocolate chip cookies. And this morning I pre-made out supper for the evening. Yes I was busy!

The past few days I have been able to do a few more layouts. It feels great to be scrapbooking again! I have purchased some new supplies off of eBay and can't wait for them to start coming in the mail so I can PLAY!

What A Day!

I got this little blurb from my dad this morning and though that it was SO true. If only a woman's life were as easy as a man's. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Men Are Just Happier People

What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time.Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache..You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.No wonder men are happier.

On another note, today was NOT a good day at pre-school for Tyson. He came out of the room sobbing. His teacher abruptly told me that he got his art work taken away because he was shooting with it and playing guns. I didn't like the way she told me, even though I'm sure what she told me was the truth. I felt that she should have taken me aside with Tyson and told me what happened and what her and Tyson decided they were going to do about the situation for the next day. So I had to deal with a sobbing child, and the humiliation that "MY CHILD" wasn't a perfect little angel at school. I totally agree with his teacher that that behavior is NOT accepted. I don't know what has gotten into him lately. Is it only my child that doesn't behave properly at school? I am beginning to wonder. I have spoken to him many times about how we should act at school, about what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't. So why isn't he getting it? I have totally cut back on his t.v. watching and have been monitoring what he has been watching. I am cutting out ALL violent shows completely. He just catches on to things way to easily and then he tells me he was just using his imagination. LOL, he is a clever kid. All the way home today he cried as I talked to him about his punishment. No t.v. for the rest of the day, and he was getting X's through is left over square, so that means NO MONEY. He was upset, but hey when you don't behave you have a punishment. I am hoping and praying that he will clue in and that Thursday will be a better day! I registered Tyson for Kindergarten on Monday, now I am wondering if he is ready for it. I know there is still 5 months left of pre-school and hopefully by then we will have ironed out any little kinks he has. I am hoping that he will be ready for Kindergarten and that I won't regret my decision for not holding him back in pre-school for another year.

Edit: I wish I could have recorded Tyson's prayer tonight. He was so sincere when he asked Heavenly Father to please help him be a better boy at school, and not be so naughty. He said he was really, really, super duper sorry for being a bad boy. Tonight as we read the story about Alma The Younger and how he learned to apologize sincerely, it was a perfect story to end out of crazy day. It was easy to teach Tyson that once we say we are sorry and are really sorry for it, that we must never do it again. So he could relate easily to this story. We spoke about how he needed to apologize to Miss Rita and then never disobey her again. I told him that I new he was a good boy, but sometimes we make mistakes and we need to apologize and then try very hard not to make the same mistake. I told him to look at his CTR ring (yes I went and bought another one) and that would remind him to always choose the right. It was a great teaching opportunity, and I actually think he understood it. So we will see how Thursday goes when he apologizes to his teacher.

As for my day I was able to scrapbook a page. Yahoo! I love how it turned out! I love the picture of Carson. I remember the day well, he was so happy to be playing. Even looking at this picture I realize just how much he HAS grown in 6 months. I am hoping to complete some more pages in the next few days. I realized just how much I have missed scrapbooking. It is such a relaxing thing for me to do. Most of all I love how I am capturing my children's childhood and putting all of our fun memories to paper. I hope one day they will enjoy looking through these books as much as do.

Today I saw the cutest craft! Every morning I look forward to reading a few blogs. These are people I have come to know strictly through their blog and the very casual email. These two girls totally inspire me. One is young with a busy young family like me and I can totally relate to her. She is SUPER talented and accomplishes more in 1 day than I do in a week. She always has good advice and great scrapbooking/craft ideas. So here the craft she made the other day. I fell in love with the wreath, and wanted to find a LOVE quote of my own for the plaque in the middle. I found this quote and man how true it is! It really struck home for me. "Where there is LOVE in the heart, there is JOY in the home." I don't know who said it, but it has become my new motto. The other girl who I look forward to reading about is Sophia. She is spunky, and full of the BEST advice. She is so organized. I don't think I know of a more organized person than her. She has a list for everything. She is such a genuine person, and I wish that I new her in person. But as I have read these 2 blogs for the past year, I really do feel I know them.

