Family. Fun. Food.

We went to Jeremy's Grandparents' house for dinner this year. The kids always have so much fun whenever we all get together. The kids enjoyed endless board games, playing restaurant, wrestling, laughing, and all the love and attention in the world!

The Wishbone: Heather vs. Landon

The Lovely Ladies

The Lone Men

Since the kids were entertained for a few hours, I enjoyed catching up with the family.

Jeremy kinda missed most of it, but he was happy to take the place of Greg on the couch this year.

Hope everyone had a great and safe Thanksgiving!

Thank.Full.Ness.

Even though it's so cliche' to blog about what I'm thankful for, I just can't help it during this time of year. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas because everyone has an excuse to get all cheesy and lovin' on each other.

Obviously I am most grateful for my hubby and munchkins, so while I still love them to pretty pieces, this is a shout out to my other family that I don't give enough credit to...

My gIrLfRiEnDs!

I heart you.

Here are some of the many reasons why:

You don't wait for the 'hard times' to show me you care,
because you know it's the little moments that matter most.

You witnessed some of my most embarrassing moments
yet you still take me out in public

You call me just to see how I'm doing,
not only when you need something.

You give me a safe place to land,
even though you never let me fall.

You know my kids are my life,
so you make them part of your life too.


You know all my insecurities,
and never use them against me.

We don't need to be related to be sisters,
it's not blood that binds us- it's love.

Black Friday Deals!

The day after Thanksgiving has always been a huge shopping day, with deals beyond belief. I try not to be anywhere near a store on this day because I really don't like crowds. Over the last few years, online merchants have caught up with traditional retail stores. They are now offering many amazing deals online on 'Black Friday' in addition to 'Cyber Monday'.

There is no need to get out of your jammies ladies! Wake up on Friday, call in sick, put the kids in front of the tube (put something educational on if it makes you feel better), sit back and start shopping. I will do all of my online shopping this Friday and Monday. That will probably take care of 80% of my total Christmas shopping- I'll let Santa handle the rest.

Here are some of the deals I am looking forward to:

1- amazon.com- Kitchen and houseware sale where some items are up to 85% off. If you are a Prime Member, you can often get 2-day shipping for free.

2- kmart.com-5 to 10% off and free shipping for orders of $49. Plus, if you sign up for emails you'll get $10 in Kmart coupons.

3- sears.com- Taking the term "door busters" to the online world, Sears is offering "e-busters". These will be a series of deals available only online, plus free shipping for orders of $99.00.

4- walmart.com- I am definitely getting these: 2 wii games and/or 2 ds games for $30 (only available online). There is also a nice Nikon digital camera for $94.00 and it comes with an SD card, which is also only available online. Killer deals on laptops too. Don't tell Jeremy.

These are just a few I will be hitting up. There are a lot of deals online right now, and with free shipping, it makes little sense to shop in-store. However, I know a few of my girlfriends love the crowds, enjoy the pushing (and are very strong) and have fun with each other sleeping overnight in the lines...it's all part of the adventure. For you ladies, have fun and I will think of you while sitting in my warm jammies eating Fruit Loops.

Kindergarten Decisions

My conversation with Emma:

Mom, did it bother you when you married Dad and he said swears a lot?

Not really, why?

I use to like Preston, but he swears a lot, and I don't want to marry a boy like that.

Well, I wouldn't want to marry a boy that swears either. Dad is a grown up so he can swear if he wants to.

I don't like it, so I want to marry Braxton.

I thought you wanted to marry the Landon in your class?

No, cuz he wants to sit by me all the time. Boys are so annoying- they either want to sit by you too much or swear too much. I just want to marry Braxton or just not get married at all right now.

Well, it's probably better that you don't get married right now. You have a long time to decide that.

Yeah, I just want to be with my friends that are girls. They're more fun and not as annoying as boys.

Sunday Savings

I love saving money. I rarely pay full price for anything.
We have a philosophy in our home:
It's not how much you make, it's how much you keep.

