Tuesday, March 31, 2009

i'm mean.

it's been a little more than a day with 0 sugar.

this is how i'm feeling:


i'm mean.
i'm moody.
i'm thinking of sugar every second.
(is anyone else like this with 0 sugar?)

oh, and i feel skinnier.

ha.

ok, maybe not skinnier.
but... i'd like to think i am.
because we just bought season passes for this place:


for one summer, i am excited to put all my apprehensions and qualms of public pools aside (jus think of all of that PEE...don't lie, you worry about it too) to enjoy Seven Peaks Water Park as often as i'd like. anyone else getting passes? anyone else WANT to get a pass to join me?

anyway, back to my point about me being angry and moody due to my sugar withdrawals.
getting a Seven Peaks pass made me think:
huh, i wonder what swim-suit i'll wear.
wait.
swimsuit season.
ME. IN. A. SWIMSUIT.

a very frightening scenario.
which hasn't happened since my pre-Ellie life.
whoa.

so i'll stick to the 0 sugar.

for now.

Monday, March 30, 2009

it's the end of the world as i know it.

i'd like to take care of five items of business, please.

a-hem:

1. wowsers. thank you SO much for all of your comments about my new 'do. it was like year-book day receiving all of your lovely notes (minus the "call me" and "stay cool" and "U R HOT" messages). made my lil heart swell. how did i get so lucky to have all of you in my life?

2. it's March 30th. THE END OF MARCH. what happened to March?

3. i reeeealllllyyyy realllllyyyy despise April Fool's day. so please...pretty please with a cherry on top...don't try and trick me on Wednesday.

4. last week was teacher appreciation week. being a teacher is awesome, but being a teacher during teacher appreciation week is THE BOMB. lots of sweet notes, flowers, little surprises, yummy food.....and lots of treats. which leads me to #5

5. i'm laying off the sugar till Easters. really. i am. my poor lil Abs are in there somewhere...hiding behind all the sugar and junk i keep consuming. and while i'd like to blame it on the nursing, M and i made a deal last night: no sugar till Easter. i mean that's only two weeks. right? i can do it. so, this morning, i put away all my delicious treats in this little box:


and now i need to find a really high place to hide it.

my question: how do you convince yourself to lay off sugar? it's so hard. and addicting.

i got some of this sugar-free gum:


which hopefully will help.....because i'm already craving sugar and salivating over it and it's only 9:34 am. i reallllllly want some of those cadbury eggs.

BUT NO.
even though it's the end of the world as i know it, i won't back down.

maybe after one bite.
of one little egg.

i need therapy.
s.o.s.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

bangeriffic.

i learned 3 important things about hair this week.

1. us women love to talk about it. because we are passionately opinionated about it.
2. our hairstyles define a lot about who we are...our age, our style, if we are conservative or daring...etc etc.
3. it's not so hard to make a change as you think it will be. in fact, it's harder thinking of making the change than actually making the change....which leads me to this:

i took the bang plunge.

and i LOVE it.

it's amazing that cutting a few hairs around your face can make you feel new, fresh, and lovely.

thank you for all of your thoughts and input and encouragement and cautions about getting the bangs. now that i've taken the plunge...i'm dying to know...


you like??

p.s. i'm having a blast in Kaysville this weekend with my family... my lil sis is such a sweetie. and seriously, who doesn't love a wicked mac photo-booth photo OP? guaranteed laughs and good times.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

i've got sunshine

on a cloudy day.
when it's cold outside
i've got the month of May.
well, i guess you'll say
what can make me feel this way?


my girl.

