Generally Speaking

As a general rule, I am a bit of what some might call cheap, tight, frugal, etc. I'm always the first to turn down extra spending because it will make us go over our budget. We don't go on dates, we rarely go out to dinner, we never pay for sitters, clothing is only bought when it's a necessity, etc. I force us to get by on less. I'm great at getting things done cheaply. And I'm usually okay with my limited amounts of spending money (sort of). Occasionally however, I get tired of it. And I'm suddenly okay with spending waaaaay too much money. However, if you asked John I'm sure he'd say that my crazy spending is how normal people live.

My spending moods work to John's benefit. He is the spender of our marriage. I think every couple has a spender and a saver...it makes things work well. So when I get in one of these moods, suddenly we start shopping for things we should never buy. And somehow we (okay, I) just start buying. It's like I have pent up aggression from living so frugally and I suddenly burst.

I am currently in one of those moods. I'm a little nervous to balance the check book, because I know that I have already spent all of May's spending money and it's not yet May. John has also convinced me to start shopping for new TV's. I'm headed to the RC Willey parking lot sale tomorrow to see if they have any good deals on TV stands. I'm also looking for furniture for my kids rooms...since their furniture is for the most part garbage. I'm also toying with the idea of getting a car.......

That last one might be going a step too far, but one never knows what will happen when I get in one of my moods!

And also, FYI: Things have been going much better for Ains at recess. She has made efforts to play with different friends and had a great week. Here's to hoping that's the last of her friend trouble (although I know it's not).

Being a parent is hard!!!

On a positive note: Last night I decided to try more positive reinforcement with Owen. In his defense he was very tired yesterday (since he insists on waking up at the crack of dawn). So today I told him we would go do something special while we were running errands. I almost took it away from him after how he acted at the first store, but we went anyways. His activity of choice was to get a doughnut at Krispy Kreme. So we went and got a doughnut and had a chat. I didn't think it meant that much to him, but the first thing he said to Ains when she got in the car after kindergarten was, "I got a doughnut!" I'm hoping that a few more special Owen activities will help break this mean streak.

On a sad note: On Monday Ains told me that she is walking around alone at recess and has no one to play with and kids are running away from her when she asks them to play. I'm not sure what is actually happening since her versions of things can still be a little skewed. But it still breaks my heart. So we planned a play date with a friend of hers yesterday and we talked about how to make friends. And now I'm just hoping it all works. But reports thus far have been good.

On a funny note: Today while shopping I was trying on a shirt in the dressing room Owen declared, "Mom, you look modest!!!" He said it in the same tone as if he was saying I looked pretty. I'm not sure that he even knows what modest means. But the lady in the dressing room next to me sure got a good laugh this morning!

So what am I missing....

I'm sure there is some magical way to raise little boys that I am unaware of. I know lots of mom's say that their little boys are rough, socially clueless, etc. But sometimes I feel like Owen will never mature into a semi-normal adult. I'm sure I'm ruining him somehow.

Currently I worry that Owen will never have friends. Because if he treated me the way he treated his friends, I wouldn't want to play with him more than once. He never really plays. It's more like he bosses, hogs, bullies, and tries to show his friends everything he owns, and then wants to sit and eat.

Today has been one of those days where I have been yelling at Owen all day. Literally. All. Day. I feel bad doing it. But what do you do when he's so rough he's constantly hurting his little sister, and so annoying that I feel sorry for his older one.

I'm pretty sure today has been rough because I recently told John that I occasionally saw glimpses of Owen learning to be kind......apparently I spoke to soon.

Well that was a mistake.

While we are blessed to live in a great neighborhood and have a great ward, we have not had super neighbors. The only other kids on our street only live here part time (with a grandma or their dad). So when a family moved into the house across the street with 2 little boys I got a little excited. John went over a few weeks ago and introduced himself and learned that the dad was the new anchor for Fox News, and their boys were 6 and 4. Sounded like a great family to get to know to me.

So yesterday I finally went over to introduce myself. I approachedthe mom after she finished yelling at her son...

And the following things happened-----

• We had a 45 minute conversation (during which I said about 5 words)
• There was much more yelling by her (at her kids, not me)
• I received an invite to come have a glass of wine with her every afternoon at 4:30 to take the edge off
• Her son came into our house and attacked Owen after Owen told him that he couldn't be in our house because he hadn't asked me.

After all of this happened I started regretting going over. Especially after she told me how she was so excited to meet another stay at home mom and couldn't wait to hang out all the time. (Although she's a stay at home mom, her boys are both in daycare a few days a week....boy I'm judgemental).

I was a little disappointed. I've been feeling like we need to branch out and be friends with more people in our neighborhood who aren't members of our church. But now I'm really nervous about ever talking to this woman again. I guess maybe I should be grateful that they're just renting.

A bunch of little things that I should have written down but haven't yet...

A couple of weeks ago it was read week at Ainsley's school. They got to dress up each day. On the last day they got to dress up like the character from a book. Ainsley chose Fancy Nancy. She looked pretty cute. Although in this picture you can't see her fancy hair do. But trust me, it was fancy!

