Rescued

This past week was a little funny...and a LOT busy.
And you can read ALL about it .....HERE
We brought home a new friend.
And here's the whole story.......
I was looking around on Craigslist at all kinds of stuff. I always look at the pets while I'm on there. So this time was no different. I saw a post about a poodle/schnauzer mix and it caught my attention because of course (but maybe you didn't know) Schnauzers are my FAVORITE breed.
So I looked at it and found that this dog had been left in someone's back yard and they had MOVED!!!!
I had to help it. And so we went and got him and brought him home.
The next day I took him and bought a collar and leash...and also a new toy.
When we got home with the toy, the Yorkie got a little possessive of it, and they got in a fight.
We had a family thing to go to and, after that little outburst, I was nervous to leave the dogs home alone for a long period of time, especially since he was new and I didn't really have a clear idea how they would get along yet. So we took him with us.
While at the family function, one of my sisters seemed very interested in him. Eventually, as the night was winding down, and people were beginning to get ready to leave, I asked her if she wanted him. I had not planned on this, but she just seemed so smitten with him, and they have had such bad luck with finding a dog that fits their family in the past. And from what I knew of this dog (so far) and what I know of my sister and her family, I thought he might be a perfect fit. So I offered. And she talked it over with her husband. They decided to take him home on a trial run. Because, you know, they hadn't planned on getting a dog that day either. haha
So the cute little 2 year old, 9 lb, mutt of a dog, with the under bite, and the ugly haircut (that is better than what it was when I got him, and will grow out anyway), and the sweetest personality and disposition, went home with my sister and her fam that night.
I was sad that night. And the kids were sad too. But I figure if he works out for their family then that's awesome- he will finally have a loving home. And if he doesn't work out for them, he will have a loving home with us.
My sister joked that I am now going to be the rescue dog lady that finds the perfect dog for families that are looking. I hope not! Even thought we hadn't really bonded with that dog yet, it was hard to give him to someone else! I couldn't imagine doing it all the time!!!

I can find A blessing

I just posted a real downer post on my other blog, so I decided that I need to think on my blessings for a moment and see what I can think of to get myself out of this awful mood.

I was able to spend some time with my husband today. Something that doesn't seem to happen much lately. And it is really hard for me because my love language is quality time. So I've been feeling pretty unloved and neglected. But we spent some time together. And that was lots of fun.

And he got me this.....

........and this........

Let's "take ten"...or "ten time"

Whatever you choose to call it, it's MAGIC!
I recently purchased an online parenting course.
I have only been trying to think about some of the things they talked about in the free webinar (the link is the recording of it) I watched, and already I am seeing a difference in my home. And in my children.
But the real difference? It's ME.
I'm behaving differently, so my children are too.

In the first lesson we are given the "Mind, Body, & Soul Time" tool.
Which is- 10 minutes 2x a day with each child ONE ON ONE.
We have chosen to call it take ten or ten time.
We did it yesterday for the first time.
It was great.
The biggest challenge? One child not interrupting the other's ten time.
I'm sure it will come. With time. And consistency.
Just like everything in life.

Blessings Noticed

Today I was driving in the car with my family.
My children wanted to listen to the "Friend" magazine on the Mormon Channel radio.
We do this often.
We have the app on our phones.
Tonight as we were listening to the March 2011 issue
The article by President Eyring really hit me.
He said that when his children were young he didn't let a day go by without writing down blessings he noticed, in his life, that day.
I thought- What blessings did I receive today?
Here are some that I have thought of.......

• The cashier at Walmart add matched my groceries....without saying anything to me. And even without that act of kindness I still have the means to buy food for my family.
• The husband's parents returned home, SAFELY, from their 18 month mission today.
• I was able to spend the day with the husband
• My yard has less weeds because I am healthy enough to go out and work on those weeds
• A friend directed me to a parenting webinar today. I had the opportunity to implement some of the things I learned- and they worked! And I did not have to "loose it" to help my son learn the lesson I wanted him to learn!