*p.s. i'm overwhelmed by all of your love and opinions for the well-being of my hair! stay tuned for my hair-do reveal. i know you're all holding your breath. xoxo*

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

a little hair help, please.

i'm very excited.
because i'm getting a hair cut on Friday.
which doesn't seem like a big deal.
but i haven't gotten a cut since the beginning of August.
yes, you read that correctly.
AUGUST.
that is almost 8 months. what the!?
craziness.
SO, i'm obviously in GREAT need of a snip snip here and a snip snip there.
AND...
i want to do something different. i'm considering bangs. (gasp!)
dun dun dun.

i've actually been considering bangs since 2007 when Reese Witherspoon showed up to the golden globes looking like this:

{she is gorgeous. plain. and. simple.}

and then i considered it again when Alexis Bledel starred in the final season of Gilmore Girls looking like this:

{she looks so authentic and chic! i'm loving it!}

but, i mean, i haven't had bangs since the seventh grade...and i got my hair layered to look like that classic Jennifer Anniston flippy thing:


(someday i'll find a picture and show you what i looked like. while Jen made it look all sleek and chic, mine had bangs with it...and it was caked in hairspray...and it had that curling-iron line. you know what i'm talking about, ladies).

so, the question is,
it's now 2009...over 13 years since 7th grade.
can i pull of bangs?
are bangs worth the hassle?

all you pro-bangs peeps, help me out. convince me they're worth it. and that i can take the bang plunge.
all you bang-haters out there, tell me i'm crazy. and that i will hate the bobby pinning hassle i have to go through for the next 6 months while my hair grows long enough to put behind my ears.

thank you in advance for your opinions.
i need them.
desperately.

p.s. i'll be sure to let you know what i decide.
unless i get it cut and i hate it, of course.
then, i will hide under a blanket and a hat and hoodies for the next 6 months, and then, once its grown out, i'll take a picture of it and show it to you.
xoxo

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

live mighty


de-stressers.
i need lots of those.
because, if you know me at all, even by just reading my blog, you know that i tend to be a stressed-out individual.
i don't know why i'm that way.
but i do know, i've been that way ever since i can remember.

in fact, i remember as a toddler, being so stressed out by my dad eating my cotton candy that i couldn't stop crying about it and screaming about it. i was not the sharing type. cold-showers often did the de-stressing trick then.

then, i remember as a high schooler getting so stressed out about tests and papers and piano practice and girls gossiping and boys thinking that other girl was cuter than me and not being skinny enough and i'm getting stressed just thinking about all that nonsense.... but i remember locking myself in my room, pulling out dozens of magazines, and cutting out all the pictures of who i wanted to be and my favorite hair-styles and outfits...and i'd daydream into the wee-hours of the night. that did the des-tressing trick then.

now i'm me. an older version of me, that is. and bigger things stress me out. i mean, i at least think they're bigger. they feel bigger. and i find myself still needing de-stressers.

some destressers of mine include:
  • exercise (gotta love those endorphins)
  • a long talk...often with my mom...but also with M or a friend
  • reading a good book
  • eating something delicious. like frozen yogurt. mmm.
  • clenching my jaw down really hard (creepy, i know. i feel sorta vampire-ish when i do it. but it helps)
  • blogging/writing
  • screaming really really loud while going through a car-wash
  • cleaning something
  • picking up lil E and hugging her extra hard...even if she pushes me away.
  • if hugging her didn't work, just looking at E or singing to E would often do the trick as well
  • a nice long drive
  • using my grandpa's favorite phrase: breathe in, breathe out. breathe in, breathe out.
  • and of course, being spiritual...reading scriptures, etc.
on my way to school today, i practiced one of my all-time-favorite destressers: blasting the stereo in lil ol swan (yes, the swan lives on). the louder, the better. something i can sing to is preferable. today's pick: jason mraz. M & i love mr. AZ. one of the songs on his latest CD has stuck with me all day- the chorus says these words:

live high
live mighty

live righteously

takin' it easy


i felt so much less stressed after hearing that.
because, i feel like most of us give life our best (living high).
i feel like most of us leave the world a better place (living mighty).
and i feel like most of us are doing good and fighting against the bad (living righteously).
so, dudes, we can take it easy. (be less stressed).

so, in stressed out moments, i can tell myself: breathe in, breathe out. breathe in, breathe out.
take it easy.

will it always work?
probably not.
but today it did.

{grin}

curious:
what destresses you?

