Kids Say the Darndest Things

Last week when I was doing the "diet" thing, I was having a discussion with James about diets. Hunter (my 6-year-old) was listening close by and piped up, "Mom, diets don't work." I said, "Oh, really?" then he said in a very serious voice, "Weight Watchers does." I had to laugh, he was totally convinced! Isn't it funny that even the cartoon channels have Weight Watchers commercials!!!

A little while later I was watering my plants with my trusty watering can. Connor (my 4-year-old) pipes up and says, "Mom, you need Aqua Globes. I'm going to buy you some Aqua Globes. They water the plants for you so you don't have to." Um, Okay, I can barely even understand what you're saying, but okay! I had never heard of Aqua Globes, but the next time the commercial came on TV, he was screaming for me to come in and look. They are very interesting. I wonder how long those things would actually last in my plants before Connor, himself, broke them.

Do ya think they are watching too much TV? Actually, they have photographic memories. They memorize everything they see the first time (it feels better to think of it that way).

The End of Starvation

Okay, so I had to do a health evaluation today in order to qualify for my health insurance policy. It has been something I have been dreading since the Insurance Rep told me that I was just a couple of pounds above the optimum weight for the cheapest category. She told me to really try to bring my weight down if I could. Well, that was all well and good until I went on vacation and gained 5 pounds!!! Now a couple of pounds was turning into nearly 10 pounds! Being the silly person I am, I decided to try to go for it. The nurse called to set up an appointment with me the Monday after I got back from my trip. I immediately told her that it was a bad week. After all, I had to have at least a few days to purge! We set the apt for early this morning as I had to be fasting and the earlier the better when no food is involved!

The race against the scale was on. I started the week skipping all snacks and sugary foods. I knew it wasn't going to cut it. I needed to take more drastic measures! I was looking through the medicine cabinet (which spans the entire top of the refrigerator) and found the Vital 18 that my grandma gave me for my bday in Sept. It was the perfect solution, I thought. Drink 4 cups of milk mixed with Vital 18 a day and one meal and you're good to go. It has all of the essential vitamins and minerals a body would need.

Day one on Vital 18 went well. Hey, it actually tasted good. The Buska's came over and brought brownies. Well, I thought I'd be fine because I don't really care for brownies (I know, I'm sick in the head) unless they are covered in ice cream and fudge! Sarah somehow knew this about me and had made caramel, chocolate chip, ooy, gooy brownies. It was hard to resist them, but I was good and I did. I was proud of myself too (I stored two away in the freezer for a future binge). Day two was a little tougher. I woke up starving, but could only have my cup of milk with a tablespoon of V-18. Then a migraine set in and I was doing more physically than I probably should have. I ended up eating a pb&J so I could take some medication for my headache, then I had to go to dinner with Jean who was in town from VA for the weekend. I was good then too. I had a salad and water. They had to get an asphalt pie and it would have been rude of me not to at least have one bite. Okay, so I had two or three bites, I still felt like I was ahead of the game. But then we went to Jean's friend's house and she had specially made--just for us, home-made hot fudge. Once again, not to offend, I asked my portion to be very tiny. It was good, but the guilt I was feeling was not! How can one ever hope to lose weight when they are socially guilted into eating????? I mean, I think I would feel bad if I spent a bunch of time and effort on someone who refused to even taste my offering. So, why do we do that to each other???

The next day was Sunday, thankfully. I never eat more than one square meal on Sunday, anyway, so I knew I could get through it (even though I usually snack throughout the day and eat dessert for dinner).

Sunday night, the nurse called and said that she had double booked herself, and would have to either come later in the day, or reschedule. Now, here I am, a woman on the verge, who hasn't had enough to eat for several days . . . she may have been endangering herself with that phone call! I took it all in stride. I told her to come at 11:30. To get my mind off my hunger, I decided to deep clean my house. I dusted, I vacuumed, I cleaned under the couch cushions, I cleaned out the coat closet. I was getting ready to mop the entry way (something I've only done once in 9 months), and the phone rang. It was the nurse again. She had a cancellation and wanted to know if she could come right then. That was fine, but you know how much of a mess you make when you clean the house? And, I hadn't even gotten into the shower yet. I started running through the house stashing the 3 vacuums in various places, returning cushions and chairs to their correct places. I hurried and changed clothes, pausing to weigh myself. I was down 9 pounds!!! Hooray, I did it! I had just enough time to run a brush through my hair, when the door bell rang.The nurse was bright and cheery and chattery. She put me at ease as she poked and prodded at my veins. Then it was time . . . she brought out the scale. I stepped on and was quite unhappy to see that it put me 5 pounds heavier than my bathroom scale had five minutes earlier. I mentioned this and she graciously took that into account and recorded the mysterious number. I'm not sure exactly what number she recorded, but I'm hopeful that my sacrifice will be forever worth the pennies that I will save on my insurance policy.

