Spring Cleaning-Day 1

Today was a busy one.....

First, to the orthodontist for the best appointment EVER! Braces are finito, gone, and off! It feels so good to have them off. Like I'm me again. :) I can't help but smile whenever I pass a mirror, just to see the teeth, all straight and naked. :) Eating dinner tonight was fantastic. I could take a nice big bite, and then not worry about all the gak stuck in my braces. I finished in record time, something that hasn't happened in months!

Here's a peek!

I then came home and got to work on the SPRING CLEANING!!!! Today's job to tackle was the Master Closet. It wasn't too bad. Mainly because we had done a major purging about 18 months ago. I went through and purged my stuff again, and a little of Ron's. I couldn't go crazy with his...that's his job! But I did get a large black trash bag full that DI took care of for me this afternoon. A little more organization of shelves, shoes, vacuuming, and throwing away of stuff, and I'm much happier with it.

I'm glad it didn't take me all that long to get that tackled, since as soon as Ron got home, we left for a fun night out for Family Home Evening. Dinner at Five Guys Burgers & Fries (YUM!) and a movie, Monsters vs. Aliens. All in all, a fun night. :)

Calgon?!

My husband made me.....

a logo!

Because everyone should have a logo. :) What do you think?! (The flower is a Columbine. Which is just about my favorite flower in the world, followed by the wild Iris found in the meadow at the Upper Ranch in Arizona.....I can't wait to see if I get some in my backyard this summer!)

Not exactly sure what I'm going to do with it yet, other than use it as a watermark on my pictures. I'm playing around with the idea of making a blog/website for my pictures...just for fun. I do plan on actually taking pictures when it is warm again. That way my hands will work instead of freezing solid. That and the fact that the only colors we STILL have outside right now are various shades of brown. And various depths of white.....

If anyone is interested....

Our kids school is having a 5K/1 mi. Fun Run on Saturday April 25th, at 8AM(sign in 7AM). If you are interested in participating, you can find the information HERE.

Entry Fees are $10 before the race, $15 on race day. If you pre-register before April 10th, you get a t-shirt! :) Bonus! You would also get the added fun of taunting me as I make a fool of myself trying to run a mile. I hope to crack the 30 minute barrier...

Heidi....I hear you laughing. ;)

Spring CLEANING!

Yep, I said it....the bad word.....cleaning! I'm doing it, and if you'd like to join in, feel free! :)

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Enrichment, and we had a guest speaker there about cleaning and organizing. Not only was she hilarious, she isn't perfect at it. In fact, she is going to try to help us get to where we all want to be in terms of organization by doing it right along with us, and blogging about it. :)

Her main emphasis, which I need desperately, is to purge all the junk and clutter and then organize the essential items left. I love it. I think I've realized a couple of things about myself....not only am I exactly like my father, in that I collect all the "gear" necessary for a hobby or project and then never do anything with said "gear" or hobby, but I also think I may border on that hoarding personality type. You know, those people you see on Oprah with the homes stacked to the rafters with stuff....so much stuff that they can't cook, and they think their husband left them three years ago only to find him buried in 5 feet of Styrofoam hamburger boxes.

But I'm not THAT bad! I can, and DO, eventually go through the various piles, stacks or boxes and throw everything out! And I've never lost a child, pet, or husband in stacks of trash. :) It seems though that I have lost myself somewhere along the way, and I want "me" back.

I think what has been bugging me the most is my craft room, which I have lately dubbed my "crap room". I have a number of things I've been wanting to work on, and be creative, and I can't due to the fact that I can't use my craft room. I could take a picture of it, but really, just these admissions in writing is embarrassing enough...I really don't need the world seeing the state of this room! But you can bet I will take pictures when it's organized. :)

Not only is the crap room out of control, but so are the kids rooms, and the playroom. So much so that there is no playing taking place there. Jared's room isn't bad anymore. Only because a few weeks ago I took every last toy out of there and put them all downstairs to further mess up the playroom. I thought it would teach him a lesson about keeping his stuff picked up. Turns out that he likes his room devoid of toys and doesn't want anything back in there except his BMX racing helmet.

