Trampoline

We got this Trampoline on craigslist last fall for $50. Best $50 I've ever spent. The trampoline is not the best of quality, but that is good cause the kids don't get too much height and Corey and I don't care if it gets ruined cause it already had little holes wearing in it. Abi loves the trampoline. After the older kids go to school, Abi pulls me to the back door and we head outside. I read my scriptures in the chair while she jumps away. Hyrum and Wesley usually come out to join her. She has learned really good balance with the other kids bouncing her off her feet. It's so fun, it's pure joy to watch her jump. She is so cute.

Cleaning Tip: Getting Boogers off the Walls

In a nutshell - to get dried boogers off the wall:
1) get a handfull of toilet paper and get it wet
2) tear off a little piece of wet tp and cover the booger
3) wait 10 - 20 minutes depending on thickness of the booger
4) easily wipe it off
boogers on wall how tons of boogers on wall booger on
Please leave me a comment if you try it and let me know how it goes.
boogers off the wall
As Sid the Sloth says on Ice Age... "Humans are disgusting." That's what I've been thinking tonight as I helped Ethan with one of his chores - we're on a Booger hunt. Why do kids have to wipe their noses on the wall? I mean honestly, it is really that difficult to go get a tissue? It's really annoying when you find the boogers on the wall right by the toilet paper dispenser. I'm not sure the psychology behind their thinking.
boogers off the wall
But I have found a way to minimize the stress of cleaning them all off - and with 6 kids with active fingers, we almost have full time booger art going on here. Here's the tip which was Ethan's chore tonight - put wet toilet paper on all the boogers on the walls. Corey later asked me about the tp on the walls. I explained that Ethan and I were trying to soften up the snot so we could get it off without chipping off the paint or spending 10 minutes rubbing a hard booger with no sign of it budging. Corey was amazed at my creativity. "Brilliant! How do you think of these things?" I'm just a natural! It just came to me one day as I was washing walls - instead of trying to let it soak with a washcloth which I would have to hold there, I went and got a little bit of tissue wet in water, and it stuck right on the wall like a spit wad, where it softens up the kid booger until you're ready to wipe it clean. I still have a few wads on the wall that I need to go find, but since they've been soaking for an hour, it's a quick and easy job. Ta-Da!
boogers off the wall

Hyrum Conquers the Mountain

On Friday, Hyrum went skiing for his first time. Corey has taken the kids skiing a few times up at Alta for the "Ski for Free after 3" special that they have. He has taken Joe, Mel, Ethan, and Wesley all before, but each time Hyrum has refused to participate, crying "It's too scary!" Friday around 2 Corey was at work and called to asked if he could take the kids - Joe was at scouts, Mel had achievement days, so I said it would just be Ethan and Wes, unless I could talk Hyrum into it. I got the snow pants and winter gloves out and told the others to get ready as I tried to bribe Hyrum with everything and anything...

"If you go, maybe Dad will buy you a Ben 10 watch?"
"He won't."
"Ok, I'll buy you a Ben 10 watch!"
"No."
"I'll give you ten dollars!"
"No."
"What do you want - name your price..."
"I'm not going skiing."

I gave up and helped Ethan and Wes finish getting dressed. I thought Corey could just grab Hyrum and force him into the car and make him go, but I also know that if Hyrum isn't a willing participant, there would be no way it would be a good experience - force doesn't work on him. So as I was helping them get ready, Hyrum asked if he could play the Wii.

"Nope. We're not doing anything fun here at home today."
"But then I'll be bored!"
"Well... then you should go skiing."
"NO! (a few seconds pause...) But I want to do something fun... How come they get to do something fun and I don't?!"
"You CAN do something fun! Hyrum, if you want to do something fun, you can go skiing! But if you don't want to do anything fun, you can stay home with me."

We went on in exchanges like this for a while, tried to resolve concerns - Looking out the window at the steep mountain sides at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon, I thought he probably had a wrong idea of what "skiing down the mountain" would be like - I promised him it wouldn't be from the top on the mountain out there to the bottom - it was a small short hill, like sledding. He was crying and very sad, but finally, in tears and with a nose that was running, he gave up and said "Fine. I'll go skiing!" (So now I know - bribes of toys and money don't work, but his fear of being bored is great, even greater than his fear of skiing! I'll remember that for next time we're trying to get him to do something...)

Right then Corey walked in and he was so excited Hyrum was going to come, we helped him get ready, and quickly they were off.

Two hours later, Hyrum came home with a big smile. He conquered another of his many fears. He's our little cowardly lion. He's built like a tank - he should be the strongest and bravest of our children, but ironically needs much coaxing. He took a good step today. He was afraid cause he didn't know what it would be like, and this evening confessed that skiing wasn't scary. Another victory for experience!

Divine '09 Tip - "Banish the Barbie Weights"

This tip is sponsored by my email FYM coach Holly Rigsby (I don't think I'll ever be as skinny as her, but I love her arms) - She tells the truth about Women, Weights, and getting Bulky:

"Seems that women are still unable to get past the fear of picking up a heavy weight. Are you looking to just lose some fat and look more lean and toned - but do not want to gain muscle?