I have really mastered online 'budget' shopping. The Christmas I was 8 months pregnant with Livi, I didn't want to brave any stores, and decided to do all my shopping online. I researched all the stores and deals, and then did all my shopping in about an hour. I didn't pay shipping for any of the items and got a better price then I could have in the stores. Everything was to my front door within a week or two. It was sweet. I was hooked from then on.

The one thing I haven't been very good at is grocery shopping on a budget. I really do hate going into stores, but especially the one store that would save me the most money- Walmart. So I've been trying to use coupons at my local store, Smiths. The thing I don't like about coupons is that they take a lot of time to find and organize if you want to save a lot of money. There are sites like the grocery game and grocery smarts that help out a lot, but they are also time consuming.

Another thing I don't like about grocery coupons is that I don't want to buy something just because it's on sale. I want a coupon for the items I already buy. I am really particular about feeding my family organic and non-processed foods; I shop mostly in the deli and produce sections, and there aren't really coupons in the paper for those items.

So I found a little tidbit that can help you if you shop at Smiths or Albertsons. I went online and registered my Fresh Value card and now they send me coupons in the mail based on my shopping habits. I just got my first set, and I'm stoked. There are about $25 of coupons- One coupon is $3.00 off of the produce section. Another was a free loaf of bread (my favorite brand).

The best part is that it only took me a few minutes online and then I shop where I would normally shop anyway. The most important thing to me is to save time AND money. In my opinion, spending four hours clipping coupons to save a few bucks, is like stepping over a dime to pick up a penny.

I went shopping today and I saved a total of $26.20 from my own coupons and an additional $24.24 from my Fresh Values card, for a total of $50.44 in savings today. Not too shabby!

I know I'm still a rookie, but hey, the tiniest savings make me all warm and fuzzy. So feel free to share your ideas too.

But...If you want any tips about online shopping- I'm your gal!

Watching the Big Game

im⋅pro⋅vise
verb, -vised, -vis⋅ing.
to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.

We couldn't find a sitter today for Jeremy and I to go to the BYU/Utah game together. So, he went anyway. Nice.

I was stuck at home with the kids without the required channel to view the game (Dish Network blows). I was about to listen to it on the radio, when...

♪♫ hallelujah ♪♪


I found a web cam broadcasting the game. Sa-weet. The internet is the coolest thing ever. Thanks Mr. Gore.


It was the best of all worlds:

• wearing sweats
• warm
• watching Oprah on tv
• watching game on computer
• baby napping
• kids playing
• eating cereal
• reading blogs during commercials
• utes winning

Although I would have rather been in 5th row with my abandoning husband-I can't think of a better way to watch the big game.

Yes, I'm a nerd.

Girls Mexican Adventure

fuzzy hair. soft skin. para sailing. dieta coke. hard rock cafe. sunset cruise. jet skiing. salsa dancing. giggling marlin. giggling girls. sun tan. one way roads. ice cream runs. cabo wabo. inside jokes. sleeping in. bargain hunting. good times.

Nine

Nine years ago today, I exchanged vows with my best friend.

Nine years ago today, was the happiest day of my life...
and then every day after.

Happy Anniversary Babe!!

The Big O on the Big O

I know I said I was done blogging for the week, but I couldn't help myself. As I mentioned before, I LOVE organization ...and I also love Oprah. So it just doesn't get better than seeing My Big O on the Big O. Peter Walsh, from the TLC show Clean Sweep was on today's show. I heart him.

There is one big O tip that I've always used, that he reiterated on the show today (personally I think he's been stealing my tips. If only I had a Brittish accent and little boy parts, I could have been the host). Too often people feel that they don't have the time it takes to organize. Well, it's not like extra time just falls in my lap. I make the time, but the key is, you don't need a lot time. I take about 20 minutes once a week. Like I said in my previous O post, so far it's been 2+ years and I'm not quite done. Peter said to take 10 minutes every day and it will only take you six months. For me, every day is a too much since I have to fit in Oprah, blogging, reading, and the whole taking care of my kids thing. But certainly everyone can find 20 minutes a week, right?

Here is an example of something that took me 20 minutes to organize...My linen closet. Now you may not have the same issues I have with mine, but the point is to find the thing that bugs you the most, yet is the easiest to complete. That way, you feel like you've accomplished something and perhaps it will keep you motivated to continue. Remember, take small bites of the elephant.