EDIT: Tonight after I put the kids to bed I finished ANOTHER layout. Yippee. I'll share it tomorrow. Anyway I was browsing a few blogs and I had to share this picture with you. Isn't it the most beautiful picture! Teri is such an AMAZING photographer! If I lived closer I would have her take pictures of my beauties too. Anyway, just had to share :)

Busy Life!

I have been SO busy the past few days. Life just seems to get so busy, and I find myself taking on way to much at a time. But I think I would rather be busy than not. Seems that every night this week I have had something to do. Tonight we are going to the Keg for Tyler's belated Christmas party. And tomorrow I am taking a good friend out for her birthday. So those things will be fun. It has been SO nice to have Tyson back in school. He is happy to go and be with his friends again. I am thankful for the 3 hours break in the afternoon twice a week.

I can't believe that Kindergarten registration is next week. I am having a hard time deciding if Tyson should go to Kindergarten or do one more year of pre-school. I am leaning more towards sending him to Kindergarten. His birthday is in August, so I don't feel that is too late in the year to put him ahead. I know there is lots of debate over this situation, and it seems every parents has their own opinion. It is just so hard to know what to do!

I actually scrapbooked today. I finally got around to doing a project that I wanted to do at the beginning of the school year. I scrapped a large wood clothes pin and put a magnet on the back. That way all of Tyson's school stuff and be hung up on the fridge with this cute magnet. Here is a picture. I just bought a ton of scrapbook stuff off eBay. I really need to catch up on the kids books. also I want to get back into doing projects for Paper Crafts. I have missed being involved with that. Now all I need to do is get some inspiration, and get my scrapping mojo back!

It Didn't Last Very Long!

If you read my post from yesterday you will see that cute, adorable picture of Tyson with his new C.T.R. ring on. Well he LOST it already! He had it lost by the end of the night. Somehow I knew it wasn't going to last. I was so excited for him, and I thought that maybe just maybe he would have taken better care of it. But I noticed that he was fidgeting with it and putting it on different fingers so it really doesn't' surprise me that he lost it. Hopefully it will turn up though...I'm sure it is in the couch or underneath something if only I took the time to look for it.

I also mentioned that I was starting a t.v. chart with him. Well so far...so good. He only used 3 of his squares today = 1 hour of t.v. and 1/2 hour of computer. He did mention to me thought that he wished I would have never made the chart (as he points to it.) That kid is very cleaver and smart. He knew exactly how much time he had left and exactly what and when he wanted to use it. I am going to think of some reward system for him though. If he has a certain amount of squares that he didn't use then he will get to go to the Movie Mill for a movie and popcorn. I think it is good to reward him for his efforts.

I am SO excited that tomorrow Tyson goes back to school. Yahoo! The Christmas holiday seems to have gone on WAY to long. I have spoken to some other parents and kids as well and they are all ready to go back to school, or have their children back in school. So tomorrow it is back on schedule, back on track. And tomorrow Tyson also starts skating. He is excited this time to go skating, unlike last year when we had to drag him kicking and screaming.

I also mentioned that I was going to get up at 7 a.m. and excersise or read my scriptures...well that didn't happen. I just couldn't make myself get up at 7! First I pushed the snooze button, and then I just turned the alarm off all together. But when I did get up I managed to walk on the treadmill for a good 15 minutes, and I worked up quite the sweat. My goal was to walk 30 minutes but the kids were getting hungry so I had to cut it short. There is always tomorrow though!

C.T.R.

Today in church all the younger kids (18 and younger) were moved up a class in Sunday school. So that meant that Tyson is no longer a Sunbeam, but a C.T.R. which stands for Choose The Right. He was SO excited, and even more excited when he was finished his class. He couldn't wait to show me all the cool stuff he got. He got a cool CTR ring ( a power ring is what he called it), and a small Styrofoam cup that he planted a seed in. He also got this cool rubber bracelet like the yellow Lance Armstrong ones. His says "Coaldale Primary, and Follow Him In Faith, " which is their theme in Primary this year. It is so great to see him excited about church. I hope he keeps this excitement and enthusiasm for a very long time!

