Goin' Good, Gettin' Groove

I'm eating a double chocolate cheesecake at 9 in the morning.  So I'm doing really well!  Haha! 

Matt's been gone coming up on two weeks, and I'm starting to understand our rhythm and how all this will work.  

The boys aren't waking up too early since THE TIME CHANGE, so my morning schedule is kind of off, but other than that things are going smooth.

Me and the two little boys do errands while Isaac's at school, then we pick Isaac up around 3, dinner is served between 4:30 and 5, we clean up the house, and then get ready for bed.

After the boys are down (like @ 7pm), I start to get ready to do a work.  That's right guys, I've started P90X.  Which has been great.  I'm on week 3 right now, without missing a day!  I don't go too hard core, but do what I can.  This isn't the first time I've done the program, but last time I made it only to week 6... But I started to go crazy--since I wasn't sleep through the night at the time it was really hard (Titus was just like 7 or 8 months old).  It's a 13 week program, and the last day of it will put me finishing the day before me and the boys leave for Idaho. Hear that?!  I'm going to Idaho for a month!  Fun!  (June 2 thru July 9.)

After I do the program I get ready for bed.  I usually wear Matt's clothes to bed.  Is that sad?  I read some, then write in my journal--I've only missed one day since Matt has left.

I do better with a schedule, I've realized. So far everything is going well. *fingers crossed*

"Single Mom" Needs Morning Schedule [Dood Idea]

"Single parenthood" is right around the corner.  Yup, Matt's leaving really soon.

I'm trying to figure out the best schedule to put me and the boys on.  It seems like if I'm able to plan well, set things up, and follow through with the plan I do much better in life.  I typically like to "fly by the seat of my pants," but I learned last fall (when Matt was gone for his school) that that philosophy doesn't work very well.
And then I start to yell a lot.  Boo.  

So here's what I'm thinking a daily morning schedule could look like:

• Before going to bed I set the dining room table up in this way:
• each chair facing out, so the boys know when to come to breakfast they should say their morning prayers first (Sis Hinckley did this with her children). 
• on each chair have an envelope that has a personalized note from either me or Matt, just saying "hi" or a drawing, or what have you. 
• In the morning I wake up at 6, get everything together
• prepare Isaac's lunch, snack, binder signatures
• prepare my gym bag and other essentials 
• I read my scriptures at the table till the boys wake up
• Boys get up, they say their morning prayers, have breakfast, and look into their envelopes.  
• The rest of the morning is dedicated to getting ready and out the door to school.  

What do you think?

January Rewind

Through the whole month of January I believed that it was February.  I have no idea why, but I did indeed have to be reminded multiple times that we were in fact in the 1st month of 2013 and not the 2nd.

I just lost track of time, even though it was moving forward and we were doing A LOT.  So it's time to official chronicle January 2013.  Here we go:



Isaac was sick a lot, and stay home many days--which now means he can't miss any more days without a doctor's note for the rest of the year.  None of it was Strep Throat, but a virus/bacteria which give the same signs.  



Titus busted his ear on the entertainment center, like really bad.  He was doing a little jig, and fell down at the wrong place.  Poor guy.
Here are pictures of his wound and the process of healing:

He's pitiful, isn't he?

Eli and Titus had a fight, Titus had to seek some comfort on my lap.

It was really hard for Titus to not scratch the scab off.  In fact Matt checked on Titus one night and there was blood all over the pillow case--like ALL over.  After some practice he left it alone. 

Isaac started a soccer clinical, to help him understand the game a bit better.  The Saturday of clinical he had a really hard time with the scrimmage, and the same with the second Saturday.  On the third clinical Saturday I bribed him with doughnuts, and he started to participate (I mean, before then he'd just stand in the field with a sad face).

When he even ran after the ball Matt and I went CRAZY with cheers.  Then he tried to kick the ball, and we went BESERK!  And every time he tried to get in the game, he had some loud parents on the sideline!  And it worked.  We were so proud.  He tried it, and he realized he liked it.  Hooray!

Also we signed up Eli and Isaac for T-ball, which will start next month.  (March, right?)  We went shopping for some gear, and Titus and Eli had fun "dressing up" in the aisle.

More and more work in the yard, which Eli did his best to help out.