My linen closet has every size of fitted sheets, top sheets, pillow cases and blankets. We would pull out each one, open it to find the right size, and then shove them all back in there. I was constantly folding and re-organizing it. Now with the help of my good friend the label maker, I haven't had to re-organize it more than this one time.



It may be your pantry, coat closet, fridge or silverware drawer. Whatever it is, take 20 minutes this week and go take a bite of your elephant. Or just call me, I'll do it. Yes, It's a sickness, I know.

In summary, watch Oprah and go Utes.

Who needs Tijuana?!!

I decided to change the whole "30 posts in 30 days" challenge to "9 posts in 9 days". Woo-hoo...I made it! I have this same problem with exercise...It sounds fun in the beginning but after a while, the excitement wears off.

I actually made the decision yesterday that I would take a blogging break since I'm going out of town this week anyway (kinda forgot that when I took the challenge). But then...smack, I was hit with something I wanted to bitch talk about.

Southtowne Mall.

Has anyone been there lately? I usually love the mall, especially on cold and rainy days. Well, yesterday I almost punched a kiosk worker. Okay, not really, but I did think about it. Those kiosk employees are worse than Tijuana. I already know better than to give them eye contact, but now that doesn't stop them. They step out in front of you and say, "Can I ask you a question?" and they point at some obscure place on your body so you'll stop to see what they're pointing at...then there's no getting out of it.

I was with Olivia and I just kept saying "No". One guy got in front of my stroller after I said "No" and said, "Oh sure, you have just one minute, let me just see your nails". Then a lady upstairs did the same thing. There are four of them spread throughout the mall...there isn't a route you can take to avoid them. Furthermore, I shouldn't have to! Just to get back to my car I had to pretend I was on a phone call the entire way back. It's crap. I'm done going there.

Phew...I feel better now. But I'm still taking a mall break (my bank account will thank me) and a blogging break (my laundry will thank me) and then I'm gonna plant my white butt on the beach and come home tan and refreshed. Adios Tijuana...Buenos Dias Cabos San Lucas!

The Gift of Time

Jeremy works roughly 70 hours a week. All remaining hours are dedicated to me and the kids, as well as a few hours of sleep. He never has time for himself, yet he never complains about it. So for Father's Day this year, I wanted to give him something he would never get for himself- Time.

He is constantly telling me how he wishes he could spend more quality time with his Grandpa, so I wanted to find something they could enjoy together. Two of the many things they have in common are cars and cycling. As much as I wanted to send them off to the Tour de France together, I opted for something a little more realistic and closer to home.

I surprised them both with a four-hour driving tour, where they got to drive some of the most exotic cars in world on the open road. More importantly, they got to spend all of that time with one another. With a bunch of "testosterone-driven car lovers" on the tour, you would think there would be some issues with speeding, testing the limits, and breaking the rules. Well there was, but it wasn't the young crazy kids...it was Grandpa! He kept taking the cars faster and really trying to take advantage of their power. I think he got reprimanded a couple of times, but couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole tour.

They went on the tour a few weeks ago, but I just got the pictures back today. I think it's safe to say I totally scored wife points, and hopefully a few granddaughter [in law] points as well.

Show 'n' Tell- Greeting Cards

Jeremy's Grandmother sends my kids something in the mail every month. Sometimes it's a postcard from their latest travels, a holiday card, a magazine, or a birthday card. The kids get really excited when we open the mailbox and there is something just for them. It's such a thoughtful gesture.

I've always been really good at sending emails or e-cards for my friends and family. I enjoy getting these as well, but there really is nothing like getting something in the mail. So my 2008 resolution was to mail out more greeting cards. I decided to start with just birthdays for my immediate family members and 'thank you' cards whenever needed. I sent out birthday cards every month all the way up to September. That was pretty good I think, but that left out 2 birthdays....sorry Jason and Rob (and I should probably apologize in advance to Terri). However, I totally sucked at the 'thank you' cards...many were deserving, none were received.