It also helps that Mother Nature has decided that even though we have seen the passage of the first day of Spring.....that the weather isn't exactly coming to reflect said season. We have cold, snow, and storm after storm lined up...so since we are stuck inside bemoaning our fate of a return to winter, I might as well use the time wisely!

So, as Jodi begins her foray into organization, and helps us get there too, I am laying out an invitation for ANY of you who want to travel this road together to join her on her blog. Remember....comments do a body good, so let her know you are playing along!

The Great 8 Tag

**I started this list a WHILE ago, and then it sat in my drafts folder.....so obviously some things are old (like what I did yesterday.....so I added a few to that category when I finished the list today!)**

Thanks to my cousin Shanan for the tag. Although I may not tag 8 people....I don't know if I have 8 people reading me anymore since I've been such a slacker as of late! :) Oh, and I'll be doing these eight things about the family, not just me....makes it much easier to come up with.

Here are the rules:
1) Post rules on your blog--done :)
2) Answer the six "8" items (they are in no particular order).
3) Let each person know by leaving them a comment.

8 Favorite TV shows
*Curious George
*Imagination Movers
*Little Einsteins
*Phineas and Ferb
*Dirty Jobs
*American Idol
*Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives
*Cage Fighting (this would be one of Ron's favorite.....)

8 Things we did yesterday
*I finished the laundry...oops, forgot to dry that last load!
*Ron spent all day at church....meeting and the usual.
*Riley went to her presidency meeting (she's the 2nd counselor in her Young Womens age group) with wet hair because she forgot about it and had just gotten out of the shower when they called to see where she was.
*We all went to church, and the kids were actual decent this week....so fabulous not having to feel like the 3 ring circus! :)
*Nicole went to Primary and got to help in sharing time in Primary.
*The kids were "ungrounded" from the basement, so they went down and were supposed to be straightening up the playroom, but I think it is now in worse condition that previously.
*I made dinner and dessert. Italian Chicken over noodles, broccoli, rolls, and Raspberry Crumb Bars.
*I tried to watch the Oscars, but Ron had the remote....I finally gave up and went in the bedroom to watch the end.

8 Things we did yesterday(for real!)
*Ellie and I went to Walmart
*went to the kids school and traded out take-home reading books
*Riley was on stage crew for the school's production of "The Wizard of Oz"
*Nicole watched the play in the morning with the rest of the school
*Jared had a hissy fit because the afternoon kindergarten class didn't get to see the play
*the younger kids went to the 1st session of their after-school art class
*I turned in Riley's schedule request form to the High School....that is so weird.
*I made a yummy chicken pot pie recipe for dinner....but it wasn't in pie form...

8 Things I look forward to
*Ellie being completely potty-trained (which she is now!)
*The kids look forward to summer vacation!
*Colorado this summer
*Spring!
* Ron's and my 10th anniversary
*Spring.....for real!
*Jared looks forward to 1st grade, so he can eat lunch at school and have 3 recesses
*braces...OFF :)

8 Favorite Restaurants--in no particular order
*In n Out
*Cafe Rio
*Zupa's
*Rumbi Grill
*Lonestar Taqueria
*The kids: Golden Corral....buffet=choices+no waiting!
*Italian Place
*Goodwood BBQ


8 Things on my Wishlist
*paid-off mortgage
*happy kids, read: no more whining!
*huge tax refund
*all the clutter to just disappear and my house to become magically organized
*a maid
*the kids to actually HEAR instructions given to them :)
*Government that works
*World peace?!

Play if you'd like!

These are my kids.....

How does this comic strip artist do this? This is straight from my house. (Sorry....I found these, love them, and want to share. I hope someone finds these as humorous as me!)


The only difference at our house is that Nicole really wouldn't care about Jared reading on his own to boost his skills or confidence.....but the last window.....um...yeah.

This morning......

Sharing:

I just wanted to share this post that my husband just posted over on his blog....amazing what a little fast action and some advertising dollars can do to turn something offensive(and quite lame of HBO to do) into something positive. :)

And here's the message they prepared:

Tease, tease, tease....

I don't enjoy Spring in Utah. It's a big tease for about two months. Mean I tell you! I will be enjoying my few warm days, you can be sure. I just won't be putting the snow blower or coats away yet. And I'll try to avoid thinking of my family and friends in Arizona whose kids are playing on slip 'n' slides..... ;)