Carson had his 2nd birthday on the 29th of December. I feel so bad for the little guy having his birthday right after Christmas. It seems he doesn't get the attention that other kids do whose birthdays aren't around the holidays. I figure that next year I am going to have his party WAY before the holidays, that way he will get the same amount of attention, and he will know what is going on. This year we just had a small party at home with Grandma & Grandpa Jensen, and Auntie and Hunter. We roasted hot dogs in the wood stove downstairs. It was fun, and the hot dogs were delicious! Carson was so funny when it came time to blow out the candles. He wanted to touch the flame. What a silly boy! Carson is such a sweet boy. He is very sensitive and I love that about him. He is tender hearted and loves to comfort others when they are sad. This boy LOVES cars! He will play with them ALL DAY LONG, for hours. He doesn't' need anyone to entertain him, he entertains himself. This next year he is going to change a lot I know it. He will start talking more and being even more independent. It is going to be fun to see him grow and develop. I love this little BOY!

A Few Changes...

AGHHHH! I have no idea why my blog looks so funny. Everything looks good when I preview it, but on the actual site it is all screwy! Oh well, I don't want to fiddle with my template just yet. Maybe it is a problem with blogger and it will get fixed on its own. I have my fingers crossed :) As you can see I totally changed my blog around. I kind of like the clean-ness of it all. We'll see how long it lasts though. LOL!

This week seems to have gone by VERY slow! I can't wait for next week when Tyson will be back in school. I know it is only 2 half days, but man does that ever make a difference. Time for him to get back to his regular schedule, and discipline. Tyler and I have decided that we need to make a schedule for the amount of time that he watches t.v. He watches WAY TO MUCH! It is just SO easy for me to say "go watch t.v." so that I can get some things done, or if I want to have a rest. But I am beginning to see the error of my ways. He is picking up on to many things, and he is getting way to involved in every t.v. show he watches. He knows all the songs, and characters to most of the children's shows. NOT GOOD! So we have decided to start with limiting him to 2 hours a day. Now that may sound like a lot, but it really is a BIG cut back. So we will see how it goes. I am going to let him choose exactly when he wants to watch t.v. If he wants to watch a movie that is going to take a big chunk out of his two hours, but that will be his choice. Monday is the day we are going to start. I thought I would just do it for the 5 weekdays and see how it goes for the month. Not only will it be a change for Tyson, it is going to be a change for me too!

Also on Monday I am going to start a new routine for myself. I need to wake up earlier instead of sleeping in until the kids get up. I figure I could use that hour between 7 & 8 to do quite a few things. Exercise is one of the things I would like to start doing. I heard on a talk show awhile ago that if you walked for 30 minutes 3 days a week for 3 months you could add 3 years to your life. Now that sounds good to me! I can also use that hour to read the scriptures and just meditate. So 7 a.m. on Monday I will be up and walking on my treadmill. But first I will have to dust it off. LOL!

Sledding...

Living in Coaldale there aren't too many hills to go sledding on...in fact there is only 1. Unfortunatly we live in an area that is pretty flat, unlike the area where I grew up. We live right across the street from the "hill" so when it snows it is fun to watch the kids go sledding, or snowboarding. Tyson has always enjoyed sledding so we bundled up and headed to the hill. There was a little jump made by one of the kids, and Tyson couldn't wait to take his sled over it. It was pretty funny to watch him. He loved every minute of it. Check out the video!

This week has been pretty laid back. No school for Tyson until next Tuesday, so we don't have anything that needs to be done, or anywhere to go. It is nice to just relax and stay home once in awhile. We didn't do anything big for New Year's. We had our friends over and enjoyed a great dinner and then later when the kids were in bed we played Risk, my new favorite game. I won both games...I am the ultimate destroyer! It was fun to play something different. We were all so into the game that we actually missed the countdown by 15 seconds or so. So that tells you we must have been enjoying the game a lot! It is great to have good friends. Ones where you can just be yourself and they accept you for that. It is even better when you have kids the same age who get along and love to hang out together as much as the adults.