These are just a few of the things I have thought of.

I was surprised to see so many. 

I don't know why I should be so surprised.

God loves me.

And THAT is not a surprise.

So neither should be the NUMEROUS blessings he sends me DAILY.

All MINE

                   I don't eat cereal often, but when I do I want to eat one that I like. Who doesn't, right?

I found the best cereal EVER!  {provided you are a fan of cold cereal, that is.}

And the best part about it is........NO ONE else in my family will eat it! So I finally found a cereal that I actually get to eat more than one bowl of before it's all gone. 

Try it, You'll like it!  {provided you already like raisins and almonds, that is.}

RAIN! and Lunch with a friend

I love love LOVED the weather today!
Sister3 and I worked together at Dad's shop for a few weeks. And it seemed like we missed enjoying every rainy day this winter. These are the days you sit at home in frumpy clothes, curled up in a cozy blanket on the couch with either a good book, or a good movie. And we missed them. Because we love our dad.
But today! AHhhhhh today. I still did not sit at home and frump around. Instead I went out to lunch with my wonderful friend LW. Oh how I love her! And I could not have thought of a more lovely way to spend a couple hours, on a lovely day, than with a good friend!

Old Shows

I have decided that there is no TV like Old TV.
Shows like The Bob Newhart Show, Mary Tyler Moore, The Odd Couple, Bewitched, etc...
They make me smile.

NEW!

YAY! New year! New beginnings! Can I tell you my word for 2013? POSITIVITY! Isn't that a great word!!? I am so excited about it. I want to focus more on being positive. I think if I can be more positive it will "fix" most of what I think is wrong with my life. Because really, there's not a whole lot I REALLY have to complain about. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

The pioneers did without it, so can we!

We have a van. It has all kinds of fun things that the little white car didn't have. But we have had the van for about a year, so you would THINK that the newness and excitement of all these things would have worn off by now. NOT SO.

Our van has automatic passenger doors. They are a favorite "toy" of the children. I can't stand it. If you will recall, not too long ago, the boy got hurt by the car door. Though that was through no fault of his own.

Well, yesterday, they were at it again. We were leaving to go to the dance studio. The boy got in the car and pushed the button before the girl could get in and said,"Hurry!", hoping she would jump in real fast before it closed. She did not get in. Then I had to run in to the house to grab one more thing. When I came out the boy was crying and out of the car, while the girl was getting her seat belt on inside the car. When asked what happened I was told that the door shut and the handle hit him in the head. He had a little bump.

That was it! I had had enough. I flipped the switch so that they could not use the automatic doors any more. I told them that until they could show me that they could listen and not use the doors as toys they would have to open and close they doors by hand.

Now I tell you all of this so that I can tell you the REAL {2 second} story I wanted to tell in the fist place..........
Today we had to run some errands after gymnastics.
When we got to our destination, and were getting out of the car, the girl says, "Mom, I almost forgot and pushed the button. But then I remembered and used my hands instead!"
"Oh good!", was my reply.
Then she continued, "Now I know how the pioneers must have felt!"

Cartoons

I remember when I was a kid I LOVED cartoons. And I felt like we never got them. My mom just didn't get them. It wasn't in the budget probably. But it felt like a HUGE treat if we ever got them.
Well, my little boy also LOVES cartoons. And every time we go to the store he asks if we can get some. Occasionally I say yes. Because I remember how it was.

ps- it took me a while to figure out what the boy was even asking for :)

Exhausting

Yesterday was another busy Saturday. It was full of fun and friends. The kids had a big day.
At the end of the day, as the children were (supposed to be) getting into bed, the husband and I were talking.
The boy came into the room and said, "I heard what you just said."
"You did?" I asked.
"Yep. You said me and {sister} are EXHAUSTING."
It's true.
But what I said was, they were exhaustED.
Big difference.
But probly not to a 5 year old.