I totally sliced my finger open.  Did you hear that I got some pretty awesome knifes for Christmas?  Well I've been having a blast using them, but it took this very real moment for me to realize their sharp-ness.  Remember Shannon, do not cut an apple with a chef knife!  Take 2 seconds and use the paring knife.

So when it first happened I tried not to freak out.  When the finger first was cut it was almost like it was in shock because there was no bleeding, and then I saw (almost in slow motion) the blood rise from the depths of the finger and start to pour out.  I quickly put pressure on it, then called Matt.
"Hey Matt, do you have a long day today?"  I try to say in my big girl voice.
"I don't know, we have some stuff to do.  Why?"  he asks.
And the my tears come, "Oh, so I totally just cut my finger.  I don't know how deep, but it wont stop bleeding."
He's like, "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Matt came home for an hour, helped me put enough pressure on it to stop the bleeding (took an hour of pressure), helped me super-glue it shut, then went back to work.  It looked like a hot bloody mess.  And the finger oozed blood for a few days, but it finally sealed and healed!

The washed-out road beside our house was worked on and fixed.  Blam-it.  I really liked living on a "dead end" road, at least on one side (we're on a corner lot).  But it was a lot of excitement to see an excavator daily working!

So our dishwasher started leaking, and created this nastiness on the cabinet floor boards.  Ew.  The landlord was able to have a very handy man come and fix it up, but for 2 weeks we had a pan under the dishwasher will the right part came in.  Also, handy-persons crack me up... I've had some pretty interesting conversations with them!  Grateful for it all, their service and knowledge, and the life long lessons learned they teach me.

So then one of the last weekends in January my mom came over, and me and Matt were able to go have a weekend together in Atlanta.  Fun!  We went to the Atlanta Temple, then drove around downtown, seeing a movie and eating at a really good bakery.  Plus we ran into this gem!  The Carter Center!

We were just driving around when I saw the sign, and I was like "PULL OVER!  We have to go!"  and Matt's like, "Really?"  and I'm like, "YES!  YES!"  So we do a loop around, and pull into the parking lot.  And dang, it closed 2 minutes before we arrive... But I will go one day.  For Jimmy Carter is like one of my most favorite presidents.  I'm not kidding.  Love that man.  (I'd love to meet him!)



So that was January...  Holy calf.  

Nasty Smells

I walked into the house Wednesday and my nostrils were attacked with foul smells.
Layers of nasty.

And nope, this lovelies had nothing to do with it!

After some smelly investigation I realized it was the trash can, with spoiled cauliflower rotting away.
But after I took out the trash, the smells still lingered.

I figured it had to do with some of the underneath dishwashing machine leakage.
But after I clorox wiped it down, the smells still lingered.

More poking around, and I spotted a spoiled bag of potatoes, with gross juices flowing on the ground.
But after I threw that bag away, the smells still lingered.

I had given up.  Where were this smells coming from?  I decided to work on something else, like laundry.  After a load, a smell from the laundry basket hit me like a ton of bricks.

Yuck.  A water logged beach towel, contaminating all the clothes around it.
After I loaded the towel, and it's fellow conspirators, into a bleach filled washing machine, the smells were no more.
 


Happy smelling home.  That's what I'm talking about!
That's something I always have to be on top of, for it's an everyday battle.

"Work Hard, Play Hard" Weekend + LOL Pics!

This evening me and Matt have looks of pure exhaustion on our faces.  We are going to bed early tonight.
What a weekend.  Every part of our bodies hurt.
Not only did the weather set records (80 degree highs in January), but we set personal records!  Never before have we worked like we worked in the yard.  This is the first home we have lived in together, and there was much needed yard love.

We raked huge amounts of leaves.  We mowed our front lawn.




We bought a shrub trimmer, and used it.  We bought a shovel, and used it.  We bought mulch, and laid it down.

But most importantly we bought an electric leaf blower, and had a blast!

That would be Swedish Fish on my back teeth, haha.
Plus I'm not expecting a baby.  The air just filled my shirt just so! 

  It was hard work, but also a lot of fun.  The boys had a blast with Matt.  Including sword fights, and "Dinosaur game" lasting till the sun went down.

Okay, that's it... I'm going to bed.