Just as soon as the door closed behind her, I was in the kitchen pulling out the biggest feast you could imagine. Binge time!!! Okay, it wasn't that bad, I fried up a couple of fish filets (in butter), and had a nice salad. But then I went to the freezer for that brownie from Sarah. I warmed it up and put some ice cream on top. It was heaven! A little later in the day I ate the other brownie--frozen. It was divine! Oh, the guilt!

Sometimes the things we do to ourselves are not nice. From now on, I want to be nice to myself. I want to eat a nice balanced diet and get some good exercise. As far as the vital 18 goes, I don't know if it's something I'll continue as drastically as I did the past few days, but maybe with a little more moderation. I think that is the key to success with anything, after all--moderation.

Oh, Virginia!

AHHHH, Spring in Virginia . . . beautiful!
For some reason, Alex and Matt decided to shave their legs.

Alex and Cameron playing Guitar Hero at Game Stop.
Christie Lee and Me having lunch at 5 Guys.
Jean and me looking hot after having our hair hilighted by Kristen.

I can't believe that tomorrow it will be a week since I got back from Virginia. WOW! Time is flying by so quickly! I had a great time in Virginia. It felt like going home! It seemed like I had never left. It was so good seeing all of my friends. In fact, I attended book club one night just so I could see everyone, and after hugging them all, I started crying. I was just so overcome with emotion at seeing them. It was embarrassing, but I think they understood. I'm choking up now just recalling it. It's amazing how much can change in a mere 9 months. There were even major changes occurring while I was there! Two people had babies, two more are pregnant, two people are moving soon--Yay, Kathy is moving to UT!!! And whoa, Roxanna is moving to Japan (that unfolded while I was there) and she's pregnant! I'm sorry to say that three friend's fathers died. Kristen Fitz. got her mission call to Jakarta, Indonesia (I got it all on video!).

Spring was definitely in bloom in VA! It was so beautiful. But the weather was rainy and cold. I'm glad I packed for it. I didn't know if I was getting a cold or allergies, but I felt awful the last few days I was there. I had to cancel a couple of important visits and that made me sad. It turns out that it was a cold. I still have it a week later, and it doesn't seem to have improved any.

Me, just basking in the sunshine after James painted my nails.

In contrast to that beautiful spring weather in Va, we are in a wintry oasis here in ID. Yes, it snowed again. We got about 3-4 inches last night! We had a slight reprieve over the weekend with temps getting into the 60s. I thought I was in Heaven. On Sunday I sat outside for most of the afternoon. I figured it wouldn't last, so I took full advantage of it. We even took the kids to the park. It gives me hope to think forward to July and how nice and non-humid it will be here while the Virginians suffer in their humidity! (It seems like I'm constantly talking about the weather on this blog).

Back to reality! I didn't realize how much I missed my family until I got back. It was so good seeing them and cuddling with them again. It's fun to get away, but it's always nice to be back home!

Emily's Day!

Happy Birthday Monkey Girl!
Hot Tub Party!!!
Make a Wish!

Happy Birthday to my little monkey, Emily! And Hallelujah, it's finally over! I'm going to drop tonight after all of the festivities of the last week and a half! It was a lot of fun. Emily wanted a monkey party. So basically, we just let her and a couple of friends act like monkeys, threw in a few crafts, and a super easy to make monkey cake, and we had nearly total success--other than a little sisterly jealousy. The highlight of the party was the hot tub--empty-- filled with a Love Sac--balloons and a half a dozen girls. Never before (nor hopefully again) have I heard such squeals and laughter! Thankfully, the hot tub room has a sliding glass door! I just shut the door and watched from the kitchen!

Emily, My wish for you is to find JOY in all things in your life! I love you!