Singular, Plural

When the boys got home from the fathers and sons camp out the boy was telling me all about the fun things they did. He was so excited to tell me that he got to eat a twik. They each got a twik. And it was so yummy! I didn't quite understand what he was talking about, so I looked at the husband for clarification. The husband said that they each ate a twix.
OHHHH.

Singular: Twik          Plural: Twix

Glad

Today, I am SO glad that tomorrow I am going to the Chiropractor.



(And also, I like the quote I just put at the top of my side bar. It's the epitome of what I am trying to accomplish with this blog....find something good in every day. No matter how cruddy the day was.)

Oh boy {or} a small triumph

I saw an epic battle coming on.
They always do, when little people are tired.
And so I was prepared. I hoped.
The girl had asked if they could watch "a special Sunday movie".
She wanted to watch Little House on the Prairie.
The boy did not.
And so he flipped.
I gave him some choices of what he could do.
But he MAY NOT go into the other room and yell at his sister to watch another movie.
Which he immediately did.
Which caused the mother to go tell him he may take a nap.
Which he did not want to do.
And we battled it out for a bit.
Which resulted in him falling asleep after not too long.
And I was able to sit down and breathe a sigh of relief.
Because through the whole thing I remained calm.
I did not raise my voice once.
I did not loose my cool.
I did not give in to his tantrum.
I simply loved him.
And it worked.
At least for me.
I'm not sure how he felt about it though.

Because I'm brilliant

Seriously. I am THE most brilliant parent ever.
The girl, in bed, yells out for me.
Exasperated by it being the MILLIONTH time tonight, I simply told her to go to bed.
I did not see what she needed.
After about 15 minutes, I have a change of heart and go to her room to see what she needs.
Only to WAKE HER UP!
OOPS!
And what did she need?
To tell me that she couldn't get to sleep.
Only a brilliant parent {like me} could be that successful.

NOT the same

Hansel and Gretel

Handsom

Griddle

   
      and













It's just not the same thing. No matter how hard you try!
My children watched Hoodwinked Too last night. I have not watched it, but I understand that Hansel and Gretel are in it. And they become giant children. And at one point in the movie they say some thing to the effect of.......
G: You're Hansel
H: And you're Gretel
H&G: And we're evil, and something that rhymes with evil.

However, when my children were saying it today, it went more like this..........
The Girl: You're Handsom
The Boy: And you're Griddle
Both: And we're evil, and something the rhymes with evil.

It's just not the same.
But I had a good laugh listening to it.
(the girl even had the accent going!)

Happy or Sad?

This may sound a bit sad to you, because I have been a bit down the last few days {let's call it hormones, OK?}, but it really is the happiest thing I can think of for today........
We made it through another week to another paycheck without starving or getting kicked out of our house.
That is good news.

** disclaimer for this post: money is usually tight, but we are never afraid we are going to starve, and we weren't planning on getting kicked out of our house at the moment. I am just down, so I am trying to remind myself that there is always something to be thankful for.

My cute bike revisited

I just had to share another picture of my cute bike. I got her a cute basket and made a cute liner to go in it. It turned out pretty good I think. The children and I went for a long bike ride the other night and I got to utilize the basket. It worked wonderfully. And, of course, the girl's bike got a flat tire....again. We simply CAN NOT go on a bike ride without someone coming home with a flat. It's so exasperating! But the handy husband always fixes them for us, and that's happy. What an amazing guy.

Misspelled

The children are SO into Harry Potter right now. Almost all of our conversations at the dinner table revolve around this subject lately. They love to tell the husband and me all about the things they are learning from this magical series. 

Today's revelation? 

Hagrid was misspelled from Hogwarts. 

Just thought you might like to know as well.

Easter Memories

We enjoyed our 2nd annual Easter Brunch today. We had a yummy breakfast and then proceeded to the green belt for an easter egg hunt and some games. The children LOVE it. And it's always fun to watch them enjoy themselves so much.