Flowers and a story with a happy ending

   Dear Me:

I appreciate all you do.

- Me.

**See if you can predict the ending:

        

"Mommy, please can I have some gum? I want some gum really bad. "

"Pleeeease!"

Suspense....

Yep, you guessed it.

We Got Out!!!!

They tried to keep us locked in this little house of ours, but we FOUND the sun and we GOT OUT!!

Celebration

Brad came home today and said "Tonight we're going to eat junk and watch the hockey game."

We're also celebrating because he got the job he's been wanting for months.

So I brought him chocolate chip cookies and milk.  Really, all I want to do is rock out to some old school punk. This blog needs some excitement in its life.

Good Idea

My sister Rachel thought up this really good lesson for sharing time in her primary and it was so good I made one for Family Home Evening last night.

Last week our lesson was on the Plan of Salvation so it fit perfectly with the theme.

This is Jesse and Breanna (thanks to Brad)

They want to get to the Celestial Kingdom, which is way across the water.

The kids "fish" and on the back of each fish is a scenario asking about what they would do in a certain situation to keep the commandments.

When they answer it right they get to put a "stepping stone" on the water. When they get to the end of the water they still can't get to the Celestial Kindgdom (represented by a castle), so....

We put up a bridge with a picture of the Savior. No matter how hard we try we can't make it to the Celestial Kingdom without repentance and the Savior.

So good, right? Thanks Rachel :)

DEEP THOUGHTS

Besides making me sit on my butt and do nothing for hours upon hours watching television, the Olympics have inspired me to get off my butt and do something.

 Expand my mind, grow, push, learn, make and actually achieve goals (Ones that are attainable mind you. My goal not to whine at Brad went out the door when he came through it that very day, so maybe we'll start a little smaller next time.) 

But seriously, I can do better. I love this quote:

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

~Nelson Mandela

Why?

Why I'm on earth 

Where I came from  

Who I am

Where I'm going when I die 

How to get there

I was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but I had to experience a conversion just like everyone else. It happened in University when I decided one day to read the Book of Mormon, a book I had read several times before. But this time I couldn't put it down. I read it and read it and read it. And the more I read, the more it all made sense, and the stronger a feeling of warmth, enlightenment, love became until I could look at a chair in the room and say, I may not know that that chair is real, but I know that this is real. I know that these feelings come from God. Even years later, I could not deny what I had felt. Sometimes I struggled with being a good Mormon, but I had no choice but to pick myself up again, and change, and follow what I knew was right. The more I learn about my religion, the more it makes sense in my mind and heart.

It's not something I know because I'm somehow special- everyone, everywhere can know the same thing. And it's true. That's the best part! It's real. The beauty of it continues to bring me joy and hope and purpose.

mormon.org

In Love

I like having Valentine's Day on a Sunday! That way it's a whole day of love love love for the whole family! Jesse said "I love you Mom" so many times today. Such joy. We went around the table at supper, and said what we love about each other. Jesse said "I love Dad because he always be's nice to me and he fights with me. I love Mom because she always be's nice to me. I love Breanna because....(pause pause) she be's nice to me every day. But sometimes she throws toys at me."

I got the kids love books. This one, 'Henry In Love" is THE cutest book, beautiful too, about little kid crushes. So I got it for Jesse. We even sang songs about love from the Children's songbook. We ate cupcakes and Jesse made valentines for his Sunbeams class.

Then my friend Leticia gave the lesson about Love in the Home in Young Women's. She told the girls to pick one thing they could do to bring harmony and love into their home and then report back next week. I think I might participate. Do you think it's even possible for me to not whine at Brad at all this week? Is it even possible?? Well I know all things are possible with God....and Candace, if you can have a clean, nice-smelling car for a month straight, I'm sure I can go without whining at Brad for one week. Starting.....now.

LOVE Sarah

P.S. The video works now!

Be Mine

Slide show I made of us for V-day, because, well, the song reminds me of Brad and 'cause I think it will make Brad think 'we sure are cute together!' :) 

What's getting me through

February and March are not very good months for me. What's getting me through is this every Friday with the kids:

Also the sun pokes through sometimes. And that makes me happy. I don't care how cold it is outside, if there's sun, I'm there.