Monday, March 23, 2009

singin' in the rain

my very favorite movie of all time is singin' in the rain.
i love gene kelly's grace and charm.
i love debbie reynold's originality and simple beauty.
i love donald o'connor's wit and natural talent.

on this rainy morning, i'm thinking about how gene kelly turned that rainy dreary night into one of the most memorable hollywood moments...one that can put a smile on my face at any given dreary moment.

i love finding metaphors in stuff like that (i attribute it to the many English classes and Spanish Literacy classes i've taken through the years). for example, we can all create what we want out of a storm. a storm can destroy us with its ferocity and gloomyness. OR we can take a storm and create a lovely, memorable moment out of it- and instead of being something we want to forget, it can turn into something we'll always remember...and want to replay over and over again.

it's so easy for me to just wish these storms away...because i so desperately want the sunshine. it has boosted our spirits, inspired new creativity, and given us new things to be curious about.


but i know that without the rain, it would be just another sunny day. and maybe i wouldn't appreciate it so much. and maybe, just maybe, i'd wish for a rainy day to sing about. because rainy days inspire creativity, change our spirits, and give us even more to learn from and be curious about.

so, a tribute to singin' in the rain today.

my friend marci posted this on her blog a few months ago...
for an extra special treat, watch usher's and gene kelly's renditions at the same time (usher's starts a little later, as he has an intro). LOVE IT.





i don't know about you...but i'm going to go get on a pair of galoshes, a raincoat, an umbrella (solely for prop purposes) and have a rain party. you're invited.

xoxo

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

we discovered bubble baths.

what do you think of when you think of bubble baths?

Ellie thinks: "ooooo, squishy"

"oooo, tastey..."

"ooooo....yucky..."

"oooo....never had so much fun."


and i've never had so much fun either. ever.

p.s. click here for some other cute ellie pictures/updates. since she's the only thing i take pictures of these days. but seriously, can you blame me??

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

our version of going green...

happy st. patty's day!

p.s. yes, i purposefully dressed Ellie in a green shirt, her green vest, a green bib and put her in her green high chair (which rob & amy are letting us borrow...high fives for you guys), and got the biggest spoonful imaginable of peas and smeared it all over her face...at breakfast time....all for the sake of this very green picture. corny, i know. but like Kate Winslet says in The Holiday, I like corny. I'm looking for corny in my life.

so corny it is.

what's your version of going green??

p.s.s. yes, we are enjoying the warmth and the sunshine VERY MUCH. are you?

xoxo

Monday, March 16, 2009

glad we made it in time for this:

the Draper Temple Open House.

it was freezing.
it was long.
it was body-to-body walking through.
it was worth every minute.

what a special thing to take your baby with you through the temple.
in my opinion, it was a very unique (and rare) opportunity.
with Ellie in my arms, i kept looking around at all the details; the pictures, the wood-carvings, the doorknobs, the chandeliers, the altars, the murals, the paintings...and i just kept thinking...this is heaven on earth. i want to stay here forever.

how grateful i am for my eternal little family (and big eternal family).
how grateful i am for temples on this earth that make that possible.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

happy birthday, pops.

on this day 48 years ago,
the smartest, humblest, hardworkingest, most curly hairedest lil baby boy was born.
my daddy.

happy birthday, pops.
it's been so fun to spend this weekend here with you.
thanks for the laughs, the steaks, and the hugs.
i'm so glad you were born! love you.

xoxo

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

out and in



ellie has been out as long as she was in.
i'd like to know this:
why didn't pregnancy go by this fast?
because, i swear...it didn't.

one word, and one word alone, can describe E these days:
feisty.

she is so feisty in every way!
examples:
she is feisty when she plays- she knows exactly what toy she wants...and WILL NOT deviate from it (this includes computers, computer cords, tv remotes, textbooks, cell-phones, and mail). she is not easily convinced to want something else. feisty, i tell you.


she is feisty when we kiss her...and she pushes our faces away with her little feisty hands.

she is feisty when we touch her hands...and she pulls them away as if to say, "excuse me. can't you see you're invading my personal space?"

she is feisty when it's time to brush her teeth. i can't help her do it. SHE has to do it. but she doesn't know how. she's a baby. she just chews on the thing.


she is feisty when we feed her and she grabs the spoon from us as if to say, "you were going too slow."

she's feisty when we take her on walks. she HATES not being able to see me. so i basically have to walk in front of her the whole time. let's just say i'm developing some stellar moon-walking skills.



