Re-evaluating

Changing things up is a good thing.  I do that a lot, it seems.  I like doing change-ups because in a way it helps me feel as though I'm moving forward in my life.

I was thinking last night about some things, mainly certain specific areas in my life and found myself feeling quite negative.  I didn't like that feeling, so I prayed for help to find the root of that feeling and change it.  That worked, of course.  It worked so well, it was all I could to stay in bed and not come write it all down.  Not blog about it, but write it in my journal. 

My goals for this year were set with good intentions, but I'm finding they're not working or what I really need to work on or that I've simply lost my focus.  I'm changing my weight goal.  I'm not focusing on my weight anymore, I'm focusing on my health.  My heart health, to be more specific.  I have two parents with high cholesterol for whatever reason, mostly inherited, and I don't want that for myself.  Mostly, I don't want to be the 1 in 3 women that ends up with heart disease.  I got a free recipe book in the mail yesterday that helped me link to the Go Red for Women website where I started a 12 week change-my-life sort of goal they have going. 

I'm going to keep reading the Ensign every month, because that's just a good thing to do.

And with this blog, I'm going to refocus on the reason I started it in the first place, general self-improvement.

That, in a nutshell, is the result of all my sleeplessness last night.  The rest is for my journal.  ;)

Mmmmm.... dirrrrrt

Yesterday, it was so nice, we decided to hang out on our back patio.  Quin loved getting dirty and picking at the dirt.  And eating it...

Wake up!!!

My dad had a heart attack yesterday.  And last Monday.  It's inherited bad cholesterol.  No matter how much he exercises or how well he eats or what kind of meds he takes, it's bound to happen.  His last one was his fifth one in 15 years.  He's a healthy guy, too.  Very healthy.  And he's only 52.   

When I was in Junior High, and very healthy and active, my cholesterol was high.  In Junior High.  Every time I've had it checked it's been high.  Not scary high, but high enough to be high.  My husband's work is offering a free health screening in a couple weeks and I'm going to take full advantage.  If it's still high, I'm going to do something about it.  If it's not, I'm still going to do something about it.  I'm getting very close to the age of my dad when he had his first heart attack.  I don't know if I've inherited this but I don't want to find out the hard way that I have.  I'm going to be improving on my goal for the month and keep it going.  I'm going to try to eat healthier, which I've already started doing, but could do better. 

Geeze, I'm only 31.  I can't believe I'm getting to the age of "If you're __ or older, you should have your ______ checked every ____."

Not that you care and other non-related things...

I didn't get a chance to pay my bills yesterday, so I'm switching my tomorrow's computer day with today's non-computer day. 

On a different note, an author I read recently found and read my book blog yesterday! I'm very excited about this.  :)  She was even cool with my overly opinionated review of her.  I italicize "her" because I gave the book a good review, but was less than non-judgemental of her.  (oops)

Told you.  Other non-related things.

At least one goal is going well for me...

I didn't get on the computer yesterday! AT ALL! I kept thinking "Oh, he's asleep, I can get on now..." and other things like that, but I refrained!! Go me! Now I just need to work on filling that time with other more productive things...

As I sit here on a Sunday...

I've decided to set a new goal for myself.  In thinking about this post, I realized (yet again) that I have a habit of thinking of really great things to better myself and then believe they've come to pass just in the mere thinking about them.  This time, I decided to actually take action in this attempt at betterment.  I was thinking that one of the things I did with my older kids was work on letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. - you know, your basic preschool stuff - as soon as they were, well, babies, actually.  I haven't been doing much of that with Quin.  (Well, at least not as much as I remember doing with my other two.)  Part of the reason for this is I spend WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON THE COMPUTER.  So, I've decided to cut my computer time down to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and even then, I'm only going to be on for 1-2 hours at most, and even then, only while he's napping.  I have found that once I get on for the day, I have a hard time not getting, but staying off.  I'll get off and go do something else, but then I find myself drawn to it all over again.  Dumb addiction, that's what I say. 

Anyway, so that's my goal. 