Next year, I'm going to give it another shot. So if you suddenly start getting cards from me when you've never received them before...no I'm not dying, and no I don't want to borrow money (but will willingly accept it). I'm just trying to be a more thoughtful person. I'm realizing that the older I get, the more considerate I get of other people and the less I think of myself. I was so selfish in my 20's...but that's a completely different post in itself- back to my Show 'n' Tell.

In an attempt to get better at sending the cards, I figured that I just needed to be a little more prepared. So I came up with an easy way to store the cards so they will be ready and available to send out. For about 5 bucks I purchased an expanding file folder. Okay, actually Jeremy purchased it for his business, but never used it...finders keepers.


Then I purchased a bunch of cards; some were just generic for any occasion, but most were hand-picked with people in mind. I labeled each slot and filed the cards and now they are ready to signed and sent out.



One last "Mini Show n' Tell", I also subscribe to a free service called Birthday Alarm. It sends me email alerts when someone's birthday is coming up.

Feeling Blessed

Yesterday, it was reported that our unemployment rate is at a 14-year high at 6.5%.

It's become a lot more real to me today as I found out that some people close to me have been laid off. Obviously times are really hard right now, but to lose a job on top of all of it, must be devastating.

For us, being self-employed is both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, we are in charge of our own destiny. On the negative side, we are in charge of our own destiny. I feel especially fortunate today, and just wanted to send out love to those who continue to be affected by these difficult times.

Flashback Friday

In my attempt to write 30 posts in 30 days, I'm running out of things to blog to about. So, I decided to start something called Flashback Fridays (are you sick of my cheesy theme posts yet?!!).

I think it will be entertaining (for myself, mostly) to take a stroll down memory lane. Also, for those of you that haven't known me very long (or for my secret stalkers), this might help you to get to know me a little better. For those of you that have known me forever...be worried. You more than likely will appear in a Flashback Friday.

I got this idea while looking through one of my celebrity trash magazines. I've been seeing this trend on women like Katie Holmes and Jennifer Aniston wearing the "pegged boyfriend jeans", and I had an immediate flashback.

If you were a teen in the 90's, you just had a flashback too.

Here's mine:

Pah-lease don't bring back this trend!

She's Like No Other

When Landon and Emma were toddlers, I would always hear Moms complain about the "terrible two's", but I seriously thought they were exaggerating. I couldn't imagine my kids ever behaving that way. Landon had a perfect temperament from the day he was born. Emma was a really hard baby, but by the time she was 2, she was an angel. They didn't throw fits, they listened to directions and they usually behaved. When Emma was 3, we flew to Florida and she sat still and was perfect throughout the entire 5 hour flight. I figured that was normal toddler behavior.

...Enter Olivia.


This chick is a spitfire. She does everything all of those moms complained about. She tests my limits constantly. Right now, her big thing is to throw her food on the floor and yell, "no, no no" as she does it. At a soccer game she kept trying to run onto the field, and after several reprimands, she slowly walked backwards onto the field, staring me down the whole time. When Emma is in the bath, Livi gets mad that she's not in there with her (she's no longer allowed since she poops in the bath-another thing I just love). So in retaliation she throws things like shoes, hairbrushes, and watches in the bath with Emma. She's also in this phase where she climbs into small spaces and gets stuck. After I free her from her death scream, she crawls right back in again. I feel so out of my element. I'm finding myself reading books and looking on the internet to get advice like I'm a first-time parent.

Although there are days that I handle this better than others, for the most part, it's kind of amusing to me. I've just never seen anything like it. Something else that I'm experiencing for the first time, is how much emulates her older siblings. Because Landon and Emma were so close in age, I raised them together. Since Livi is so much younger, she is trying to do everything they do. She follows them everywhere and has to do exactly what they are doing. During homework, she has to sit right in the middle of them and do it too. When the kids brush their teeth, Livi does too...I can't help her, she HAS to do it. Whenever we go to school functions, she insists on sitting with the class. When the kids are on the computer, she will pinch and push them until they get off and then she climbs up and copies them.