she is feisty when we wrap her up in her blanket before a nap or bedtime, and she kicks that blanket off with attitude, and screeeaaammmms. i can just hear her saying, "i am NOT TIRED. hello!!!??? i SAID, I AM NOT TIRED!"

she is feisty when she's finally asleep. multiple times, i've caught her sleeping like this:


and like this:


she is feisty when i'm trying to change her diaper, or get her dressed, and it turns into a wrestling match...ellie usually wins. i can rarely pin her.

she is feisty when she jumps in her jumper (a gift we bought her for Christmas...and HATED until a couple of weeks ago...now she's a-ddicted). she goes crazy in that thing! spinning, bouncing high, fast...holy smokes feisty pants!

she is feisty when she's ready to watch baby einstein....she'll go over to the dvd's, find the one she wants to watch, and stand up in front of the tv while holding the dvd in her hand.


she is feisty with the cupboards. she basically wants to eat cleansers, touch knives, and destroy, destroy, destroy. really. so i stand in front of the cupboards. she does NOT like that.




she is feisty when she eats cheerios. she puts like 10 in her mouth at one time. and then starts choking and naturally has to spit some out. and i'm like, dude, you don't have any teeth. SLOW DOWN. feisty mouth.


she is feisty with me. she doesn't let me out of her sight. she always wants to be in my arms. sounds sweet, right? it is 99% of the time. the other 1% of the time, i have to pee...and really, how can i do that with her in my arms?

she is feisty when she's thirsty. she'll grab her lil cup so hard and fast...and slurp up such fast gulps that she is literally winded after drinking. makes me laugh just typing about it.


she is feisty when we are reading stories. she is always trying to open books and turn pages...and has ripped out several pages in the process. yes, these are board-books we are talking about. feisty, i tell you.

she is feisty in the car. sometimes she screams the entire car ride (whether its 10 minutes or 1 hr) and other times she's completely content back there. is it car sickness? is it loneliness? is it being strapped down? let's just say we're counting down the days till we can get a forward facing carseat...



she is feisty with her love. she crawls all over us and kisses us all over our faces. very slobbery. she screams herself to sleep because she'd rather be falling asleep on our shoulders. she holds our faces in her hands as if to say, "you're mine, you know." and she'd rather be with us, playing, being held, looking at a book, or crawling all over us than to be alone at any moment. now that's love.


oh ellie, you feisty thing.
i love your feistyness.
these 9 months have been the best of my life.
can't wait for 9 more!


my school is cool.

a brag moment, please.

a-hem.

i'd like to tell you about my wonderful elementary school.

it is called Manila Elementary.
it is located in Pleasant Grove.
it's the bomb dot com.

here's a picture of my fellow kindergarten teachers.


i love them.
they're the best of the best.
and have truly changed my life for good.
i'm so lucky to get to teach with them.

ok, now for the real point of my bragging.

this weekend, my wonderful elementary school is holding an Arts Festival.
check out this flier made by the lovely RaeAnn:

it's going to be mega fun!

if you'd like to flash-back to elementary days, help support this lovely school fund raiser, and hang out with me, my kindergarten buddies, and M & E, let me know. consider yourself invited.

xoxo

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

the two most important things to me are:

1. my family.
2. my religion.

i don't like riling people up.
i don't like picking fights (or noses).
i don't like confrontation.

but when someone messes with my family or my religion...i get a bit defensive.

this sunday, to be aired on HBO's Big Love, are parts of the temple ceremony and the revealing of temple clothing.
this is something that is very sacred to me.
and something that is very sacred to members of the LDS church.
so, it upsets me.
does it upset you too?

if so, let HBO kindly know how you feel about it by clicking here.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

embarrassing moments.

this weekend was Youth Conference for the Young Men and Young Women in my ward.
(i'm in the YW presidency. have i told you that?)
anyways.
what comes to your mind when you think of Youth Conference?
i think of embarrassing moments.
for the youth.

like, tripping in front of a cute boy.
or spilling syrup on your shirt at breakfast...and everyone's looking.
you get my drift.

but wait.
Youth Conference wasn't embarrassing for my Youth. no. not at all.
Youth Conference = embarrassing moments for yours truly (i know, you're shocked).