Starting tomorrow.

Bein' sneaky and not napping...

I got a video of him talking to and poking his bugs.  (The ones on the sticker he's pointing to...)  The stink.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'
'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.


The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.


(THIS GETS BETTER!)


The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ('el computador'), because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.


The women won.

C'mon Steve, we've got diem to carpe!

Do you ever feel like your life is slipping by?

Do you ever feel like you're simply existing, instead of living?

I do.  All the time. 

I feel like I go through my daily routines and just get through the day.  I don't feel I embrace my days enough.  I put way too much value on my children's bedtime, when I really should be cherishing the hours I have with them while they're awake.  I keep thinking things like "I'll spend more time with them this summer when they're home more."  But do I? I've said that in the past... I've even had lists of things I've wanted to do with them and things I want them to experience and then before I know it, school's starting and I've only done one or two of those things, if anything at all.  The time is fast approaching when they won't want anything to do with me unless I'm handing out money (ha - which won't be happening unless they earn it) or if they need a ride somewhere (again, I'm thinking they'll have to earn these things).  I've taken for granted too many times the fact that they really are very independent.  They don't need me unless it's for food.  Seriously.  They've been like this since they were babies, always doing their own thing or playing together.  I've done many things with them over the years, don't get me wrong, but has it been enough? I really don't feel like it has been.  I know I've done them a great service in teaching (or inheriting) them to be independent, to entertain themselves.  But, it saddens me at the same time.  I'm always striving to be a better mother, to do things different.  (i.e. better)  Now, I see that Quin's doing the same thing, albeit he's a little more attention-hungry, but he can still sit by himself and play for long periods of time and before I know it, the only real physical contact I've had with him for a good part of the day was for naps, diaper changes and meal times.  How sad is that, really? My sweet baby isn't going to be a baby much longer and I'm going to regret not cherishing it if I don't start now.  I do cherish it, I wish he'd stay small.  Not forever, just a little bit longer.  He's just so squishy and sweet and loves to love people, how can I not want to cherish that? Before I had Quin, I wanted another baby to have another chance to be a better mother than I feel I was during the first years of my older two kids' lives.  Then I was blessed with Quin.  But he's helped me realize I need to be a better mother now, whenever now is, however old they are, to all three of them.

When I'm old and gray (not happening for many, many years, mind you) I want to be able to look back on my life with no regrets. 

The phrase "carpe diem" holds great meaning for me, now I need to live it.

It's official...

I finally have a crawler!

He's found it's much quicker to do it this way than the other way he was doing it.

Now we don't have time to get things away from him before he gets to them.  Nothing's safe.  lol  He's my most curious baby and doesn't hesitate to get to anything he wants. 

So now the real fun begins!

I saw him do it this time!

I'm thinking he's finally crawling! Little by little, I think he's finally getting it! Now we'll see if he's walking by 13 months like my other two... he seems to be doing just about everything a little different than my other two.  Isn't that how it is, though? :)

4 steps!

That's how many Quin CRAWLED while I was taking a nap! Matt said he watched him do it! AND I MISSED IT!

I got to thinking about it... my mom has told me that I didn't crawl either, I just rolled everywhere.  Quin gets around just fine, just not by crawling.  I was starting to worry a little, but really, it's all good.  He's doing everything else, like pulling himself up and all that, and his fine motor skills are top notch, just like Andur's were, so really, whatever.  Just like Andur, he's been quite content to just sit there and figure things out and play and play.  Natalie's always been (and still is) my most movingest child and therefore was my earliest crawler.  (I know that's not a word, but really, that describes her to a T - that girl can't even sit still while she's eating!)

Who knows, though.  Maybe he's going to start!

Get thee hence...

