Friday Gratitude

10 things I am thankful for right now:

1. A warm house
2. My husband. He's so selfless. So good to his family.
   
3. A nice run this morning - wet road, but barely any rain falling down.
4. A date with my husband tonight
5. My husband's job and the flexibility that he has to work from home a few days a week.
6. My laser printer
7. Internet and email
8. Good health
9. Arizona's winter weather
10. Older kids that can play with/entertain/help/teach the younger kids.

Life is good. Really aren't we all so blessed?!

I am trying to think of something I can do to help with some relief in Haiti. What are you doing? I'd love some ideas.

Also, I really appreciate your comments about my "Confessions" post. I'm really okay. I think it sounded worse. Sometimes you just need to get it off your chest, though. Thanks for listening (reading). You are all such good friends. Thanks for the support! You are wonderful women and I am grateful for your friendships (that should've been one of my "ten", eh?) and good advice. {And I am definitely up for a girls trip sometime! Anyone know someone with a cabin up north?}

Have a fabulous weekend!

Shadows and Paper Airplanes

While my sister and her family were here for a few days at Christmas time, we went to the park by my house and made a bunch of paper airplanes and had a little contest. Their uncle is apparently quite the paper airplane builder! We were having fun with the shadows as well. Maybe it's one of those things where you had to be there. Oh well. Enjoy.

Random Confessions...

I don't know why I am choosing to share these. But, I think somehow I will feel better by getting this off my chest.

What I am like lately:

• I have been a horrible mom and I know it. (The second part is what makes it hardest. I'd rather not know. At least it would be easier to live with myself...) I can't believe I just admitted that. Out loud.
  
• I have an incredible sweet tooth. The cravings are getting worse, even though I know I should be training for a marathon. (Uh oh!) Any advice? One thing that might help is hiding the chocolate chip buckets from myself. (Is that really possible?)
  
• I waste time on the computer everyday. (I wish it was not such a magnet. I feel like checking my google reader is like some people's tv. It helps me unwind. But then I just feel like a bad mom and wife. And my house is getting messier. Hmm...)
• I already messed up on my one-and-only-New-Year's-Resolution. (It would be better if I just got back on track with it, rather than just completely giving up. But for some reason there is not as much of a strong desire, because I already messed up. {Maybe it's Satan working hard against me}) Does anyone else understand this?
  
• I can't keep my house clean and I have lost control of my kids chores and after school routine. (I actually have no desire to get them to do their chores. I have a desire to have a clean house. I clean the house while they're at school. The house gets messed up within 30 seconds of them walking in the house from school. I let them play for awhile. I tell them it's time to do chores. It doesn't happen. I don't push it, because I'm busy and don't have the energy either. I also don't like the way I feel when I am fighting with them about it. So, I'd opt for letting it go. But, that is really not in anyone's best interest that I do that.)
  
• I'm lazy. (Isn't that obvious from reading the list so far.)
• I am getting so many white hairs on my head and I'm only 30!! I know, I'm blonde. But I can totally see them!! What the...? I know why people my age color their hair...
  
• I am so lost in what I am supposed to be doing with my calling. I am getting some things. But, I wish I had someone to hold my hand while I do every little thing (even on the computer. I so stink at doing things on the computer).
• I'm jealous of my husband. He gets to go on a skiing trip for four days in Park City. I want to have 4 days totally alone. (What would I actually do? There is too much to do. Maybe I need like 4 YEARS to myself.) Does anyone else ever get jealous of their husband? I also am very happy for him. It's mixed emotions I'm feeling. For sure.
  

Sorry if this list seems so negative. I'm fine, really. I just know there is room for improvement. Maybe someday I'll share a list of improvements that I've made. Ha... Ya, we'll see.

I'm still debating with myself about whether or not I should really post this. It's weird. Or rather, I'm weird. I know that.

Have a great day! Thanks for being my friend despite my weirdness. :-)

Kids Rock Marathon

Okay... Well. I just was in the middle of this big, long post about our whole kids rock marathon experience when Firefox crashed and I hadn't save a thing on my post. Lost it all. So... I think I'll just bullet-point the highlights of the weekend.

• Friday night expo was fun. in conjunction with the rock n' roll arizona marathon
  
• We rode the light rail to down town and back. kids first time.
• We made it back really late from the expo. late to pick up our babysitter. late to the activity at our church. :-(
• I signed up to run the Rock n' Roll Seattle Marathon on June 26th, 2010 (first marathon for me!) and my husband signed up for the R 'n' R Seattle 1/2 marathon (first 1/2 for him)!
• The kids ran the whole mile and had tons of fun!
• There were like 4,000 kids participating, from K-6th grade.
• We went out to In 'n' Out Burger on the way home. (yeah, good, healthy example. uh huh.)
• happy that my kids had a good experience with a running event for them
• (I almost forgot) At the expo we were on the escalator and the guy behind us was Gene DeFronzo. He's an elderly man who's ran more than 400 marathons. Amazing. My husband recognized him from watching some videos about him online. What an inspiration. I think that's what pushed my husband to register for a half marathon a few minutes later! ;-)
  

If he can do it (400+ times), I can. Right?! Now I just have to figure out how I am going to train and get my body ready for the marathon in June. Any advice??

High fives. It's so nice to see a familiar face when you're on the course.

I was lucky enough to get to run with my 1st grade daughter.

High fives close to the finish line.