2 moments come to mind

#1 we arrive with our youth after the amazing fireside given by John Bytheway (it rocked) to the huge dance party (stake dances...think "lady in red," "streets with no name," "electric slide," and "YMCA"). conveniently located all throughout the dance hall were trays with cookies. mmmmm. cookies. so, naturally, yours truly approaches a cookie tray. no sooner than i had put my mouth around one of those cookies did a lady come up to me and ask:
"are you from the "blah-blah-blah ward" (i don't remember the ward she said)....
i pull the cookie away from my mouth.
"nooooo...."
in a VERY condescending tone, she replied,
"these cookies are for OUR youth, sweetie."
she obviously thought i was one of the youth..
now, remember, i had just put the cookie in my mouth....but i gestured to give her the cookie back because i didn't know what to do.
she then said, "um, honey, you just put that cookie in your mouth. you finish it now." .she proceeded to watch me eat the ENTIRE cookie. it was the most unenjoyable 150 calories i have ever consumed in my life. and humiliating.

#2 (the most embarrassing) no more than 10 minutes after the embarrassing cookie incident did the following occur:
i was standing by some of our young women...chit-chatting, dancing, having a good ol time. well, the DJ apparently gave the challenge for everyone in the room to be dancing. i didnt know that. (the rest of the scenario is kind of fuzzy...i'm trying to block it out from my memory). a young boy...wearing glasses (i don't remember anything else about him) approached me....my heart sank...and asked the dreaded question: "would you like to dance?"
in the same instance, dozens of thoughts buzzed through my mind. how does he not know i've had a baby...which means i "know" a man...which means i'm married...which means i'm taken..which means NO, i cannot dance with you...man, i'm parched....are there any drinks around here? oh yeah, nazi cookie lady is guarding the drinks and the cookies.....
and then finally i responded to that poor boy.
i nervously and awkwardly held up my hand to show him my ring and shakily said, "i'm a leader!" and i literally ran away. didn't walk. didn't skip. RAN.
a 15 year old boy thought i was ..... 15. ish. how embarrassing.

despite these 2 embarrassing incidents...and despite the crazy feeling i had leaving my sweet Ellie behind for a whole night for the first time, Youth Conference was a wonderful, memorable experience. so glad i went.

p.s. here's a pic from the Youth Conference....just MOMENTS before the dance. do i look like i'm 15? ish? what can i do to remedy this situation??


Friday, March 6, 2009

unfinished projects...

it is my humble opinion that one of the craziest things about being a mom is all of the half-done crazy chaotic unfinished projects that are scattered throughout my little apartment.

let me elaborate:
the half painted-toe nails...in fact, to be exact....4 red toe-nails on my left foot...and the rest blank on my right....

and this post about unfinished stuff never got finished.

(SEE WHAT I MEAN?? talk about IRONY).

Thursday, March 5, 2009

i'm mad at you, march.

after lovely days full of this:


and several days of this:


you brought back THIS:

{s-n-o-w...one of thee worst 4-letter-words out there}
what the heck.

i wish i could break up with you, march, and choose april instead. but unlike jason, i can wait 4 weeks to see if things will work out.

so. to boost my spirits and yours, here's this cutest video we caught of Ellie doing her latest trick: clapping.





Wednesday, March 4, 2009

so easy a caveman can do it.



guess who just saved $800 a year by switching my car insurance to geico?

i'm not kidding.

*p.s. it is secretly quite thrilling to be typing my very own geico testimonial.*

i hired a housekeeper.

meet my housekeeper:

she helps with the sweeping...

and even helps clean the broom when she's done.

she helps with sorting the laundry...

she helps me with the dishes...

and even unloads the dishwasher if i ask nicely.

but sometimes, she likes to take a break and eat the utensils.

since she's such a hard-worker...and mostly does it all with a smile, i let her take as many breaks as she wants. i'm a nice boss like that.

and, of course, she follows me EVERYWHERE to ask what to do next.
i love my little housekeeper.

needless to say: Ellie is into everything these days.
and it's never been more fun.