Happy Easter Everyone

Hoping that you will know of the true meaning of Easter and have gratitude in your hearts for all that the Savior has done for each of us.

Blessings to you!

Easter Egg Hunting!

Well, it's been somewhat balmy here, up to the high 30s and maybe even the low 40s. We've even had some rain to help melt away a little of the snow. So, I was excited to wake up early this morning to get the kids ready for Rigby's, annual Easter Egg Hunt! I immediately ran to check the outside thermometer. It was 19 Degrees!!! AAAHHGGHGHHH! "Okay, Kids, put on your snow pants, hats, ear muffs, gloves, boots, and scarves and grab those Easter baskets! Oh, yeah, let's not forget the HOT CHOCOLATE!" It felt like we were headed for a day on the slopes! I was informed that since the park was still under several feet of snow, they would be handing out candy to the kids standing in line. Wow, what fun. We drove to the park 30 min early so that we didn't have to wait in line. We got out among the other Idahoan's and headed to our line. Okay, you know a true Idahoan when it's 19 degrees out and they are in shorts--just defying the weather. It IS spring, after all! Most people only had on sweatshirts! You could tell we were new-comers! There was excitement in the air, and candy scattered across the ground around the piles of snow! Apparently there was just enough ground exposed to have a successful hunt. The whistle blew and the kids were off. Hunter came limping back to me when it was all finished complaining that his back was sore! He really worked hard on that hunt! He had more candy than Emily and Connor combined. Alex came along to give the boys some illegal Easter Egg Hunt Bullying techniques! All in all, we really had a lot of fun. Once the sun started shining, my ears thawed and I felt fine (inside of my down, fur-lined coat). Next year, we're hoping for another Easter in APRIL!

Birthdays in the House!!!

It's birthday week for the Moore family, and it couldn't be crazier! But what fun we're having! Alex decided on Thurs night that he wanted to have some friends over for a party Fri night. That almost put me in panic mode, but I decided to chill out and order pizza and buy a bunch of junk food. I think it turned out well, and the kids had a fun time. They ended up listening to Alex play his guitar, playing Guitar Hero, and watching Blast. An interesting combination. He ended up inviting a bunch of kids over tonight (it being Spring Break) to watch August Rush. They also went over to the playground for a while. I secretly watched them through binoculars. They tried to see how many people they could get into the twisty slide at the same time. It was all very innocent and quite funny.

Hannah decided on Thur that she wanted to have an Ice Skating party on Sat. Okay, panic mode again! Emily had a volleyball game at the same time, so I had to recruit James to do the party so I could go to Em's game. It all worked out well. I think everyone had a fun time skating, and Emily won all but 1/2 of her last game.

Thankfully, they are over having mom make elaborate birthday cakes. Alex asked for a simple Giant chocolate chip cookie, and Hannah just wanted donuts! The cookie didn't turn out as simply as planned. I wanted to make it thick so it would be soft, but using my pizza stone wasn't the best solution for that! Most of the cookie ended up in the bottom of the oven! It was a mess and I had to scrape all of that cookie out of the oven! Now every time I bake, it smells like burnt cookies! Time to use that self-cleaning feature.

(Deep breath) Okay, so now we just have to make it through Easter, and then Emily's birthday on Monday. Thankfully her party is the same day as her actual birthday! She's having a Monkey party.

It's now after midnight on Thur, and the party is Mon! Here we go. . . Panic mode, again!!!

Scrappin' Again!

I have finally taken time to start scrapping again. It is so much fun and amazingly healing for my soul! I just received 250 photos of Connor from snapfish. I am going to do his entire album. I hadn't done any of his yet, so I have my work cut out for me. I'm glad he's only 4! I am at least that far behind on the other 4 kids. At least I'll be making a small dent.

ALEX IS BACK!!!

Yeah, Alex! We've got our boy home and it feels so good! Alex Graduated on Leap Day. A day to remember. His ceremony was short, casual, and very nice. There are a lot of good people in that school! The guys in his room said a lot of nice things about him as well as his seminary teacher and school counselor. It warmed my heart how sad they all were to see him go.

There has been an adjustment period. We're trying to get him used to us and all of our family's rules, and we're trying to get used to having a teenage boy in the house! The TV, Game Cube, and computer time have dramatically increased! The other kids just kind of hang around him and whatever he's doing. Everyone is happy to have him home!

