!Warning! Boring!

Can't think of a whole lot to blog about today, so this is just a mix & match of the things on my mind today.

Slept in today and didn't go workout. I really enjoy working out in the mornings but getting up at 4:30am is a little difficult everyday. When I do force myself to get up, changed, go out in the freezing cold now and excercise I always feel really great.

For those who don't know, I am doing a program called Kosama. It starts out with a 10-week program and then you can sign up for their Alumni and do it for how long you want. I signed up for a year so far. We do a combination of everything, yoga, plyometrics (tough! moving for 50 minutes straight!), kettlebells - some days upper body, some days lower body and some days whole body, kickboxing, and circuit - a mix of everything all in 1 workout. (I am telling you, this would make a MInt in SLC if someone would open one there!)
I do this 6 days a week for an hour. I have lost close to 20lbs and a whole bunch of inches, especially in my legs and arms, now if my waist would just get the clue.....
with 4 kids and a busy schedule getting up early is the sacrifice I have to make to get where I want.
Anyway, it is fun and I will keep forcing myself to get up that early until I reach my goal.

Mailed our christmas cards today, hopefully everyone will get them soon. Still have some christmas shopping to do. Need to pick up the house today and go through the kids close. In the process of cleaning out old clothes that don't fit and putting new ones in the dressers that do fit. The haul all the old clothes to the basement. (I dread this every summer and winter!)

I was thinking today that I probably won't be able to blog over christmas eve, christmas day, and the following day, until we get back from Brent's parents, the internet there is just about non-existant. So this little "blog everyday" that I started will go up to the 23rd and then I will update again when I get back.

Sorry if you made it through this boring post.
What is on your mind today????

tips for winter driving

*First, if it is icy, take it sloooooooowwwww, black ice can be your enemy and really is hard to see.
*second, don't be afraid to put the car in lower gears to slow down, this helps tremendously, especially coming up to a stop
*third, try not to panic if you start sliding
*fourth, keep an emergency kit in your car and extra blanket
*fifth, if you get stuck in a couple feet of snow, rock the car back and forth between reverse and drive or have someone try to help push it out.
*Last tip, Never go out if you don't have to :)

I have had to keep all these things in mind lately now that we have gotten hit with our first ice/snow storm recently. Hope some of these tips help, drive safe!!!

Childhood memories....

My kids make childhood memories everyday. I believe they are having a happy fun childhood and will look back on these days with lots of great memories.

Things like, ball chase with dad - kids at the top of the stairs, dad at the bottom, dad and kids throwing balls at each other to try and hit each other.

Or made-up bedtime stories, mostly told by dad. Who usually tells pretty funny stories and gets them more riled up than sleepy.

Mom being there to drive them to school, pack their lunches and help with homework. Or nag about doing their homework.

Playing with each other, webkinz, squinkies, zoobles, legos, and hi (a made up game by Megan when she was little, or most commonly called "house" by other kids) playing ball in the backyard, Daniel throwing balls to us ALL the time, sledding in the yard, having hot chocolate on cold mornings, walking to the park in the evenings

Spending hours at the kitchen table making crafts, coloring and eating dinners together every night.

Sharing bedrooms and having sleepovers with everyone on the bunkbeds.

Teaching each other how to write letters, play a song on the piano or how to read.

Giving each other hugs and saying prayers together every night.

These are just some of the fun memories the kids have made together already and here's to MANY, MANY, MORE wonderful Memories!

Duties of the Basic Housewife...

this is my version of my duties as a wife and mother:

• keep a clean house (not tidy, just clean, there is a difference) and clean for the most part, this includes, clean dishes, bathrooms, floors vacuumed and mopped (at least once a week), dusting (at least once a month)
• basic upkeep of washing laundry and folding clothes (or clothes that are clean that sit in a laundry basket for days)
• making sure kids are fed (I didn't include hubby because he is capable of making his own meals, but I love him enough to make him dinner every night ;)(I really do love him lots!)
• keeping kids well dressed (this doesn't mean they always have to match)
• keeping the family on a schedule, ie. waking up, bathed, getting to school, homework, teeth brushing, bed on time, etc, etc.
• helping with a routine of spiritual needs, reading scriptures, prayers, being active in church activities and attending church
• doing most of the shopping (ugghhh)
• loving, nurturing, listening, caring, fun and sometimes a little goofy

These are just some of the things I do on a daily a basis, but this post is no claim in saying I do all of these things all the time. I lack in many of them (mostly the laundry and organization of my home), but the last one I really try to accel at and I hope and pray that most days I do.....

Almost Done

With our Christmas shopping!!
xmas '09

Brent took half the day off today, and Thanks! to a wonderful friend who watched Sarah, we went and bought just about all the presents (at least for our kids). We might get them all an outfit and we have 1 thing to order. A few more items for other family members and we will be done. This is always such a relief to get finished. Enjoying the Christmas season is easier when you don't have shopping to do.

Are you done yet?????

Cooking up a storm

Yeah, not really cooking up a storm, but I did have cooking club at my house today. What is cooking club? A bunch of us totally awesome moms who get together and make/demonstrate how to make one of our favorite meals. So today I made easy "Homemade" chicken noodle soup

Frozen egg noodles (I use Reames, they are YUUUMMMYYY)
chicken, you can use leftover chicken, chicken in a can, you can actually cook the chicken right in the soup too while it is cooking, whatever you decide. This morning I put chicken in a roaster and cooked it in the oven while the kids got ready for school and took them to school.
carrots
celery
onion
chicken broth or soup base or boullion (whatever you have on hand, I used soup base today)
salt and pepper

Add it all together in a pot and cook until noodles are done and carrots are tender, around 30 minutes.
I made this whole thing and we feasted on some of it all in the hour and a half everyone was here.
This is one of mine and the kids' favorite. So there you go, there is a quick easy dinner for you to try out soon!!!

What do I hear??

Right now I hear,

Sarah crying because she wants to watch a princess video and dance to a song. She is dressed in a dress-up dress as a princess.

Daniel, surprisingly, is quiet playing with a nun-chuck.

Megan and Joseph are wrestling and screaming, yelling, fighting. I wonder how long it will take for someone to get hurt and cry???????

Now the video is playing...

Brent is quiet in the living room, looking for some peace and quiet, trying to watch Survivor on the DVR.

Oh, now Daniel is standing on the side of the couch yelling "MOOOOMMMMMM, MOoooMMMM!!"

The dishwasher needs loaded and should be running too, although you can barely hear it. Grapes from dinner need to be put away, homework needs to be done, house needs picked up a little, and kids need to be put to bed in about 30-45 minutes.

My back and my stomach is really, really achy right now. Stress from all this thinking about how much I need to be doing and all the chaos of sound around me??

I think I will go and join Brent......