Do you ever have those days where something that's been happening for a while just all of a sudden bothers you and you want to push it out of your head? I'm having one of those days.  I'm happy in my own little world.  I'm happy with the way I've chosen to live my life.  I'm sad others have chosen differently.  I'm sad they're being blinded.  I'm sad they have to say things to me that just plain bother me.  You do your thing and I'll do my thing, people.  We'll see who was right in the end.  I refuse to be blinded, too.  Don't try to take me down with you, or I'll end up avoiding you altogether.  I know what's wrong when I see it, or hear it, and I would just assume not see it or hear it.  You can call me brainwashed all you want, I'm still going to stick with what I know is right, what you taught me to be right, what you taught me to find out for myself is right.  This only makes me stronger and more determined. 

Can I get that in two sizes, please?

Yesterday, I was shopping at Kmart and found some very cool "C" word sales.  One of those sales included winter clothing.  Now, I own a whopping TWO pairs of jeans, so I'm thinking to myself, "Self, you need another pair of pants."  So I found a pair and proceeded to the dressing room. 

First, a story:  This is a scary thing for me, trying on pants... well, it used to be.  See, I have a size # waist and a size # bum/legs.  (Feel free to believe I'm talking about a 6 and an 8 here.)  I know this about myself now, but in years past, I just avoided buying pants altogether because dressing rooms were a cause of great depression.  Both pairs I own now fit my legs but are too big for my waist, causing my pants to slip down enough to irk me all day long. 

Anyway, I grabbed a size and headed with high hopes to the rooms of woe... but when I got there, I realized I got my waist size and not my bum/legs size.  Bummer.  I tried them on anyway.  AND GUESS WHAT?

THEY FIT!!!

Not only am I in a size smaller (well, kinda - the waist size was always the smaller size, anyway, and I've been in this size before when I weighed less due to after-pregnancy miracle weight loss) but my legs fit that size!! That means I'm doing something right! I'm doing it! It's not because I just had a baby, it's because my eating less and exercising is actually working!!! I've even accepted the fact that this will take a while, but I'm doing it and that's what matters! And I have results, be it small ones, to show for it!!!

Woohoo!

And on top of that, I now own THREE pairs of jeans.  Nice.

What does the "C" word* do for you?

For me, it gets me reaching for my wallet.  I'm addicted, plain and true.  Can you blame me, though? I got all of this for $8.75 today!

Now my kids have their valentines for school for next year AND the year after that! That rocks! AND I have their valentines for next year (and maybe the year after that)! I'm thinking I may save the small boxes of chocolates for a here and there just because I love you or good job or you know, the occassional chocolate fix... either way, it's all good.

*The "C" word is "clearance", but I'm thinking you got that by now.

You know you're a little too excited about a sale when you take a picture of all the junk you bought and put it on your blog.  HEE HEE

Well, if that doesn't just chap my hide!

Seriously, if I had a desk in front of me in Walmart, I could've done a *headdesk* right there in the middle of the aisle. 

*sigh*

I forgot two coupons today when I went grocery shopping. 

I was $.32 OVER my budget. 

I would've been $1.18 UNDER had I stinkin' remembered them!!!


ARGH!!!!

Do you think if I went back with my receipts they'd give me my change? HA! I'll just have to use them next time.  Dang it.


At least I didn't do too bad even with my lovely short term memory issues.

How many times is too many?

In the last, I don't know, month, I'd say, my kids have been to the planetarium on three different Tuesday nights, a Thursday night, a Saturday night (two shows) and Andur's been twice for school and Natalie's been once for school on top of that.  That's a lot of planetarium-going.  Thank goodness it's FREE!

I think it's getting to them, though.

Today, we decided to go for a walk to the mailbox.  On the way home, Andur totally biffed it on the lovely scorio they throw down every winter (he was riding his bike).  As we're limping home, he asks "Can you feel pain in space?"

Then tonight, Andur asks out of no where, "Isn't it the moon and your ears that give you your balance?"
Natalie's quick to reply (with finger in ear) "What moon in your ears?"

Time for a break from free planetarium nights, me thinks.

Success!

I think I did rather well on my goals for the month of February.

Physical - I didn't lose 5 lbs.... I lost 6! Woohoo!

Mental - See how I did here.

Spiritual - I read the whole February issue and loved it! (Who knew?)

Here's to another month of self-improvement and changing for the better!