Welcome Home Alex!

Dancing With the Stars

So, James and I were asked to participate in a dance for our upcoming stake activity. It will be a Night of Culture. Hunter will also be performing with a group of about 30 kindergartners! His group will be doing silly synchronized movements to famous classical composers. It is very cute! James and I had our first practice last night. We were told that we would be doing country waltzing. Well, being a huge Jane Austin fan, as well as just having come from Virginia (Old Town Williamsburg), I wrongly assumed that we would be doing English country waltzing! As we walked into the church gym, we immediately noticed that our instructor was wearing quite a large belt buckle and that he had on cowboy boots. I began doubting that I would get to wear a beautiful 18th century gown and that James would be in tights! Once the music began playing, I was confident that it would be Boots for us!

I also wrongly assumed that James and I would sweep each other off our feet, immediately moving with grace and poise. Okay, we weren't that bad, but the next 3 lessons will be imperative to our not making fools of ourselves in front of the entire stake!

It was a lot of fun and a little exercise. The best part was that we got to gaze into each other's eyes--when we weren't furiously counting to three and stepping on each other's toes! I could really tell that those College country dance lessons came in very handy for me. Although rusty, I was up to speed a little more than my partner. It is interesting what happens to your body when stepping back on one foot and being forcefully spun in the opposite direction! Don't worry, as of today, I have recovered nicely.

As for the Dancing with the Stars part, well, the only stars we'll be dancing with, are the ones overhead late at night!

J-E-L-L-O

It's snowing again, and I'm depressed. I need some sunshine to melt all this snow away! Spring is right around the corner--I can feel it, but this snow is getting in the way of spring's plans! Thankfully I am meeting my mom and aunts at the hot springs this weekend. It will be such a nice getaway! Although the weather still won't be warm, the water will--and I will soak all of my worries away!

In an attempt to brighten my day, I am going to post these Jello pictures. They are so funny! And carry with them fun memories! Hunter loves to make rainbow jello! It took all day and the kitchen was a sticky mess, but we had fun and the results were amazing! The Jello lasted for 3 meals. As I was making it, the house was so cold that the jello sitting on the counter set before I could layer it on. I had to keep microwaving it!

HIT AND RUN

I am feeling extreme gratitude tonight as I shakily recall the events of today. Hunter came home from school as happy and chipper as ever and exclaimed that he had been hit by a car on the way to school, but that he was okay and that I didn't need to worry. I yelled WHAT??? And probably scared the poor kid to death. I tried very hard to get the story out of him, but he must have felt in some way that it was his fault, because he didn't want to tell me. Once I calmed down, I was able to get a general idea of what happened.

Hunter and Emily generally walk across the street to the school together. Sometimes they take a short cut and walk straight across the street instead of walking half a block to the cross walk. This is very dangerous because we literally live across the street and there are cars everywhere. Whenever they walk out the door, I tell them to watch the cars and cross only at the cross walk. Then I watch them until they reach the sidewalk on the other side of the road. The principal is usually standing close by on the sidewalk. This morning all was different. Hunter ended up leaving before Emily because he hates to be tardy, and Emily was running very late. I was rushing around helping Emily with her hair when Hunter slipped out the door. I had to catch him on the porch for a goodbye kiss. He left, and I proceeded to help Emily. I wasn't watching Hunter when he was crossing the road. This could have been the most tragic moment of our lives!

Apparently, and according to Hunter, he was walking in the crosswalk about 10 feet from the sidewalk when a car bumped into him and knocked him down. He flew a few feet and landed on his arm that he broke in Sept. The lady got out and asked if he was okay. Hunter jumped up and said he was okay and ran off to the school. The lady drove off. For some reason, the principal was not standing in his usual spot.

By this time, I'm shaking and sick to my stomach. I immediately called the school and asked for the principal. I didn't realize that I should have called the police and taken Hunter to the Dr. for an evaluation. I was already stressed and in a hurry because 15 min after he got home, I had to leave for IF to take Emily to a Dr's apt. The principal told me that the accident had been seen by a bus driver and reported to him, however it was unknown to whom it happened. He had gone from class to class asking if anyone had been hit by a car. Neither Emily nor Hunter remember hearing an announcement. The principal told me that he'd call the police and make a report. I didn't think I needed to at that point. Once home from IF, I got a message from an officer on my machine. When I called him back, he asked me why I hadn't called to make a report, and if I had taken him to the doctor. Boy, I felt like such a bad parent!!!