A Little Info

It feels really good to say that I am back to my fit self again. Of course everyone can improve always but it's so nice to feel like I can move and work with more ease. It's nice to feel lighter on my feet and to have more energy. It's nice to fit my clothes and to not have to suck in all the time. I like looking in the full-length mirror, naked and clothed :) I plateaued physically for a long time-almost a year! I just couldn't quite find my groove. Well now I've discovered that sweet spot, it's taken a bit more work and commitment, but oooooohhh is it ever worth it! I mean, I don't know about the rest of you, but if I'm not at my best I worry about and think about being at my best all the time. That's the best part of being here is now, I just have to worry about maintaining and improving and it takes soooo much less energy and it's soooo much less depressing. For a while I didn't notice any difference but I kept going anyway. I've only lost 3 or 4 pounds...but I'm also more toned. It was like one day I woke up and went wait, is that my abs I see? One day I woke up and went, I feel stronger, I can work a little bit harder, do a little bit more. Anyways, I'll tell you what I did do just in case you are wondering. I feel really vulnerable talking about this so try not to make fun of me behind my back if you are tempted....I'm just being really honest here!

The Workouts:

I work out 4-5 times a week. Sometimes 3 if I'm tired and/or busy, and sometimes 6

P90X: I'd do the weights 1-2 times per week without fail (including the ab-ripper, or what I could get through on ab-ripper) and I would always do the plyometrics because it kills and makes me want to die and that is how I know it's awesome. Sometimes I do the Kenpo-X, if running or going to a class don't work out. This has been a HUGE part of breaking out of my plateau, mainly because it was something different; BUT- I don't think it's the only thing out there! It provides intensity and weight-lifting-both of which are essential to get really fit.

Something I love: I would go to the Talisman Centre gym once in a while to do step aerobics because I find it fun, and it's a really good workout.

Running: Because it's the thing everyone can do and you don't need a pass, money, or coordination to do it. "The road is always open" as they say. I would only do this once in a week if all the stars aligned.


The Diet:

I don't really have a diet plan, but I eat healthy most of the time. And as much as I hate to say it, I have started paying attention to calories. Not that I count calories, but I think it's important to be informed so you can make smart choices. I use the "loseit" application on the iphone if I'm not sure and there's tons of websites that do things like that.

I'll give you a few examples of what I ate last week. You'll notice I always have something sweet :)

DAY 1:

Breakfast: 1.5 cups cheerios with 1/2 cup fresh blueberries and 1 1/2 cups skim milk

Snack: Orange and 1/2 cup milk

Lunch: BIG salad with olives (YUM! Salty and so good) and a bit of low-fat cheese and 2 Tablespoons creamy cucumber dressing, a slice of homemade bread with butter.

Snack: a whole bunch of smarties. He he-like, 1/2 cup I'd say? This was 400 calories of my day :)

Dinner: Cream of Broccoli soup with a whole bunch of whole wheat crackers (12, probably) and a bit of cheese

Snack: One and a half oatmeal cookies and a couple more slices of homemade bread

This worked out to 2327 calories-but I worked out hard and burned 381, for a net of 1946 calories.

DAY 2:

Breakfast: Big bowl of hot oatmeal with 1.5 cups skim milk and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Snack: A few nacho chips, and lost of gumdrops-like, 1/3 cup!

Lunch: 3 ounces of steamed snapper (if you spice it right fish is yum), a big slice of cheese and a large smoothie with berries, banana, spinach, yogurt, a bit of apple juice and water. Mmmm....

Dinner: Cream of Broccoli soup with a big egg salad sandwich (using 1/2 the fat mayo) on pita bread

This worked out to 2132 calories-but I worked out hard and burned 300 calories for a total of 1832 calories.

DAY 3:

Breakfast: Hot oatmeal with 2 TBSP brown sugar and 1.3 cups skim milk

Snack: Cupcake with frosting

Lunch: Whole wheat english muffin with a bit of peanut butter, an apple, a slice of cheese and yes, an entire bag of microwave popcorn. Sometimes you just get the munchies.

Dinner: Meatloaf with ketchup and a big salad with olives and 1 TBSP dressing

Snack: a few gumdrops and some chocolate kisses

This worked out to 2200 calories-but I did 1/2 hour of plyometrics plus played squash with my friend that night so the total was only 1668.

DAY 4:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup yogurt with 1/2 cup homemade granola

Snack: 2 cheese strings

Lunch: Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc. roasted, on top of a bed of arugula, with a cheesy dressing and some toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top.

Snack: 1/2 cup more homemade granola with milk

Dinner: chicken fingers (I prepare them with egg whites and cornflakes, then bake), and a big pile of steamed veggies-yum, they are sooo buttery when they are steamed!