Weights and muscle - not in your fat loss plans? If so, I must break it you - you will have a VERY hard time seeing any type of fat loss. See what I am talking about... http://getfitandyummy.com/blog/women-weights-and-bulk/

Photos, videos, real examples... I hope this helps drive the point home that you will not bulk up if you use heavy weights."

Easter Message

My awesome brother, Neil, works for the Church and helps make the "Mormon Messages" videos every week. HERE is link to the wonderful message made for Easter. It is a short version of the General Confernect talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland last week, but delivered with touching music and footage from some Church films.

A - bi

I am here at my computer wasting time, nothing urgent or anything, just checking email, reading some family and friend blogs, and scanning the news. Abi usually doesn't let me sit alone, so she'll come over to the table and get up on a chair and slowly start to draw her little pointer finger to the power button. "Nooo..." I say. How does she know the worst button to push? So one method of getting her distracted from me at the computer is to open the fridge - she likes to hang out in the fridge. So she started bringing me the items within her reach. I now have the following items surrounding me and my laptop here at the table: a gallon of milk (1/3 full), Aloe Vera juice, two bottles of salad dressing, Mayonnaise, a package of shredded cheese, and two packages of ham. With each item she says "Da-Da.." sounding like "Here y'go..." To which I'd reply "Da-da!" in the tune of "Thank you!"

"Da" and "Da-da" are the only things she says regularly. Da-da is pretty much the word for everything, except when Corey comes home from work, she excitedly calls out as she pitter-pats to the kitchen/garage doorway "DAAA!!!!!" to which Corey replies "AAAA!!!" "Da" short for Da-ddy, "A" short for A-bi. Corey says it makes his day, warms his heart, to have her sweet greeting home. I get my little heart warming greeting from her in the morning - I'll send in one of the kids to get her out of her crib, and when she comes into the kitchen she gives my thigh a tender embrace. I love her leg-hugs. She is pure joy.

Smart-Alek Joe

Family Home Evening around here is always a time when our patience gets tested - a game of "let's see who get's more frustrated first, the kids at having to hold still, or the parent's at the kid's inability to hold still and focus on the lesson." It is starting to get kinda fun with Joe though, cause he's getting smart enough that he's takes a few wise-guy cracks at Corey and me.

At a family home evening a few weeks ago, I was not as stressed out at usual, but Corey was trying to get a point across, and it wasn't working cause the kids were teasing/poking/tickling each other and not listening. In frustration Corey said with irritation in his voice "This isn't working you guys - something is missing. Who can tell me what is missing?" His point being that reverence was missing from our FHE. But smart Alek Joseph quickly replied "Your good sense of humor?" That totally made me laugh out loud, Joe was very proud of himself for being so clever, and he even got a wry smile out of Corey, as he admitted that was another thing that was also missing at the moment. It was funny.

Divine '09 Tip

The "Looking Divine in 2009" challenge is underway. My workouts got thrown off two weeks ago when Corey was in North Carolina, and they've also been a little messed up by the winter weather that refuses to quit, but so far this week I'm at 100%! (Of course, it's only Monday...) I go walking with a great neighbor and friend, Monica Curtis, at 5:45 in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays are my temple morning (5:00 session at the Jordan River). Monica and I have a little 45 minute walk we got on that takes us up from our homes to the Bell Canyon Trail Head. It's a great walk because it has hills, so it's a good interval workout that is a walk, which are the only kind of intervals I can do right now. (Less than 3 months to go - I'm officially in the last trimester now as of Saturday.)

But although I can only do non-impact intervals right now, I didn't want to deprive any of you from learning about a great little program that has great tips - Fit Yummy Mummy! I usually call it FYM cause I think the name is kind of silly. I get frequent emails with little tips and links to videos that my friend and coach Holly Rigsby makes (I want to have arms like her! Way tone and strong!). Here is her latest VIDEO - she vents a little bit at the beginning about a silly magazine article that claims to have the answer of how to get a bikini body, and then she shows us the moves you really need if you want to burn far - a great and quick 30 minute workout. She's got a great program. I started it right before I got pregnant, so I haven't been able to test it for the 16 weeks she challenges for. I did it for a while after my morning sickness left me, but quit after I had a little spotting after doing some BURPEES (see the 3rd picture down at that link). So FYM it's great, and I thought I'd give all of you a little help if you're in the challenge - my goal: size 6 and 130 lbs. by December. Only 3 months to go and I'm gonna kick some boo-tay. My own booty, that is... kick my booty into shape. I'm doing good right now with my walks with Monica and some resistance work that I do - somedays I do FYM, other days P90X. Good Stuff. Keep it up!

Abi - Queen of the Kitchen

Who does this little two-foot toddler think she is? Well, she's cute... even when she's a mess. And she's the baby, although she won't be the baby for long... I guess we'll let her enjoy her last days of being the baby of the family and queen of the house.