Ains and I took a trip to the eye doctor last week. I needed a new prescription and she needed a check-up. Turns out my eyes hadn't changed as much as I thought. The doctor cautiously told me at the end of my exam that he thought I might have had the wrong contact in one of my eyes. Embarrassing! But I still am not sure he was right because I still have one contact left in each box for each eye. So, weird and embarrassing.

Ainsley on the other hand still needs the same prescription. But one of her eyes is significantly worse than the other. This guy felt like it was bad enough that we should put a patch on her other eye for an hour a day and see if it strengthens her weak eye at all. We shall see. We'll go back in 4 months for a follow up exam. Until then, she's our little pirate.

(Pics of us in our new cute glasses coming soon!)Emmie is officially 5 months old. When each of our children turn 5 months John gets antsy to feed them. I'm always slow to feed my children food, I figure they're fine without it. In my opinion the introduction of food is overrated. Because once a baby realizes they can eat food, soon they expect to eat food, and feeding a baby food is messy, and takes a long time. So I put it off as long as possible. John on the other hand thinks it's exciting.

So last week while I was gone at a meeting he and Ainsley fed Emmie her first food. Rice cereal. Although my doctor skeptically told me that the national pediatric people (I don't remember what they are called) have recently changed their minds and no longer feel that rice cereal needs to be the first food introduced to a baby. Apparently now you can introduce whatever food you would like first. I was thinking hot dogs would be a fun change!

My main concern here is how close Emmie is to the edge of the counter (she looks a little concerned herself)...push her back a little John!

And a funny little story about Owen. Owen is incapable of playing by himself. Unless it's TV or wii. This kid definitely does not have the imagination of his sister. But what he lacks in imagination, he makes up for in cleverness.

I was annoyed this week by his hovering after I made him turn the TV off. And Ainsley was at school so he had no one to entertain him. So, I told him that his job for the morning was to find a game to play by himself. Cars, blocks, WHATEVER....I didn't care. So while I was in the bathroom getting ready he came in and announced that the was going to have a tea party. As I was thinking to myself, "Seriously Owen, a tea party? Could we choose a more masculine game?!" Owen announced that since he had chosen tea party he needed some snacks....ah ha! The game suddenly made sense. He had his spread of chocolate chips, water, and animal crackers on the table. He out smarted me. If I was going to make him play by himself. He was going to find a way to do what he really wanted to do...eat!

And a few more things that made me laugh this week....

A few days ago I overheard a conversation between Ains and Owen where Ainsley was explaining that dolphins were just baby whales.

Ainsley was having a hard time figuring out how to write "this morning". I finally realized that she thought it was "the smorning". Which reminded me of when I was little and thought breakfast was breakdust.

Owen and Ainsley have also been really into the Chronicles of Narnia movie lately. But what is funny is that they each choose a character or two and act out the battle scene at the end. Owen is always Peter and Ainsley character always varies. I love watching it and would love to capture the action on camera, but Owen gets angry if he so much as notices that I'm looking at him.

Well that didn't last long.

Yesterday I was released from my calling...again.

I had a calling I loved and I got released after only having it for a couple of months.

Now I'm the second counselor in the primary. Planning sharing time will definately be my least favorite part of this calling. I suppose I should just learn to love it.

John and I have a bet going on for how long that will last...... His bet is one month.

Seriously, we've lived in this ward for just over 3 years and this will be my 5th calling. Either I get moved because I never quite cut it, or because I'm cool and everyone is fighting over me.

I'll choose to believe it's because I'm so cool so as not to hurt my pride!

Published

John wrote/edited a book. And it's being published. Pretty awesome, huh!?!

Doesn't the cover look great? I think it looks amazing!

Now click here and buy a copy. (Not that we get a cut of it or anything, but I'm sure if you buy one John would sign it for you and then it would be worth millions in just a few years!)

House of Death

I'm pretty sure if we lived 100 years ago my family would have been quarantined by now. Seriously, we've had nasty illness this year! And it never seems to end! Last week Ains woke up throwing up one morning (she was super depressed because John's parents were here visiting). Luckily she was fine by afternoon. But that night at dinner it was Owen that threw up at the restaurant. From coughing too hard. Just like Ains did a couple of weeks ago. He's been coughing and had the same fever that Ains just got over. Poor kid.

And kind of poor me, because I had to clean the puke out of the car yesterday. I think cleaning throw-up out of cars and car seats and seat belts could be one of the grossest things ever. We were in the Costco parking lot when it happened (I know I shouldn't have made him go shopping, but a family's got to eat). After he was done, I was able to get him out of the car and I stripped him down, while snowflakes fell around us, wrapped him up in my coat, and then we drove home with the windows cracked open. And then I spent a few hours cleaning. I'm pretty sure we now have the cleanest car in the neighborhood.

But here's proof that even houses that should be quarantined can have fun....