This worked out to 1356 calories and with my workout 1139.

The Mentality: Flexibility is really important to me because I can't work out at the same time every day and I don't feel like doing the same thing every day. Sometimes my knee will hurt or something, but that doesn't mean I make an excuse not to exercise. I'll do something else. I change things up often. Also, I just show up. The hardest part for me is putting on my clothes and shoes, putting in the workout and starting. Mentally it's torture some days. But I do it. And if I'm tired, I do what I can. I don't push myself every day. Also I notice I go through a 3 week cycle. The first week I feel strong, the second week I feel unmotivated and the third week I'm tired. Sometimes I feel tired for weeks. But it takes mental power to push through, and the more you do it, the more you'll do it, and the less torturous it becomes. Another tip, the best workouts are the ones I do with Brad. It makes it so much more fun.

So there you go.

Another Day

Every time I went to the grocery store when Jesse was a baby, I saw a man working there who would tell me: "write everything down." He was sincere. And I have never forgotten his advice. So, even though it may be boring to the rest of the world, here's a day with us.

Jesse's Picture. Can you see the Ninja Turtle? How about the scary ghost and the nice ghost? The "grabber blaster?"

Breanna's picture. Not sure why she was so into drawing cups today...

Jesse and Breanna like to pretend their food is people. Right now in Jesse's hand he holds his teachers-Ms. Sue and Ms. Michelle. He justified eating them by saying they were going to "swim in his tummy."

Jesse has a crush on a girl at school. I only know this because his teacher told me. Her name is Amelia. Although, Jesse doesn't play with her anymore, because, as he says, she's "too pretty". Amelia, however,  got knocked out of the park by Eliza, who he goes to Sunbeams with. She's "way prettier, like, waaaay prettier." Even prettier than Mommy? asks Dad. Waaaaay prettier, says Jesse. Dad says, wow, she must be really pretty then. Aw.

The balloon Breanna is holding was actually Jesse's show and tell item for "Pink Day" at his preschool. I didn't know what else I could get him excited about in pink. Well, apparently you are not supposed to bring balloons to school. Choking hazard. I think the teacher was even more horrified when I sent Jesse to school with a small jar of sugar for "White Day". She said, "I wasn't sure what was in the jar."

Jesse helps knead the bread.

No, they are not washing dishes. They are making gingerbread cookies, according to Jesse. Breanna is wearing her "ballerina", not to be confused with a "princess dress".  Breanna is sure she is going to be a ballerina when she grows up which makes me happy because that's what *I* wanted to do when I was little! I think we are "kindred spirits". Make fun of that all you want. Best friends in heaven. Whatever.

Happy Day, Happy Life

The Men In Black

"Suit yourself, just stay away from my doorbell."

That's my friend's declared religion on facebook. I know some people feel this way, but my little brother-in-law Matthew just got back from a 2-year mission to Arizona-which he saved for and paid for himself....and all my brothers served missions...and so did Brad...so I just have to put in a plug for missionaries!! 

They are just 19 and 20 year old kids, so don't be afraid!

Next time they ring your doorbell...let them in.

You will make their day!!
And you might even like what they have to say :)

This is a video Matthew made of his fellow men-in-black the day he left. It's funny.

Matthew a little overwhelmed at the airport with all the kids that were 2 years littler or didn't exist before he left!

Just Call me Cinderella

Imagine you have had a crazy busy week. You're exhausted. Like, 5 hours of sleep a night exhausted. Your house is a mess. You need a shower...bad. You have errands to run and swimming lessons to go to, packing to do, a play-date that afternoon, a Young Women's activity to plan and no motivation. It's impossible to do it all.

ENTER...

Your Fairy Godmother

She watches your kids, reads to them, cleans your floors (even the bathroom ones), does your dishes. She does laundry and wipes down your couches, makes the beds, and then, when you've taken the kids swimming, done a 20-minute pilates video, showered and even spent time doing your hair...she cleans your fridge while you pack, watches the kids while you zip over to the Farmer's Market all by yourself and thinks of some simple but marvelous ideas for Young Women's activities. 

So by the time your husband gets home (an hour early) your house is clean, you look pretty, you're packed, you've spent quality time swimming with your children, and there's Simple Simon meat pies ready to be microwaved for dinner.

THIS, my friends, is no fairy tale. THIS is a true story. THIS is what happens when you have the best Mom in the world and she comes to your house for what I fittingly call:

Fairy Godmother Day

We love you, Nana!