Hunter's elbow is sore, especially when he puts pressure on it. He hasn't complained about any soreness where the car hit him. Interestingly, he didn't understand what I was asking him when I was trying to find out where he was hit. I wanted him to show me on his body, but he kept touching the ground. Like--I was hit onto the ground, Mom! Finally, he touched his feet and ran his hand up to his head, meaning that the car hit his entire side of his body! I'm sure his big, bulky down coat and hood, which he fastens all the way up, helped to save him!

I can't tell you how grateful I am for that little guy. Hunter has always been a very sweet and easy child. It would be so difficult to lose him. I am just in awe that he is okay! I know for a fact that Hunter had his guardian angel with him today! And I know he did because of Connor's constant prayers to keep our family safe! I know that tonight, many prayers of gratitude will be sent upward from our family!

Now, the person who hit him??? I would hate to be that person when the police knock on her door! I don't know all of the details of what happened, but I'm sure it was an accident and that she was sickened when she knew she had hit a little kindergartener. I don't feel any anger toward her, only sorrow. It would be difficult to lose a child, but oh, how painful it would be to have caused it!

I find myself just shaking my head and feeling so emotional. I am so grateful to have been able to attend the dedicaion of the new Rexburg temple last night. It gives me great comfort to know that our family is sealed forever. Someone spoke of losing a child and the comfort they have of knowing that, although difficult in this life, they would get to spend eternity with thier daughter. I feel the same way.

Life is precious, Life is fragile, and we must handle it with PRAYER!

I LOVA, LOVA, LOVA YOU!

Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching, and it just makes me think of all of the reasons I love my hubby! James is the most caring, kind, loving, humble, thoughtful, hardworking, intelligent, cute (etc., etc.) guy in the whole wide world. This post is for you babe!

Hannah

Love and Logic

So, James and I decided that we need a little more parenting help (who doesn't) so we signed up for a free love and logic course. Our first meeting was two weeks ago, and sadly, I didn't really put anything I had learned that day to use. The main objective of Module 1 was learning to be in control of ourselves, so that by example, our kids can learn to be responsible for their own behaviors. Needless to say, this is the hardest step! Our second class was last night. I was determined to put the precious amount of time I spent in the class to use. I didn't have to wait long for an opportunity.

The first thing we learned in class last night was that when we "rescue" our kids from tough situations, they don't learn the needed lessons! I immediately thought of all of those nights I spent helping my kids create posters and projects well into the night. I was perpetuating the problem and thus they didn't learn, and thus it was happening over and over. I mentioned this in class--mainly for shock value (it worked). Fantastically, I had an opportunity to redeem myself as soon as we got home from our class.

Hannah had been skiing, and we picked her up on our way home. She was very hyper and had spent the bus ride home from skiing thinking about a "project" that she wanted me to do. She has to do a group report on Ellis Island on Friday (it was late Wed), and had learned that she would get extra credit if she dressed up. Although it was nearly 10 pm, she wanted me to fire up the internet and start searching for costumes that I could make for her for Friday. Now normally I really get into this type of stuff and would love nothing more than to stay up all night sewing for her, but NO MORE. I am now a love and logic parent and I am bound by the rules in my booklet! I very kindly said that I was going to bed, but would be happy to help her in the morning if she could wake up early and get her chores finished, and we still had time. OH! The manipulation! She laid it on so thick!!! She said that she thought I would want to spend some special time with her. I agreed--just at a different hour--Then she got angry and said I wouldn't help her. She gave me the scowling treatment, but I held strong. It was actually funny now that I could see exactly what was going on. She denied manipulating me, however.

I am very pleased to report that she was up early this morning and had her chores completed with a little extra time for the computer. I helped her look at images (actually, I failed here and did it myself--but mainly because I was interested in learning about Ellis Island). Unfortunately, there is a phase two to this argument. After viewing appropriate costumes, I found the perfect skirt in my closet (even the color she chose), but she is bound and determined that I make a new one for her. I ended up telling her that if she wanted a home made one that she is welcome to purchase fabric and make one herself, and I would be delighted to instruct her on how to do it. Once again she complained about not having time due to homework. Since I am having a root canal this morning, I KNOW I will be in no state to make it! We'll see how it all turns out!