Wii Wii Wii, All the Way Home

Don't really know why I titled it that. I just thought it was kinda funny... er... cheesy. Oh well.

So yeah. Umm. For Christmas my family got a Wii from my in-laws. I was super hesitant. Okay, I guess I should clarify. We got some money from my in-laws and we could do what we want with it. In the past we have chosen to get a few annual passes to places like the zoo and museums and such. This year, with much apprehension on my part, my husband went all out and bought a wii for our family.

Of course being the psycho-path, paranoid mother that I am, I was worried about fights over the wii, chores and homework left undone, and tv/wii zombie kids (that never do anything else and never read again therefore flunk the third grade, etc.). Well I expressed my concerns with my husband many times before Christmas. Since he knew this was important to me but also knew I never have time to sit down and come up with rules, he came up with them on his own and presented them to me! (What a wonderful man I have!) I LOVE the rules he came up with. I also think it was dang clever of him to add the "ii" to words that end in a long "e" sound. Funny guy.

So, without further ado: Our family's rules about the wii:

Wii Harmonii for the Anderson Home

Perspective:

1. The Wii belongs to EVERYONE in our familii. Wii are sharing The Wii.
2. The Wii is for FUN!

Rules:

1. When wii spend time with The Wii wii will be polite to each other. Yelling, arguing, hitting, fighting, or crying will result in an offence.
2. The Wii's controllers will bii treated respectfullii. This means wearing the wristbands and using the controllers gentlii and with care. Disrespecting the controller is an offence.
3. The Wii games will be handled carefully by big kids and put away in their cases when not in use. Treating games improperly is an offence.
   

• For the first offence on each day, have to stop playing for 15 minutes or do a chore.
• For the second offence, you have to stop playing for an hour or do a chore.
• For the third offence, you cannot play for the rest of the day and do a chore.
  * chores will be chosen by mom or dad or babysitter
  

Play Time:

1. The Wii may only be played when the living room, kitchen and kids bedrooms are clean; and the dishes are done.
2. If we have homework and/or chores, wii only play when mom or dad say those are done too.
3. The Wii may be used on school night’s onlii with permission from a parent.
4. The Wii will bii left alone on school days before school.
5. The Wii will not be played on Sundays.

• If you try to start the wii or are playing during a time when you're not supposed to be playing, you are banned for that day (or the next eligible day).

Fine Print:

1. Punishments are to bii determined by mom and dad only. They have absolute control to extend privileges or assign punishments at their sole discretion for any reason.
2. The kids will try to be reasonable and not play when there are other fun things to do or when there is work to do.
3. Older kids will bii nice to younger kids, teach those who don't know how to play, and play 'kids games' when younger kids are present.
4. Older kids and parents will let the younger kids win (throw the game) sometimes just to make it fun.
5. Parents will try to bii reasonable and allow the kids to play when they have earned it.
6. Parents will give a five minute warning when it's time to turn off the Wii. Players should use this time to finish or save their game. After this five minutes, the parents can turn off the Wii as abruptlii as they want.


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We are having a lot of fun with the wii. And so far, so good with the rules. There are some times that my kids are little punks when I law down the law... but it's okay.

I'm Back

{Random picture of a tortoise that I took at the zoo over the holidays. They were getting him to move fairly fast by tempting him with prickly pear cactus. It actually was really juicy!}

No, I didn't go anywhere. I've been right here at home! But I haven't felt much like blogging lately. Can you tell? ;-P

First I was busy with company for Christmas and family in town for New Year's. That made it difficult to find time to do anything in our normal routine. Obviously I don't care though. Laundry, dishes, and blogs can wait... when you have company and you're having fun, right?! We had sooo much fun and we'll have so many wonderful memories. So glad they came to visit!

Then I wanted to relax, take a breather, get back into normal life (get my kids back on a routine of going to bed and getting up for school) and clean my house.

I also have a new church calling that requires me to be on the computer a lot... but not blogging. I have been trying to start to wean my baby from nursing. The problem is that every time she sees me in the computer chair she wants to nurse! That makes it hard to get anything done on the computer! (She's sleeping right now...) For the last month, I've been busy working on things for primary, which also equals no time for anything extra.

This last week, I've finally started to find a bit more time to blog, but I just haven't felt like doing it. Oh well.

I've had plenty to actually blog about, though.

Hmmm... Maybe I should make a list of things I've been wanting to blog about, so I will be able to get to them later. I'm sure I'll forget a few right now.

• Christmas with my sister
• wii rules in our house
• sewing with kids
• making baby pajama pants
• the new couch
• gardening right now
• Holiday recipes that were new to me in 2009
• hiking with kids in az
• My baby's baby doll and the quilt from great-grandma
  
• paper airplane contest and shadow pictures
• running, getting ready for the Ragnar Relay
• a bike race/ride roommate reunion possibility - in UT
• totally funny videos my daughter makes by herself (all the time) {She would be so mad if I shared them}
• my need to quilt
• My Only New Year's Resolution, and other goals
  
• etc...
  

So, we'll see how I do with coming up with these in the near future. But for now, I hope I am at least coming back into normal life enough to blog way more than I have in the last three weeks!

Ah, yes. I'm ready to be back.

{Me, carrying my baby in a backpack. Hiking down from a hieroglyphics trail behind the Superstition Mountains.}

P.S. Does anyone want any zucchini, yellow squash, and/or Bibb (limestone) lettuce from my garden?? I have some I would love to give away. First come, first serve. (obviously local only)