Watching her do all these things makes me laugh so I just had to write it down so I can remember how crazy she was. I love that she's growing up. I love that she's copying the two most perfect children, so one day she will start acting like them. I love the dirty looks she's giving me right now because I'm on the computer and not giving her my undivided attention. I love you Livi!

The Big O

It's something we all wish we could do, yet some of us just don't know how. Some of us simply don't have the time. Yes, you know what I'm talking about. I know you're scared to open yourself up to this topic, because then you will feel like you have to do it too. I'm here to tell you that it's okay, and once you've done it, you won't go back. That's right, I'm going to discuss, "The Big O".

Organization.

I'm addicted to Organization. It's a bit of a sickness. I drool over places like The Container Store and Real Simple Magazine. It takes a lot of time and commitment upfront to organize your areas, but once it's done, you will save so much time and headache.

When you step back and look at your entire house and see all the stuff that needs to be done, it can get really overwhelming. In these cases, I like to refer to the old saying, "How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time." Take one small section of your house based on the amount of time you have available. Once you've done that one area, it will be easy to keep it organized and clean, and then you can move on to the next. It may be a lengthy process (I'm on 2 years and counting), but will ultimately get done and make your life easier.

My "Big O" topic today is a label maker. Everyone must own one. It's as necessary as toilet paper ladies. Seriously. You can pick one of these bad boys up for about $15, yet the organizational possibilities are, yup, you guessed it...priceless.

Although I like things clean and clutter free, I think kids really need a space of their own where they can make a mess and have some fun. In our home, toys are not allowed in their rooms or in the main living spaces. However, they have the entire basement to just go nuts. Sometimes it looks like a tornado hit down there, which could be a nightmare for me to clean up. However, because I took the time to organize and label all of the toy bins, I never have to clean up after the kids. At the end of the night, I tell them to clean up the toys, and within fifteen minutes or so, everything is in it's place and looks just as anal nice as if I did it myself.

Big O quote of the day:
"Clutterers often suffer from false beliefs that we do not deserve any better, that we are failures, that there will never be enough for us. Clutterless helps us eradicate these ideas."

A Historical Day

Dear Landon and Emma,

For the last few months, our country has been inundated with political messages from John McCain and Barack Obama. Dad and I had to think long and hard about who we wanted to run our country since our current President, George Bush, has made quite a mess. We have always tried to communicate openly with you about our beliefs. Obviously, politics have taken center stage in our family discussions over the last few weeks. During this time, you've listened to us discuss topics like taxes and war, and you've done your best to join in the conversation. A few weeks ago, Dad and I decided we were going to support Obama.

I wanted to document this for you to reflect upon later in life, since you are still a little too young to remember this important day. This morning, Emma, you told Dad that if kids could vote, you would vote for Obama. Landon, you wanted McCain because he wouldn't raise our taxes, but quickly shifted your vote when Dad and I agreed to support Obama. Also, you've been learning about voting and tallying in 2nd grade this year. You were impressed to find out that everyone would vote today AND we would be able to tally the whole United States of America in just one day. Although, you were disappointed to go to sleep before finding out the results.

Well, about two hours ago, we elected a new President of the United States. Barack Obama. I actually went into your room to see if you were awake so I could share the news...I knew you would be excited to see "your choice" win. However, you were in dreamland and I didn't want to wake you. He delivered a lovely speech and I hate to admit that I became a little choked up.

You don't understand this now, but we are currently in terrible times.We are in a horrible recession, people are losing their homes and jobs. We are in an unnecessary war that is costing us billions of dollars, and more importantly, innocent lives. There hasn't been a light at the end of this tunnel in quite some time. The media and people in general are pessimistic. Today's election brought out hope of a brighter future and a promise of change. It felt good to feel optimistic again-and that is why I got emotional.

I worry so much about your future. I hope by the time you read this, things are better and all the sacrifices we've made as a family and as a country, have been worth it. I love you!

NaBloPoMo

So I'm a little behind since it's already the 3rd of November, but I'm going to try to take the National Blog Posting Month challenge. 30 posts in 30 days. I don't really have enough to blog about every single day, so it will force me to be more creative. I guess this counts as my first post. That was easy!