The next chapter occurred this morning with Emily. This one was VERY successful. Emily got upset while she was loading the dishwasher and stormed out of the kitchen proclaiming that she refused to do the work. I very calmly stated that it was her choice, but she couldn't go to school until it was completed. She said fine that she would stay home then. I agreed and stated that I had a lot of chores that I could use her help with and that because of the energy that had been drained out of me from her that it would take a lot of help replacing my energy. She went into the living room and sat in a chair as I was helping Hunter get out the door. It was very painful for me to bite my tongue, but I did hoping she would fail (a love and logic concept). At the very last minute, she jumped up and put her coat and boots on and headed to the door! I jumped up and said that I was SOOO SOOORRY (quite sincerely) but that she would have to do the dishes first. Boy was she mad. She stomped into the kitchen and pretty much threw the dishes into the dishwasher. I told her thank you and that I loved her. I did not lecture her on how much easier it would be blah, blah, blah, nor did I mention that it was HER fault that she would be late. She stormed out saying that it was my fault that she'd be late and that she hated me. Well, the love and logic video we watched showed how immediately the child takes ownership and is happy. We still have a long way to go, but I feel that this was VERY sucessful, and when the door closed I shouted YESSSS! I'm sure tomorrow will go much more smoothly!

Connor was a little easier. He wanted me to dress him, as he does most days, but he is very capable of doing it himself. I thought of those love and logic choices, and started asking Connor how he would like to get dressed. Would he like to put on his shirt or pants first??? It went on and on, and he finally happily got himself dressed and I wasn't even in the room with him!

I'm off to a great start--albeit delayed two weeks. I can't wait for the metamorphosis that will be my family! I will have to be on my toes at all times and think very quickly because kids are quick! I think I'll keep a journal to chart my progress! Your prayers are appreciated!

Bowling with the Buskas

My honey, what a hottie!!!

We had a really fun time going bowling with the Buskas for their daughter's birthday (eventhough I didn't win this time!) James creamed everyone with a score over 130. He was very proud of himself. Last time we went, though, he got last place even after the kids! I didn't have my camera, so these photos are complements of the Buska's and their AWESOME camera. --GOOD TIMES!

WHAT Tempurature?

I just had to mention this morning, that I sent my children to school in MINUS 3 degree weather! Thankfully, they keep the kids in for recess when it gets that cold!

Now, when does spring come to Idaho?

Frozen in Christmas

Okay, well, we definitely didn't have this problem in VA!!! It is so frozen and snowy here, that I can't remove my Christmas decorations!!! My lights on my roof have icicles that are about 18 inches long! My urns that I bought to put my little trees in on my front porch are frozen to the porch! One of the trees is frozen in the pot. I tried to move it (rather forcefully) and broke the poor thing off it's base! I hope that I will be able to glue it, because I love those pots and they aren't cheap! It should have given me a clue when I was putting my candy canes in along my sidewalk when I had to hammer them into the ground because it had already frozen by Dec. 1. Now they are under two feet of snow! And, I'm sure there is no hope of getting the spikes to come out until late spring or maybe even summer!

Remember my last blog entry when I described how light and fluffy the snow is, so much so that you could sweep it off??? Well--I've learned a thing or two since then! Idaho can have a nasty ice storm that almost rivals Virginia! In fact, we had sleet along a stretch of rte 20 that caused 15 accidents within 15 miles! James had to drive home in that! Good thing he's a professional!

I decided that it would probably be smart to get the extra snow off of my sidewalk and driveway before the sleet hit us. I took a flat metal shovel to it. Let's just say that I wanted to strip my coat off in 20 degree weather, I was working up such a sweat! It was slow going and I only got about half of the driveway done before it hit! I was very proud of myself this morning when I saw that my work along with the ice melt made for some fairly clear sidewalks. My porch, on the other hand, is solid ice. It's not just a sheet of ice, it's more like a block of ice!

I am very grateful for the opportunity to burn a few calories, as well as build some muscle. It's been a good excuse to get a little closer to those New Year's resolutions! So I say, "Bring on the snow, sleet, rain, hail, etc, etc!!!"